--- title: "Firsthand Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Firsthand Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Virtual Assistant products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/159785/Firsthand/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-11-01" --- # Firsthand Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on November 1, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Firsthand ## What is Firsthand? Firsthand makes it easier than ever to connect applicants, students, and recent graduates with alumni and professionals from the working world. We're the #1 provider of alumni engagement and mentoring platforms and trusted by hundreds of leading institutions, including Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Cambridge. Firsthand's mission is to democratize careers. By harnessing the collective know-how and goodwill of alumni, our aim is to give every candidate the best possible professional network. ## What is Firsthand used for? [Virtual Assistant](https://www.capterra.com/virtual-assistant-software/)[Mentoring](https://www.capterra.com/mentoring-software/)[Alumni Management](https://www.capterra.com/alumni-management-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 41 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 95% Neutral 5% Negative 0% Starting price $7600 Per Feature, Per Month Free trial not available Free version not included Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Firsthand?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/firsthand-2025-03-13/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Firsthand 4.5 (41) VS. [4.5 (1,099)](https://www.capterra.com/p/26318/Cvent-Event-Management/reviews/) Starting Price $7600 Per Feature, Per Month Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.3 (41) Ease Of Use 4.2 (6) Value For Money 4.5 (31) Value For Money 4.2 (6) Customer Service 4.6 (37) Customer Service 4.5 (6) ## Firsthand alternatives Highest Rated [4.7 (144)](https://www.capterra.com/p/133653/Almabase/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (29)](https://www.capterra.com/p/204121/PeopleGrove/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.4 (558)](https://www.capterra.com/p/76116/WildApricot/reviews/) Starting price $63.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 90% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (115)](https://www.capterra.com/p/155900/Classter/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 93% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars ## FAQs about Firsthand Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Firsthand? Firsthand is most used by alumni engagement, advancement, and career services leaders who connect students and graduates with mentors, manage outreach, and support career exploration. Program directors, experiential learning coordinators, and education staff organize participant engagement and advising, while communications and technology teams maintain audience data, platform access, and campaign coordination. Answer based on 41 reviews Overview ### What company size and specific industries is Firsthand built for? Firsthand is designed for higher-education institutions of any size that need to engage students, alumni, and employers online. It fits colleges and universities focused on enrollment, alumni engagement, and career services, especially those running virtual fairs and events for academic and campus communities. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Firsthand? Firsthand offers alumni engagement, career development, and analytics as core features. It also includes AI-based matching, mentor/coach matching, and mentoring program management, along with event management, member portal tools, member directory, chat/messaging, reporting and statistics, and a content library for communication and community management. Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Firsthand integrate with? Firsthand integrates with 7 third-party tools, including Blackbaud Enrollment Management System, Ellucian, Google Calendar, LinkedIn for Business, Microsoft Outlook, NetSuite, and Simplicity. Its catalog covers education, calendar, professional networking, email, and ERP platforms for connecting admissions, scheduling, and data workflows. Answer based on 1 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Firsthand offer? Firsthand provides in-person training, live online sessions, webinars, and documentation to help teams get started. In-person training supports direct instruction, live online sessions and webinars offer guided learning remotely, and documentation gives written reference material for self-paced review. Answer based on 8 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Firsthand offer? Firsthand provides email/help desk, a knowledge base, phone support, 24/7 live rep, and chat. Users generally describe the support team as helpful and accessible, though a few mention slower responses or unanswered requests when they need platform changes or technical help. Answer based on 8 reviews Features and Usability ### How user-friendly is Firsthand's interface? Firsthand provides a clear, intuitive interface that helps administrators, students, alumni, and mentors navigate profiles, messaging, and mentoring activities with little confusion. Users value the simple registration flow, familiar profile features, and accessible dashboard. Some organizations want more control over page visuals, branded email content, and customized search terms. Answer based on 10 reviews Features and Usability ### Is Firsthand easy to use for mentoring programs? Firsthand makes mentoring program setup, advisor matching, scheduling, and direct communication easy for many students, alumni, and administrators. LinkedIn profile connections and guided conversation options reduce friction for new users. However, some teams find search results hard to refine, and recent administrative updates can make permissions and navigation less clear. Answer based on 10 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 965 Virtual Assistant reviews Capterra reviewers point to the following as the top priorities when choosing mentoring software: - **Mentor/Coach Matching** (**58%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Mentoring Program Management** (**44%**) - **Participant Profiles** (**31%**) Firsthand supports all three features that buyers rate most highly: **Mentor/Coach Matching**, **Mentoring Program Management**, and **Participant Profiles**. Together, these capabilities help organizations pair participants more effectively, manage mentoring initiatives with greater consistency, and maintain the profile details needed for stronger program oversight, allowing teams to run mentoring programs with better structure and more relevant connections. Action Item Tracking Track the status of discussed/agreed tasks Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities AI-based Matching Carry out matching automatically using machine learning algorithms Alumni Engagement In addition to having communication abilities, provides opportunities for alumnis to connect and organizes for special interest groups, sharing stories or sharing university spirit camaraderie. Analytics Tools for the systematic analysis of various types of data or statistics API Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases Firsthand 38 features ### All Features - Action Item Tracking: Track the status of discussed/agreed tasks - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - AI-based Matching: Carry out matching automatically using machine learning algorithms - Alumni Engagement: In addition to having communication abilities, provides opportunities for alumnis to connect and organizes for special interest groups, sharing stories or sharing university spirit camaraderie. - Analytics: Tools for the systematic analysis of various types of data or statistics - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Appointment Scheduling: Schedule appointments via a calendar - Attendance Management: Manage attendance for classes, shifts, meetings, or events - Attendee Management: Process of managing, tracking, and communicating with individuals who are registered to attend an event - Campaign Management: Create a collection of marketing actions to complete specific goals and plan and analyze campaign results - Career Development: Process of enhancing skills & experiences for continuous professional growth & advancement - Chat/Messaging: Communicate using direct chat or messages within the system - Content Library: Centralized repository to store content and assets - Customizable Branding: Add customized logos and colors to align with company branding - Email Marketing: Create and send email blasts/campaigns - Engagement Tracking: Tracks metrics that provide insight into how a user interacts with any interface or product - Event Management: Schedule and manage the logistics of activities and other gatherings - For Alumni Associations: Designed for alumni organizations and associations - Fundraising Management: Activities related to raising money for a specific cause - Job Board: Site to advertise jobs openings and letting job seekers search for positions based on skills, experience or preferences - Lead Generation: Manage the process of attracting and converting business prospects into leads - Learning Management: Organize and track educational activities - List Management: Manage contacts across multiple mailing lists - Live Streaming: Live stream to multiple devices simultaneously - Member Accounts: Accounts held by members of an organization - Member Directory: Comprehensive list that contains information and details of all the members associated with a particular organization or group - Member Portal: Online gateway through which members can access/update personal information - Membership Management: Database of members to track personal information of individuals and families - Mentor/Coach Matching: Match mentors and mentees through self-matching, admin-led matching, or automatically based on skills, interests and other parameters - Mentoring Program Management: Manage mentoring programs: registration, pairing, curriculum, and reporting - Online Registration: Real-time registration over the web - Participant Profiles: Personal profiles that may include photos, job roles, skills, interests, qualifications, languages spoken, and more - Progress Tracking: Reporting on how each user, task or process has advanced since its initiation - Real-Time Chat: Engage in direct, instant messaging with customers, users, etc. - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Reporting/Analytics: View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data - Self Service Portal: Online portal through which end users can access the system, manage tasks, or obtain information - Virtual Lobby: Virtual waiting area for attendees --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.2 (41) 4.2 Based on 41 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.5 (31) Basic $7,600 Per Feature,Per Month Value for money 4.5 (31) 4.5 Based on 31 reviews ## Integrations [ Google Calendar](https://www.capterra.com/p/213340/Google-Calendar/)[ Microsoft Outlook](https://www.capterra.com/p/227138/Microsoft-Outlook/)[ NetSuite](https://www.capterra.com/p/135757/NetSuite/)[ LinkedIn for Business](https://www.capterra.com/p/213505/LinkedIn-for-Business/)[ Blackbaud Enrollment Management System](https://www.capterra.com/p/205393/Blackbaud-EMS/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.6 (37) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.6 (37) 4.6 Based on 37 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.5 Based on 41 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(22) 4(17) 3(2) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful DC Director Career Centre Director Career Centre Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great career services tool for students and alumni" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 January 7, 2020 Super tool, good feedback from users, who are extremely satisfied about using the tool. Pros Easy to use, it's not complicated to use. It's also great that it has the feeling of an RSM Erasmus University tool Cons It's kind of hard to motivate students to use the tool. When they use it they are very satisfied! Users need to go through 'all' settings to ensure the best use, some of them like 'time zone' are beneficial but easy to forget DO Director of Communications Director of Communications Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "A Platform That Has Extended the Value of our Organization" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 August 20, 2020 Overall, as mentioned previously, the platform has been invaluable. We're very happy with what it is doing for us and our organization and the potential it creates for connecting members with like-minded professional aspirations or skill sets. Pros With Firsthand, our organization was able to launch what we call the Delta Chi Mentorship Network. This created an opportunity for us to connect our members throughout North America with one another to offer coaching or mentoring and to seek professional guidance and advise. It has been invaluable in expanding the experience associated with membership in our organization. Thus far, the user-friendly interface has been one of the biggest selling points. Cons As we continue to seek ways in which we can contour the platform to our needs, we've seen limitations in the way we, without the assistance of tech support, are able to customize the platform. For some of the pages, we've had asks about enhanced visual customization, from using images as title banners, etc. Currently, we cannot do that. AC Assistant Career Coach Assistant Career Coach Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A platform with great potential" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 6/10 August 20, 2020 Pros \-Very easy account registration process. -Intuitive user interface - mimicking a 'tinder' approach to mentoring. - Takes out a lot of the fear of being rejected when it comes to networking. Makes it very easy and 'risk free'. - Flexibility for students to select what sort of outcome or conversation they want with their mentor. - Convenient scheduling tool to allow students to find a time to speak with a mentor without having to play - diary 'ping pong' between them and advisor. - Dial-in option easy to speak with advisor and retains students privacy of personal number. - Access to global network of advisors. Cons \- Very U.S centric, so less relevant for those seeking mentorship within a U.K context. - Could benefit from a wider range of mentors across different roles / industries / sectors. - Webinar content appears to be more targeted at more experienced hires - could benefit from more content focused on early careers. AR Alumni Relations Manager Alumni Relations Manager Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "An excellent way to engage your community" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 December 16, 2019 It has been great, for us it's a really cost-effective way to engage with our most engaged alumni, to promote engagement with the school since the time our cohorts are studying and make sure that employability and visibility of our graduates also keeps very high. Pros Firsthand is easily one of our best sources to source people that are very committed to our brand and values. It also provides a better student experience to RSMers that can find fascinating people and get to know about their journey after university and how to get there. Cons The internal e-mail tool is fantastic to engage people however, it is VERY limited in the customization and branding that you can use. This tool only has very basic text options to engage your community which is a shame because the response rate is great. PO Program Officer Program Officer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Firsthand Platform" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 6/10 August 20, 2020 Firsthand has helped us streamline our mentoring program, but it could still use some improvements. The customer support should be a little better and faster. Also, I feel like the users should have an option as to whether to contact the admin or the user support directly through the platform. Pros The combination of features is helpful for different purposes other than mentoring, but it especially drives those one-on-one mentoring connections. Cons The current registration process is a little long and tiresome. Additionally, it needs to be more customizable, which I know the developers are working on, but the original product we started using over a year ago was very rigid. AD Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "FirstHand for MBA and alumni networking & advising" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 20, 2020 It's been a very good experience. We have had the most issues with lack of student use. Pros The platform puts the students in the driver's seat to engage with alumni for flash networking and career advising, while at the same time allowing the alumni to control the number of consultations and scheduling. Cons Technical issues with phone calls that were reported to us by alumni advisers. Patty S. Assistant Director, Alumni Volunteer Services Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A great tool for your University community to network; get and give career help" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 24, 2020 Pros I work on the admin side for the alumni and professional volunteers who sign up to become "advisors" in Firsthand. That's what we named them but you can customize using your own info and school branding. We have looked at other platforms but we realized we are happy with Firsthand and think it is great for the price. Also, unlike Graduaway and Peoplegrove, you can run reports to see who connected with who, what they thought about it and share their feedback to the alumnus and/or to the student. It's great to be able to quickly and easily email from the platform and load our own webinars we offer with the existing national webinars offered in the platform. We can post jobs and the connections made are recorded for quality assurance. I love the groups feature and we are using it to bring in more alumni and students by school, region and student group or program as well as building and enhancing our campus partner relationships as we offer this in place of a them having to create a separate, manual mentoring program for their community. On a monthly basis, I send a video-embedded email to our advisors who have helped someone in the platform (message from a student advisee). I also can look at the leaderboard on the admin side and know who the top users, advisors and advisees are in the platform. We also have a close working relationship with our customer success liaison at Firsthand. Their \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] is very, very accessible too! Like Firsthand the best! Cons I have to say that, after comparing the other, similar platforms, Firsthand offers the same if not more due to their reporting capabilities. I really don't have any cons. If we have suggestions Firsthand always tries to make accommodations and they are constantly making improvements. AD Associate Director, Graduate Career Management Associate Director, Graduate Career Management Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Firsthand: An Excellent Tool for Online Career Education" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 25, 2020 Firsthand allows me to extend the Career Services we offer our graduate management students. We have a small team and over 600 students, so having a team of high level professionals from all over the world that our students can reach out to, for free (for them), is invaluable. Like anything else there have been ups and downs with the career advisors sometimes not being available. But they are professionals with real jobs, so this is not surprising. Firsthand is also expanding its offerings and has built a platform enabling Career Centers to set up virtual career fairs and recruiting. It's amazing. Pros Firsthand is an excellent tool for online career education. My favorite feature is the online Career Library where professionals discuss their careers in a wide range of areas. I use this Library extensively in the career courses that I teach to support the career exploration process. My students love the Career Advisor platform where they can connect with over 2,500 mentors from all over the world and get live help with learning about different careers, mock interviews, resume reviews, etc. Implementation was easy and fast. Cons The only thing I would like to see would be even more videos in the Career Library, addressing some of the newer types of roles, like business analytics, social media influencer, etc. Some of the material is a bit dated. But Firsthand is investing in other areas that are more focused on live interaction with alumni, recruiters, etc., which is a good thing. EL Experiential Learning Coordinator Experiential Learning Coordinator Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Excellent Client Experience" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 21, 2020 Pros The software works really well and has helped thousands of students and alumni at our university connect to have meaningful conversations. What most impresses me about Firsthand is the dedication the entire company has to help their clients solve solutions. This spring Firsthand helped my university deliver a virtual career fair for the first time. This event would have been otherwise canceled, and hundreds of teaching credential students would have missed out on the opportunity to connect with potential employers. \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and his team worked tirelessly to support us. They were innovative, problem solvers, that were not afraid to dive into a new project with us. I would full-heartedly recommend Firsthand to any university. Cons I have no cons to report. My experience was positive all around. MP Managing Partner Managing Partner Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Firsthand/Evisors" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 21, 2020 It has been very positive so far. Pros The User Experience for the match-making between advisors and advisees, easy way to connect and to pay/get paid. Cons The functionality of connecting through my mobile phone wasn't working properly. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/159785/Firsthand/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.