Academia 360 vs Open Source
Academia 360 was designed for schools. Everything we do is centered around helping schools attract, engage, and develop their communities. No open source solution is this focused on schools.
There are a lot of fantastic and capable free open-source solutions available, but for a school to implement one of these isn't necessarily free. This often means the cost is hidden in the time and money involved with installing the software, customizing it, installing plug-ins, maintaining the software with upgrades and security patches, and training of staff members to use the website. As a result of this cost, most schools will need someone to dedicate time and the technical expertise to manage just their website software, not to mention the content. If that person is not available, then schools often have to hire someone to train another member or update the software for them.
With Academia 360 we want to free up your team to focus on your school by handling all of these things for you. This means you can focus on what you do best and not worry about software maintenance. We think through how content can be uploaded, distributed (to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, and more) and we seek to help you attract more people, engage your community and better use online resources for the process of attracting and supporting your families.
Ultimately, we're passionate about much more than technology; we're all about seeing our tools used in the education and growth of our young people!