Start with what each platform is
ETHGlobal's about page says it has brought 70,000+ developers into web3. Its events are ecosystem-led: you apply as a hacker, build around sponsor bounties, and compete for finalist status plus track prizes.
Devpost is broader. Its public API returned meta.total_count of 13,544 hackathons in the R1 check, with fields for prize amount, prize counts, dates, locations, organization names, gallery URLs, and managed-by-Devpost badges. It is infrastructure for many organizers, not one coherent scene.
DoraHacks sits closer to web3 funding culture. Its hackathon page said Explore Hackathons (808), and its BUIDL page listed 39,576 BUIDLs, $94.5M funded, and 340,808 active builders. The platform language is not just submit project. It is create BUIDL, join ecosystem, and keep shipping.
ETHGlobal is curated and wallet-native
ETHGlobal's signup guide says online events can be joined from anywhere, while in-person hackathons require physical attendance. It also says there is no general attendee ticket; you apply as a hacker, speaker, mentor, or similar role, and the form asks for GitHub, resume, background, and what you want to build.
The same guide says applicants stake a small amount of ETH to verify themselves, then recover it after attending and submitting a project. Treat that as a format signal. ETHGlobal wants committed builders, not casual browsers.
ETHGlobal prizes are sponsor-shaped
HackMoney 2026 shows the pattern. The finalist pack page listed 1000 USDC per finalist team member, $500 flight reimbursement, a special hoodie, AWS credits, and ETHGlobal Plus membership discount perks. Individual sponsor tracks then add their own bounties.
The same HackMoney page listed examples like Yellow Network at $15,000, Uniswap Foundation at $10,000, Sui at $10,000, and Arc at $10,000. The lesson is simple: read track requirements before reading the headline purse. A great generic web3 app can still miss if it does not use the required SDK or chain.
Devpost is the default submission layer
Devpost's API is useful because it exposes practical fields: time left to submission, submission period dates, prize_amount, prize_counts, themes, registration counts, invite-only flags, gallery URLs, and start-submission URLs. That makes it easy to compare deadlines fast.
Do not confuse a Devpost page with a guarantee of prize quality. The R1 competitor check only supports that Devpost exposes prize data and that some events have managed-by-Devpost badges. It does not support a universal claim that every prize is verified by Devpost.
DoraHacks rewards BUIDL culture
DoraHacks says all communities can create and run hackathons on the platform. That explains the huge explorer count and the variety: virtual web3 hackathons, AI agent tracks, legal tech, regional chains, and password-gated submission cards all appear in one feed.
The BUIDL page is the better clue for builders. Projects keep profiles after the event, with tags across Crypto/Web3, AI/Robotics, DeFi, RWA, ZK, wallets, security, and other tracks. If your goal is web3 ecosystem distribution, DoraHacks can matter after the deadline.
Use the platform that matches your outcome
Pick ETHGlobal when you want dense web3 mentors, sponsor bounties, finalist status, and wallet-native proof. Pick Devpost when the event itself is strong and you need a clean submission workflow, not because the directory alone makes it high quality.
Pick DoraHacks when the ecosystem, BUIDL profile, and onchain funding culture matter. If you are just chasing a fast AI prize, Devpost may be easier. If you are trying to join a protocol ecosystem, ETHGlobal or DoraHacks usually gives stronger context.
< read by a human · updated as things change >
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