Side by side
EMPOWER Financial Aid vs VIAS Financial Plans
Both stand on financial aid management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose EMPOWER Financial Aid if your college or university wants aid management connected with student, admissions, and billing data, alongside forms and government interfaces. Consider its cloud or self-hosted licensing according to whether the institution wants hosting and maintenance included or will manage its own environment and security; pricing requires a request.
Visit EMPOWER Financial AidVIAS Financial Plans combines financial planning, aid administration and ledger workflows for higher education. Institutions will need to request pricing to assess the cost.
Visit VIAS Financial PlansThe facts
| EMPOWER Financial Aid | VIAS Financial Plans | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not published | Not published |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Self-hosted, Web | Android, API, iPhone, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | empowersis.com | getvias.com |
| On financial aid management software | #11 of 25 | #15 of 25 |
EMPOWER Financial Aid: what it does well
- Connects student records, admissions, and billing in real time.
- Staff can manage aid types, loans, and rules.
- Supports FISAP, ISIR, Clearinghouse, and CommonLine 5 forms.
- Includes listed government and clearinghouse interfaces.
- Modular configuration lets schools select relevant functions.
What to know first
- Pricing is available on request.
- Self-hosted institutions manage their environment and security.
VIAS Financial Plans: what it does well
- Automates financial plan letters and ledger posting
- Includes financial aid compliance tools and reporting
- Supports estimated plans that can become live after approval
- Lists Android, iOS, web and API access
What to know first
- Pricing is available on request
- Requires institutional adoption of its campus management system
Alternatives to EMPOWER Financial Aid Alternatives to VIAS Financial Plans The whole list