Freedom251 › Student Engagement Software
Mainstay
What Mainstay is
Mainstay is an engagement platform for colleges and businesses, built around conversations that encourage people to take action. Its core components are Conversations, Nudges, Analytics, and Optimization. Teams can reach people by SMS text messaging, live chat, web chat, and social media, and can use campaigns, interactive nudges, and surveys to support recruiting, launching, retaining, growing, and thriving stages of a person’s journey. Mainstay says its chatbot answers 85% of messages within two seconds.
The platform includes Conversation Copilot, AI Insight Dashboards, hidden-barrier discovery, and sentiment analysis. Listed integrations include API and SFTP, Salesforce, Slate, Canvas, Blackboard, Campus Management, Ellucian, EAB, HubSpot, Jenzabar, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Radius, and Wiley. Its API can sync data files, map custom fields, and schedule multiple synchronizations each day. Mainstay says customer data is encrypted at rest with Advanced Encryption Standard and in transit with TLS 1.2. It also describes penetration testing, regular vulnerability scans, and encrypted AWS backups with redundant multi-availability-zone storage. The company began as AdmitHub in 2014 and is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. Mainstay is available through web and API, with pricing on request.
Who it suits
Mainstay suits colleges and businesses that need to engage people across multiple stages of a relationship using messaging, nudges, and surveys. It may also fit teams that want engagement analytics, AI features, and connections to education or business systems such as Salesforce, Slate, Canvas, or HubSpot.
What it does well
- Supports SMS, live chat, web chat, and social media engagement.
- Includes analytics, automated campaigns, SMS outreach, and student surveys.
- Supports recruiting through thriving stages of a person’s journey.
- API can map custom fields and schedule multiple daily data syncs.
- Lists integrations with education and business systems.
- Offers AI features including sentiment analysis and Conversation Copilot.
What to know first
- Pricing is available on request.
- Uses Twilio for SMS and Twilio SendGrid for email communications.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Customized plan | personalized plan · everything you need and nothing you don’t · request a consultation | On request |
As mainstay.com lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Mainstay website.
- Request a consultation for a customized plan.
- Use the web platform or API.
- Connect relevant systems through listed integrations or the API.
Verdict
Choose Mainstay if a college or business needs multi-channel engagement, automated outreach, and analytics across a person’s journey. Its broad integrations and API support can suit teams connecting engagement to existing systems. Look elsewhere if you need a published price before requesting a consultation.
Questions
How much does Mainstay cost?
Mainstay is paid, with pricing on request. Its customized plan is offered through a consultation.
What platforms does Mainstay support?
Mainstay lists web and API platforms.
Which systems does Mainstay integrate with?
Listed integrations include API, SFTP, Salesforce, Slate, Canvas, Blackboard, Campus Management, Ellucian, EAB, HubSpot, Jenzabar, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Radius, and Wiley.
Does Mainstay support student surveys and SMS outreach?
Yes. Mainstay lists student surveys and SMS outreach, and supports SMS messaging.
What does Mainstay say about data security?
Mainstay says data is encrypted at rest with Advanced Encryption Standard and in transit with TLS 1.2. It also describes penetration tests, regular vulnerability scans, and encrypted AWS backups with redundant multi-availability-zone storage.
Facts from Mainstay's own pages
- AI capabilities
- Platform features include Conversation Copilot, AI Insight Dashboards, hidden-barrier discovery, and sentiment analysis. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- API
- Mainstay’s API can sync data files, map custom fields, and schedule multiple data synchronizations each day. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- backups
- Mainstay backs up customer data on AWS with redundant multi-availability-zone storage and encryption in transit and at rest. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- channels
- Mainstay supports SMS text messaging, live chat, web chat, and social media engagement. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- company history
- The company says Drew Magliozzi and Kirk Daulerio started AdmitHub in 2014, which later evolved into Mainstay. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- core components
- The platform includes Conversations, Nudges, Analytics, and Optimization. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- encryption
- Mainstay says customer data is encrypted at rest with Advanced Encryption Standard and in transit with TLS 1.2. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2014 · mainstay.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Beaverton, Oregon, United States · mainstay.com, 28 Sept 2026
- integrations
- Mainstay lists API, SFTP, Salesforce, Slate, Canvas, Blackboard, Campus Management, Ellucian, EAB, HubSpot, Jenzabar, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Radius, and Wiley integrations. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- journey support
- Mainstay supports recruiting, launching, retaining, growing, and thriving stages of a person’s journey. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- messaging providers
- Mainstay uses Twilio for SMS communications and Twilio SendGrid for email communications. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- proactive messaging
- The platform can send messaging campaigns, interactive nudges, and surveys to encourage action. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- purpose
- Mainstay provides an Engagement Platform for colleges and businesses that uses behavioral intelligence to drive conversations and action at scale. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- response speed
- Mainstay says its chatbot answers 85% of messages in two seconds or less. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
- security testing
- Mainstay performs penetration tests and uses regular vulnerability scans for its cloud infrastructure and corporate systems. · mainstay.com, 30 Sept 2026
Where Mainstay stands on Freedom251
- Student Engagement Software#11 of 25