Run your hackathon free.
Better judging than Devpost.
The free hackathon platform with blind judging, per-track criteria, live leaderboards, and judge invite links — everything you need to run a real event, without the $5,000 Devpost invoice.
Trusted by real hackathons.
HEC Vibeathon 2026 ran here with 31 submissions from HEC Vibe Club.
How tinytools stacks up against the paid platforms
Devpost charges thousands per event. MLH is invite-only. DIY spreadsheets don't scale. Here's what you actually get.
| Feature | tinytools | Devpost | MLH | Google Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $5,000+ | Invite only | Free |
| Blind judging | check_circle | close | check_circle | close |
| Per-track judging rubrics | check_circle | close | Partial | close |
| Weighted scoring criteria | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | close |
| Token-based judge invites | check_circle | Email only | Email only | close |
| Live leaderboard | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | close |
| Embed leaderboard on your site | check_circle | close | close | close |
| Sandboxed live previews | check_circle | close | close | close |
| Resource hub (credits, guides) | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | close |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | Days | Weeks | Minutes |
Everything your hackathon needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Built after running real hackathons and watching organizers wrestle with tools that were never designed for their workflow.
Blind judging by default
Judges score submissions without seeing creator names or upvote counts. Removes bias from friend groups and popularity contests. Toggle per-event.
Per-track judging rubrics
Every track gets its own weighted criteria. The AI track can score on 'AI novelty' while the design track scores on 'visual polish' — same event, different rubrics.
Judge invite links
Send judges a token-based URL. They click it, pick a display name, and start scoring. No account creation, no email verification, no IT tickets.
Live public leaderboard
Real-time scoring visible to participants. Winners podium auto-generated at the end. Embed the leaderboard on your event page with one line of code.
Sandboxed live previews
Judges try every submission in a sandboxed iframe without leaving the scoring page. No 'I'll test it later' — which means fewer rushed scores at deadline.
Resource hub
Attach API credit codes, sponsor guides, challenge briefs, and sample code. Participants see everything in one place instead of digging through Discord.
Announcements feed
Post updates visible on the event page — deadline reminders, sponsor spotlights, rule clarifications. Timestamped, reverse-chronological, permanent.
Private or public events
Lock submissions behind an access code for private corporate hackathons, or run fully public events that anyone can join.
Winner ribbons & podiums
Pick 1st/2nd/3rd per track. Winners get a ribbon on their submission page — a permanent credential they can link to from their resume or GitHub.
From blank page to running event in 5 minutes
Create your event
Name, dates, location, tracks, and prizes. Use the markdown editor for rules and judging criteria. Upload a banner. Takes about 5 minutes.
Share the submission link
Participants submit through a single URL. They pick a track, describe their project, and add a demo video or live link. Late submissions are flagged.
Invite judges and announce winners
Send judges a token URL. They score submissions blindly. Pick winners per track. Winner ribbons appear permanently on submission pages.
Free. Actually free.
No credit card. No trial period. No seat limits. No hidden per-submission fee. We charge nothing because we think the paid platforms are a tax on the open-source and student community.
- check_circleUnlimited submissions
- check_circleUnlimited judges
- check_circleUnlimited tracks & criteria
- check_circlePublic or private events
- check_circleEmbed leaderboard on your site
- check_circleResource hub for sponsor credits
- check_circleWinner ribbons that stay live forever
We may add premium features later (custom branding, white-label domains, priority support) but everything above stays free forever.
Questions organizers actually ask
Is it really free? What's the catch?
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Yes. No credit card required, no trial, no hidden fees. We built this because the paid platforms charge thousands for features that should be a weekend project. We may charge for premium features in the future — branded domains, custom theming, white-label — but core hackathon features stay free forever.
How does tinytools compare to Devpost?
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Devpost starts at around $5,000 per event and charges more for custom domains, track criteria, and premium judging features. tinytools gives you blind judging, per-track rubrics, weighted criteria, judge invite links, live leaderboards, and embeddable widgets — all free. The one thing we don't have is Devpost's SEO footprint for project discovery, but your event page is fully indexable and your winners get permanent pages.
Can I run a private corporate hackathon?
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Yes. Set a submit access code and the event becomes invite-only. Only people with the code can submit. You can still make the leaderboard and submissions public, or lock those too.
How many judges and submissions can I have?
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Unlimited on both. We've run events with 60+ participants and haven't seen performance issues. If you're planning a 500+ person event, shoot us a note and we'll make sure the infrastructure is ready.
How does blind judging work?
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When judges open the scoring page, creator names and upvote counts are hidden. They see the project, the demo, and the rubric — nothing else. This prevents bias toward friends, popular teams, or companies with big followings. You can toggle blind mode on or off per event.
Can I embed the leaderboard on my event website?
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Yes. Every event gets an embeddable iframe snippet. Paste it into your event site, conference page, or sponsor report and the leaderboard updates live.
What happens to submissions after the event ends?
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They stay live forever. Participants get a permanent URL they can share on their resume, portfolio, and social media. Winners get a ribbon on their submission page that stays visible. Your event page becomes a permanent archive.
Can participants team up through the platform?
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Yes. Submissions support team_members, and we have a builder directory where people can find potential teammates by skill. This is especially useful for solo signups who want to find a team before the event starts.
Who owns the intellectual property of submissions?
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Participants own their own work. tinytools doesn't claim any rights to submissions. You can add sponsor-specific IP terms to your event rules if needed.
Your next hackathon is free to run.
Blind judging, custom tracks, live leaderboards, judge invite links. Set up in 5 minutes. No credit card.