ConexED Retain vs Starfish
ConexED Retain
conexed.comStarfish
eab.comSide by side
| Figure | ConexED Retain | Starfish |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Academic Advising Software | 7.6 (#5) | 7.0 (#11) |
| Spec score · Student Engagement Software | 7.6 (#9) | 7.1 (#18) |
| Audience | ConexED says it was built for higher education leaders and advisors, including CIOs, vice chancellors, and advisors supporting hundreds of students. | EAB describes Starfish as a platform for colleges and universities to scale and connect student success efforts. |
| Headquarters | Cottonwood Heights, Utah, United States | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Integrations | The page lists Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, Ellucian Banner, and PeopleSoft as compatible systems. | EAB’s case study describes one institution’s plan to integrate Starfish data into its Edify data platform; it does not specify a general integration catalog. |
| Pricing | The Retain page invites institutions to book a discovery call and does not display a price. | The Starfish page directs prospective customers to chat with EAB or request a demo and does not show a price. |
| Pricing access | The product page invites institutions to book a discovery call and does not state a price. | EAB directs prospective customers to contact its team or request a demo; the page does not state a price. |
| Purpose | Retain helps higher education institutions identify and support students at risk of leaving. | Starfish brings insight to student data so campuses can act proactively and provide intentional, just-in-time intervention and cohort management. |
Plans
In their own words
ConexED Retain
ConexED Retain is a web platform for higher education institutions to identify students who may be struggling, route concerns to advisors and follow interventions through resolution. Activity feeds from Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle and D2L can trigger alerts for changes in attendance, grades or engagement; configurable rules also monitor missed appointments and milestone slippage. Faculty can flag a concern from a student profile, while students can submit configurable self-referrals that create an advisor case. Case records track severity, assignment, resolution reasons and change history. Advising, tutoring, financial aid and counseling teams can contribute timestamped notes, labels, attachments and threaded comments. Retain combines LMS engagement, attendance, milestone completion and advising touchpoints into success scores; alerts can assign a cohort, start a drip campaign or open a milestone. Listed integrations include Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace, Ellucian Banner and PeopleSoft. ConexED says it is TX-RAMP certified and FERPA compliant. Pricing is on request; the product page invites institutions to book a discovery call.
Starfish
Starfish is a web platform for colleges and universities to coordinate student success work, identify student needs, and support timely interventions. Early Alert, Scheduling, and Case Management help institutions identify and track students, engage them, and connect them with resources aligned to their needs. Operational Analytics gives faculty and staff data for proactive advising and helps connect institutional strategy to student-success approaches. Strategic Analytics supports action for student groups identified through risk factors and offers focused dashboards for reported data. Degree Planning helps students follow academic pathways, flags when they are off track, and gives institutions information to anticipate course demand. The platform supports cohort management and intervention throughout the student journey. EAB provides implementation help, staff training, update management, and change-management guidance through dedicated Strategic Leaders familiar with each partner institution. Partners can also join the nationwide Student Success Collaborative to share strategies with peer success leaders. EAB directs prospective customers to contact its team or request a demo; no price is stated. Its Trust Center lists TX-RAMP Level 2 certification and security topics including role-based access control, single sign-on support, and multi-factor authentication.