For many researchers, one of the biggest hurdles in academic publishing is the article processing charge (APC). Leading publishers often require high fees for open access, which can be challenging for students, independent researchers, and early-career academics. Fortunately, a number of computer science journals with no publication fee (also called diamond open access journals) still provide high-quality peer review, indexing in Scopus, Web of Science, and SCI, and strong academic visibility. This article provides a list of free computer science journals along with their impact factors, review times, and acceptance rates—helping you choose the best fit for your research without worrying about cost.
List of Free Computer Science Journals
| # | Journal Name | Impact Factor* | Approx. Review Time | Acceptance Rate | Publisher |
| 1 | Minds and Machines | 3.404 | ~47 days | ~18% | Springer |
| 2 | Education and Information Technologies | 2.917 | ~59 days | ~25% | Springer |
| 3 | Scientometrics | 3.238 | ~62 days | ~28% | Springer |
| 4 | Neural Computing and Applications | 5.606 | ~77 days | ~26% | Springer |
| 5 | International Journal of Data Science and Analytics | — | ~39 days | ~12% | Springer |
| 6 | Artificial Intelligence Review | 8.139 | ~114 days | ~18% | Springer |
| 7 | KI – Künstliche Intelligenz | — | ~92 days | ~56% | Springer |
| 8 | Social Network Analysis and Mining | — | ~92 days | ~32% | Springer |
| 9 | The Journal of Supercomputing | 2.474 | ~87 days | ~26% | Springer |
| 10 | Cluster Computing | 1.809 | ~76 days | ~15% | Springer |
| 11 | Cognitive Systems Research | 3.523 | ~11 weeks | ~9% | Elsevier |
| 12 | Computer Science Review | 7.872 | ~5 weeks | ~14% | Elsevier |
| 13 | Journal of Computational Science | 3.976 | — | — | Elsevier |
| 14 | Computers in Industry | 7.635 | ~2 weeks | ~10% | Elsevier |
| 15 | Information Systems | 2.309 | ~8 weeks | ~14% | Elsevier |
| 16 | Microprocessors and Microsystems | 1.525 | ~7 weeks | ~49% | Elsevier |
| 17 | Computers in Human Behavior | 6.829 | ~4 weeks | ~7% | Elsevier |
| 18 | Theoretical Computer Science | 0.827 | ~18 weeks | ~42% | Elsevier |
| 19 | Information Sciences | 6.795 | ~6 weeks | ~20% | Elsevier |
| 20 | Journal of Computer and System Sciences | 1.023 | ~10 weeks | ~11% | Elsevier |
| 21 | Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing | 3.734 | ~19 weeks | ~24% | Elsevier |
Conclusion
Choosing the right journal is crucial for your research impact. The journals listed above show that publishing in reputed computer science journals doesn’t always require high APCs. Still, always confirm the latest policies on the official journal websites, as fee structures and indexing can change. By publishing in these free or no-APC journals, researchers can: Save costs on publication fees, Gain visibility through reputed publishers and Ensure their work reaches a wider global audience
