64%
cheaper, no sales call required
Untap at $2,500/yr with published pricing and self-serve signup vs OpenWater's $6,900+ starting quote.
See full pricing comparisonQUICK VERDICT
The short version, for people in a hurry.
If you read nothing else, read this.
PRICING
Pricing comparison, line by line.
Their tiers on the left, Untap Corporates plan on the right. Education and NGO pricing subtracts 25% and 50% respectively.
Scroll sideways to see every column; the header row stays visible.
OpenWater
Standard
OpenWater
Professional
OpenWater
Enterprise
UNTAP
Starter
UNTAP
GrowthPopular
UNTAP
Ultimate
Their tiers on the left, Untap Corporates plan on the right. Education and NGO pricing subtracts 25% and 50% respectively.
OpenWater does not publish pricing. Third-party sources indicate a starting price around $6,900/year. A positive note: OpenWater does not charge per-submission or per-program fees, and reviewers confirm this flexibility. However, the quote-based model means organizations cannot evaluate costs without a sales conversation. Untap's Corporate Starter at $2,500/year is 64% cheaper. For small NGOs, Untap at $1,250/year is 82% cheaper.
Annual billing includes 2 months free. Subscription pause available at $15/month between program cycles. Education tier: 25% off list. Small NGO tier: 50% off list.
FEATURES
Feature comparison, grouped by workflow.
Tap a section to expand. On desktop, all sections are open by default.
Application and Submission Management
7 capabilities
Review and Evaluation
6 capabilities
Communication and Notifications
5 capabilities
Platform and Infrastructure
6 capabilities
Integrations and Security
7 capabilities
WHAT USERS SAY
Common feedback about OpenWater.
Paraphrased themes from public reviews. No direct quotes, no cherry-picking: recurring patterns only.
Outstanding customer support
Consistently described as the best support experience reviewers have had with any vendor. 10-minute average response times. Support is OpenWater's strongest differentiator.
BASED ON CAPTERRA AND GETAPP REVIEWS, 2024-2026
Dashboard and reporting limitations
Multiple reviewers note that viewing all data points of a program is challenging. Dashboard features could be more comprehensive for the analysis leadership teams need.
BASED ON CAPTERRA REVIEWS, 2024-2026
Occasional bugs
Some reviewers report frustrations with platform limitations and bugs, though they consistently note the support team resolves issues quickly.
BASED ON GETAPP REVIEWS, 2024-2026
Strong for associations and conferences
OpenWater excels for professional associations managing awards, abstracts, and conference scheduling, with deep iMIS and Novi AMS integrations.
BASED ON CAPTERRA AND SOURCEFORGE REVIEWS, 2024-2026
Themes are synthesized from public reviews on G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. We do not reproduce reviewer text.
BY ORGANIZATION
Which platform is right for you?
An honest take. There are scenarios where OpenWater is the right answer.
Choose OpenWater when...
- You are a professional association needing deep AMS integration (iMIS, Novi AMS)
- Abstract management and conference scheduling are core use cases
- You need a branded conference mobile app
- You value guided implementation and white-glove customer support
Choose Untap when...
- You want to see pricing and sign up without a sales conversation
- Your budget is under $6,900/year
- You run diverse program types beyond awards and abstracts
- You need LMS, mentorship, community, or gamification features
- You prefer self-serve setup over guided implementation
- You are a small NGO and want a structured 50% nonprofit discount
BY PROGRAM TYPE
Best fit by program type.
How each platform holds up across the eight most common program shapes.
Being fair
Where OpenWater is stronger
OpenWater is the better pick when your needs match what it was built for; see the “Choose OpenWater when...” card above. Untap is the better pick when you run programs continuously and need unlimited submissions, users and programs on one flat price. Both are valid; the honest question is volume and frequency.
Last reviewed: April 2026
What you also get, beyond the comparison above
Point tools win on one job and stop. Untap ships the whole program lifecycle on one engine, including a training stack and an events and bookings stack most alternatives do not have at all.
Trusted at scale
1M+ participants have applied to programs built on Untap.
Fortune 500 innovation teams, UN agencies, universities and national governments have run their programs here.
1M+
Participants
400+
Programs
100+
Customers
Make the switch
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