Claranova
Claranova is a French public software company that develops and publishes consumer and business software through its Avanquest subsidiary (Soda PDF, Adaware, inPixio), serving 40+ million active customers across 160+ countries via a SaaS subscription model.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersLa Garenne-colombes, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Claranova does
Claranova is a French-headquartered public technology company (Société européenne listed on Euronext Growth Paris) that develops and publishes consumer and business software. Its operations are anchored by its wholly-owned subsidiary Avanquest, which markets three product lines: Soda PDF (document/PDF software), Adaware (security/antivirus), and inPixio (photo editing). The company serves more than 40 million active customers across 160+ countries, with 95% of revenue generated outside France. Its business model has transitioned from traditional one-time software licensing to a SaaS subscription model, with 81% of revenue recurring as of the nine-month FY 2025-2026 period.
The company's technology stack centers on document processing, with Avanquest's PDF capabilities being a core asset. Claranova is extending this into an AI-native multilingual document intelligence platform developed through a strategic partnership with Reverso, combining Avanquest's PDF processing with Reverso's multilingual translation capabilities. The platform is designed for B2B customers in regulated environments and is scheduled for global rollout in mid-2026, targeting over 1.5 million B2B users. The company has also launched an organizational AI Adoption Acceleration Initiative to integrate AI across operations.
Claranova's go-to-market combines direct digital distribution, marketplace/app store presence, and partner networks for its B2C base, with growing enterprise field sales capabilities for the B2B segment. Recent strategic moves include the divestiture of non-core US operations (Avanquest North America LLC) in October 2025, a major debt reduction of over €100M, a share transfer to Euronext Growth Paris in February 2026, and a return to profitability with €73M net income in FY 2024-2025 and 20.6% H1 EBITDA margin. The proposed TSXV amalgamation with Gstaad Capital Corp., if completed, would provide a North American listing venue.
Claranova firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Claranova
- Legal name
- Claranova SE
- Website
- https://claranova.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Claranova is a French public software company that develops and publishes consumer and business software through its Avanquest subsidiary (Soda PDF, Adaware, inPixio), serving 40+ million active customers across 160+ countries via a SaaS subscription model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Claranova industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer & Business Software Publishing
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Teleradiology Platforms & Reading Workflow (HLACALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) & Enterprise Imaging Repositories (HLACALAC), Quality, Peer Review & Compliance Tools (MQSA/ACR/QA) (HLACALAL)
Keywords
Where Claranova is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Garenne-colombes
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Claranova business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription/SaaS Revenue: Recurring revenue from SaaS software subscriptions, now comprising 81% of nine-month revenue, with Document (PDF) business growing 6% and B2B revenue accelerating by 18.5%
- Software Licensing: Traditional software sales through Avanquest subsidiary covering PDF, Security, and Photo segments with products like Soda PDF, Adaware, and inPixio
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Claranova product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Claranova is a global technology company that develops and publishes consumer and business software primarily through its subsidiary Avanquest. The company operates across three product segments: PDF (Soda PDF), Security (Adaware), and Photo (inPixio), serving more than 40 million active customers in over 160 countries. Claranova is transitioning to a SaaS-focused business model and is expanding into higher-value B2B activities, including an AI-native multilingual document intelligence platform developed in partnership with Reverso.
Product overview
Claranova is a global technology company and software publisher that operates primarily through its subsidiary Avanquest. The company has transformed from a traditional software publisher into a SaaS-focused business model. Avanquest's product portfolio spans three main segments: PDF (Soda PDF), Security (Adaware), and Photo (inPixio). These products are sold to consumers and businesses in over 160 countries. The company is currently expanding into higher value-added B2B software activities through strategic initiatives like the AI-Native Multilingual Document Intelligence Platform developed in partnership with Reverso, which combines Avanquest's PDF technologies with AI-powered multilingual translation capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Soda PDF: PDF software product under Avanquest segment offering PDF creation, editing, and management tools.
- Adaware
- inPixio
Products and services
- Avanquest (Software Publishing Brand)
- Soda PDF PDF software brand under the Avanquest segment offering PDF creation, editing, conversion, and document management solutions for both consumers and businesses.
- Adaware Security software brand under the Avanquest segment providing antivirus and privacy protection solutions for consumers.
- inPixio Photo editing software brand under the Avanquest segment offering photo editing and enhancement tools for consumers.
- AI-Native Multilingual Document Intelligence Platform A platform combining Avanquest's PDF technologies with Reverso's multilingual translation capabilities. Automatically understands, translates, and edits complex documents while preserving structure and formatting, offered on a SaaS subscription basis to over 1.5 million B2B users under a controlled, proprietary document architecture.
Quantifiable outcome
- Document (PDF) business grew 6%
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Claranova
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Claranova technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Claranova partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ReversocoreStrategic partnership to develop an AI-native multilingual document intelligence platform for businesses. The platform combines Claranova subsidiary Avanquest's PDF technologies with Reverso's multilingual translation capabilities. It enables organizations to understand, translate, and edit complex documents in regulated environments while maintaining control over data and workflows. Global rollout planned for mid-2026 targeting over 1.5 million B2B users.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Claranova competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Malwarebytes: Direct competitor in consumer and SMB endpoint security, the same category Claranova addresses with Adaware. Both monetize freemium antivirus/privacy suites with subscription upgrades.
- Bitdefender: Direct endpoint security peer competing with Adaware for consumer and SMB antivirus customers. Comparable subscription model and similar go-to-market through digital distribution.
- Nitro Software: Direct PDF and document productivity SaaS peer. Nitro targets the same enterprise and prosumer PDF editing, e-signature, and document workflow use cases that Claranova's Soda PDF and the new Reverso-backed platform address.
- Corel: Direct competitor across consumer/prosumer software including PDF (PDF Fusion/WordPerfect), photo (PaintShop Pro), and security-adjacent utilities. Corel and Claranova/Avanquest target overlapping SMB and prosumer customers.
- CyberLink: Direct competitor in consumer photo and video editing software, the same category Claranova addresses with inPixio. Both sell prosumer/consumer multimedia utilities via digital subscription models.
- Foxit Software: Direct competitor in the PDF/document management space. Foxit's flagship PDF editor competes head-to-head with Soda PDF for both consumer and enterprise customers, with a comparable freemium-to-subscription monetization model.
- Kaspersky: Direct competitor in consumer and SMB security software. Kaspersky and Adaware share comparable product positioning, pricing tiers, and channel strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Adobe: Broad incumbent with Acrobat as the dominant PDF product. Adobe competes across Claranova's PDF and (via Creative Cloud/Photoshop) photo segments, and increasingly in document intelligence via Adobe Sensei AI — making it the principal competitive threat.
- Gen Digital (Avast / Norton): Broad incumbent in consumer cybersecurity. Avast and Norton compete directly with Adaware and dominate the same freemium-to-paid antivirus distribution channels Claranova depends on.
- Trend Micro: Broad incumbent in security software with a consumer/SMB antivirus line that overlaps Adaware's positioning. Comparable subscription-led revenue model and brand-led go-to-market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Claranova social profiles
Digital presenceClaranova financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Claranova leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Claranova subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Claranova funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Claranova M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A8 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Claranova
What does Claranova do?
Claranova is a global technology company that develops and publishes consumer and business software primarily through its subsidiary Avanquest. The company operates across three product segments: PDF (Soda PDF), Security (Adaware), and Photo (inPixio), serving more than 40 million active customers in over 160 countries. Claranova is transitioning to a SaaS-focused business model and is expanding into higher-value B2B activities, including an AI-native multilingual document intelligence platform developed in partnership with Reverso.
Is Claranova a public or private company?
Claranova is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Claranova founded?
Claranova was founded in 1988. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Claranova based?
Claranova is headquartered in La Garenne-colombes, France, in the Europe region.
How does Claranova make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription/SaaS Revenue is the primary driver. The others are software Licensing.
Who are Claranova's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, Nitro Software, Corel, CyberLink, Foxit Software and Kaspersky. Broad incumbents are Adobe, Gen Digital (Avast / Norton) and Trend Micro.
Does Claranova have an API?
No public API is recorded for Claranova.
What industry is Claranova in?
Claranova's product category is Consumer & Business Software Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACALAK, Teleradiology Platforms & Reading Workflow, with a secondary code of HLACALAC, Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) & Enterprise Imaging Repositories. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7371.