Which hackathon platform is better in 2026? A detailed side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, Web3 support, judging, and corporate-event tooling.
A modern, free, all-inclusive hackathon platform with a 5-phase Nodes registration funnel, multi-round Pitstops, custom judging rubrics, gamification with XP and badges, Wallet Passes for Apple and Google Wallet, plagiarism detection, AI image generation, native Web3 token gating across 30+ ecosystems, community hubs, real-time WebSocket leaderboards, built-in email campaigns, the Catalysts social proof engine, embeddable widgets, and the ETH Scholar program. Free for both organizers and participants.
An enterprise SaaS platform best known for two products: HackerEarth Recruit (timed coding assessments and technical interviews) and HackerEarth Innovation Management (corporate hackathons and innovation challenges). Strong fit for enterprises that combine hiring assessments with internal hackathons. Paid, quote-based pricing. Lacks native Web3 features, persistent community hubs, Wallet Passes, gamification, and AI-generated event branding.
| Feature | MastryHub | HackerEarth |
|---|---|---|
| Price (organizers) | Free — unlimited events | Paid SaaS — quote-based, enterprise |
| Price (participants) | Free | Free |
| Open to all organizers | Yes — instant self-serve setup | Sales-led onboarding |
| Public hackathon directory | Yes — Explore + Hubs | Limited — primarily B2B / private |
| Online events | Full support | Full support |
| In-person events | Full support | Supported |
| Hybrid events | Full support | Supported |
| Nodes — 5-phase registration funnel | Yes (Registration, Q&A, RSVP, Pre-Submission, QR Check-in) | Not available |
| Pitstops — multi-round structure | Activity, Break, Submission, Judging, Demo Day rounds | Multi-round supported |
| Custom judging rubrics | Weighted criteria, track-level judges, auto-scoring | Custom rubrics and panels |
| Coding assessments / proctored tests | Not the primary focus | Strong — core capability of HackerEarth Recruit |
| Plagiarism detection | Built-in for code submissions | Available (code similarity in assessments) |
| Gamification (XP, badges) | XP system, badges, leaderboards | Limited |
| Real-time leaderboards | WebSocket-powered live updates with scheduled reveals | Standard leaderboards |
| Wallet Passes | Apple Wallet and Google Wallet with QR check-in | Not available |
| AI image generation | Built-in for event banners and assets | Not available |
| Token gating / Web3 | Native — ERC-20/721/1155, 30+ EVM ecosystems | No native token gating |
| Wallet auth (SIWE) | Sign-In With Ethereum supported | Not available |
| GitHub repo connections | OAuth-based direct project linking | Repo links supported |
| Community hubs | Forums, articles, polls, calendars | Not available |
| Catalysts (social proof) | Testimonials, tweets, glimpses engine | Not available |
| Email campaigns | Built-in templates, scheduling, tracking | Limited |
| Embeddable registration widgets | Drop-in widgets for external sites | Limited |
| Sponsor management | Multi-tier (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Title), branded tracks, bounties | Sponsor branding supported |
| University / education program | ETH Scholar — 1000+ campuses targeted | Not available |
| Best fit | Web3, public, university, multi-round, community-driven hackathons | Enterprise hiring + internal innovation challenges |
Pricing model: MastryHub is free for organizers and participants — unlimited events, unlimited participants, no per-seat or per-event fees. HackerEarth Innovation Management is enterprise SaaS with quote-based pricing that scales with event volume and participant count.
Primary use case: HackerEarth's strongest capability is technical assessment — proctored coding tests, automated evaluation, and candidate screening, often paired with internal corporate hackathons. MastryHub is purpose-built for hackathons, builder events, and community engagement, not for hiring assessments.
Web3 and token gating: MastryHub has native token gating (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155) across 30+ EVM ecosystems — Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Optimism, and more — plus Sign-In With Ethereum. HackerEarth does not provide native token-gated access or wallet-based authentication.
Engagement tooling: MastryHub includes a full gamification system (XP, badges, real-time WebSocket leaderboards), Wallet Passes for Apple and Google Wallet with QR check-in, plagiarism detection, AI image generation for event branding, and the Catalysts social proof engine. HackerEarth focuses on assessment-grade scoring and standard hackathon workflows without these add-ons.
Community: MastryHub Hubs let organizers build persistent communities with forums, articles, polls, and calendars that live beyond a single event. HackerEarth is event-centric — communities form around specific hackathons or challenges but there is no dedicated hub layer.
University and education: MastryHub runs ETH Scholar — a campus program targeting 1000+ campuses with structured curriculum, mentor and ambassador roles, and team-formation tools — designed specifically for onboarding students into Web3. HackerEarth supports university events but does not offer a dedicated education or campus program.
MastryHub is the better choice for organizations running hackathons, builder events, university competitions, or Web3 challenges — free, with multi-round Pitstops, gamification, Wallet Passes, plagiarism detection, native token gating, community hubs, and the ETH Scholar campus program. HackerEarth is the stronger fit for enterprises that need integrated coding assessments alongside their hackathons, especially when hiring is a core outcome. For pure hackathon and innovation use cases without an assessment requirement, MastryHub offers significantly more event-management features at no cost.
Yes. MastryHub is a free, modern alternative to HackerEarth Innovation with multi-round Pitstops, a 5-phase Nodes registration funnel, gamification with XP and badges, Wallet Passes for Apple and Google Wallet, plagiarism detection, AI image generation, native Web3 token gating across 30+ ecosystems, community hubs, real-time WebSocket leaderboards, and built-in email campaigns. HackerEarth is a strong choice for enterprises that already use its assessment and recruiting suite, but MastryHub offers more event-management features and is free for organizers.
HackerEarth Innovation Management is a paid SaaS product priced for enterprise customers, with quote-based pricing depending on event volume, participants, and add-on assessment modules. MastryHub is free for both organizers and participants — unlimited events, unlimited participants, no per-seat or per-event fees.
Both platforms support corporate and internal hackathons. HackerEarth is well-established in the enterprise market and integrates with its own assessment and coding-test platform, which is useful when hiring is a primary outcome. MastryHub provides equivalent corporate hackathon tooling — multi-round Pitstops, custom judging rubrics, sponsor management, and private events — at no cost, plus features HackerEarth does not have such as gamification, Wallet Passes, plagiarism detection, AI image generation, and community hubs.
HackerEarth does not have native Web3 features such as token gating, wallet authentication, or multi-chain support. MastryHub provides built-in token gating (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155) across 30+ EVM ecosystems including Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, and Optimism, plus Sign-In With Ethereum (SIWE) for wallet-based access control.
MastryHub is purpose-built to support university hackathons through ETH Scholar — a campus program designed to onboard students into Web3 across 1000+ campuses, with mentor and ambassador roles, a structured curriculum, and team-formation tools. HackerEarth supports university events but does not offer a dedicated education or campus program.
MastryHub is focused on hackathons, builder events, and community engagement, not on coding assessments or technical interviews. If your primary use case is candidate screening with timed coding tests, HackerEarth Recruit or a dedicated assessment tool is the better fit. For hackathons, builder communities, and innovation challenges, MastryHub is the more feature-rich choice.
More features, native Web3 support, and persistent community hubs — completely free for organizers.