Motimatic vs. EdSights for student retention
EdSights checks in with students by text, flags who is at risk and why, and routes them to your staff. Motimatic runs behavioral-science campaigns across five channels that move students to the step they’ve missed, and measures the lift against a randomized holdout.
Two different jobs in retention.
Motimatic is a lifecycle marketing platform for colleges and universities. We build behavioral-science campaigns across social media, streaming TV, direct mail, email and SMS, and partners are opted into randomized holdout testing on new campaigns.
EdSights is a student voice platform. Its chatbot texts students every 7 to 10 days, gathers what they say about finances, academics, wellness and engagement, and flags at-risk students for advisor follow-up. EdSights writes and manages the check-ins.
Choose EdSights to hear from students and find out who is struggling. Choose Motimatic when you know which students need to act and you want more of them to do it, with the lift measured against students who received nothing from us. The two do different jobs, and a campus can run both.
Motimatic and EdSights, point by point.
| Motimatic | EdSights | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A lifecycle marketing platform, with campaigns run for you | A student voice platform with a chatbot, run for you |
| Main channels | Social media, streaming TV, direct mail, email and SMS | Two-way text messages and a chatbot |
| What it does | Moves students to a specific step: register, meet an advisor, use tutoring, sort out aid | Checks in every 7 to 10 days, collects what students say and flags risk in four areas |
| What you get back | Conversion on each step, engagement by channel, and the lift against a holdout | Student voice insights and risk flags by student, for advisor follow-up |
| Stages covered | Awareness through stop-out recovery | Admitted students (EdSights Admit) and continuing students (EdSights Retain) |
| How results are measured | New campaigns hold out a random 5% of your list, so you see the lift against students who received nothing from us | EdSights product pages report opt-in, engagement and persistence averages |
| Published results | Chamberlain University (stop-out recovery): 3.93% registered against 1.75% for a randomized holdout, a 124% lift. UW–Whitewater (retention): 308 at-risk continuing students registered within weeks | Higher average persistence (Retain) and yield (Admit), as reported on EdSights product pages |
EdSights facts come from its own public pages, checked November 5, 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Where each one fits best.
Choose EdSights if
- You want to hear directly from students about what’s getting in their way.
- You want risk flags for your advisors, updated as students reply.
- Two-way text is the main channel you want to use.
Choose Motimatic if
- You know which students need to act and want more of them to do it before the deadline.
- You want to reach students beyond text: social feeds, streaming TV, the mailbox and email.
- You want each campaign measured against a randomized holdout from your own list.
- You want the same platform across RFIs, yield, retention and stop-out recovery.
What we can show you, and how we price it.
stop-out registrations vs. holdout, Chamberlain University
Students who had stopped out for 3–5 sessions registered at 3.93%, against 1.75% for a randomized holdout that received nothing from us, at 95% confidence. Retention campaigns run the same way: one list, one goal, one holdout.
We don’t guarantee results. How we measure
We price by scope: the funnel stages you want covered, from first impression to graduation; the size of your lists at each stage; the channel mix; how complex the work is; and whether you need custom creative. A pilot starts with one list, one goal and a 5% holdout.
How we run retentionQuestions about Motimatic and EdSights
What’s the main difference between Motimatic and EdSights?
EdSights listens: it texts students, collects what they say and flags who is at risk. Motimatic acts on a list: it runs campaigns across five channels that move students to the step they’ve missed, and measures the lift against a holdout.
Can we use EdSights and Motimatic together?
Yes. The students EdSights flags can be a list for a Motimatic campaign. Send us the list and the step you want them to take, and we’ll measure the result against a holdout.
How do you measure retention?
Ask for a holdout. New Motimatic campaigns hold out a random 5% of your list, and the same students stay out the whole time. The gap between the two groups is what the campaign changed. How we measure.
What we say about EdSights comes from these pages, last checked November 5, 2026. If something has changed, write to sales@motimatic.com and we’ll update this page.
Start with one list.
Pick one list and one goal. We run it against a 5% holdout and show you the lift.