openSIS

openSIS is a student information system that brings records, attendance, grades, and other school operations together. It is suited to institutions that want a broad administrative system and can either manage an installation themselves or pay for SaaS. The main trade-off is scale: the lowest-cost SaaS tier has strict account caps, while the next tiers charge per staff user.

Overview

Student and staff records, health information, admissions, scheduling, attendance, grading, billing, discipline, lesson plans, and analytics sit within one system. That breadth makes openSIS a plausible operational hub for schools that would rather coordinate these functions in one place; institutions seeking only course registration or attendance may find the scope more than they need.

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 policy against selling personal information or student data to third parties.

Key features

School operations and mobile access

Attendance tracking, grades, schedules, admissions, billing, discipline, and lesson plans complement student and staff records. The SaaS Mobile Connect app provides access to attendance, grades, assignments, schedules, billing, and school communication on iOS and Android, useful for school communities that need those functions on mobile. Support spans self-service, bot assistance, email, telephone, and social media, with training available.

Deployment and integrations

The Community Edition is downloadable and open source, but the institution must install and manage it independently. SaaS plans reduce that self-management burden. The Advanced tier adds API access with full documentation, while the listed integrations connect openSIS with learning platforms, productivity suites, identity services, and payment and accounting tools.

Pricing

openSIS is freemium, with a 15-day trial. SaaS staff-user pricing is billed annually, so the per-staff monthly rate should be read alongside each plan’s minimums and account limits.

• Community Edition: free. The free, open-source downloadable edition fits schools able to install and manage their own system; it avoids a SaaS subscription but places that work on the institution.
• Core Startup: $4 a year, billed at $4 / staff / month annually. It includes one school, 5 staff, 50 student accounts, and 100 parent accounts. This is the lowest SaaS price, but the caps cannot be exceeded within the tier, making it suitable only for a small school community that fits those limits.
• Essential: $8 a year, billed at $8 / staff / month annually. It starts with 5 staff and provides unlimited student and parent accounts and unlimited schools. It removes the key account caps of Core Startup, though the per-staff charge is higher.
• Advanced: $12 a year, billed at $12 / staff / month annually, with a minimum of 10 staff accounts and unlimited student and parent accounts. API access with full documentation makes this more appropriate for institutions that need API connectivity; its minimum staffing commitment makes it a less natural fit for smaller teams.
• District / State / Enterprise: custom pricing, with a minimum 200-staff subscription, competitive pricing, and the Advanced tier. The minimum makes this an option for large organizations rather than a small school.

Platforms

Platforms include Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted deployment. The mobile app covers attendance, grades, assignments, schedules, billing, and school communication on both mobile operating systems.

Who it's for

The maker describes openSIS for K-12 schools, higher education, vocational and career technical schools, and virtual education. Its wide mix of school operations and deployment choices is most compelling for institutions that need more than a narrow registration tool. Schools with more than 50 students or 100 parents should rule out Core Startup; those needing SaaS without those caps should consider Essential, while organizations requiring API access should weigh Advanced and its 10-staff minimum.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad coverage of records and school operations can bring admissions, attendance, grading, billing, and discipline into one system.
• Pros: A free downloadable edition offers an open-source route for institutions prepared to install and manage it independently.
• Pros: The integrations span learning platforms, payments, accounting, identity, and productivity tools, and administrators can export data in delimited files.
• Cons: Core Startup stops at 5 staff, 50 students, and 100 parents, with no way to add accounts in that tier.
• Cons: Essential costs more per staff user, and Advanced requires at least 10 staff accounts; larger enterprise subscriptions require at least 200.
• Cons: The free edition requires the school to handle installation and ongoing management itself.

Alternatives

For another student information system, compare Student Information Systems; for a narrower registration need, browse Course Registration Software.

• OpenEduCat is another freemium option with a free plan, a 15-day trial without a credit card, and Android, iOS, API, Linux, and self-hosted platforms. Consider it if Linux support or a trial without a card is important.
• CourseDeck is a web-based freemium alternative with a free Starter plan for 25 active students, one location, and one admin. Its stated scope makes it worth considering for a smaller course operation centered on basic scheduling and manual attendance.
• Enrole is a paid web option with managed services plans. Consider it if you are evaluating a managed-services approach; the listed Essential service includes two test data refreshes per year, with additional hours at $275/hr.
• Fedena is a freemium option with a free plan and trial, plus Android, iOS, API, self-hosted, and web platforms. Its Standard plan is $999 a year and includes unlimited users, which may suit buyers comparing a fixed annual price with openSIS's per-staff SaaS pricing.
• ACADIS Registration Portal is a paid web option to consider when evaluating registration software.
• Cogran is a paid option with mobile and desktop platforms and an annual Camp & Program plan for up to 500 registrations. It may fit a program organized around annual registration volume rather than schoolwide student records.
• Ellucian PowerCampus Financial Aid is a paid web and Windows option to consider for financial-aid needs.
• Jenzabar Campus Marketplace is a paid web and API option with pricing available by demo request.

Verdict

Choose openSIS if your institution needs a broad student information system, values its mix of school operations and integrations, and can select a deployment model and SaaS tier that fits its staffing and account needs. Its free self-managed edition is the clearest low-cost route; for SaaS, Core Startup is only practical within its firm caps. Look elsewhere if those limits or higher-tier staff minimums do not match your school’s size.