Macmillan Learning
Macmillan Learning is a U.S. higher-education publishing and digital learning company that provides courseware, adaptive learning tools, e-books, and classroom engagement products to college students, instructors, and institutions across 25+ academic disciplines.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Macmillan Learning does
Macmillan Learning is a higher-education digital learning and publishing company that provides courseware, adaptive learning tools, e-books, and classroom engagement products to U.S. and Canadian college and university markets. The company is organized as Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC, headquartered at 120 Broadway in New York, and operates as part of Macmillan, ultimately owned by Holtzbrinck Publishers. Its portfolio spans established imprints including Bedford/St. Martin's (English composition), WH Freeman (science), Worth Publishers (psychology and social sciences), Hayden-McNeil (lab solutions), and iClicker (classroom response), covering 25+ academic disciplines.
The company's core platform is Achieve, a unified courseware environment that integrates e-books, adaptive quizzing via LearningCurve, metacognitive goal-setting and reflection surveys, and AI-powered features (the AI Student Tutor and, via iClicker, the AI Question Creator). Supporting products include LaunchPad (content hosting), Sapling and SaplingPlus (STEM homework), FlipIt (pre-class prep), Writer's Help, REEF (mobile polling), iOLab, and Accredible-powered badging. The technology stack is integrated with major LMS platforms (Canvas, Blackboard, D2L) and Respondus for exam security.
Monetization blends one-time purchases (print and e-book sales through the Student Store), recurring digital subscriptions (Achieve, LaunchPad, Sapling at $59.99–$149.99 per term), textbook rentals, bundled print-plus-digital packages, and institutional site licenses via inclusive access programs. Go-to-market combines a field sales force of publisher representatives (securing instructor adoptions and complimentary accounts) with product-led digital onboarding, a content-marketing engine (Content Hub, webinars, peer consultants), and international distribution through Macmillan International Support. Customers are primarily individual students and instructors, with institutional administrators acting as procurement decision-makers for site licenses.
Macmillan Learning firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Macmillan Learning
- Legal name
- Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC
- Website
- https://macmillanlearning.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Macmillan Learning is a U.S. higher-education publishing and digital learning company that provides courseware, adaptive learning tools, e-books, and classroom engagement products to college students, instructors, and institutions across 25+ academic disciplines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Macmillan Learning industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Learning Technology and Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interdisciplinary/General Education & Study Skills (EDAGABAN)
Keywords
Where Macmillan Learning is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Macmillan Learning business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Physical Textbook Sales: Sale of print textbooks, loose-leaf editions, and bound texts through the Student Store. Students can purchase new or used physical copies with shipping options including standard UPS ground and expedited shipping.
- Digital Subscriptions and Licenses: Time-limited licenses to access digital products, courses, and materials including Achieve, LaunchPad, Sapling Learning, e-books, and digital textbooks. Subscription periods vary by product and are indicated at time of purchase.
- Textbook Rental: Rental program for physical textbooks with standard rental term of 130 calendar days. Includes buyout option at full list price with rental fee credited. Digital watermarking tracks rented materials.
- Bundled Products: Combined offerings of physical products with digital access, such as paperback plus Achieve packages, loose-leaf with Read & Practice, providing multiple format options at discounted bundle prices.
- Inclusive Access Programs: Institutional programs allowing administrators to provide affordable access to course materials, often at reduced pricing through school site licenses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 50 Essays 7th Edition - E-book |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 50 Essays 7th Edition - Paperback |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | 50 Essays 7th Edition - Bundle |
| Subscription | Annual | 21st Century Chemistry 2nd Edition - Achieve |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 21st Century Chemistry 2nd Edition - Paperback |
| Subscription | Annual | 21st Century Chemistry 2nd Edition - Read & Practice |
| Hybrid | Annual | 50 Essays 8th Edition |
| Subscription | Annual | Teaching with Generative AI: A Course for Educators |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Rental Term |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Macmillan Learning product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Macmillan Learning develops, publishes, and distributes higher education instructional content and digital learning tools. Its core product is the Achieve digital courseware platform, which integrates e-books, adaptive quizzing, AI-powered tutoring, and assessment tools, supported by a broad catalog of print and digital textbooks across more than 25 academic disciplines and complementary products such as iClicker classroom engagement, Sapling digital homework, and Hayden-McNeil lab notebooks.
Product overview
Macmillan Learning is a higher education learning technology company offering a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core platform is Achieve, a unified courseware platform that houses e-books, adaptive quizzing (LearningCurve), metacognitive tools (Goal-setting and Reflection Surveys), and AI-powered features (AI Student Tutor, AI Question Creator). Achieve integrates with iClicker for classroom polling and is available standalone or as Achieve Read & Practice. The product portfolio also includes LaunchPad (content hosting platform), Sapling and SaplingPlus (digital science/math homework), FlipIt (pre-class prep), Writer's Help (writing support), REEF (mobile active learning), and Hayden-McNeil Digital Lab Notebooks. Macmillan also offers digital textbooks across multiple disciplines (e.g., 50 Essays, 21st Century Chemistry) through its Student Store, plus badging via Accredible and inclusive access programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bedford/St. Martin's: College publisher for English composition courses, publishing textbooks like A Writer's Reference and The St. Martin's Guide to College Writing.
- WH Freeman
- Worth Publishers
- iClicker
- Hayden-McNeil
Products and services
- Achieve Macmillan Learning's primary digital courseware and learning platform that combines an e-book, adaptive quizzing (LearningCurve), instructor resources, and AI-powered tutoring into a unified experience for college students and instructors, designed to improve course performance and student success.
- iClicker All-in-one active learning tool and student response system that improves classroom engagement through instant polling, group work, peer discussions, and automated attendance, with the AI Question Creator feature for instructors.
- LaunchPad Digital platform for hosting course content and delivering interactive media, tutorials, and assessments in higher education courses.
- Sapling Digital homework and assessment platform for science and math courses, available standalone or as part of the SaplingPlus bundle, providing interactive problem-solving and personalized feedback for students.
- SaplingPlus Bundled offering that combines Sapling digital homework with an e-book, providing students with interactive practice and textbook content in a single access point.
- FlipIt Pre-class engagement platform that prepares students before class through brief, instructor-guided digital activities, available as a standalone digital course material.
- Writer's Help Digital writing resource platform for students, available as a standalone digital material supporting writing instruction across disciplines.
- REEF Active learning platform for mobile-based in-class engagement and polling, available as a standalone digital course material.
- E-books Digital textbooks available in multiple formats, including Read & Practice bundles, with highlighting, note-taking, and mobile-friendly access for college students.
- iOLab Digital lab solution offered as part of Macmillan's Lab Solutions portfolio, providing interactive online lab experiences for college science courses.
- Badging & Certification (Accredible) Badging and digital certification solution powered by Accredible, enabling institutions to issue and manage digital credentials and badges for students.
- Hayden-McNeil Digital Lab Notebooks Digital lab notebook solutions from the Hayden-McNeil brand, providing online lab experiences for science courses.
- TradeUp Trade book program offering discounted access to trade titles for classroom use, available at us.macmillan.com.
- Physical Textbooks Print textbooks, loose-leaf editions, and bound texts sold through the Student Store; available new or used with standard UPS ground and expedited shipping options, with a 130-day rental program and buyout option.
Quantifiable outcome
- LearningCurve adaptive quizzing results in improved exam scores and grades, particularly for first-generation students
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Macmillan Learning
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Macmillan Learning technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
Macmillan Learning partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Macmillan Learning competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pearson: Pearson is the largest global higher-education publisher and EdTech company, offering textbooks, MyLab/Mastering digital platforms, and assessment tools. Direct overlap with Macmillan Learning in college textbooks, adaptive learning, and institutional courseware.
- Wiley: Wiley is a diversified publisher with a substantial higher-education and professional learning division (WileyPLUS), serving the same instructor and student audience as Macmillan Learning with similar courseware and assessment products.
Direct peers
- Chegg: Chegg provides textbook rentals and digital study tools to college students, directly overlapping with Macmillan Learning's rental, e-book, and adaptive-learning offerings and competing for the same student wallet share.
- Cengage Group: Cengage is a major higher-education publisher and ed-tech company offering textbooks, MindTap digital platforms, and inclusive-access programs. Operates the same instructor-adoption GTM and competes head-to-head in core curriculum categories.
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: HMH is a major educational publisher with both K-12 and higher-ed offerings, including adaptive learning platforms and a broad textbook catalog. Competitor for institutional sales and content licensing in the US market.
- McGraw-Hill Education: McGraw-Hill Education is one of the "Big Three" higher-education publishers with a comparable portfolio of textbooks, Connect digital courseware, and adaptive learning platforms. Direct competitor to Macmillan Learning in science, business, and humanities disciplines.
Emerging players
- OpenStax (Rice University): OpenStax is the leading provider of free, peer-reviewed open textbooks in higher education and a structural disruptor to paid publishers including Macmillan Learning, particularly in introductory college courses.
- Top Hat: Top Hat is a higher-ed teaching and learning platform competing directly with iClicker in active classroom engagement and with parts of Achieve in courseware. Comparable GTM targeting instructors with a freemium motion.
Others
- VitalSource (Ingram): VitalSource is a leading e-textbook delivery platform used by many publishers including Macmillan. Acts as both an infrastructure provider and a competing storefront for digital course materials, making it an adjacent peer in digital textbook distribution.
Regional players
- Sage Publishing: Sage is a publisher specializing in social sciences, humanities, and business — disciplines where Macmillan Learning also competes heavily through Worth and Bedford/St. Martin's imprints. Comparable in academic-textbook positioning though more niche in scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Macmillan Learning social profiles
Digital presenceMacmillan Learning compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Macmillan Learning financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Macmillan Learning leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Macmillan Learning funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Macmillan Learning M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Macmillan Learning
What does Macmillan Learning do?
Macmillan Learning develops, publishes, and distributes higher education instructional content and digital learning tools. Its core product is the Achieve digital courseware platform, which integrates e-books, adaptive quizzing, AI-powered tutoring, and assessment tools, supported by a broad catalog of print and digital textbooks across more than 25 academic disciplines and complementary products such as iClicker classroom engagement, Sapling digital homework, and Hayden-McNeil lab notebooks.
Is Macmillan Learning a public or private company?
Macmillan Learning is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Macmillan Learning founded?
Macmillan Learning was founded in 1946. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Macmillan Learning based?
Macmillan Learning is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Macmillan Learning make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Physical Textbook Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions and Licenses, textbook Rental, bundled Products and inclusive Access Programs.
Who are Macmillan Learning's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pearson and Wiley. Direct peers are Chegg, Cengage Group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and McGraw-Hill Education. Emerging players are OpenStax (Rice University) and Top Hat. VitalSource (Ingram) is listed as an others. Sage Publishing is listed as a regional player.
Does Macmillan Learning have an API?
No public API is recorded for Macmillan Learning.
What industry is Macmillan Learning in?
Macmillan Learning's product category is Higher Education Learning Technology and Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGABAN, Interdisciplinary/General Education & Study Skills. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.