Can I run a non-Web3 hackathon on Taikai?

Yes, Taikai supports general hackathons. The platform was built with strong Web3 affinity and many features lean that way (wallet sign in, NFT badges, TKAI token prizes). For a non-Web3 audience, the experience can feel off brand. HackHQ stays neutral and focuses on universal hackathon needs.

How does pricing compare to Taikai?

HackHQ publishes prices ($0 free tier, $199 Starter, $599 Pro per event). Taikai does not publish organizer pricing and routes everyone through sales. For most events, HackHQ is faster to evaluate and budget against (no sales call required).

Does HackHQ support livestreaming for hybrid events?

No. HackHQ does not host livestreams. We integrate well with Zoom, YouTube Live, Twitch, or any external livestream tool. If built-in livestreaming is a must have, Taikai is a better fit.

Does HackHQ support multiple languages?

Today HackHQ is English only. Taikai uses an English UI but has Portuguese and Spanish content presence across their platform (HQ in Portugal). If your participants are concentrated in Portugal, Brazil, or Spanish-speaking markets, that is a real differentiator for Taikai right now.

Can I migrate from Taikai to HackHQ?

Yes. HackHQ supports bulk CSV import for submissions and judges. Email hello@hackhq.io and we will help map your fields and import historical data.

Do judges or participants need to connect a wallet or sign in on HackHQ?

No, neither. Judges receive a personalized link by email and start scoring immediately. Participants submit through a shareable submission link, similar to a Google Form, with no wallet or signup required. After submitting, each team gets a personal manage link to edit their entry. No wallet, no SSO, no accounts. Taikai requires sign-in for both via wallet, GitHub, Gmail, LinkedIn, or SSO. This is one of the biggest day-to-day differences.

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.

Compare

Taikai Alternative

HackHQ vs Taikai. Public Pricing. No Wallet Required.

Taikai is excellent for Web3 events. HackHQ is the modern hackathon platform for everyone else: transparent pricing from $199, no wallet sign-in, no NFT badges to claim, and judging that works on any phone.

Start Free See Pricing

The Short Version

HackHQ vs Taikai in Four Bullets

HackHQ pricing is published. Taikai is sales-only with no public dollar figures.

Neither judges nor participants create HackHQ accounts. Taikai requires sign-in (wallet, GitHub, Gmail, LinkedIn, or SSO) for both.

HackHQ skips Web3 specific features (NFTs, crypto prizes) and stays focused on universal hackathon needs.

Taikai has built-in livestreaming. HackHQ does not, you bring your own (Zoom, YouTube Live, Twitch).

At a Glance

HackHQ vs Taikai at a Glance

Dimension	HackHQ	Taikai
Public pricing	Yes, from $0	Sales-only
Time to launch	30 minutes self-serve	Sales call required
Web3 wallet auth	Not required	Supported (and emphasized)
Mobile-friendly judging	Yes, no account	Browser-based
Built-in livestreaming	Bring your own (Zoom, etc)	Yes
Best for	General hackathons + corporate	Web3 / blockchain events

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	Taikai
Public pricing on website
Free plan available		Free for builders, not organizers
Self-serve checkout
Pay per event	$199 / $599	Custom quote
14-day money-back guarantee
Customer support	Direct team email + video calls	Pro Services / Consultancy tier

Submissions

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Custom submission form builder
Six question types		Custom forms, types not documented
Auto embeds (YouTube, Loom, GitHub, Twitter/X)		Image / video / attachments
Bulk CSV import for submissions		Not publicly documented
No participant accounts required
Public read-only share links per project
Team matchmaking

Voting & Judging

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Three voting modes (Judge / Audience / Hybrid)
Score Criteria + Top Picks methods		Customizable criteria
Weighted criteria (custom weights)		Customizable
Three judge assignment modes		Not publicly documented
No account required for judges
Mobile-friendly judging interface		Browser-based
Bulk judge CSV import

Results & Awards

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Live leaderboard during ceremony
Borda Count (ranked Top Picks)
Auto generated certificates		Proof of Participation NFTs
LinkedIn shareable verification links		NFT based proof
CSV export with scores and feedback		Not publicly documented

Branding & Hosting

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Custom branded landing page
Multi-language interface	English	EN UI, PT and ES content
Custom domain	On request	Branded subdomain
Hosted livestreaming

Web3 Specific

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Ethereum wallet sign in
NFT participation badges
Crypto / token prize support
No crypto required (universal sign in)		Crypto centric UX

Privacy & Business Model

How each platform makes money, and whose data is involved.

Feature	HackHQ	Taikai
Revenue from organizer payments only		Sales-led, model unclear
Participants and judges work without accounts
Proof of participation format	LinkedIn certificate	NFT (wallet required)

Pricing

How Pricing Compares

HackHQ

Public, transparent, pay per event

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
14-day money-back guarantee on every paid plan
No per-seat fees, ever

See Full Pricing

Taikai

Sales-led, custom quote

No public organizer pricing
"Host a Hackathon" and "Consultancy Plan" service tiers (sales-led)
Free participation for builders
Some events use the TKAI token in prize pools
Per event vs subscription model not publicly documented
Sales-led pricing in this category typically starts well above HackHQ Pro at $599 per event

Source: taikai.network

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 Taikai is the right choice

You are running a Web3 or blockchain hackathon and want native Ethereum wallet sign in, NFT participation badges, and token prize pools.
You need built-in livestreaming for hybrid events (Q&As, demos) without integrating a separate tool.
Your audience is concentrated in Portugal, Brazil, or Spanish-speaking markets, where Taikai has Portuguese and Spanish content presence out of the box.
You are running a large EU government or institutional event where Taikai already has track record (CASSINI, European Commission).
You want a strong third-party security audit (Hacken, 10/10) on your hackathon platform.

Why teams choose HackHQ over Taikai

Transparent pricing, instantly

See the price on the website, sign up, and pay through Stripe. Free, $199, or $599 per event. No sales call to learn what it costs.

No Web3 baggage

No wallets, no NFTs, no crypto prizes to explain to your participants. If your event is not Web3 native, the simpler experience wins.

Score Criteria + Top Picks methods

Use weighted criteria scoring for formal evaluation, or Top Picks with Borda Count for fast ranked voting. Pick the method that fits your event.

Live results that work under pressure

Real-time leaderboard with weighted averages and Borda Count. Updates the moment a judge submits a score. No formula errors at the worst moment, no waiting for batch calculations between announcements.

LinkedIn certificates instead of NFTs

Every team member gets a verifiable LinkedIn certificate with a public verification page. Participants post it to the platform employers actually look at. Taikai issues NFT Proofs of Participation, which require a wallet to claim and live on-chain rather than on a professional profile. We give participants something they can actually use.

Direct line to the team, not a Pro Services tier

Email replies in hours, not days, on every plan. Need a video call? Just ask. With Taikai, hands-on support sits in their Pro Services / Consultancy tier; with HackHQ it is just included.

Universal feature set

Project gallery, certificates, CSV import and export, weighted criteria, live leaderboards, judging rooms. The full hackathon toolkit on every plan.

Mobile judging that just works

Judges scan a personalized link and start scoring on their phone. No accounts, no wallet popups, no SSO redirects.

Works with whatever registration you already use

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