Starfish vs Ellucian Smart Plan

Starfish8.2Visit Ellucian Smart Plan8.1Visit

Higher score Starfish #4 in Academic Advising Software 8.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 4 of 5 features Visit EAB

vs

Ellucian Smart Plan #5 in Academic Advising Software 8.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Ellucian

• Starfish fits best

  Teams needing practical student-success workflows

• Ellucian Smart Plan fits best

  Ellucian institutions needing deep planning

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Side by side

Feature	Starfish 8.2/10 Visit ↗	Ellucian Smart Plan 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.2	8.1
Ranking	#4 in Academic Advising Software	#5 in Academic Advising Software
Best for	Teams needing practical student-success workflows	Ellucian institutions needing deep planning
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Starfish 4/5 · Ellucian Smart Plan 3/5
Degree audit	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Degree planning	✓	✓
Early alerts	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Intervention workflows	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Student planning portal	✓	✓
Specs
Mobile access	Web	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Combines early alerts, appointments, cases, cohorts, and referrals Supports degree planning, success plans, and off-track notifications Adds workflow automation, analytics, kiosk support, and student access	Personalizes and updates term-by-term plans as circumstances change Supports what-if analysis for programs, schedules, cost, and completion timing Connects planning with direct registration and Ellucian systems
Cons	Pricing is handled through contact-sales engagement Designed for institutional partnerships rather than self-serve adoption Web access may not suit teams seeking a dedicated mobile experience	Pricing requires a contact-sales process Evaluation begins with a scheduled demo rather than a self-serve trial Its focus is academic planning and registration rather than broader advising workflows
Our verdict	Starfish is EAB’s higher-education student-success platform for colleges and universities. It brings together early alerts, progress surveys, appointment scheduling, case and cohort management, analytics, degree planning, success plans,… Read the review →	Ellucian Smart Plan is an academic planning and registration solution for colleges and universities. It uses academic history, program requirements, prerequisites, institutional policies, and course availability to create personalized,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Starfish — where it wins

  • Combines early alerts, appointments, cases, cohorts, and referrals
  • Supports degree planning, success plans, and off-track notifications
  • Adds workflow automation, analytics, kiosk support, and student access

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is handled through contact-sales engagement
  • Designed for institutional partnerships rather than self-serve adoption
  • Web access may not suit teams seeking a dedicated mobile experience

• Ellucian Smart Plan — where it wins

  • Personalizes and updates term-by-term plans as circumstances change
  • Supports what-if analysis for programs, schedules, cost, and completion timing
  • Connects planning with direct registration and Ellucian systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a contact-sales process
  • Evaluation begins with a scheduled demo rather than a self-serve trial
  • Its focus is academic planning and registration rather than broader advising workflows

• Starfish8.2/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad student-success platform for coordinating alerts, advising, planning, and interventions.

  Visit EABFull verdict →
• Ellucian Smart Plan8.1/10 · Pricing on request

  A deep planning solution for Ellucian institutions managing complex student pathways.

  Visit EllucianFull verdict →