Study Plus

What Study Plus does

Studyplus Inc. (スタディプラス株式会社) is a Japanese EdTech company founded on 20 May 2010 in Tokyo. Its flagship consumer product, the Studyplus mobile app launched in 2012, lets students record, visualize, and socially share daily study sessions; the platform has accumulated over 10 million registered members and reached 61.6% of all Japanese university exam candidates as active users in academic year 2023 (up from 51.4% in 2021). Growth has been predominantly organic — approximately 60% of users acquired via word-of-mouth and social referrals with no paid acquisition spend — supported by an in-app peer-encouragement layer, university-target goal tracking, and adjacent content such as senior testimonials and deviation-value lookup.

The company expanded into B2B in 2016 with Studyplus for School, a learning management and communication platform deployed across 2,800+ schools, cram schools (juku), and preparatory schools, holding #1 share at 57.1% of Japan's cram-school LMS market (Fuji Chimera Research, 2023). Institutional differentiation rests on the proprietary Studyplus for School SYNC API, which integrates with 15+ digital content providers (Kyokai Publishing Mye-Tre, StudyLab OLECO, Surala Net, AI textbooks, Kanken official drills, i-Work and others) and connects to the MEXCBT ministry portal, giving teachers a unified view of student progress across paper and digital materials. The product roadmap is reinforced by an annual Studyplus Agenda conference, the Studyplus Trend Research Institute publishing youth behavior research, and an in-house Notee feature that uses third-party AI APIs to digitize handwritten answers.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) a freemium consumer subscription augmented by Studyplus Ads (youth-targeted digital advertising leveraging the 10M+ user base), (2) B2B institutional subscriptions to Studyplus for School with both free and paid tiers (including a 2023 free-tier launch and a public target of 10,000 institutions), and (3) anonymized educational data reports sold to institutional customers (e.g., University-Specific Qualifier Data 2024 covering 31 universities). Recent strategic moves include a Series D led by Fidelity International (August 2022), an expanding public-sector channel (a consignment contract with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education covering all three Tokyo metropolitan correspondence high schools in June 2026), and a March 2026 divestiture of the legacy aps Academy cram school to Tokitsukaze to refocus on the platform business.

Name

Study Plus

Legal name

スタディプラス株式会社

Website

https://info.studyplus.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studyplus Inc. is a Japanese EdTech company operating a consumer study-tracking mobile app used by 10M+ students (61.6% of Japanese university exam candidates) and a B2B learning management platform (Studyplus for School) deployed across 2,800+ schools and cram schools, monetized via subscriptions, youth-targeted advertising, and aggregated learning data products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology / Learning Management Software

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Digital Courseware & Learning Platforms (LMS-Integrated) (MPAJABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Academic Application Support (EDALAMAC), Standards, Packaging & Interoperability Tools (SCORM/xAPI/cmi5/LTI) (EDAFAHAH)

Keywords

• Learning management platform
• Student study tracking app
• School communication software
• Youth targeted advertising
• Education data analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Studyplus (Consumer App) — Freemium Model: The core app is free for individual users (freemium). Premium features and enhanced functionality are available through paid tiers. Revenue is supplemented by advertising (Studyplus Ads) within the free user base.
2. Studyplus Ads — Youth-Targeted Digital Advertising: A marketing solution leveraging Studyplus's large young user base (10M+ members) to deliver targeted advertising to students and young consumers for brands and educational institutions. Revenue generated from brand advertisers.
3. Studyplus for School — Institutional Subscriptions: B2B SaaS platform for schools, cram schools (塾), and preparatory schools. Offered on a subscription basis with tiered plans including a free tier. Major accounts include cram school chains, communication high schools, and public school systems (e.g., Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education). The platform has achieved #1 market share (57.1%) in the learning management system market for cram schools/schools as of 2023.
4. Educational Institution Data Services: Studyplus aggregates anonymized learning data from its platform to produce and sell (to Studyplus for School institutional customers) data reports such as 'University-Specific Qualifier Data 2024' covering 31 universities' qualifier learning patterns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Study Plus operates a learning management ecosystem centered on two complementary platforms: the Studyplus consumer mobile app (for individual students to log, visualize, and share study progress) and Studyplus for School (an institutional LMS for schools, cram schools, and preparatory schools that aggregates learning records, manages attendance and grades, and enables teacher-student-parent communication). The company also monetizes via Studyplus Ads (youth-targeted marketing), the Studyplus for School SYNC API (for integrating digital education content), and anonymized learning data services for institutional customers.

Product overview

Study Plus (スタディプラス株式会社) operates a multi-product portfolio centered on educational technology. The core offering consists of three principal platforms: (1) Studyplus — a consumer mobile app for individual learners providing study recording, visualization, social sharing, and university path selection support, serving over 10 million cumulative members; (2) Studyplus for School — an institutional learning management and communication platform for schools and tutoring centers, aggregating diverse learning records and enabling teacher-student-parent communication; and (3) Studyplus Ads — a youth marketing solution. Supporting products include Studyplus for School SYNC (B2B API for digital education content providers), Notee (AI-powered handwriting analysis feature), Studyplus トレンド研究所 (research division publishing youth/student trend reports), and Studyplus Agenda (annual industry conference).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Studyplus: 学習管理アプリ。毎日の勉強を記録・可視化し、ユーザー同士でシェアして励まし合うことができる。累計会員数1,000万人以上。
• Studyplus Ads
• Studyplus for School
• Studyplus トレンド研究所
• Notee
• Studylog

Products and services

• Studyplus Consumer learning management mobile app for iOS and Android that enables individual students to record, visualize, and share daily study progress with peers. Supports university/faculty/department selection management, university-specific content including senior testimonials and exam trend analysis, and serves as a social platform for mutual encouragement among Japanese students. Exceeded 10 million cumulative members with 61.6% of all university exam candidates as active users (2023).
• Studyplus for School B2B learning management and communication platform for schools, cram schools, and preparatory schools. Consolidates learning records from diverse paper and digital materials, enables real-time study progress monitoring, manages attendance and grades, facilitates teacher-parent-student communication, and includes AI-powered learning support features. Adopted by 2,800+ institutions with 57.1% market share in the Japanese cram school LMS market (2023).
• Studyplus Ads Youth-targeted marketing solution that leverages Studyplus's large user base of students and young people (10M+ members). Enables brands and universities to run promotional campaigns and advertising campaigns reaching Japanese university exam students and other youth demographics through the Studyplus platform.
• Studyplus for School SYNC Proprietary B2B API for digital educational content providers enabling automatic bidirectional learning record synchronization with Studyplus for School. Allows educational publishers and e-learning services (e.g., Mye-Tre, OLECO, Surala, AI textbook providers) to integrate their learning progress data into the Studyplus ecosystem via a standardized API.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61.6% of all Japanese university exam candidates actively use Studyplus (2023 academic year), growing from 51.4% in 2021.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 東京都教育庁 / 東京都立通信制高校 (Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education / Tokyo Metropolitan Correspondence High Schools)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 June 2026Formal consignment contract from the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education for Studyplus for School operation and maintenance across all 3 Tokyo Metropolitan correspondence high schools (following a successful pilot at Shinjuku-yabukakei High School). Represents a significant government institutional customer.
• 学校法人駿河台学園 駿台予備学校 (Surugadai Gakuen / Sundai Preparatory School)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Second consecutive year of the 'Common Test Kanji Challenge' co-branded campaign on Studyplus, reinforcing Sundai's brand presence among active university exam students on the platform.
• 株式会社CHINTAIminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Joint survey partnership on the Studyplus Trend Research platform examining student living preferences, single-person household aspirations, and lifestyle trends among 1,229 high school and university students.
• Tokitsukaze Co., Ltd. (ときつかぜ社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Tokitsukaze Co., Ltd. completed its first business succession project by acquiring operations of 'aps Academy' university entrance exam prep school from Planet Network Co., Ltd. and Study Plus Co., Ltd. This represents a strategic divestiture of Studyplus's legacy prep school operations as part of Tokitsukaze's cram school succession consolidation strategy.
• 学校法人駿河台学園 駿台予備学校 (Surugadai Gakuen / Sundai Preparatory School)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 October 2025Annual co-branded campaign partnership. Sundai and Studyplus ran the 'Common Test Kanji Challenge' campaign (2025 and 2026) on the Studyplus platform, with Sundai providing official quiz content from their 'Living Kanji & Vocabulary' textbook. Users follow Sundai's official Studyplus account and share quiz results.
• 大塚製薬株式会社 / カロリーメイト (Otsuka Pharmaceutical / Calorie Mate)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 November 2024Three consecutive years of co-branded 'Calorie Mate Monthly Immersion Challenge' campaigns on Studyplus (2022–2024). Studyplus users follow Calorie Mate's official account and log study sessions; top performers receive Calorie Mate product boxes. This is the company's most prominent brand partnership, with Calorie Mate consistently ranking #1 in Studyplus's annual 'Exam Trend White Paper' study snack surveys.
• レッドブル・ジャパン株式会社 (Red Bull Japan K.K.)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 November 2024Multi-wave brand partnership on Studyplus including the '14-Day Self-Study Challenge' (November 2024) and the 'Exam Partner Keyword Post Challenge' (December 2024–January 2025). Users follow the Red Bull official account, log study sessions, and receive product gift boxes. Targets active university exam students on the platform.
• 株式会社スタディラボ (StudyLab Co., Ltd.)coreTechnology or Integration · 31 October 2024Data integration partnership between Studyplus for School and StudyLab's online English conversation service 'OLECO' (for elementary, middle, and high school students). Learning records from OLECO are automatically synced to Studyplus for School, enabling unified student progress tracking.
• 学校法人高宮学園 代々木ゼミナール (Takamiya Gakuen / Yoyemi Seminar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2024Business partnership for data integration between Yoyemi Satellite Preparatory School's video lecture platform and Studyplus for School via SYNC API. Joint initiative to provide comprehensive student learning management combining Yoyemi's video curriculum with Studyplus's tracking and communication tools.
• 教育開発出版株式会社 (Kyokai Publishing / Kyoei Shuppan)coreTechnology or Integration · 15 October 2024Data integration partnership enabling automatic synchronization of learning records from 教育開発出版's digital textbook 'Mye-Tre' (120万題のコンテンツ) into Studyplus for School via the proprietary Studyplus for School SYNC API. This enables teachers to monitor student progress from Mye-Tre alongside all other study materials in a unified interface.
• 株式会社PFU / ScanSnap (Fujitsu subsidiary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2023Joint research partnership with PFU's ScanSnap brand on a 'Digital Learning Support Project.' Conducted a co-survey (June 2023) on 2,967 junior high and high school students regarding digital vs. paper learning habits. PFU targets Studyplus users as potential customers for their document scanner solutions supporting digital learning.
• 公益財団法人山田進太郎D&I財団 (Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023Joint research and event collaboration with the D&I Foundation focused on STEM gender gap issues. Conducted a large-scale survey (8,831 students) on factors influencing liberal arts vs. science track selection. Co-hosted a teacher-oriented event on career guidance for science-track selection, particularly targeting female students.
• 武蔵野美術大学 (Musashino Art University)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2023Studyplus co-designed and co-produced Japan's first AI-generated art award with Musashino Art University (June–July 2023). Studyplus and Kayac jointly handled creative production for the event, which invited AI art submissions using AI Picasso app.
• AI Picasso株式会社 (AI Picasso Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2023AI Picasso's AI image generation app was used as the tool for the AI Art Award co-hosted by Studyplus and Musashino Art University. Studyplus and Kayac managed event production.
• 株式会社カヤック (Kayac Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2023Kayac served as co-producer with Studyplus for the AI Art Award event with Musashino Art University, handling creative production and event management.
• すららネット株式会社 (Surala Net Inc.)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2022Data integration partnership enabling Studyplus for School to connect with Surala Net's AI-driven adaptive learning materials, allowing unified tracking of student progress across both platforms via SYNC API.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Habit Switch Group (やる気スイッチグループ): Japanese education company operating the largest network of branded cram schools (Kids Duo, etc.) and the Willbe online cram school. Operates broadly across K-12 supplemental education with both physical and digital presence, comparable in scale and breadth to Studyplus's school-facing operations.
• Benesse Corporation: One of Japan's largest education conglomerates operating Shinken Zemi, Studysapuri, and school services across K-12 through adult learning. A formidable incumbent in Japan's EdTech market with deeper content libraries and brand reach than Studyplus, providing broader context for institutional sales and consumer competition.
• Quizlet: Global consumer study platform with flashcards, learning modes, and user-generated content used by hundreds of millions of students worldwide. Comparable to Studyplus as a consumer-led study app with community features, though serving international markets and lacking Studyplus's Japan-specific institutional depth.
• Khan Academy: Large global non-profit learning platform offering free instructional content across K-12 and university subjects. Comparable to Studyplus in scale of student usage and self-directed learning positioning, but differs fundamentally in monetization (free/nonprofit vs. freemium/subscription) and geographic scope.

Emerging players

• Classi: Japanese learning management and communication platform serving high schools with student progress tracking, grade management, and university admissions features. Directly competes with Studyplus for School in the institutional B2B LMS market with comparable functionality for Japanese public and private high schools.
• Risu Education (リス教育): Japanese adaptive-learning platform for K-12 students featuring AI-driven math and reading instruction. Operates in adjacent age cohorts to Studyplus with a similar AI-personalization approach, making it comparable on technology even though serving younger students.

Others

• Z-kai (Z会): Major Japanese correspondence education and cram school operator offering paper and digital coursework for K-12 and university prep. Both a strategic partner of Studyplus for School (data integration via SYNC) and a customer/campaign partner; provides contextual reference for how traditional publishers and cram schools collaborate with Studyplus's platform.

Direct peers

• Atama Plus: Japanese EdTech company providing AI-driven personalized learning for middle school through university entrance exam preparation. Directly competes with Studyplus for the same exam-taker demographic with a content-rich AI tutor model, making it the closest comparable EdTech peer in Japan.
• Studysapuri (Benesse): Benesse's flagship university-prep EdTech brand combining video lectures and problem sets for high school and university exam candidates. Operates in the same Japanese exam-prep consumer category as Studyplus with overlapping student demographics and similar content delivery model.
• Willbe (ウィルビー): Japanese online cram school offering live-streaming and recorded lectures for university and high-school entrance exam preparation. Directly competes with Studyplus for the same high-school student segment with a tutor-led rather than peer-network-led learning model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StudyplusAgenda
• Xx.com/studyplusjp
• Facebookfacebook.com/studyplusfan

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors21 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Study Plus