Is HackHQ a Devpost for Teams alternative for internal hackathons?

Yes. HackHQ is purpose-built for internal hackathons with unlisted event links, unlimited team members, no per-seat fees, and per-event pricing. Corporate innovation teams that run one or two events a year often choose HackHQ because the annual seat-based subscription model from Devpost for Teams does not pencil out for that volume.

Can HackHQ handle our security and compliance requirements?

HackHQ events are unlisted by default and not indexed by search engines. For enterprise security questionnaires, Data Processing Agreements, or compliance reviews, email hello@hackhq.io and we will work through requirements directly with your IT team.

How does pricing compare for one internal event per year?

HackHQ Pro is $599 per event with unlimited judges and audience voters. Devpost for Teams is an annual seat-based subscription. For one or two events per year, HackHQ Pro typically lands well below an annual seat plan. For 5+ events per year, the math may favor an annual subscription depending on the seat count.

Do organizers and judges need to log in with SSO?

On HackHQ, organizers create accounts, but judges and participants do not need any account. Judges score from a personalized link, no SSO required. This is a different security posture than Devpost for Teams, which uses authenticated accounts for everyone.

Can we run a customer facing hackathon on HackHQ?

Yes. The same plans cover internal events and customer facing events. You can keep your event unlisted and share the link only with invited customers, or make it public. There is no separate "Teams" pricing tier.

Can we migrate from Devpost for Teams to HackHQ?

Yes. HackHQ supports bulk CSV import for submissions and judges. If you are coming from Devpost for Teams mid contract and want help moving, email hello@hackhq.io and we will help map fields and time the migration.

How does HackHQ make money?

Only from event organizers, per-event pricing ($0 free / $199 Starter / $599 Pro). Participants and judges submit and score via personalized links without creating HackHQ accounts, and we do not sell or share participant data with sponsors or third parties. Your participant list stays contained to your event.

Compare

Devpost for Teams Alternative

HackHQ vs Devpost for Teams. Pay Per Event, Not Per Seat.

Devpost for Teams is annual, seat-based, and sales-led. HackHQ is per event, public pricing, and self-serve. If you run one or two internal hackathons a year, you should not pay for an enterprise subscription you barely use.

Start Free See Pricing

The Short Version

HackHQ vs Devpost for Teams in Four Bullets

HackHQ is pay per event ($0 / $199 / $599). Devpost for Teams is an annual seat-based subscription with no public pricing.

HackHQ is fully self-serve. Devpost for Teams requires a sales call and security review before you can even pilot it.

HackHQ has unlimited organizers, judges, and team members on every plan. Devpost for Teams meters seats.

Neither judges nor participants need HackHQ accounts. Devpost for Teams uses authenticated accounts for everyone.

Both work for internal hackathons. The choice is really annual subscription versus per-event budgeting.

At a Glance

HackHQ vs Devpost for Teams at a Glance

Dimension	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Pricing model	Per event from $0	Annual seat subscription
Public pricing	Yes	Sales-only
Self-serve setup	30 minutes	Sales call required
Per-seat fees	Never	Yes (organizers, admins, members)
Best for	1-3 events per year	High frequency internal events
Procurement model	Self-serve, no procurement	Vendor onboarding required

Feature by Feature

The Full Comparison Table

Every meaningful feature, side by side. Hover any cell with extra detail for the source or context.

Pricing & Plans

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Public pricing
Pay per event
Free trial / free tier
Per-seat fees
Unlimited events on subscription
14-day money-back guarantee

Setup & Onboarding

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Time to launch first event	30 minutes	Multi-week sales + procurement
Self-serve event creation
Pre-built event templates	Smart defaults
No procurement / vendor onboarding
Customer support	Direct team email + video calls	Dedicated CSM (Pro Services)

Submissions

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Custom submission form builder
Six question types		Guided prompts
Auto embeds (YouTube, Loom, GitHub, Twitter/X)		Video / code links
Bulk CSV import for submissions		Not publicly documented
No participant accounts required
Skill-based teammate discovery

Voting & Judging

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Three voting modes (Judge / Audience / Hybrid)
Score Criteria + Top Picks methods		Score Criteria only
Custom criteria count	Unlimited	Up to 6
Track and challenge specific criteria
Three judge assignment modes		By track or expertise
No account required for judges
Mobile-friendly judging interface		Browser only

Results & Reporting

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Live leaderboard during ceremony
Auto generated certificates
LinkedIn shareable verification links
Departmental / regional breakdowns	CSV export, custom slicing
Post-hackathon participant survey
CSV export with scores and feedback

Collaboration & Privacy

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Guest organizer / external collaborators
Unlisted event links (not indexed)
Enterprise security review on request

Account Model & Ecosystem

How participants and judges interact, and how the product fits in the broader platform.

Feature	HackHQ	Devpost for Teams
Participants and judges work without accounts
LinkedIn certificates participants can take with them
Single product, not part of a wider platform		Part of Devpost ecosystem

Pricing

How Pricing Compares

HackHQ

Public per-event pricing

Free plan: 10 submissions, 3 judges, 50 audience voters
Starter: $199 per event for up to 50 submissions
Pro: $599 per event for up to 200 submissions, unlimited judges and audience voters
No per-seat fees on any plan
14-day money-back guarantee

See Full Pricing

Devpost for Teams

Annual seat-based subscription

No public pricing, sales call required
Annual commitment based on number of seats
Voters do not count toward seat totals
Unlimited hackathons during the subscription year
Optional Devpost Pro Services tier with a dedicated CSM
Annual seat-based subscriptions in this category typically run several thousand dollars and up, which is meaningful only if you run 5+ events per year

Source: info.devpost.com

Where HackHQ Fits

HackHQ Fits Any Hackathon Workflow

You bring participants from wherever makes sense. We handle submissions, judging, and results. No vendor lock in for your audience.

Public hackathons

Pair HackHQ with Luma, Eventbrite, or whatever registration tool you already use. They handle signups and reminders. HackHQ handles submissions, judging, and live results.

HackHQ + Luma HackHQ + Eventbrite

Community hackathons

Use your existing channels for reach: Slack, Discord, your university list, alumni networks, sponsor newsletters. HackHQ never asks you to switch ecosystems or grow a third-party developer audience.

Internal hackathons

No registration needed. Your employees are your participants. HackHQ runs the event end-to-end (submissions, judging, certificates, results) without forcing you into anyone else's ecosystem.

When Devpost for Teams is the right choice

You run many internal hackathons per year (5+) where the unlimited events model on a single subscription saves money.
You need formal SOC 2 and ISO 27001 attestations before signing a vendor contract.
You want a pre-built template and planning kit for internal events baked into the platform.
Your enterprise IT requires SSO and a dedicated customer success manager out of the box.

Why teams choose HackHQ for internal hackathons

No annual subscription for events you may not run

Pay only when you actually run an event. Free for testing, $199 or $599 when you go live. No commitment, no procurement cycle.

No per-seat math at the budget meeting

Add your whole innovation council, every judge, every champion. The price does not change. Pricing scales with event size, not headcount.

Self-serve, no sales call

Sign up with a work email and create your event in 30 minutes. No vendor onboarding, no procurement, no security review just to pilot.

No SSO friction for judges or participants

Judges score from a personalized link, participants submit from a personalized link. No SSO loop, no password reset tickets to IT during your event. Devpost for Teams uses authenticated accounts for everyone.

LinkedIn certificates that boost participation

Every employee who participates gets a verifiable LinkedIn certificate they can post to their professional profile, with a public verification page their manager and peers can check. It is one of the simplest ways to drive higher signup rates for your next internal event. Devpost for Teams does not include a participant credential of this kind.

Direct line to the team, not a CSM tier

Email replies in hours, not days, on every plan. Need a video call? Just ask. With Devpost for Teams, that level of access is reserved for the Pro Services tier with a dedicated CSM.

Modern, transparent platform

Live leaderboards, weighted criteria, Borda Count, auto generated certificates, comprehensive CSV exports. Everything you need for a serious internal event without the heavier enterprise commitment.

Works with whatever registration you already use

Pair HackHQ with Luma, Eventbrite, your Slack, your company directory, or run an internal event with no registration at all. We do not lock you into a single ecosystem.

Live results for your innovation showcase

Real-time leaderboard with weighted averages and Borda Count. Updates the moment a judge submits a score. The announcement moment feels like a real event, not a slide-by-slide reveal.