Embark vs Gecko
Embark
embark.com
Gecko
geckoengage.comSide by side
| Figure | Embark | Gecko |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Admissions Software | 7.4 (#13) | 7.6 (#10) |
| AI | AI tools can evaluate and extract information from applications, and automations can flag applicants for further review or send outbound communication. | Gecko says its AI chatbot provides 24/7 support, hands complex enquiries to people and supports over 50 languages. |
| Audience | Its solutions serve schools, universities, fellowships, scholarships, music programs, and study abroad programs. | Gecko describes its platform as built for higher education and lists admissions, student services, international recruitment, career services, graduate admissions, community colleges and online education as audiences. |
| Company history | Embark says it has been in business since 1995. | Gecko says Matt Lanham founded the company in 2012 to change how universities and colleges engage with students. |
| Founded | 1995 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Embark Corporation lists its office at One World Trade Center, 85th Floor, New York, NY 10007. | Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Integrations | Embark offers data export to organizational databases or student information systems, including examples such as PeopleSoft and Salesforce. | Gecko’s own materials describe integrations with Slate, Salesforce, Ellucian, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, Unibuddy and Recruit CRM, as well as webhooks and SFTP. |
| Pricing | The product page directs interested organizations to contact Embark and does not state a price. | The pages reviewed invite institutions to request a demo and do not state product prices. |
| Product | Embark provides online application and admissions software for organizations managing recruiting, applications, reviews, enrollment, and onboarding. | Gecko describes its product as a student engagement CRM that brings together student conversations, data, and touchpoints. |
| Security | Embark says it complies with global privacy and security practices including GDPR and FERPA. | Gecko reported renewing ISO 27001:2022 certification, completing an annual SOC 2 Type 2 audit and penetration testing, and updating its VPAT against WCAG 2.2 AA. |
| Support | Embark says technical support is available around the clock for applicants, reviewers, and administrators. | Gecko describes hands-on onboarding, on-site training, documentation, live sessions, self-serve resources, and in-platform support. |
Plans
In their own words
Embark
Embark provides online application and admissions software for organizations managing recruiting, applications, reviews, enrollment, and onboarding. It serves schools, universities, fellowships, scholarships, music programs, and study abroad programs. Organizations can create branded applications with branching logic and collect references, documents, audio, and video. Recruiting features include inquiry forms, email campaigns, events, waitlists, and RSVP tracking. Reviewers can rate and comment on applications online, or download them for paper review. AI tools can evaluate applications and extract information; automations can flag applicants for further review or send communications. Applicants can record timed video interviews with limited retries. Embark supports data exports to organizational databases and student information systems, including PeopleSoft and Salesforce. It is available on Android, iOS, and the web, and the company says its software is responsive on smartphones and tablets. Embark says it has been in business since 1995 and offers round-the-clock technical support to applicants, reviewers, and administrators. Pricing is not published; interested organizations can contact Embark.
Gecko
Gecko is a student engagement CRM for higher education, bringing student conversations, data, and touchpoints together. Its platform includes chat, texting, email, calling, events, contact management, forms, workflows, student portals, AI, and reporting. A shared inbox brings email, text, chat, and social messages together, with tools to assign conversations, add internal notes, and use canned responses. Workflows can use event or scheduled triggers, conditional paths, and connections to external systems through webhooks and APIs. The AI chatbot provides automated support across web, social, and SMS, with complex queries handed to human agents. Other AI capabilities include sentiment analysis, automatic tagging, summaries, and support for over 50 languages. Reporting includes customizable reports, event metrics, communication tracking, and scheduled delivery and exports. Gecko identifies Slate, Salesforce, and Ellucian as systems it works alongside; its Salesforce integration supports two-way API data exchange. Its audience includes admissions, student services, international recruitment, career services, graduate admissions, community colleges, and online education teams. Pricing is on request, and Gecko offers a free 30-minute demo, not described as a product trial.