Best Starfish Alternatives in 2026
The top Starfish alternatives are EAB Navigate360, Civitas Advising and Watermark Student Success & Engagement: 15 academic advising software our editors would look at instead of Starfish, in our ranking order.
Starfish: A broad student-success platform for coordinating alerts, advising, planning, and interventions. Where it falls short: pricing is handled through contact-sales engagement.
Switching from Starfish? For most academic advising software buyers the best Starfish alternative is EAB Navigate360, built for institutions needing comprehensive advising and care. FlightPath has a free plan.
Why People Look for a Starfish Alternative
- 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
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallEAB Navigate3608.8
Institutions needing comprehensive advising and care
Visit EAB Navigate360 - Best free optionFlightPath7.5
Has a free plan
Visit FlightPath
All 15 Starfish Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
-
Best forInstitutions needing comprehensive advising and care
- Better than Starfish:
- Editor score 8.8 vs 8.2
A comprehensive advising and care platform for institutions coordinating student success.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit EAB -
Best forInstitutions wanting mobile, collaborative advising
- Better than Starfish:
- Editor score 8.6 vs 8.2
A connected advising workspace for institutions coordinating planning, alerts, outreach, and support.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
8.6/10★★★★☆Try Civitas Advising -
Best forInstitutions needing mobile student success tools
- Better than Starfish:
- Editor score 8.4 vs 8.2
A broad advising and engagement suite for institutions prioritizing mobile student support.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Watermark -
Best forEllucian institutions needing deep planning
A deep planning solution for Ellucian institutions managing complex student pathways.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions focused on alerts and advising operations
A strong fit for institutions prioritizing alerts, case management, and advising operations.
- Intervention workflows
- Early alerts
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions prioritizing integrated degree planning
A broad advising platform for institutions that want planning, alerts, workflows, and analytics together.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Stellic -
Best forInstitutions needing broad planning and integrations
A broad advising system for institutions that need planning, audits, alerts, and integrations.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit CoreCampus -
Best forBudget-conscious institutions wanting open source
A flexible open-source option for institutions that need advising, planning, and degree audits.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit FlightPath -
Best forInstitutions centered on retention interventions
A focused retention platform for alerts, advising cases, and intervention workflows.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit ConexED -
Best forInstitutions focused on validated academic plans
A validated planning workspace for colleges and universities managing degree pathways.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit CollegeSource -
Best forEnterprise degree-audit administration
A configurable degree-audit system for complex curricula, transfer work, and batch reporting.
- Degree audit
- Student planning portal
- Early alerts
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit CollegeSource -
Best forAdvising teams needing affordable retention workflows
A paid advising platform for scheduling, retention workflows, and multi-center student support.
- Intervention workflows
- Student planning portal
- Early alerts
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit TracCloud -
Best forEnterprise degree audit and planning
A broad degree audit and planning suite for institutions using Ellucian and SIS systems.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions focused on planning and analytics
A planning and analytics suite for institutions managing degree progress and advising risk.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Early alerts
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit AdviseU -
Best forPeopleSoft institutions needing degree roadmaps
A PeopleSoft-focused planner for roadmaps, prerequisite checks, and what-if advising.
- Degree planning
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit HighPoint
Starfish Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Starfish?
EAB Navigate360: #1 in our Academic Advising Software ranking, with an editor score of 8.8 out of 10. A comprehensive advising and care platform for institutions coordinating student success.
Is there a free alternative to Starfish?
Yes. FlightPath has a free plan or a free tier.
Why do people look for Starfish alternatives?
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.
How do I switch from Starfish?
Export your data from Starfish (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Starfish.
How to Switch from Starfish
- Export your data from Starfish (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Starfish.
Starfish vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Paid from | Degree audit | Degree planning | Early alerts | Intervention workflows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Starfish | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | ||
| 1 | EAB Navigate360 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 2 | Civitas Advising | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 3 | Watermark Student Success & Engagement | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | ||
| 4 | Ellucian Smart Plan | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | |||
| 5 | Ellucian Advising | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | |||
| 6 | Stellic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 7 | CoreCampus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 8 | FlightPath | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 | |
| 9 | ConexED Retain | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | ||
| 10 | uAchieve Planner | Yes | Yes | 7.1 | |||
| 11 | uAchieve Degree Audit | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | |||
| 12 | TracCloud | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |||
| 13 | Ellucian Degree Works | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 14 | AdviseU | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | ||
| 15 | HighPoint Degree Planner | Yes | 6.4 |
Head-to-Head
- Starfish vs EAB Navigate360
- Starfish vs Civitas Advising
- Starfish vs Watermark Student Success & Engagement
- Starfish vs Ellucian Smart Plan
- Starfish vs Ellucian Advising
- Starfish vs Stellic
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update