Sensors APC and Open Access: MDPI Pricing, Volume, and Whether It's Worth the Fee
Sensors (MDPI) charges CHF 2,600 (~$2,800) for open access. Gold OA megajournal, 10K+ papers/year. How it compares to IEEE Sensors and Scientific Reports.
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Quick answer: Sensors charges CHF 2,600 (~$2,800) per article. It's a fully gold open access journal published by MDPI, one of the largest open access publishers in the world. Sensors publishes over 10,000 articles per year across all areas of sensor technology, making it one of the highest-volume engineering journals.
What Sensors charges
Component | Details |
|---|---|
Standard APC | CHF 2,600 (~$2,800 USD) |
Model | Gold OA (all articles) |
License | CC BY (default, required) |
Submission fee | $0 |
Color figures | $0 |
Page charges | $0 |
MDPI prices all its journals in Swiss Francs. The USD equivalent fluctuates with exchange rates. At current rates, CHF 2,600 translates to approximately $2,800.
The APC is charged at acceptance. MDPI sends invoices through its Author Services portal. Payment by credit card, wire transfer, or institutional purchase order is accepted.
The MDPI model
MDPI operates differently from traditional academic publishers. Key characteristics:
Speed: MDPI journals are known for fast turnaround. First decisions at Sensors typically come within 2-4 weeks. This is faster than most IEEE or Elsevier journals.
Volume: Sensors publishes over 10,000 articles per year. This is megajournal territory, similar to Scientific Reports or PLOS ONE in scale.
Special Issues: A large portion of Sensors publications come through Special Issues, which are themed collections organized by Guest Editors. This is a distinctive MDPI feature that some researchers find helpful (targeted review process, community building) and others find concerning (potential quality variance).
Open review option: Authors can choose to publish reviewer reports alongside their paper. This isn't required but is increasingly common.
MDPI institutional discounts
MDPI has its own institutional discount program:
Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP): Participating institutions receive 10% off APCs for their researchers. Over 500 institutions participate globally. The list includes many European and Asian universities.
Library recommendations: MDPI also offers a "Library Recommendation" program where endorsement from your library can unlock discounts.
No Read & Publish deals in the traditional sense. MDPI doesn't structure agreements the way Springer Nature or Elsevier do. Instead, it offers per-journal or publisher-wide discounts through IOAP memberships.
Check whether your institution participates in MDPI's IOAP at the MDPI institutional page.
Waivers
Automatic waivers: MDPI provides full APC waivers for corresponding authors from lower-income countries, using its own country classification system (similar to but not identical to Research4Life).
Partial discounts: Authors from lower-middle-income countries receive reduced APCs.
Hardship waivers: Available on request. MDPI states that financial constraints should not prevent publication of quality research.
Editor/reviewer discounts: Active MDPI editors and reviewers sometimes receive APC discount vouchers as recognition for their service.
Funder mandate compliance
Funder/Policy | Compliant? |
|---|---|
Plan S (cOAlition S) | Yes (CC BY, gold OA) |
NIH | Yes (immediate OA) |
UKRI | Yes |
ERC | Yes |
NSF | Yes |
Horizon Europe | Yes |
Fully compliant across all mandates. CC BY is the default and only license option.
How Sensors compares
Journal | APC (USD) | Model | IF (2024) | Annual Volume | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sensors (MDPI) | ~$2,800 | Gold OA | ~3.4 | ~10,000 | MDPI |
IEEE Sensors Journal | ~$2,000-$3,000 | Hybrid | ~4.3 | ~3,000 | IEEE |
Measurement | ~$3,800-$4,200 | Hybrid | ~5.2 | ~4,000 | Elsevier |
~$1,850 | Gold OA | ~3.4 | ~20,000 | IEEE | |
$2,850 | Gold OA | ~3.9 | ~20,000 | Springer Nature | |
Sensors and Actuators B | ~$4,000-$4,500 | Hybrid | ~8 | ~2,000 | Elsevier |
Sensors sits between IEEE Access (cheaper, similar IF, broader scope) and IEEE Sensors Journal (slightly more expensive, higher IF, more focused). For applied sensor work, the choice often comes down to community norms and speed preference.
Hidden costs
- Currency risk: CHF pricing means the USD cost shifts with exchange rates. The Swiss Franc is historically strong, which can push effective costs up.
- Special Issue fees: There are no additional fees for publishing in Special Issues, but be aware that Special Issue invitations sometimes come unsolicited. Legitimate Special Issues are organized by known researchers in the field.
- No page limits, but very long papers may face editorial requests to trim.
The practical decision
Sensors makes sense when:
- You need fast, indexed, OA publication in sensor technology
- Your work is technically sound but not high enough impact for Sensors and Actuators B or IEEE Sensors Journal
- Speed matters (2-4 week first decisions)
- You're responding to a legitimate Special Issue invitation
Think carefully if:
- IEEE Sensors Journal or Measurement better fits your audience (and your institution covers those APCs)
- You're concerned about MDPI's reputation in your specific community
- Budget is tight and IEEE Access ($1,850) could work
Before submitting, make sure your sensor characterization data is thorough and your performance comparisons are fair. Run a free readiness scan to check your manuscript.
Reference library
Use the core publishing datasets alongside this guide
This article answers one part of the publishing decision. The reference library covers the recurring questions that usually come next: how selective journals are, how long review takes, and what the submission requirements look like across journals.
Dataset / reference guide
Peer Review Timelines by Journal
Reference-grade journal timeline data that authors, labs, and writing centers can cite when discussing realistic review timing.
Dataset / benchmark
Biomedical Journal Acceptance Rates
A field-organized acceptance-rate guide that works as a neutral benchmark when authors are deciding how selective to target.
Reference table
Journal Submission Specs
A high-utility submission table covering word limits, figure caps, reference limits, and formatting expectations.
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