PowerSchool Student Information System vs. Synoptix

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PowerSchool SIS
Score 7.2 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
The PowerSchool Student Information System covers administrative needs, such as scheduling, attendance, reporting, data management, faculty management, emergency/medical and health management, registration, and more for K-12 schools and districts. It is easy to use and boasts an industry-leading gradebook, PowerTeacher Pro. Users enjoy a fully web-based SIS that is flexible, configurable, and scalable with real-time updates on any operating system, browser or device.N/A
Synoptix
Score 2.8 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Synoptic provides ERP financial reporting tools and analysis. This solution is designed to deliver real-time data. The vendor’s value proposition is that their solution empowers users to create financial and operational reports with spreadsheet ease of use.N/A
Pricing
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PowerSchool SISSynoptix
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Student and Faculty Administration
Comparison of Student and Faculty Administration features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
8.5
3 Ratings
0% below category average
Synoptix
-
Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-Party Education Technology9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Registration Management10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
District Communications, such as messaging and alerting8.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Roster Management9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform Customization7.73 Ratings00 Ratings
Teacher Self-Service9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Student Data Security9.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Community Support7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Class Scheduling9.43 Ratings00 Ratings
State and National-level Reporting7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Support7.62 Ratings00 Ratings
Teacher and Parent Mobile Application8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
7.7
1 Ratings
6% below category average
Publish to Web00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Publish to PDF00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
6.0
1 Ratings
37% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
1.0
1 Ratings
156% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
6.0
1 Ratings
32% below category average
Long-term financial planning00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Financial budgeting00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Management reporting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
7.0
1 Ratings
14% below category average
Financial data consolidation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Minority Ownership00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
6.8
1 Ratings
19% below category average
Financial Statement Reporting00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Management Reporting00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
3.0
1 Ratings
91% below category average
Personalized dashboards00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
PowerSchool Student Information System
-
Ratings
Synoptix
3.0
1 Ratings
94% below category average
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

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Score 8.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Schoolmint Hero
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Score 9.7 out of 10
Centage
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Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Schoolmint Hero
Schoolmint Hero
Score 9.7 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(32 ratings)
2.2
(12 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(12 ratings)
1.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PowerSchool Student Information SystemSynoptix
Likelihood to Recommend
PowerSchool Group LLC
PowerSchool Student Information System is a cool software that can be highly recommended to anyone who is living in the educational management space. It is proven that this software can reduce your manual workload massively if you use it right. Plus it is really worth the price you pay. Especially if you are in the administrative field, this software will help you to minimize manual efforts put into student registrations, staffing recruitment, and main resource management processes.
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Synoptix
It is excellent if set up well, and users are well trained on how to use it as it is not very user-friendly. But to achieve that, you have to go through the hell of a setup. Support is not knowledgeable in some areas of the software, it is tough to set up and install, and when presented by salespeople, it is all great, but you need to invest a lot to pay it off.
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Pros
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • PowerSchool houses student or staff information that can be easily accessed by those teachers and administrators who need the information. This allows everyone to go to one place to access information.
  • Parents can view their child's grades at any time with their protected login on a parent portal. This allows teachers to keep parents informed and involved in their child's progress at school. When everyone works together it increases our students' chance for success.
  • PowerSchool offers videos to train new users. When we have new employees, the videos can be accessed at any time the employee needs as opposed to them waiting for someone to help them.
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Synoptix
  • Easy report building interface with an query interface that allows financial users the ability to conduct complex queries without difficulty.
  • The ability to create reporting that allows us to review in-depth financial review by drilling down into accounts to find transnational data easily.
  • Easily maintained and monitored with simple upgrade installations and end point installation.
  • Great knowledge base for review and trouble-shooting.
  • Highly knowledgeable and easy to work with staff.
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Cons
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • Does not consistently communicate with related software such as Illuminate for Special Education Students.
  • Drop down menus frequently refresh as data is entered which slows down the user's ability to enter information.
  • Icons are sometimes unclear and not easily understandable. Word labels for some items might be more effective.
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Synoptix
  • It has a poor install procedure which is not standard. It almost requires copying folders from an existing computer to the new install.
  • The update process is less than desirable. It seems like Compusoft needs to do a better job of testing before releasing updates.
  • The interface is a bit archaic. It looks more like a program from 20 years ago than one used today.
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Likelihood to Renew
PowerSchool Group LLC
We would be starting over at square one if we did not continue our PowerSchool subscription. We do not have a program in a place that would take its place.
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Synoptix
No answers on this topic
Usability
PowerSchool Group LLC
Great features, but it can feel very cumbersome at times
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Synoptix
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
PowerSchool Group LLC
Overall, I have not had to use support for PowerSchool Student Information System because our school district gives us training in each area in which we will be utilizing PowerSchool Student Information System. In terms of in-user support, I feel that there is mild to moderate user support that is built into PowerSchool SIS.
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Synoptix
Support does not know much about software solutions. As an example, I have struggled for weeks just to set up LDAP that should be fairly simple.
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Alternatives Considered
PowerSchool Group LLC
I have heard good things for Infinite Campus and Skyward. I would [evaluate] each of them and see what fits your needs. Each has their strengths and weaknesses and so picking the right one for your needs is important. PowerSchool [Student Information System] does have some great features, but lacks some fundamental reports and functions to make it top notch.
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Synoptix
Prior to Synoptix we were using the reporting tool that comes with our ERP system. It lacked the drilldown and comparability functions that make Synoptix the top pick. Further, designing reports and maintaining reports was very labor intensive
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Return on Investment
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • It has created shortcuts for all staff members, saving us time.
  • In creating shortcuts and combining many different systems into one, it is saving our school money.
  • It has created a safety net for teachers because grades and student information is stored electronically, which means teachers not having to worry about losing or misplacing their grade books.
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Synoptix
  • As a reporting tool it has allowed us to make fact based decisions. We have a significant annual cost with relation to our legacy system and Synoptix provides us with the best tool to mine the data that resides in our legacy system.
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ScreenShots

PowerSchool SIS Screenshots

Screenshot of Student attendanceScreenshot of Standards-based gradingScreenshot of At-risk dashboardScreenshot of Parent view of student schedule