iHuman

What iHuman does

iHuman (洪恩), founded in 1996 and NYSE-listed since 2020 under ticker IH, is a Beijing-headquartered (legal seat: Tianjin) technology company that develops interactive edutainment applications primarily for children in China. Its portfolio comprises 15+ self-developed apps spanning Chinese literacy (洪恩识字, 洪恩拼音, 洪恩写字, 洪恩成语), mathematics and logical thinking (洪恩思维), English learning (洪恩英语, 洪恩超能英语 built with Oxford University Press authors, 洪恩分级阅读), science (洪恩十万问), Chinese culture (洪恩国学), arts (洪恩小画家), programming (洪恩编程, 洪恩启蒙编程), AI-powered physical education (洪恩爱运动), and bilingual picture books (洪恩双语绘本). The platform is built on a proprietary 3D game engine, AI/AR interactive technology, and big-data analytics on children's behavioral and psychological patterns, with cumulative downloads of 12.7+ billion and 23.62 million monthly active users as of Q1 2026, plus an institutional channel serving 20,000+ partner kindergartens.

The business model is hybrid direct-to-consumer plus institutional. Consumer revenue comes primarily from time-based subscriptions (monthly, quarterly, annual cards), one-time perpetual content packages, a virtual currency (洪豆 at 1 RMB = 1 洪豆) and bundled physical-and-digital product kits, distributed across 40+ mobile app stores (Apple, Google Play, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, Tencent MyApp, Baidu, 360, Meizu, Lenovo, Samsung) and the ihuman.com website. An institutional channel (洪恩学堂) sells to kindergartens and training institutions with dedicated sales teams, and the company also earns advertising revenue from third-party brands shown in apps, web, SMS and WeChat channels. AI capabilities are increasingly layered across the suite: speech evaluation via iFlytek SDK, AI Q&A using Baidu ERNIE, ByteDance Doubao and Lingxin Intelligence models, proprietary voice synthesis and text generation algorithms registered with the Cyberspace Administration of China, and AI-native products such as FreeTalk (adult oral English) and Xiaomo Writing (Chinese writing).

iHuman faces structural headwinds from China's declining newborn population and a more conservative consumer spending environment. FY2025 revenue was RMB 807.0 million (US$115.4 million), down 12.5% from RMB 922.2 million in FY2024; Q1 2026 revenue declined 13.3% YoY to RMB 182.5 million (US$26.5 million). Net income compressed 83% in Q1 2026 to RMB 4.5 million and the quarter swung to a RMB 10.1 million operating loss. Management's strategic response is offensive diversification: in May 2026 iHuman acquired All Knowledge (AI humanities/literacy app) for RMB 67 million upfront plus up to RMB 29 million earn-out and Perfect Lingo (AI English app) for RMB 27 million plus up to RMB 12 million earn-out, brought in Teng Li as Co-CEO and Congyu Lin as Chief Strategy Officer, and is building a proprietary large language model while expanding into adult AI learners. The company has declared a US$5.1 million special dividend for FY2025, its third consecutive year of special dividends.

Name

iHuman

Legal name

天津洪恩完美未来教育科技有限公司

Website

https://ihuman.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

iHuman (洪恩) is a China-based, NYSE-listed edutainment company developing 15+ proprietary apps across literacy, math, English, science, culture, arts, programming and AI-powered physical education for children and, increasingly, adult learners via institutional and direct-to-consumer subscription channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Educational Software

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), Educational Support Services (61171), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Learning Apps & Self-Study Platforms (EDAFAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI-Powered Language Tutors, Chatbots & Speaking Practice Tools (EDAFAOAC), Online Language Learning Platforms (Self-Paced) (EDAMAFAC)

Keywords

• Children's edutainment apps
• Early childhood education
• Interactive learning apps
• AI-powered education
• Mobile learning platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription / Subscription-based Digital Content: iHuman's primary revenue stream comes from subscription-based digital content within its mobile applications. Paid subscription types include time-based subscriptions (monthly, quarterly, annual cards) and content module purchases (paid识字包, 阅读包, 服务包). Parents/guardians purchase subscriptions on behalf of children. The company also sells virtual currency ('洪豆') for specific apps at 1 RMB = 1洪豆 rate.
2. One-time Content Purchases: One-time purchase model for permanent content packages (e.g., '永久识字包' — permanent literacy package) that provide lifetime access to specific educational content modules. These digital goods are non-refundable and cannot be transferred or resold.
3. Bundled Physical + Digital Products: Bundled sales of physical products (educational materials, cards, practice books, gift boxes, tool kits) together with digital subscriptions. Physical items are not sold separately and are restricted to personal use only.
4. Institutional / B2B Sales: Revenue generated from institutional channel sales to kindergartens and training institutions, including dedicated kindergarten and institutional sales divisions.
5. Advertising and Promotional Services: iHuman displays commercial advertisements and promotional information on its official website, apps, SMS, and WeChat official account/mini-programs, generating advertising revenue from third-party brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

iHuman (洪恩) develops and sells a portfolio of 15+ standalone mobile applications for children's intellectual development covering Chinese literacy, pinyin, English speaking, mathematics, scientific inquiry, Chinese culture, idioms, art, calligraphy, AI-powered physical education, and block-based programming. The company sells subscriptions (monthly/quarterly/annual), one-time permanent content packages, and bundled physical+digital products to parents through 40+ app stores and ihuman.com, while a separate institutional channel (iHuman Academy / 洪恩学堂) supplies kindergartens and training institutions with classroom-grade products. Recent expansions include AI-powered adult-focused products FreeTalk (oral English) and Xiaomo Writing (Chinese writing), plus acquired AI apps All Knowledge and Perfect Lingo.

Product overview

iHuman (洪恩) is a comprehensive tech-powered intellectual development platform providing interactive educational products for children in China. The product portfolio includes 15+ self-developed apps covering core subjects: Chinese language learning (洪恩识字, 洪恩拼音, 洪恩写字, 洪恩成语), English education (洪恩英语, 洪恩超能英语, 洪恩分级阅读), STEM education (洪恩思维, 洪恩编程, 洪恩启蒙编程), general knowledge (洪恩十万问), cultural heritage (洪恩国学), arts (洪恩小画家), physical education (洪恩爱运动), and bilingual reading (洪恩双语绘本). The company operates on a platform model with institutional channels (洪恩学堂) serving kindergarten and training partners. In 2026, iHuman expanded through acquisitions of All Knowledge and Perfect Lingo for AI-enhanced humanities and English learning, and launched new AI-powered products including FreeTalk and Xiaomo Writing to diversify beyond childhood education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• All Knowledge: AI-powered humanities and literacy learning app with systematic tools including spatio-temporal views and timeline features.
• Perfect Lingo

Products and services

• 洪恩识字 (iHuman Chinese Characters) Fun Chinese character learning app for children featuring gamified lessons, interactive exercises, and progressive character recognition for early literacy development. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩思维 (iHuman Math) Children's mathematical thinking and cognitive development app covering numbers, logic, and problem-solving skills through interactive activities. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩英语 (iHuman English) Children's English language learning app focused on spoken English and oral communication skills development. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩拼音 (iHuman Pinyin) Children's Chinese pinyin pronunciation and reading tool with interactive phonetic instruction for Mandarin language learning. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩双语绘本 (iHuman Bilingual Picture Books) Interactive Chinese and English picture book reading app featuring fun stories for children's bilingual literacy development. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩十万问 (iHuman Science) Children's science discovery and general knowledge exploration tool covering various scientific topics for early learning. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩国学 (iHuman Chinese Studies) Traditional Chinese culture and classical literature learning app introducing children to Chinese heritage and traditional values. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩爱运动 (iHuman AI Sports) AI-powered physical education app enabling children to exercise anywhere through motion detection and interactive fitness activities. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩启蒙编程 (iHuman Programming Basics) Fun programming concepts and computational thinking introduction for young children through visual block-based activities. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩成语 (iHuman Idioms) Classic Chinese idiom learning app teaching children traditional sayings through entertaining storytelling and explanations. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩小画家 (iHuman Little Artist) Children's art and drawing education app teaching visual arts appreciation and creative expression through painting activities. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩分级阅读 (iHuman Leveled Reading) Oxford Tree-based English reading program for children to develop autonomous English reading abilities through leveled books. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩超能英语 (iHuman Super English) Advanced English learning program covering six years of school curriculum, created with Oxford University Press authors. Targeted at parents/guardians of children learning English.
• 洪恩写字 (iHuman Writing) Intelligent calligraphy and handwriting practice tool for children to develop proper Chinese character writing skills. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 洪恩编程 (iHuman Coding) Children's block-based robot programming software enabling kids to learn coding concepts and develop technological skills from an early age. Targeted at parents/guardians of young children.
• 超能英语系列 (Super English Series) Innovative English leveled learning solution featuring dual-track improvement in language sense and grammar through systematic progression. Targeted at parents/guardians of children learning English.
• 洪恩学堂 (iHuman Academy) Institutional education platform serving kindergarten channels and training institution partners with comprehensive educational solutions for classroom deployment. Targeted at kindergartens and training institutions.
• FreeTalk (AI Oral English) AI-powered oral English learning application enabling conversational English practice for adults and broader learners beyond the core childhood education market. Targeted at adult learners seeking AI-powered language practice.
• 小墨写作 (Xiaomo Writing) AI-powered Chinese writing application developed as part of iHuman's AI product strategy. Targeted at Chinese-language writers seeking AI-assisted composition.
• 全知识 (All Knowledge) AI-powered humanities and literacy learning app featuring systematic tools including spatio-temporal views and timeline features. Acquired for RMB 67.0 million and integrated into iHuman's product suite.
• Perfect Lingo AI-powered English vocabulary and pronunciation learning app. Acquired for RMB 27.0 million and integrated into iHuman's English learning portfolio to support expansion into English language learning and broader user segments.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability7 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• All Knowledge (全知识)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2026iHuman acquired All Knowledge, an AI-powered humanities and literacy learning app featuring systematic tools including spatio-temporal views and timeline features. Total consideration of RMB 67.0 million in upfront payments plus contingent earn-out payments of up to RMB 29.0 million over three years. Mr. Teng Li from All Knowledge was appointed Co-CEO of iHuman upon closing. Constitutes a related party transaction due to common control between transferors and iHuman.
• Perfect Lingo (完美语言)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2026iHuman acquired Perfect Lingo, an AI-powered English vocabulary and pronunciation learning app. Total consideration of RMB 27.0 million in upfront payments plus contingent earn-out payments of up to RMB 12.0 million over three years. This acquisition supports iHuman's expansion into English language learning and broader user segments. Constitutes a related party transaction due to common control between transferors and iHuman.
• 科大讯飞 (iFlytek)coreTechnology or IntegrationiFlytek provides speech recognition SDK integrated into iHuman apps for automated voice evaluation, assessing children's pronunciation accuracy and language expression in Chinese and English learning modules. The SDK processes user voice data during answer recording sessions, collecting operation logs, IP address, and on Android also IMSI and running process information.
• 北京百度网讯科技有限公司 (Baidu)majorTechnology or IntegrationBaidu's ERNIE Bot (文心大模型) AI service is integrated into iHuman's AI features, providing large language model capabilities for AI Q&A dialogue features. Algorithm registration: 网信算备110108645502801230035号.
• 华为 (Huawei)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriHuman apps are distributed through Huawei's app store ecosystem, with special integration through Huawei Education Center that shares user learning progress (usage duration, learning progress, purchase records/'growth reports') with Huawei Education Center app for co-branded user experience. Huawei SDK is also used for authorization login and payment processing.
• 微信支付 (WeChat Pay)coreTechnology or IntegrationWeChat Pay is the primary third-party payment method integrated into iHuman apps for purchasing subscriptions and content. WeChat SDK provides authorization login and payment processing, collecting device information and sharing user profile data (openid, unionid, nickname, gender, city, province, country, avatar) with iHuman.
• 支付宝 (Alipay)coreTechnology or IntegrationAlipay SDK (Android only) is integrated for payment processing, collecting device information and sharing anonymous phone number and Alipay user ID with iHuman for transaction completion.
• 荣耀 (Honor)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHonor SDK is integrated for authorization login and payment processing on Honor devices, distributing iHuman apps through Honor's app store ecosystem.
• VIVOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIVO SDK provides authorization login and payment processing for VIVO device users, distributing iHuman apps through VIVO's app store.
• OPPOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOPPO SDK provides payment functionality for OPPO device users, distributing iHuman apps through OPPO's app store ecosystem.
• 小米 (Xiaomi)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorXiaomi SDK provides authorization login and payment processing for Xiaomi device users, collecting UID, real-name status, user age (optional), and transaction records.
• 苹果 (Apple) - App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriHuman apps are distributed globally through Apple's App Store ecosystem, which also provides in-app purchase infrastructure and automatic subscription management.
• 谷歌 (Google) - Google PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriHuman apps are distributed internationally through Google Play Store for Android users outside China.
• 华为教育中心 (Huawei Education Center)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecial API integration where Huawei Education Center app can sync and display user learning status (usage duration, progress, test scores) and purchase records from iHuman apps (洪恩识字, 洪恩数学, 洪恩故事) for Huawei Education Center users who purchase through the platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Babybus: Babybus is a direct competitor — a Chinese children's edutainment app developer publishing gamified learning apps for early childhood across multiple subjects, sharing the same parent target audience, app-store distribution model, and 3D game engine approach as iHuman.
• Duolingo: Duolingo is the global category leader in subscription language learning apps. While iHuman targets Chinese children, its English-speaking apps (洪恩英语, 洪恩超能英语, FreeTalk) compete in the same gamified, self-paced language subscription model that Duolingo pioneered.
• VIPKid: VIPKid is a Chinese children's English learning platform focused on live online 1:1 instruction with North American teachers. It overlaps with iHuman's spoken English product (洪恩英语) and the recently acquired Perfect Lingo vocabulary app in the same parent-targeted English-learning segment.
• Liulishuo (English Corner / LingoChamp): Liulishuo is a Chinese AI-powered English speaking platform targeting learners of all ages. It overlaps with iHuman's English offering and acquired Perfect Lingo, competing for the same subscription-paying English learner customer in China.

Broad incumbents

• Yuanfudao: Yuanfudao is another broad Chinese K-12 education incumbent with AI tutoring products, including Zebra AI. As iHuman expands into older learners and adult AI education, Yuanfudao's subscription AI tutoring is an adjacent competitive threat.
• Zuoyebang (Yuanfudao): Zuoyebang is a broad Chinese K-12 online education incumbent. Although the Chinese K-12 tutoring sector was historically disrupted by regulation, Zuoyebang still competes with iHuman at the upper end of iHuman's age range and on supplementary learning content.
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a global edtech nonprofit with AI-powered tutoring (Khanmigo) and broad content coverage including math, literacy, and coding. iHuman's STEM apps (洪恩思维, 洪恩编程) compete with the same subject domains, especially as iHuman expands internationally.
• Hujiang / Cengage China: Hujiang is a long-standing Chinese online education incumbent providing digital content across multiple age segments. As a broad platform with edutainment content, it competes with iHuman for parental wallet share on supplementary digital learning products.

Emerging players

• Squirrel AI (Zhixue Group): Squirrel AI is a Chinese AI-powered adaptive learning platform for K-12 students. Its AI-native tutoring approach mirrors the direction of iHuman's AI investments and FreeTalk product — both targeting personalized learning at scale through technology.
• ByteDance Education (Doubao / Gongke Education): ByteDance's education arm and Doubao LLM ecosystem are emerging AI-native education competitors. ByteDance powers one of iHuman's AI providers yet also competes with FreeTalk and Xiaomo Writing-style adult learning products using its own Doubao model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iHuman