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Alternatives · Hoopstr, formerly Vaave

Hoopstr alternatives for alumni associations

Hoopstr, which was called Vaave until its rename, sells an alumni portal and app with programmes it runs for you, and it publishes no price. If you want software you run yourself, a price before a call, or a register that holds only what members tell it, here are six other options, ours included.

See the optionsOpen the live demo

AlumDeck

  • $49 a year, published, every feature
  • Knows only what members tell it, with recorded consent
  • Runs on your own hosting; no member data is sent to us

vsSoftware you run, or a platform with services around it

Hoopstr

  • No published price; an annual subscription
  • Finds unregistered alumni on the web and scores them
  • Meetups, mentoring tracks and fellowships run for you

Why associations look elsewhere

A platform with services is not always the need.

Hoopstr does not publish a price. It sells the portal and app as an annual subscription, charges per profile for building a database, and prices its consulting programmes separately (Hoopstr offerings, checked September 2026). It is strong at what it is for: a native iOS and Android app with chat, a feed and a membership card (Hoopstr platform), meetups and hackathons it runs itself (Hoopstr Live), and Magic, which finds unregistered alumni on the web and scores each person on seven dimensions, including earning and donor potential (Hoopstr Magic).

Associations usually look elsewhere for one of three reasons: they need a price before a sales call, they want software their own committee runs, or they do not want people profiled who never signed up.

At a glance

Seven options, one table

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.

The options at a glance
OptionPublished priceWho hosts itBest forRead more
AlumDeck (ours)$49 a yearYou, on shared hosting that meets the requirementsVolunteer committees and small alumni officesPricing
AlmaShinesFree directory; plans from $120 a monthAlmaShinesColleges that want a hosted platform at a published price, or a free directoryCompare
A marketplace script$45 to $49 onceYouA technical volunteer who wants to pay once and look after it aloneCompare
HivebriteFrom $895 a monthHivebriteLarge associations with chapters, paid memberships and an IT teamCompare
AlmabaseQuote onlyAlmabaseAdvancement offices that raise money online and run Raiser's EdgeCompare
GraduwayQuote after a demoGravytyUniversities and schools where mentoring programmes are the centre of alumni workCompare
ToucanTechQuote onlyToucanTechSchool development offices that fundraise and want one system for everythingCompare

The options

Seven ways to run your alumni association.

Each with its published price, who hosts it, what it is best for and what to watch for.

Ours, listed first

AlumDeck: the whole association site, $49 a year

A members-only directory where each member chooses what shows, groups and chapters, reunions with QR tickets, paid membership tiers, a jobs board, mentoring and elections, with your history, In Memoriam and hall of fame. It holds only what members tell it, with four recorded consents.

  • Price: $49 a year in US dollars, no tax added, with a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase
  • Best for: associations that want to run their own site and keep only what members share
  • Watch for: you look after the hosting, there is no app in the phone stores and no live chat, nobody runs programmes for you, and it is sold only in the places on its list
Open the live demo

The other six, from the lowest published price

  1. AlmaShines: published plans, and free under 500 alumni

    A hosted alumni platform from India with published monthly plans, a free directory for small institutions, online payments, groups, elections and a shared app on every plan.

    Price: Free for fewer than 500 alumni (a directory only); college plans from $120, $240 or $360 a month (AlmaShines pricing)
    Who hosts it: AlmaShines, on AWS; a private-cloud Enterprise plan from $8,000 once
    Best for: Colleges that want a hosted platform at a published price, or a free directory
    Watch for: Booster caps members at 3,000; mentoring, fundraising and groups start at Pro; a branded app costs extra

    Also hosted, and unlike Hoopstr it publishes its prices: plans from $120 a month. Read AlumDeck vs AlmaShines. See the AlmaShines alternatives.

  2. A CodeCanyon alumni script: $45 to $49, once

    Alumni association scripts sold on CodeCanyon, which you install on your own hosting, like AlumDeck. For the best-selling script, donations and elections are $29 add-ons.

    Price: $45 to $49 once; add-ons $29 each (CodeCanyon search, "alumni")
    Who hosts it: You, on your own hosting
    Best for: A technical volunteer who wants to pay once and look after it alone
    Watch for: Support lasts 6 months unless extended, and it never covers installation

    Pay once and host it yourself: software only, with nothing run for you. Read AlumDeck vs marketplace scripts.

  3. Hivebrite: the full community platform

    A hosted platform for alumni networks, associations and nonprofits, with chapters, paid memberships, a white-label app, single sign-on and CRM connectors. It describes itself as built for complex organisations.

    Price: Core from $895 a month, Flex from $1,995 a month, billed annually (Hivebrite pricing)
    Who hosts it: Hivebrite, in the EU, US, Switzerland or Australia
    Best for: Large associations with chapters, paid memberships and an IT team
    Watch for: Core includes 2 admins and 5 groups; the app, languages, connectors and mentoring cost extra

    A hosted community platform with a published entry price, from $895 a month, and a white-label app. Read AlumDeck vs Hivebrite. See the Hivebrite alternatives.

  4. Almabase: fundraising and events for advancement teams

    Hosted engagement and fundraising software for university and school advancement offices: giving days, ticketed events with auctions, memberships, a directory and mentoring, with two-way Raiser's Edge NXT sync.

    Price: Quote only, priced by emailable contacts, plus a one-time setup fee (Almabase plans)
    Who hosts it: Almabase, on AWS and Azure
    Best for: Advancement offices that raise money online and run Raiser's Edge
    Watch for: No published price; 8 to 12 weeks to launch is typical; API access and text messaging cost extra

    Quoted, like Hoopstr, and built for advancement offices that raise money online. Read AlumDeck vs Almabase. See the Almabase alternatives.

  5. Graduway: community and mentoring, from Gravyty

    The alumni community and mentoring product in Gravyty's suite, with structured mentoring programmes, groups, events, single sign-on and an app or PWA. Giving, video and fundraiser tools are separate Gravyty products.

    Price: Quote after a demo, sized to your alumni community (Gravyty Graduway)
    Who hosts it: Gravyty, on AWS, with regional data residency
    Best for: Universities and schools where mentoring programmes are the centre of alumni work
    Watch for: You see a price only after a demo; other suite products are quoted separately

    Structured mentoring programmes, sold with a success manager, where Hoopstr runs mentoring tracks itself (Hoopstr Advance). Read AlumDeck vs Graduway. See the Graduway alternatives.

  6. ToucanTech: a CRM and website for school development offices

    One hosted system with a contact database, website builder, email, events, fundraising and payments, sold mostly to schools in the UK, Ireland, the US and Australia, with an account manager and phone support.

    Price: Quote only; the app and accounting module are paid add-ons (ToucanTech integrations)
    Who hosts it: ToucanTech, cloud only
    Best for: School development offices that fundraise and want one system for everything
    Watch for: Migration takes 60 to 90 days by its own account; no SOC 2 or ISO certification claimed

    A CRM, website and fundraising system for school development offices, quoted, with an account manager. Read AlumDeck vs ToucanTech. See the ToucanTech alternatives.

Or stay put

When Hoopstr is still the right answer.

Choose AlumDeck if

  • You want a price you can put in a budget today
  • Your committee would rather run its own events and mentoring
  • Your register should hold only people who signed up
  • Someone can look after shared hosting

Choose Hoopstr if

  • You want meetups, mentoring tracks and fellowships run for you
  • Members expect a native app with real-time chat
  • You want unregistered alumni found on the web for you
  • Procurement asks for ISO 27001 or SOC 2

Questions

Leaving Hoopstr, asked plainly

Is Hoopstr the same company as Vaave?

Yes. Vaave renamed itself Hoopstr: vaave.com now forwards to hoopstr.ai. If you are looking for alternatives to Vaave, this is the page.

What does Hoopstr cost, and what costs less?

Hoopstr does not publish a price (Hoopstr offerings, checked September 2026), so we cannot say how much less. The options here with published prices are AlmaShines (free under 500 alumni, then from $120 a month), marketplace scripts ($45 to $49 once), AlumDeck ($49 a year) and Hivebrite (from $895 a month).

Which Hoopstr alternatives have an app?

Hivebrite has a white-label app as a paid extension, AlmaShines a shared app on every plan with a branded one for a fee, ToucanTech a branded app sold separately, and Graduway an app or PWA. AlumDeck is a web app members add to their home screen; it is not in the phone stores.

Does AlumDeck find alumni who have not registered, like Hoopstr Magic?

No, and it will not. Hoopstr Magic scans the web to find unregistered alumni and scores each person on seven dimensions, including earning and donor potential (Hoopstr Magic). AlumDeck only holds what members tell it, with four recorded consents.

Will our member data come across?

Members, yes, if you can get them out as a CSV file: the import wizard maps the columns and runs a dry run first. Gifts and past events have their own CSV imports. News, pages and discussions do not import, so plan to rebuild what you need.

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