Whether your institution needs richer international data, more advanced member segmentation, or a platform built for non-US alumni populations, this guide covers the leading Steppingblocks alternatives — what each does well and where it falls short.
What is Steppingblocks?
Steppingblocks is a US-based alumni outcomes and career intelligence platform used primarily by American universities. It aggregates data on over 150 million professional career paths, giving career services, institutional research, and alumni relations teams a way to track graduate outcomes without running surveys.
Core products include a Digital Career Counselor for students, Graduate Outcomes dashboards for IR teams, and AlumLink for alumni engagement. The platform is US-centric by design — its data depth is strongest for domestic American graduates.
Why look for a Steppingblocks alternative?
- Your alumni are global. Steppingblocks coverage weakens significantly outside the US.
- You serve a membership body, not just a university. Steppingblocks is built for HE institutions, not professional associations.
- You need Asia-Pacific, Middle East, or international labour market data.
- You want advanced segmentation — by industry, sector, seniority, ESG credentials, certifications, and more.
- Pricing or contract terms do not suit your institution’s size or structure.
The best Steppingblocks alternatives in 2026
1. Cturtle AlumniPro
AlumniPro is a global alumni and member intelligence platform built for universities, professional membership bodies, government agencies, and public-interest organisations — with particular depth across Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. Unlike Steppingblocks, AlumniPro is designed from the ground up for international alumni populations and professional associations.
It tracks career journeys from education through to current employment, maps career mobility across employer sectors, and surfaces salary trends, ESG credentials, ongoing education insights, and 11-field member segmentation — all delivered through interactive Power BI dashboards.
Lightcast (formerly EMSI / Burning Glass) is a large labour market intelligence provider. Its Alumni Pathways product lets universities match graduate records against its professional profile dataset to surface career outcomes, ROI metrics, and career pathway benchmarking. A credible option for institutions that already use Lightcast for curriculum analytics and want alumni outcomes within the same ecosystem.
- Broad labour market dataset
- Strong for IR and benchmarking
- ROI and career pathway views
- Established US university base
- Match rates often 40–60%
- Not built for membership bodies
- Limited Asia-Pacific coverage
- No ongoing member tracking
LiveAlumni focuses on verified contact and employment data enrichment for alumni and donor databases. It captures employment updates, verified emails, and monthly job-change alerts — making it useful for advancement and alumni relations teams who need to keep CRM records current. It is a data enrichment feed rather than a full analytics platform.
- Verified email and employment data
- Monthly job-change alerts
- Good for advancement teams
- Simple CRM integration
- No deep career analytics
- No salary or sector mobility data
- Not suited for IR or strategy
- Limited segmentation capability
See how AlumniPro compares for your institution or membership body
View the live demo →EAB Navigate is a broad student success platform covering advising, retention, and career readiness. It is a comprehensive campus solution but is primarily focused on the US market and active student journeys, rather than post-graduation alumni intelligence or professional membership analytics.
- Broad student success toolset
- Strong advising and retention
- Large US university client base
- US-centric data and design
- Weak post-graduation tracking
- Enterprise pricing
- Not suited for membership bodies
Handshake is a graduate recruitment and early talent marketplace rather than an alumni intelligence platform. It connects students with employers and gives career services teams visibility into job applications and hiring outcomes for current students. It does not offer post-graduation career tracking, sector mobility analysis, or member segmentation.
- Large employer network
- Strong for active job seekers
- Good early-career visibility
- Not an alumni outcomes platform
- No longitudinal career tracking
- No IR or membership analytics
- US-focused marketplace
Side-by-side comparison
| Platform | Global coverage | Membership bodies | Career mobility | Segmentation depth | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cturtle AlumniPro | ✓ Strong | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | 11 fields | Global and Asia-Pac institutions, membership bodies |
| Steppingblocks | ~ US-primary | ✗ No | ~ Limited | ~ Basic | US universities, career services |
| Lightcast Alumni Pathways | ~ Moderate | ✗ No | ~ Partial | ~ Moderate | IR teams, labour market benchmarking |
| LiveAlumni | ~ Moderate | ✗ No | Basic | Basic | Advancement, donor data enrichment |
| EAB Navigate | ✗ US-only | ✗ No | ✗ No | Student-focus | Student success, US advising |
| Handshake | ~ US-primary | ✗ No | ✗ No | Recruitment only | Graduate recruitment marketplace |
Frequently asked questions
See AlumniPro in action
Explore a live Power BI dashboard covering 307,000 financial professionals across 7 membership bodies.
View the live demo →