ThinkWave Educator vs Alma SIS

PowerSchool

Skyward Student Management Suite

Classter

FACTS

Udio

ACADEMIA ERP / SIS

Compare ThinkWave Educator and Alma SIS based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Alma SIS

Alma SIS streamlines PreK-12 operations with tools for attendance, grading, communication, and compliance. Secure, intuitive, and integrated with Google and key apps, Alma reduces admin tasks so educators can focus on student success. Flexible, efficient, and built for the future of education.

Canvas

Canvas is a modern, cloud-based LMS that helps organizations of all sizes deliver impactful learning. Whether you're teaching students, onboarding new hires, or running a training program, Canvas makes it simple to build, manage, and scale engaging learning experiences.

Gradelink

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

Teachers use ThinkWave Educator gradebook software to easily record and calculate daily results. Parents and students stay involved with Grades Online. ThinkWave Administrator makes it easy for schools to manage grades, attendance, and reporting.



Attendance Tracking

Class Scheduling

Class Summary

Curriculum Management

Customizable Reports

For Higher Education

Grade Calculations

Independent/Private

Individualized Assessments

K-12

Lesson Planning

Online Calendar

Parent Portal

Parent/Student Portal

Progress Reports

Report Cards

Reporting/Analytics

Special Education

Student Information/Records

Weighted Assignments

ThinkWave Educator

Web-based

iPad

Android

iPhone

Cloud-based Student Management System

Premium Gradebook

Freelancers

Small Business

Mid-size Business

ThinkWave

iGradePlus

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

DreamClass

DreamClass is a cloud-based class management system for educational organizations including K12 schools, colleges, sports academies, music schools, and dance studios. The platform offers tools for managing programs, students, admissions, teachers, attendance, grading, assessments, and more.

Classe365

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

Alma SIS simplifies school management with intuitive tools for attendance, grading, compliance, and communication. Automated workflows reduce administrative burdens, while real-time insights improve decision-making. Scalable for districts and schools of any size, ensuring seamless operations.

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Management

Activity Tracking

Admissions Management

Alerts/Notifications

Application Management

Assignment Management

Attendance Management

Attendee Tracking

Automated Scheduling

Billing & Invoicing

Blended Learning

Block Websites/Applications

Built-in LMS

Calendar Management

Candidate Management

Chat/Messaging

Class Registration

Classroom Management

Client Portal

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Communication Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Content Management

Course Authoring

Course Management

Credit Card Processing

Curve Scores

Customizable Branding

Customizable Forms

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

Group Registration

Invoice Management

Learning Management

Live Chat

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Multiple User Accounts

Online Payments

Online Registration

Onsite Registration

Payment Processing

Performance Metrics

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

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.

Windows

Linux

Chromebook

Basic

Alma pricing

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.

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.

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

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.

Principal

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

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.

EC Teacher

Alma is a wonderful platform that allows teacher to have easy access to everything in one platform.

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.

Customer service response time could be hit or miss, other than that the pros definitely outweighed any cons.

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.

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

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.

Teacher

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

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.

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.).

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.

SIS Data Manager

I transferred our district from our old SIS to Alma on my own and felt confident during every step with the help of Alma's implementation team.  

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.

Our main challenge with Alma SIS is managing costs in a non-dollar economy as a nonprofit.

It takes time to train on a new SIS, and I feel folks may confuse a lack of knowledge with a lack of system performance.  

ThinkWave Educator vs Alma SIS Comparison (2026)

ThinkWave Educator

Alma SIS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives