Adele
Adele is a French online marketplace, founded in 1997, connecting students with student residence operators across France. The Paris-based platform aggregates 9,000+ free listings and a digital dossier system, generating revenue from partner listing fees and a paid concierge advisory service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Adele does
Adele is a French online marketplace, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Paris, that connects students seeking accommodation with student residence operators across France. The platform operates as ADELE, SAS, a privately held company with €1,000,000 in registered capital, and presents itself as the reference platform for student housing in France, aggregating approximately 9,000+ active listings across more than 900 partner residences (excluding Crous public housing) and covering around 150,000 available dwellings in all major French university cities. The service is offered free of charge to students, who can search by city, school, or neighborhood, and who are supported through housing subsidy information (CAF/APL/ALS).
The platform is built on a web-based marketplace architecture with a proprietary digital dossier management system that allows students to assemble their application documents once and submit them to multiple residences with a single click. Supporting features include real-time application tracking with notifications, internal messaging between students and residence managers, and the proprietary iBail online reservation system (registered as a trademark) for digitally reserving future accommodation on selected residences. The underlying infrastructure relies on standard third-party services including Mapbox for mapping, IKoula for hosting, and Google/Facebook for social login. The platform is GDPR/RGPD compliant and registered with the French data protection authority CNIL under number 873417.
Adele's business model is product-led and two-sided: students self-serve at no cost, while revenue is generated from property manager partners who pay listing, application, and commercialization fees, and from an additional paid advisory tier called "My Housing by ADELE" in which a dedicated advisor conducts the housing search on the student's behalf. Marketing is primarily digital — SEO-optimized city landing pages, content marketing via blog articles on housing topics, email newsletters, and a Facebook presence — with additional referral partnerships extending the funnel (guarantor services Garantme/SmartGarant/Visale, energy setup Papernest, student insurance Yvon Assur'Logement from €29/year, and the ISIC student card). The company is lean, with 1-10 disclosed employees, no disclosed funding rounds, and Vincent Dupuy listed as Directeur de la publication. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.
Adele firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Adele
- Legal name
- ADELE, SAS
- Website
- https://adele.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Adele is a French online marketplace, founded in 1997, connecting students with student residence operators across France. The Paris-based platform aggregates 9,000+ free listings and a digital dossier system, generating revenue from partner listing fees and a paid concierge advisory service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Adele industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Housing Marketplace
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Information (51)
- SIC
- Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators) (EDAIALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (THAMAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Adele is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Adele business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Partner Listing and Transaction Fees: Revenue is generated from property managers and residence operators (partners) who list on the platform. These partners pay various fees (Frais de réservation, Frais de dossier, Honoraires de commercialisation) which are charged exclusively by partners, not by Adele. The platform is free for students.
- Paid Advisory Services: My Housing by ADELE is a paid service where students can delegate their housing search to an ADELE advisor, providing an additional revenue stream alongside the free core platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free platform access for students |
| Subscription | Monthly | My Housing by ADELE paid advisory service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Adele product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Adele is a free online marketplace that connects students seeking housing with student residence operators across France. The platform aggregates approximately 9,000 listings from over 900 partner residences (including private operators and Crous public housing) and lets students build a reusable digital dossier that can be submitted to multiple residences with one click, with real-time application tracking. Revenue is generated through fees paid by partner residence operators, with an optional paid concierge service (My Housing by ADELE) for personalized search assistance.
Product overview
Adele operates as a student housing platform that connects approximately 9,000 student residence listings across France. The core offering includes the Adele Platform (web-based reservation and dossier management system) and the iBail online reservation tool. A premium add-on service called My Housing by ADELE provides personalized search assistance through dedicated advisors. The platform works exclusively with partner residence operators and does not charge students any fees for using the service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Adele Platform Free web-based marketplace that connects students seeking housing with student residence operators across France. Provides 9,000+ listings across 900+ partner residences (private operators and Crous public housing), with digital dossier management for one-click applications and real-time application tracking from a student dashboard.
- iBail Proprietary online reservation system allowing students to digitally reserve their future accommodation through the platform. Available on selected partner residences.
- My Housing by ADELE Paid concierge service where a dedicated Adele advisor handles the housing search on behalf of a student, providing personalized assistance with residence selection and application. Operates as a paid subscription-style service on top of the free platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students can apply to multiple residences with a single digital dossier submission
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Adele
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Adele technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature3 records
Adele partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Les EstudinescoreMajor student housing operator with multiple residences listed on Adele's platform. Provides furnished apartments with private bathrooms in various French cities.
- Odalys RésidencescoreLarge student housing brand operating residences across France, listed on Adele's platform with studios and apartments for students.
- Nexity StudeacoreMajor student housing operator managed by Nexity, with multiple residences featured on the Adele platform.
- StudélitescoreStudent housing management company offering furnished residences with amenities like WiFi, laundry, gym, and cafeteria services.
- VilogiamajorHousing provider operating student residences in France, including properties in Marseille, listed on the platform.
- Student VillagemajorModern student housing operator with premium residences in several French cities including Aix-en-Provence, Massy, Arcueil, and others.
- Crous (regional offices)corePublic student housing organization with residences across France. Multiple regional Crous offices are listed on the platform (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Rennes, Strasbourg, etc.).
- GarantmeminorGuarantor service for student housing, offering guarantee solutions to students who need a guarantor. Referenced on residence listings as an accepted guarantee option.
- SmartGarantminorNew generation guarantor service partner. Referenced as an accepted guarantee solution on residence listings.
- VisaleminorFree housing guarantee from Action Logement, accepted by some residences on the platform as an alternative to traditional guarantors.
- Yvon Assur'LogementminorStudent housing insurance partner offering coverage from €29/year through a partnership with Adele. Covers liability, water damage, fire, theft, and natural disasters.
- PapernestminorEnergy service partner that helps students set up electricity contracts when moving into residences. Adele has selected Papernest to facilitate energy setup for students.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Adele competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Studapart: Leading French student housing marketplace offering online booking and reservation services across France. Directly competes with Adele on the same core use case — connecting students with furnished residences — and has expanded into multiple European markets.
- Immojeune: French online platform aggregating student rentals, shared apartments, and studios. Targets the same student demographic in France with comparable listings and application tools, making it a direct marketplace competitor to Adele.
- Location-etudiant.com: Established French student rental listings site aggregating private and institutional student housing. Competes head-on with Adele on listings inventory in France and serves the same student search-and-apply journey.
Broad incumbents
- HousingAnywhere: International student housing marketplace operating across Europe with a much larger capital base and broader geographic footprint. Comparable marketplace model for student accommodation booking, though with a pan-European rather than France-only focus.
- Student.com: Global student accommodation booking platform offering international student housing in 400+ cities. Overlaps with Adele on the student-housing marketplace model but focuses on international study destinations rather than a single domestic market.
- Uniplaces: Online marketplace for student accommodation primarily serving Portugal, UK, Italy, and other European markets. Comparable booking and listing experience targeting international and domestic students across Europe.
Emerging players
- Spotahome: Mid-to-long-term rental marketplace with verified listings across European cities. While not exclusively student-focused, it overlaps with Adele on the digital booking and tenant-residence matching model for furnished rentals.
Regional players
- Crous: French public student housing network operating university residences directly. Listed as a partner on Adele's platform but also a partial competitor offering direct student housing allocation in France.
Others
- Nexity Studea: Major French student housing operator owned by Nexity. A core partner on Adele's platform but also operates its own direct booking site, representing both a distribution channel and indirect competitor.
- SeLoger: France's largest general-purpose property listings portal. Not student-focused, but a comparable French online real-estate marketplace whose scale and search traffic shape competitive dynamics in French housing listings broadly.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Adele social profiles
Digital presenceAdele compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Adele financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Adele leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Adele funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Adele M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Adele
What does Adele do?
Adele is a free online marketplace that connects students seeking housing with student residence operators across France. The platform aggregates approximately 9,000 listings from over 900 partner residences (including private operators and Crous public housing) and lets students build a reusable digital dossier that can be submitted to multiple residences with one click, with real-time application tracking. Revenue is generated through fees paid by partner residence operators, with an optional paid concierge service (My Housing by ADELE) for personalized search assistance.
Is Adele a public or private company?
Adele is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Adele founded?
Adele was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Adele based?
Adele is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Adele make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Partner Listing and Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are paid Advisory Services.
Who are Adele's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Studapart, Immojeune and Location-etudiant.com. Broad incumbents are HousingAnywhere, Student.com and Uniplaces. Spotahome is listed as an emerging player. Crous is listed as a regional player. Others are Nexity Studea and SeLoger.
Does Adele have an API?
No public API is recorded for Adele.
What industry is Adele in?
Adele's product category is Student Housing Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIALAE, Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators), with a secondary code of THAMAGAJ, Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7340.