openSIS

openSIS is a student information system for schools and other education providers managing records, enrollment, attendance, grades, and day-to-day operations. It suits institutions that want those functions together and can choose between an independently managed installation and SaaS. Its broad school-operations coverage is a strength, but Core Startup’s small, fixed account limits narrow its appeal.

Overview

Student and staff records, health information, admissions, scheduling, attendance, grading, billing, discipline, lesson plans, and analytics share one system. That breadth can give schools a common place to manage administrative and academic work, rather than piecing together separate tools for each function. The range also serves K–12, higher education, vocational and career technical schools, and virtual education, though each institution should weigh its staffing needs against the paid tiers’ minimums.

Integrations include Moodle, Canvas LMS, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, Office 365, Azure Active Directory, and Google Workspace. Administrators can export data in delimited files. Open Solutions for Education, Inc. says it is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified for information security management. Its privacy policy describes role-based access, administrator multi-factor authentication, encryption, periodic third-party penetration testing, and a commitment not to sell personal information or student data.

Key features

Academic and administrative coverage

Attendance tracking sits alongside grading, scheduling, admissions, billing, discipline, and lesson plans. This makes openSIS a stronger fit for institutions seeking an information system that spans both student records and operational processes than for buyers looking only for a narrow course-registration tool. The breadth is useful, but it does not remove the need to check whether a given plan can accommodate the institution’s staff and account counts.

Mobile access and integrations

The SaaS Mobile Connect app for iOS and Android provides access to attendance, grades, assignments, schedules, billing, and school communication. The integration lineup connects openSIS with learning platforms, productivity tools, identity services, and payment providers. Advanced includes API access with full documentation, which is the relevant tier for institutions that need that access.

Support and data controls

Support includes self-service resources, bot assistance, email, telephone, and social media, with training available. Community Edition requires the school to install and manage the software independently, so its zero-price entry comes with more responsibility for the institution. The documented export option and privacy controls are useful operational safeguards, though the product’s fit still depends on plan capacity.

Pricing

openSIS is freemium, with a 15-day trial and paid SaaS plans billed annually per staff member per month. The entry tiers trade lower cost for tighter account limits or minimum staffing commitments.

• Community Edition: free. This is a free, open-source downloadable edition for schools willing to install and manage it themselves.
• Core Startup: $4 a year, billed $4 / staff / month annually. It covers 5 staff, 50 student accounts, 100 parent accounts, and one school. Those caps cannot be increased within the tier, making it a poor fit for a school expecting to outgrow a small community.
• Essential: $8 a year, billed $8 / staff / month annually. It starts with 5 staff and includes unlimited student and parent accounts and unlimited schools. This removes Core Startup’s student, parent, and school ceilings, while keeping the starting staff count at five.
• Advanced: $12 a year, billed $12 / staff / month annually. It requires at least 10 staff accounts and includes unlimited student and parent accounts, plus API access with full documentation. The minimum makes it less suitable for small teams, but it is the tier to consider when API access is needed.
• District / State / Enterprise: custom pricing, with a minimum 200-staff subscription and Advanced Tier. That threshold makes it a large-organization option rather than a practical upgrade for smaller schools.

The maker also offers a 15-day trial. The pricing structure makes Core Startup’s headline entry price less decisive than its hard account caps: schools with more students or parents must move to Essential or another tier.

Platforms

openSIS supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted use. The mobile app provides access to selected school information and communication functions on iOS and Android; Community Edition is the independently installed option.

Who it's for

openSIS is worth considering for schools and education providers that need a broad student information system, especially when records, attendance, grades, admissions, and administrative tasks should sit together. Community Edition suits institutions able to manage their own installation. Core Startup suits only very small school communities that fit its fixed account limits; Essential is more appropriate when unlimited student and parent accounts or multiple schools matter. Advanced is aimed at teams of at least 10 staff that need API access, while the enterprise tier targets subscriptions of at least 200 staff.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Covers academic and operational work from attendance and grading to billing, discipline, and analytics, which can consolidate a wide range of school processes.
• Pro: Offers both a free, open-source self-managed edition and SaaS plans, giving institutions a choice between managing their own installation and paying for hosted service.
• Pro: Connects with common learning, payment, productivity, and identity tools, and administrators can export data in delimited files.
• Pro: The SaaS mobile app brings attendance, grades, assignments, schedules, billing, and school communication to iOS and Android.
• Con: Core Startup is capped at 5 staff, 50 students, and 100 parents, with no way to add accounts in that tier; schools beyond those limits must pay for a higher plan.
• Con: Advanced starts at 10 staff and District / State / Enterprise at 200, so the tiers with expanded access or scale may be excessive for smaller institutions.
• Con: Community Edition puts installation and management on the institution, which may not suit schools seeking a hosted service without operational responsibility.

Alternatives

For a wider directory of comparable school systems, browse Student Information Systems. Institutions focused on course sign-up can also compare the Course Registration Software category.

• OpenEduCat is another freemium option with a free plan, a 15-day trial that does not require a credit card, and Android, iOS, API, Linux, and self-hosted platforms; consider it when those terms or platform options better match your requirements.
• Cogran is a paid option with Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows support; consider it instead if those are the platforms you need.
• Enrole is a paid, web-based alternative with managed-services tiers; consider it when that product is a closer match to your needs.
• CourseDeck offers a free plan, a trial, and web access; consider it when those terms and its course-focused scope are a better fit.
• Anthology Student Verification is a paid alternative for Android, iOS, and web.
• Fedena is a freemium alternative with a free plan, a trial, and Android, iOS, API, self-hosted, and web platforms; consider it when those platform options are more suitable.
• ACADIS Registration Portal is a paid, web-based alternative.
• Arlo is a paid option with a free trial and Android, iOS, API, and web platforms; consider it when those platform and pricing terms suit your needs better.

Verdict

Choose openSIS if your institution needs one system for student information and a wide spread of school operations, and you can select a plan that matches its staff and account requirements. Its strongest case is that combination of breadth, self-managed free software, and SaaS options. Look elsewhere if Core Startup’s fixed caps are too small and the higher tiers’ staff minimums or custom-priced enterprise threshold do not fit.