Alma SIS vs Frontline SIS

Gradelink

iGradePlus

Classe365

Gradelink is an easy-to-use student information system to help your private school save time, improve enrollment, and fulfill its mission.

Cloud-based School Management System for schools and districts and a free Online Gradebook for individual teachers.

Classe365 is a student management system for education institutions, combining student information system (SIS), CRM & learning management system (LMS) features

The customer service at Alma is wonderful and they will help you solve any issues quickly (from your customer service rep, to the chat support, etc.).

Coordinator of Schools Operations

The system is genuinely tailorable, which allowed us to set things up in a way that supported our workflows instead of forcing us to change them.

Alma SIS centralizes student data, grading, attendance, and communication in one secure platform. Built-in analytics, seamless integrations, and automated compliance reporting ensure efficiency. Designed for PreK-12 schools, it adapts to evolving needs while simplifying school operations.

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Management

Activity Tracking

Admissions Management

Alerts/Notifications

Application Management

Assignment Management

Attendance Management

Attendance Tracking

Attendee Tracking

Automated Scheduling

Billing & Invoicing

Blended Learning

Block Websites/Applications

Built-in LMS

Calendar Management

Candidate Management

Chat/Messaging

Class Registration

Classroom Management

Class Scheduling

Class Summary

Client Portal

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Communication Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Content Management

Course Authoring

Course Management

Credit Card Processing

Curriculum Management

Curve Scores

Customizable Branding

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Data Import/Export

Data Storage Management

Discipline Management

Document Management

Document Storage

Drag & Drop

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Employee Management

Employee Portal

Enrollment Confirmation

Enrollments/Onboarding

Event Calendar

Event Scheduling

Faculty/Staff Management

Fee Collection

Fee Management

Financial Management

For Classroom

Forms Management

Gradebook

Grade Calculations

Group Registration

Independent/Private

Individualized Assessments

Invoice Management

K-12

Learning Management

Lesson Planning

Live Chat

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Multiple User Accounts

Online Calendar

Online Payments

Online Registration

Onsite Registration

Parent Portal

Parent/Student Portal

Payment Processing

Performance Metrics

Progress Reports

Progress Tracking

Real-Time Chat

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Monitoring

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Reporting

Records Management

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Registration Management

Reminders

Remote Access/Control

Report Cards

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Role-Based Permissions

Scheduling

School District

Scoring

Search/Filter

By industry, Alma SIS reviewers are most commonly professionals in education management (85%). The most frequent use case for Alma SIS cited by reviewers is as a student information system (61% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Alma SIS is a student information system tool offering key features such as gradebook, report cards, student management, and a parent/student portal, among others.

Alma SIS

Web-based

iPhone

iPad

Android

Windows

Linux

Chromebook

Skyward Student Management Suite

PowerSchool

FACTS

Schoology

PowerSchool SIS

MySchool

Classter

Corsizio

Basic

Alma pricing

Recurring glitches and downtime

Teacher

The occasional times when it goes down can be frustrating but rare.

65% of reviewers feel negative about Alma’s bugs and technical issues. Reviewers indicate they experience occasional system glitches, unexpected shutdowns, and difficulty accessing certain features. Some users report frustration when the platform goes down during work hours, impacting their daily tasks. Reviewers say navigation can be clunky, with disappearing headers and unclear procedures, and fixes for ongoing problems are slow to arrive. They find the lack of clear directions and frequent global issues hinder their workflow and create additional hurdles.

Limited and confusing reporting

Data Systems Administrator

The reports are not as in-depth as needed and we aren't able to save our filters/criteria that we use often.  

42% of reviewers feel negative about Alma’s reporting capabilities. Reviewers indicate the reporting functions lack customization and flexibility, making it difficult to generate tailored reports for their needs. Some users report frustration with confusing report navigation, limited formatting options, and inability to save frequently used filters. Reviewers say compliance and gradebook reporting are not fully developed, and downloading reports in only certain formats creates additional challenges. They find the reports section rudimentary and often unusable for administrative or secretarial tasks.

Flexible and evolving platform

Academic Dean

All of the new additions that you get charged for with other software are free updates with ALMA. If you do have a problem, ALMA *wants* to hear from you!  

97% of reviewers feel positive about Alma’s flexibility and ongoing development. Reviewers indicate Alma regularly adds new features and updates without extra charges, allowing schools to adapt and expand their use over time. Some users say the system accommodates a variety of grading standards and provides useful portals for parents and students. Reviewers appreciate the responsive customer service and the ease of record-keeping. They find Alma’s alert system valuable for urgent communication and note that the platform’s continuous improvements help them manage student data efficiently.

Streamlined communication tools

Principal

Accessibility, relative ease to setup, number of features, especially for price, email and messaging system was fantastic.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Alma’s messaging features. Reviewers indicate the built-in messaging system simplifies communication with students, families, and staff, keeping everything in one place. Some users say features like chat, group messages, and bulletin boards facilitate quick responses and collaboration. Reviewers appreciate the ability to send class-wide messages and receive timely support from Alma’s team. They find the messaging tools valuable for maintaining constituent cohesion and improving workflow synergy, while noting the platform’s modern approach enhances communication efficiency.

Intuitive and modern design

The interface is clean and intuitive, making it very easy to use.

96% of reviewers feel positive about Alma’s user interface. Reviewers indicate the interface is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and keeps information organized and accessible. Some users report that both novice and experienced staff quickly learn to use the system, saving time and reducing training needs. Reviewers appreciate the clean layout and logical structure, which streamlines workflows and centralizes important data. They find the interface user-friendly for parents and teachers, making it simple to locate necessary information and enhancing overall satisfaction.

School Nurse

Also, I like that the school nurse is able to upload individualized health care plans to Alma, making it simple to pass along pertinent health information for those who need to know this.

By creating a critical health alert, teachers and other school staff are easily made aware of certain high risk students.

The feature that I like most about Alma is the ability to flag students with medical issues.

Speech Language Pathologist

I love how accessible and user-friendly the platform is—it gives me quick access to the student data I need, from attendance and grades to IEP documentation.

Chief of Police

It offers a wide range of functionalities such as grade management, attendance tracking, communication tools, and scheduling, which makes it a comprehensive solution for educational institutions.

I like that you can hover over a student's picture to enlarge it.

The only thing I would say I least liked was that it was not compariable to the system that was use for reporting to our district office.

Nurse

I really like that I can create a group so I can add in info for multiple students at a time.

Physical Education Teacher

The he details on students we are able to put in and scan documents and up load them to the students file is so time saving.

Supervisor of Information Technology Systems

Missing grade level filter in the school directory and notifications when someone submits an Alma Start form.

The documents disappear  so i will start to rewrite what i had written before.

One challenge I’ve encountered with Alma SIS as a service provider is the inability to create my own classrooms or groups.

Director of Technology

Every once in a while there is a glitch with a needed report or function, but Alma Support has come through efficiently with these issues.

School Registrar

We often have transfer credits from other schools or online programs and it is super easy to add grades and credits to older students who need them.

This provides more time to attend to all the other tasks that teachers have on their plates every day.  

Overall, Alma has helped us stay organized and focused on students instead of wrestling with technology.

Also, especially with the integration and sync with Google Classroom, teachers spend little time entering grades.  

Assistant Principal

I love that I can do report cards, incident reports, attendance and keep files on record for each child.

I like how I can switch from inputting points to inputting a percentage, and I never have to do the math.

Office Manager

Personally, the connection with our State reporting system and how easy it made it was the winning factor for me.

I wish there was a "copy all" button for grading things, so you could enter the same grade for all students when it comes to participation points.

Registrar

It has streamlined many of our daily processes and created a stronger connection between school and families.

Executive Assistant

We were a test district for the recent iNHDEX merge, and it was a big undertaking for state and federal reporting.

I can easily check if a student is absent for the day, what classes were missed, and if they're missing assignments.

Worst part for the tech crew:  The people running the system can't impersonate another user, which makes it hard to see what the user is seeing when you're trying to help someone.

Having the ALMA alert system built into the program is great for sending out urgent messages quickly.

As a small school, we needed an SIS that was powerful yet flexible enough to meet our unique needs, which Alma delivered on.

MS Social Studies Teacher

I wish that there was color coding in the gradebook for passing and failing grades so it visually was easier to keep track of students progress.

Operations Manager

I dont like how the enrollment data is tranferred onto the student profile . If a parent lists a child has asthma , allergies etc it should be reflected on the student profile .

Secretary

Alma makes it easy to access student information, track attendance, and print records.

office manager

Alma SIS is user-friendly and provides a streamlined way to manage student information, attendance, and scheduling.

Director of Enrollment

Honestly, there are very few things we do not like about Alma and the issues we have come across have been very easy to navigate and are often things that we didn't realize we could do!

It’s a helpful tool for organizing student data, managing grades, and streamlining communication.

Director Of Operations

The medication alert does not transfer over when parents fill out the registration.

Alma SIS vs Frontline SIS Comparison (2026)

Alma SIS

Frontline SIS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives