OpenEduCat vs Skyward School Business Suite
OpenEduCat
openeducat.org
Skyward School Business Suite
skyward.comSide by side
| Figure | OpenEduCat | Skyward School Business Suite |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.42/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 12 | 1 |
| Spec score · School Accounting Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.1 (#15) |
| Company history | OpenEduCat says it was founded in 2014 and has served education for over 12 years. | Skyward was founded in 1980 by Jim and Jean King. |
| Founded | 2014 | 1980 |
| Headquarters | India | Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States |
| Native integrations | It integrates with admissions, fees, library, hostel, and other institution systems. | Skyward supports Ed-Fi, SIF, and 1EdTech standards and certifications for interoperability and data privacy. |
| Security compliance | The site describes FERPA-aligned handling, audit trails, and enterprise-grade security. | Skyward states that it complies with COPPA, FERPA, and HIPAA requirements. |
Plans
OpenEduCat
- Community EditionFree
- OpenEduCat Core — 1 Year$489 a year
- Modules & Apps — 1 Year$79 a year
- 25 Users Cloud Pack — 1 Year$29 a year
- OpenEduCat Core — 2 Years$978 a year
- Modules & Apps — 2 Years$158 a year
- 25 Users Cloud Pack — 2 Years$58 a year
- OpenEduCat Core — One-Time On-Premise$1,319, paid once
- Modules & Apps — One-Time On-Premise$208, paid once
- OpenEduCat Core$489 a year
Skyward School Business Suite
- Skyward School Business SuitePriced on request
In their own words
OpenEduCat
OpenEduCat is a modular education platform for institutions, available through cloud hosting or on-premise deployment. Institutions can select modules and add more as needed, with no per-student fees. Its systems connect student information with admissions, fees, library, hostel, and other institutional functions; the SIS supports real-time collaboration around student data. Community Edition supports standards and sign-on options including SCORM, xAPI, LTI 1.3, SAML, Shibboleth, OAuth2, Azure AD, and Google Workspace. The platform also lists assessments, certificates, API access, and Android and iOS apps. Its Free Edition has no learner cap or time limit, although capacity depends on hardware. The Free Edition uses the LGPL-3.0 license, with source code public on GitHub; institutions own their data and can self-host without student limits or license call-home. Self-hosting can use Linux, Python 3.10+, and PostgreSQL 14+. A 15-day trial is offered without a credit card. The listed Core plan is $489 a year, and the site lists a No Refund Policy.
Skyward School Business Suite
Skyward School Business Suite is a cloud-based school administration and financial management system for K-12 districts. Its finance tools cover accounts payable and receivable, activity accounting, budgeting, general ledger, purchasing and reporting. The suite also includes human resources, payroll and timeclock, an employee portal and asset management. Financial capabilities include budget forecasting, built-in state reports and e-files, and real-time general-ledger information. Employees can reach finance or human-resources features through the Skyward mobile app by selecting Business Management. The suite is available on Android, iOS and the web, with web endpoints for Employee Access, Fast Track, SMSMobile, SkyPort and TrueTime Quick Entry Portal. Authentication options include local accounts, Secure LDAP and SAML single sign-on; audit logs record user activity, time, IP address and changes. Skyward describes cloud hosting, backups, automatic updates and configurable user controls, and states compliance with COPPA, FERPA and HIPAA requirements. Pricing is on request, by custom proposal based on total enrollment, instructional campuses and the selected feature suite.