Guide · Buyer's comparison

Alumni Engagement Platforms Compared: Graduway, LiveAlumni, Alma & LegacyLink

If you're a bursar, head of development or alumni officer evaluating an alumni engagement platform in 2026, four names come up more than any other. Here's an honest breakdown of who each one is really for — and where LegacyLink fits, especially if you run an international or independent school.

TL;DR

Graduway (now part of Gravyty) is the enterprise incumbent — powerful, expensive, and built primarily for universities. LiveAlumni is a LinkedIn-enrichment layer, not a full engagement platform. Alma is a good branded community for schools that want a social feed. LegacyLink is the only option built end-to-end for international and independent schools that want WhatsApp-first engagement and a giving engine on the same platform — with no upfront cost.

Feature-by-feature comparison matrix

Pricing bands and implementation times are based on publicly available quotes and buyer conversations in 2025–26. Confirm current numbers with each vendor.

Platform	Best for	Pricing signal	Time to launch	Channels	Giving engine	Mentorship	Compliance
Graduway (Gravyty)	Universities & large private schools with an advancement office	$$$ Enterprise — ~$15k–$60k/yr + setup	3–6 months	Web portal, email, mobile app	Add-on module (Gravyty giving)	Yes — mature module	GDPR, FERPA (US-hosted)
LiveAlumni	Advancement teams that live inside LinkedIn data	$$ Per-seat SaaS — quote-based	2–6 weeks	LinkedIn enrichment + CRM sync	No — data layer only	No	GDPR (data-processor)
Alma	Community-first alumni networks wanting a branded social feed	$$ Mid-market — £8k–£25k/yr	6–12 weeks	Web portal, mobile app, email	Basic donation pages	Yes — light	GDPR, UK-GDPR
LegacyLink	International & independent schools wanting engagement + giving on one platform, no upfront cost	$ Earned tier (rev-share, £0 setup) or flat SaaS	2–3 weeks to first campaign	WhatsApp, SMS, email, web — routed by region	Native — recurring, one-off, legacy, corporate match	Yes — year-group & chapter-based	GDPR, UK-GDPR, FERPA, POPIA, NDPR

How LegacyLink works →See LegacyLink pricing →For international schools →For schools →

Graduway (Gravyty)

Graduway was one of the first purpose-built alumni engagement platforms and was acquired by Gravyty in 2022. It's the incumbent choice for universities and large private schools with a dedicated advancement office — branded mobile app, mentoring modules, event tooling, integrations into Blackbaud and Salesforce.

Where it fits: universities, top-tier US independents, and schools with an existing advancement team of 3+ people who can absorb a six-figure implementation.

Where it doesn't: small-to-mid international schools, IB cohorts scattered across regions where WhatsApp is the default channel, and any school that wants to start giving fund the platform rather than the other way round.

LiveAlumni

LiveAlumni is best understood as a LinkedIn enrichment and analytics layer — it surfaces where your alumni work, live, and move, and pipes that data into your CRM. Excellent as a research tool for a development office chasing major-gift prospects.

Where it fits: advancement teams whose day-to-day is inside LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Raiser's Edge.

Where it doesn't: it isn't an engagement platform — you still need something to message alumni, host events, take donations, and run mentorship. LiveAlumni sits alongside those; it doesn't replace them.

Alma

Alma (almabase / alma-branded networks depending on region) is a solid mid-market community platform with a branded feed, directory, and events. Feels closest to a private LinkedIn for your school.

Where it fits: schools whose alumni culture is already strong and who want a beautiful branded home for it.

Where it doesn't: if adoption is the problem you're trying to solve, another portal for alumni to log into isn't the answer. WhatsApp and SMS open rates dwarf portal DAU across every school we've measured.

LegacyLink

LegacyLink is the alumni engagement platform for international and independent schools that want the engagement layer and the giving engine on one platform, without a six-figure implementation. Messaging is WhatsApp-first in Africa and Latin America, SMS in the US, email everywhere — one workflow, one inbox, one consent record.

Earned-tier pricing: £0 setup, revenue-share on giving — the platform pays for itself
IB, COBIS, CIS, ECIS, HMC and Commonwealth-independent onboarding templates
GDPR, UK-GDPR, FERPA, POPIA and NDPR compliance built in, DPA on request
Multi-currency giving (GBP, USD, EUR, ZAR) with timezone-aware event tooling
Mentorship, chapters, class-cohort campaigns and legacy-giving pages out of the box

Frequently asked questions

›What is an alumni engagement platform?

An alumni engagement platform is software that helps schools and universities find, communicate with, and retain their alumni over decades — covering directory, messaging, events, mentorship and giving in one place. Modern platforms like LegacyLink combine WhatsApp, SMS and email so alumni respond wherever they are, not only inside a portal.

›How much do alumni engagement platforms cost in 2026?

Enterprise platforms like Graduway/Gravyty typically run $15,000–$60,000 per year plus setup fees. Mid-market options like Alma sit around £8,000–$25,000/year. LegacyLink offers an earned tier with £0 setup — the school pays a revenue share on giving raised through the platform — plus a flat-SaaS option for schools that prefer a fixed line item.

›Which alumni engagement platform is best for international schools?

For International Baccalaureate, COBIS, CIS, ECIS and Commonwealth schools whose alumni scatter across timezones, LegacyLink is purpose-built: WhatsApp-first messaging, multi-currency giving (GBP, USD, EUR, ZAR), and GDPR + UK-GDPR + FERPA + POPIA compliance out of the box.

›How long does implementation take?

Enterprise implementations (Graduway/Gravyty) typically take 3–6 months. Alma runs 6–12 weeks. LiveAlumni can be live in 2–6 weeks because it's a data layer, not a full platform. LegacyLink schools are usually running their first alumni campaign inside 2–3 weeks on the earned tier.

›Is LiveAlumni a competitor to Graduway or LegacyLink?

Not directly. LiveAlumni is a LinkedIn-enrichment and analytics layer — excellent for surfacing where alumni work and live and piping that into a CRM. It doesn't replace the engagement platform underneath; schools typically run it alongside Graduway, Alma or LegacyLink, not instead of.

›Do these platforms handle donations and recurring giving?

Graduway offers giving through Gravyty's add-on stack. Alma has basic donation pages. LiveAlumni does not handle giving. LegacyLink treats giving as a first-class feature — recurring monthly giving, one-off donations, legacy bequests, corporate matched giving and class-cohort campaigns all run natively.

See how LegacyLink compares for your school

Tell us your school, region and rough alumni count. We'll come back within one business day with a side-by-side of LegacyLink vs whichever incumbent you're evaluating — modelled against your actual alumni base, in your currency.