--- description: Review of Fourwaves Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs on Software Advice Ireland. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/software_advice/og_logo-55146305bbe7b450bea05c18e9be9c9a.png title: Fourwaves | Reviews, Pricing & Demos - SoftwareAdvice IE --- Breadcrumb: [Home](/) > [Conference Software](/directory/4210/conference/software) > [Fourwaves](/software/326388/fourwaves) # Fourwaves Canonical: https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/326388/fourwaves Page: 1 / 2\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/326388/fourwaves?page=2) > Fourwaves is conference management software for academic conferences: abstract submissions, peer review, registration, event website, program and conference app in one platform, built for researchers at universities, scientific societies and research networks. Who it is for Fourwaves is built for the people who actually run academic conferences: faculty and graduate students on an organizing committee, society and association staff, research office coordinators, and professional conference organizers. Most run one or two events a year, inherit the job from last year's committee, and have no time to learn enterprise event software. If your event has a call for abstracts and a review committee, Fourwaves was designed around it. It runs departmental symposiums, research days, society and association annual meetings and multi-track congresses, in person, hybrid or virtual. What you can do with it - Abstract submissions: custom forms with co-authors, affiliations, topics, presentation type and file uploads (Word and LaTeX documents included). Authors edit their own submissions until the deadline. - Peer review: single or double-blind review, custom scoring criteria, assignment by topic or expertise, revision rounds, and safeguards so reviewers are never assigned their own submissions. - Registration and payments: pricing tiers, early-bird deadlines, discount codes, taxes, invoices and refunds. Payments go through your own gateway (Stripe, PayPal or an institutional gateway); Fourwaves never holds your funds. Invoice and purchase-order payment for university cost centers. - Event website: a no-code website with your branding, live in minutes. - Program: build the schedule from accepted submissions, publish it on the website and in the app, and generate the book of abstracts in one click. - Conference app: attendees get the program, abstracts, speakers and announcements on iOS and Android. - Poster sessions, in person or virtual, with digital posters, comments and Q\&A. - Name badges, certificates of attendance, targeted emails, Excel exports and a free public API. Why organizers choose Fourwaves over general event tools General event platforms sell tickets. Academic conferences need submissions, reviewers, a scientific program and a book of abstracts, and they need all of it to talk to each other. On Fourwaves every module shares one data layer, so an accepted abstract becomes a program item, a presenter badge and an app entry without re-keying anything. The same workflow runs a 30-submission research day and a multi-track congress with 2,000+ submissions. Every event is archived and can be cloned in a click, so next year's committee starts from your setup instead of from scratch. Support Support comes from people who know how academic conferences work. Median first response is under 5 minutes, and 96.7% of organizers rate their support experience positively. Chat, email, onboarding calls and the help center are available in English and French. The platform runs at 99.9% uptime with data hosted in Canada. Pricing A free Starter plan includes unlimited events, unlimited registrations and 25 abstract submissions per year. Paid plans are flat yearly subscriptions priced on submission volume, with no add-ons and no per-registrant fee. Pro is quoted on volume for large or multi-event organizations. Trusted by organizers worldwide Customers include MIT, Stanford, Harvard Medical School, NIH, NASA, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, the United States Association for the Study of Pain and the Canadian Society of Microbiologists. "Fourwaves is customized to academic science meetings. I don't have to educate them on what I'm doing before I can ask for help." (Meg Hughes, UBC Diabetes Research Network) Fourwaves was founded in 2012 by PhD students who were organizing their own conference. The company is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, and is bootstrapped and profitable. > > Verdict: Rated **5.0/5** by 26 users. Top-rated for **Likelihood to recommend**. ----- ## Quick Stats & Ratings | Metric | Rating | Detail | | **Overall** | **5.0/5** | 26 Reviews | | Ease of Use | 4.9/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Customer Support | 5.0/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Value for Money | 4.8/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Features | 4.7/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Recommendation percentage | 100% | (10/10 Likelihood to recommend) | ## About the vendor - **Company**: Fourwaves ## Commercial Context - **Starting Price**: US$0.00 - **Pricing model**: Other (Free version available) (Free Trial) - **Pricing Details**: Fourwaves pricing is flat, published and charged per year, so an organizing committee can budget its event before talking to anyone. There are four plans. Three are self-serve and can be started from the pricing page in minutes; the fourth, Pro, is quoted on volume. Prices are listed in USD, CAD and EUR. How the plans are priced The only usage limit is the number of abstract submissions your organization receives per year, counted across all your events. Registrations are unlimited on every plan, and events are unlimited on the self-serve plans. There are no add-ons: every feature of a plan is included in its yearly price. Starter (free) $0. Up to 25 abstract submissions per year, unlimited events and unlimited registrations. Includes the branded event website, registration and payments, the program, the abstract booklet with author index, the conference app, and AI, chat and email support. Built to run a small departmental event at no cost, or to test the platform before an upgrade. Essential $999 USD per year (CAD $1,199, EUR €899). Up to 100 abstract submissions per year. Adds email communications to participants and presenters, visual website sections and galleries, and the badge generator. Fits a research day, a symposium or a small annual meeting without peer review. Advanced $2,599 USD per year (CAD $2,899, EUR €2,299). Up to 300 abstract submissions per year. Adds peer review with unlimited reviewers (single or double-blind, custom scoring criteria, assignment by topic), unlimited website pages, the certificates generator and an onboarding call. This is the plan for a society or association annual meeting with a review committee. Pro (custom pricing) Quoted on your volume of submissions and events. For organizations expecting more than 300 submissions a year, running many events on one account, or processing a high payment volume. Adds a custom submission volume, a custom number of events, tracks management for multi-track congresses, event-specific admins, white label (your own domain, no Fourwaves footer), video recordings, virtual poster sessions, a dedicated success manager and a custom service fee. Book a demo to get a quote. Multi-year terms Every paid plan can be taken for 1, 2 or 3 years at checkout. A 2 or 3-year term is 10% lower than the 1-year price (Essential $899 USD, Advanced $2,339 USD per year) and the price is locked for the whole term. You are invoiced once a year, not up front, the plan renews automatically, and you can cancel anytime without penalty. This protects a society or association budget against renewal increases and keeps the setup in place when the organizing committee rotates. Service fee A 3% service fee applies only when you collect credit card payments through the platform. It is the only cost outside the plan. Since 2025, organizers can pass the service fee on to registrants at checkout. Payments go through your own payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal or an institutional gateway) and land directly in your account: Fourwaves never holds your funds. Free registrations and registrations paid by invoice or bank transfer carry no service fee. What counts as an abstract submission One entry received through a submission form, for any presentation type: poster, talk, workshop proposal or paper. Registrations, reviews and edits to an existing submission are not counted. When your organization reaches its yearly cap, new submissions pause until you upgrade to the next plan; existing submissions, registrations and event websites stay accessible, and the upgrade applies to all your events. How to pay and what happens at renewal Plans can be paid by credit card, invoice, purchase order or bank transfer, which suits university cost centers and grant accounts. When a plan is not renewed, the account moves back to the free Starter plan: you keep access to past events, and premium features such as sending emails, editing content or receiving new submissions are disabled until you renew. Which plan should a prospective buyer expect to need? - A departmental research day or student symposium with a few dozen posters: Starter or Essential. - A society or association annual meeting with a call for abstracts and a review committee: Advanced. - A multi-track international congress, a research network running several events a year, or a professional conference organizer managing conferences for clients: Pro. Full, current details are on fourwaves.com/pricing. - **Target Audience**: 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–5,000, 5,001–10,000, 10,000+ - **Deployment & Platforms**: Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, Android (Mobile), iPhone (Mobile) - **Supported Languages**: English, French - **Available Countries**: Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon and 127 more ## Features - AI Copilot - API - Attendee Management - Attendee Profiles - Attendee Tracking - Audience Engagement - Badge Management - Customisable Branding - Event Management - Event Registration - Event Scheduling - Generative AI - Lead Capture - Live Chat - Live Streaming Software - Networking - Registration Management - Reporting/Analytics - Sponsorship Management - Survey/Poll Management ## Integrations (12 total) - Delphi AI - Global Payments - LiveEO - PayPal BrainTree - PayPal Tap to Pay - Salesforce CRM Connector - Stripe - Stripe Connect - TapGoods Event Rental Software - Touchnet Marketplace - Worldline - authorize.net ## Support Options - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Chat ## Category - [Conference Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4210/conference/software) ## Related Categories - [Conference Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4210/conference/software) - [Event Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4734/event-management/software) - [Virtual Event Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4601/virtual-event/software) - [Registration Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4145/registration/software) - [Event Marketing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/directory/4352/event-marketing/software) ## Alternatives 1. 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The customer service is, without question, the best I have experienced in my career. Their team is incredibly responsive, collaborative, and genuinely invested in finding solutions. While the platform may not always have every “bell and whistle” out of the box, they consistently work with you to find smart workarounds and practical solutions that meet your needs. That willingness to partner and problem-solve makes a huge difference. I want to specifically acknowledge \[sensitive content hidden\], Customer Success Manager. \[sensitive content hidden\] sets an incredibly high bar. He is knowledgeable, friendly, responsive, and always willing to go the extra mile for the client. Working with him is an absolute pleasure, and he elevates the entire Fourwaves experience. > > **Cons**: Compared to some larger platforms, Fourwaves may not always lead with flashy features or rapid-fire innovation. That said, this is largely offset by their openness to feedback, continuous improvement, and hands-on support. They listen, adapt, and evolve thoughtfully rather than chasing trends. > > My experience with Fourwaves over several years has been consistently positive and continues to improve. The platform has grown alongside my needs, and it’s clear that customer feedback directly informs their development roadmap. From the very beginning, the leadership team has been remarkably accessible. \[sensitive content hidden\] were the two individuals I initially worked with, and that same openness, responsiveness, and care for the customer still defines the organization today. As a Quebec-based Canadian company, Fourwaves brings a strong sense of partnership, accountability, and pride in their work. They do not just provide software. They provide support, collaboration, and trust. I view Fourwaves as a true partner in my conference planning process. ----- ### "Literally my favourite company of all time..." — 5.0/5 > **Deanne** | *3 September 2026* | Research | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: Literally everything\!\!\! The platform was a lifesaver for conference organizing and registration and abstracts. The best part it is that it is built by people who actually know scientific conferences, understand what those need, and know how to help organizations organize them. The people running this company are absolutely amazing. They are responsive to customer requests, they are helpful above and beyond, and they have made a product that is intuitive, practical, and absolutely rock solid consistent. There are no glitches, everything works, the help files are actually helpful, and every single question or problem I've ever had with the platform (all user errors\!) were fixed immediately after getting in touch with the company. I cannot possibly recommend them more enthusiastically. > > **Cons**: No middle names or initials for submissions... That would be a nice option because a lot of scientists use a middle initial. We have a workaround so not a bit issue at all. > > I started using Fourwaves in 2020 for a small student conference, and since then have adopted it for multiple associations, the biggest of which runs events for up to 1000 attendees, with 600 to 700 abstract submissions. The user interface is completely intuitive, the scheduler is easy, the communication module is seamless, and everything can be done by volunteers with very little trouble. The help files are good, and the customer service is absolutely stellar. The developers have added things we've asked for, and helped us through upgrades and changes, and every time we make user errors they help fix it immediately. They are amazing for volunteer-run organizations because everything is simple and the technical help is great. They are also flexible for pricing, and as someone who has used similar platforms that are 10 times as expensive I cannot be happier with Fourwaves. The more expensive programs (e.g. ConFex) does not even come close and is literally 10 times the price. The pricing is excellent, and the fact that we can connect to Stripe or other platforms is priceless for organizations because it takes the credit card security out of our hands and into professionals'. The value for money is excellent, I would not ever use another company. ----- ### "Excellent support\!" — 5.0/5 > **Andrew** | *25 May 2026* | Medical Practice | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: The email support was incredibly thorough, and they were able to get back to me super quickly about any questions I had. > > **Cons**: A few things are locked behind the bigger paywall, but that's to be expected. A preview option of these features might be helpful to see if additional features are worth it. > > Great experience with setting up registration and payments for our event. We will continue to use them in the future. ----- ### "Fourwaves for international events" — 5.0/5 > **Sofia** | *19 June 2026* | Nonprofit Organisation Management | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: - Exceptional customer support with quick turnaround times and effective troubleshooting. - Straightforward, user-friendly interface that is easy to learn, supported by excellent guides and documentation. - Robust event management features, including registration tracking, payment management, and abstract handling. - Reliable performance and easy monitoring of registrations and financial transactions. - Well suited for large international meetings while remaining flexible enough for a wide range of event types. - Strong value for the cost. > > **Cons**: - The agenda management could be more flexible, particularly when manually adding keynote or invited speakers and talks outside the abstract submission workflow. - A downloadable or offline version of the agenda would improve the attendee experience, as some users found the online agenda difficult to navigate without an internet connection. > > We have been using Fourwaves since 2024 to manage large international scientific meetings, and it has quickly become our go-to registration platform. It's intuitive, user-friendly, and offers a wide range of tools for managing registrations, payments, abstracts, and attendees in one place. The standout feature is undoubtedly the customer support. The team is incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, and consistently provides fast, effective solutions whenever issues arise. On multiple occasions, they've gone above and beyond to help us troubleshoot challenges, making event management significantly less stressful. ----- ### "Highly recommend" — 4.0/5 > **Valérie** | *28 April 2026* | Events Services | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: Support is amazing: responsive, always helpful, go beyond the call of duty. IMO great value for money compared to other products that shall remain nameless. We've been using 4W since 2022 and are looking forward to it getting bigger and better. Super easy and intuitive to configure and use. It's almost scientist-proof, too\! Would 100% recommend to clients and peers. > > **Cons**: Website features need improvement--appearance is very drab and customization not quite wide enough. Search functions in submissions, reviews, and reviewers I find underwhelming--in that I have to export to Excel and merge 2 files to get the results I'm looking for. Track chairs shold be able to leave comments, just like reviewers. > > Extremely positive experience with their dynamic R\&D that is in tune with their clients' needs. They're very committed to continuous improvement, which is great to see and be a part of. ----- Page: 1 / 2\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/326388/fourwaves?page=2) ## Links - [View on SoftwareAdvice](https://www.softwareadvice.ie/software/326388/fourwaves) ## This page is available in the following languages | Locale | URL | | en | | | en-AU | | | en-GB | | | en-IE | | | en-NZ | | ----- ## Structured Data