MeetingHand Abstract Management

Overview

MeetingHand Abstract Management is a web-based submission and review system for academic conferences. It is a strong fit for organizers who need peer review to feed into a multi-track program and proceedings. Its breadth is useful, but the free allowance is small and pricing scales with collected registrations or abstracts.

Key features

Organizers can shape submission forms around topics, presentation formats, rules, deadlines, and author fields, accepting text, file, or multimedia material. That range helps when a conference solicits different contribution types. Authors may revise abstracts through the deadline if organizers enable editing, so that control remains with the event team.

Reviewer assignment, scoring, comments, progress dashboards, and blind review cover the core evaluation workflow. Accepted submissions can move into a multi-track agenda and be exported as a book of abstracts, making the product particularly useful to teams that want review decisions and program preparation connected rather than handled as separate jobs.

Submission can integrate with conference registration through single sign-on, and organizers may require payment to submit. The registration product lists Stripe, Authorize.net, and PayPal gateways. MeetingHand says it is designed for events with hundreds or thousands of submissions, but its quantity-based plans mean organizers should assess the likely total before committing. Human support and a knowledge center are available. The company describes its security measures as reasonable, while acknowledging that online transmission and storage cannot be guaranteed fully secure; its terms also say the service is not tailored to regulations such as HIPAA or FISMA.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and covers up to 25 registrations or abstracts. It is a sensible way to try the workflow or run a small event, but the cap is quickly restrictive for a larger call.

Pay as you go costs $4.90 a month, billed monthly according to registrations and abstracts collected. Charges are based on collected items, and the plan applies automatically after prepaid usage is exhausted; organizers should monitor volume rather than treat the monthly price as a fixed all-in cost.

Small costs $990 a month as a prepaid plan and covers 250 registrations or abstracts. It suits an event with a predictable volume near that allowance, though the price is a substantial step up from the free tier. Medium has custom pricing for 1,000 registrations or abstracts. Larger plan uses custom pricing for greater usage needs. No plan should be selected on seat count: the stated quantity basis is registrations or abstracts, and these are the published caps that matter.

Platforms

MeetingHand Abstract Management is available on the web.

Who it's for

This is aimed at academic-event and conference organizers who need configurable calls for submissions, blind peer review, and a route from accepted abstract to scheduled session and proceedings. It is less suitable when a fixed low cost is essential at higher volumes, or when the event must use a service tailored to industry-specific compliance regimes such as HIPAA or FISMA.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Submission forms handle varied formats and rules, which helps conferences with more than one type of contribution.
• Pro: Review assignment, blind review, evaluation, and progress tracking sit alongside agenda building and abstract-book export, linking evaluation to program preparation.
• Pro: Registration integration, single sign-on, and optional payment-required submissions can connect the call with event enrollment.
• Con: The free plan stops at 25 registrations or abstracts, while paid quantities and charges make larger-event budgeting more involved.
• Con: The service is not tailored to HIPAA or FISMA requirements, ruling it out for some regulated workflows.

Alternatives

For broader category comparisons, browse Call for Papers Software and Event Management Software.

Fourwaves is worth considering when a 25-submission free annual plan, unlimited events and registrations, or mobile and API platforms better fit the event; its free plan also carries a 3% service fee.

ConfTool may suit smaller non-commercial events seeking a free license for up to 150 participants, provided local installation and no support are acceptable.

HotCRP is another freemium option for readers comparing conference-review tools.

Sessionize is worth a look for eligible community events seeking a free option, though its free plan excludes internal, private, promotional, marketing, profit, and commercial events.

SimplyConf may appeal to teams prioritizing unlimited events, submissions, and users on its free Core plan, with a Starter plan at $19 a month.

Airballoon is an alternative for organizers who value a free companion event and networking app; no paid service tiers are stated.

OpenConf is an option for self-hosted setups, with a Community Edition limited to three or fewer events and journals per calendar year.

AbstractWiz suits a small event that can stay within 20 submissions on its free plan, or a per-event purchase of 270.00 USD for unlimited submissions and all features.

Verdict

Choose MeetingHand when an academic conference needs submission collection, blind review, scheduling, and proceedings preparation in one connected workflow. Its strongest case is the handoff from review to program; look elsewhere if the 25-item free cap, volume-based paid terms, or compliance scope do not fit your event.