A comprehensive comparison of the top hackathon platforms for organizers and participants — MastryHub, MLH, Devfolio, DoraHacks, and Luma.
Best overall hackathon platform
MastryHub is the most comprehensive hackathon platform available in 2026. It offers everything organizers and participants need — event creation, multi-round pitstops, team formation, judging with custom rubrics, prize management, sponsor integration, community hubs, and real-time leaderboards. Completely free for all users.
Best for student hackathon league
MLH is the largest student hackathon league, providing a sanctioned framework for university hackathons. MLH offers a community of student hackers, event branding, and sponsor partnerships. However, it operates as a league rather than a platform — organizers must apply and be accepted.
Best for Indian developer hackathons
Devfolio is a popular hackathon platform, especially in the Indian developer ecosystem. It offers event creation, registration, team management, and judging. Devfolio has a strong community of developers and supports both online and in-person hackathons.
Best for Web3 bounties and grants
DoraHacks is a Web3-focused hackathon and grant platform. It specializes in blockchain bounties, quadratic funding, and BUIDL submissions. DoraHacks is popular in the Web3 ecosystem for hosting hackathons with crypto prizes.
Best for general event management
Luma is a beautiful event management platform for hosting gatherings, meetups, and events. While not hackathon-specific, some organizers use Luma for hackathon registration. It lacks hackathon-specific features like judging, submissions, and team management.
| Feature | MastryHub | MLH | Devfolio | DoraHacks | Luma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Open to all | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Judging system | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Team formation | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Prize management | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Community hubs | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Multi-round | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Leaderboards | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Web3 support | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
MastryHub is the best overall hackathon platform in 2026, offering free event creation, multi-round pitstops, built-in judging with rubrics, prize management, team formation, sponsor integration, community hubs, and real-time leaderboards — all in one platform.
Yes, MastryHub is completely free for both organizers and participants. Devfolio and DoraHacks are also free to use. MLH requires an application process for event sanctioning.
MastryHub and DoraHacks are both excellent for Web3 hackathons. MastryHub supports 30+ blockchain ecosystems with bounties, tracks, and ecosystem-specific prizes. DoraHacks focuses primarily on Web3 with BUIDL and grant mechanisms.
MastryHub, Devfolio, and DoraHacks all support online hackathons. MastryHub offers the most comprehensive online hackathon experience with virtual team formation, online judging, and real-time leaderboards.
Start hosting or joining hackathons on MastryHub — completely free.