Alternatives
Something smaller than your alumni platform?
The big alumni platforms are built for advancement offices with staff and budgets. If a committee of volunteers runs your association, here are the other options, ours included, with prices where they are published and the catch in each one.
Three lists
Six options each
PriceWith its source
Who hosts itNamed
The catchIn every one
Published prices
Checked Sep 2026
A script$45 to $49 once
AlmaShinesFree, then $120/mo
HivebriteFrom $895/mo
Before you switch
Four questions
Members pay on the site?Hosted
Nobody for hosting?Hosted
Groups with leaders?Hosted
Under $100 a year?AlumDeck or a script
Pick the platform you are leaving
Three lists, each with its catch.
AlumDeck comes first because it is ours. The rest run from the lowest published price to the highest, then the quote-only platforms in alphabetical order. No link on this page earns us anything.
Hivebrite alternatives
For associations that find $895 a month, two admins and paid extensions too much.
Almabase alternatives
For associations that need records and reunions more than giving days and auctions.
Graduway alternatives
For schools and associations that want a price before a demo.
Five-year cost calculator
Every published price we found, over one to ten years.
Before you read the lists
Four questions that shorten every list.
Must members pay on the site itself?
Dues, tickets or gifts taken online rule out AlumDeck for now: it records gifts but moves no money. Every hosted platform on these lists can take payments.
Who will look after the server?
AlumDeck and marketplace scripts need someone comfortable with cPanel, a cron line and a manual update a few times a year. If nobody can, choose a hosted platform.
How many people will run it?
Hivebrite Core includes 2 admins and AlmaShines Booster 3,000 members. AlumDeck has no limit on either, and each admin can be limited to their committee area.
What can you spend every year, for five years?
Published prices run from a free directory for fewer than 500 alumni to $23,940 a year. Four platforms quote, so ask each for a five-year figure in writing. The calculator does the rest.
At a glance
Every option, one table.
The eight options that appear on our lists, with the price each one publishes.
| Option | Published price | Who hosts it | Best for | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlumDeck (ours) | $49 a year | You, on cPanel hosting | Volunteer committees and small alumni offices | Pricing |
| AlmaShines | Free directory; plans from $120 a month | AlmaShines | Colleges that want a hosted platform at a published price, or a free directory | Compare |
| A marketplace script | $45 to $49 once | You | A technical volunteer who wants to pay once and look after it alone | Compare |
| Hivebrite | From $895 a month | Hivebrite | Large associations with chapters, paid memberships and an IT team | Compare |
| Almabase | Quote only | Almabase | Advancement offices that raise money online and run Raiser's Edge | Compare |
| Graduway | Quote after a demo | Gravyty | Universities and schools where mentoring programmes are the centre of alumni work | Compare |
| Hoopstr | Quote only | Hoopstr | Institutions, mostly in India, that want outcomes delivered as well as software | Compare |
| ToucanTech | Quote only | ToucanTech | School development offices that fundraise and want one system for everything | Compare |
Prices from each vendor's own site, checked September 2026. "Quote only" means no price is published.
Questions
About these lists
Why are there only three alternatives pages?
We started with Hivebrite, Almabase and Graduway. For ToucanTech, AlmaShines and Hoopstr, the comparison pages list what each one does better and when to choose it.
Are these lists ranked?
No. AlumDeck comes first on each list because it is ours, and we say so. The other options run from the lowest published price to the highest, then the quote-only platforms in alphabetical order.
Do you earn anything from the links?
No. There are no affiliate links. Links to other companies carry "nofollow", and they point at the pages our claims come from, so you can check them.
How current are the prices?
Every figure was checked on the vendor's own website in September 2026. Prices change; if you find one that has, tell us through the contact form.
Is AlumDeck the right alternative for us?
Only if your committee can live without members paying on the site, and someone can look after cPanel hosting. The list of what AlumDeck does not do will tell you in five minutes.
See it running before you spend a thing.
Open the live demo, sign in, click anything. It puts itself back every night.