What EMLS does

EMLS, founded in 2001 in St. Petersburg and now operating as part of CIAN Group, is a leading real estate marketplace for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast. Following the acquisition by CIAN Group, the EMLS asset has been integrated into the broader cian.ru platform, which is recognized as the No. 1 online real estate service in Russia (per Similarweb, September 2023). The platform aggregates listings across residential sale and rent, new construction, suburban/country properties, and commercial real estate, with every listing verified by professional moderators before publication.

The platform is built on a moderated property database, structured by metro stations, districts, and developers, and is accessible via web and dedicated iOS/Android applications. Core product surface includes a search and recommendation engine, a map-based new-build discovery layer, a mortgage calculator integrated with partner banks, a personal account with favorites/bookmarking, a smart assistant, transaction facilitation (Sdelka), and a legal property verification service (Proverka nedvizhimosti). Supply is contributed by individual realtors, real estate agencies, and property developers; demand comes from individual buyers and renters, with banks acting as monetization partners.

Monetization combines a freemium listing model (free basic listings, 'Разместить за 0 ₽') with paid promotional services (Продвижение), advertising revenue from bank mortgage offers, and fee-based transaction facilitation. The company operates as a privately held Russian limited liability entity (ООО «Айриэлтор»), with St. Petersburg as its headquarters and a single-country/domestic geographic footprint. Marketing is conducted through national TV advertising, a Superagents referral program, and SEO-optimized organic listing pages.

Name

EMLS

Legal name

ООО «Айриэлтор»

Website

https://emls.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Short description

EMLS, founded in 2001 and acquired by CIAN Group, is a leading online real estate marketplace serving St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast. It connects individual buyers and renters with realtors, agencies, and developers via a moderated, multi-channel listings platform spanning residential, new construction, and commercial properties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Real Estate Marketplace

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Seller Representation & Listing Services (BPAJAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ), Foreclosure/REO & Distressed Property Auctions (BPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Real estate marketplace
• Property listings
• Apartment rentals
• New construction sales
• Mortgage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Petersburg

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Listing Fees: Real estate agents and agencies pay to list properties on the platform. The site offers free listing placement ('Разместить за 0 ₽') for some categories, with paid promotion options available.
2. Paid Promotional Services: Property listings can be promoted through paid advertising and promotional tools. The platform offers 'Продвижение' (Promotion) services for increased visibility.
3. Advertising: The platform displays mortgage offers from banks and other partner services, generating advertising revenue.
4. Transaction Facilitation: The platform offers transaction services ('Сделка') and legal property verification services, potentially generating fees from transaction facilitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EMLS is a leading online real estate marketplace in St. Petersburg, Russia, operating a verified property listings platform for the sale, rent, and purchase of residential, suburban, and commercial properties across the Leningrad Oblast. The service includes professional moderation of all listings, structured catalog navigation by metro stations and districts, a smart recommendation engine, mobile applications, an integrated mortgage section, and property legal verification services.

Product overview

Циан (Cian) is a comprehensive real estate platform operating as a unified online service. The core product is the real estate database (База недвижимости) providing verified listings for residential, suburban, and commercial properties across Leningrad Oblast and St. Petersburg. The platform integrates multiple complementary features including a mobile app for iOS and Android, a smart assistant, map-based property search, mortgage calculator, and property legal verification services. The service also maintains directories of realtors, real estate agencies, and property developers. The platform implements a recommendation engine that suggests similar listings to facilitate property search.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Циан - База недвижимости (Cian Real Estate Database) A comprehensive online real estate database platform offering verified listings for residential, suburban, and commercial properties for sale and rent in Leningrad Oblast and St. Petersburg, with professional moderation of all listings.
• Мобильное приложение Циан (Cian Mobile Application) Native mobile application for iOS and Android that allows users to search for properties, save favorites, and access listing details from mobile devices.
• Сделка (Transaction Service) Transaction facilitation service provided through the platform to support users in completing real estate deals.
• Проверка недвижимости (Legal Check / Property Verification) Legal due diligence service that verifies the legal standing of real estate listings to support buyers and renters in assessing property legitimacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Verified property listings through professional moderation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Banks and Mortgage LendersmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial institutions partner with Cian to display mortgage offers and loan products through the platform's integrated mortgage section ('Ипотека'). The platform drives qualified leads to bank mortgage products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CIAN Group (Cian.ru): Direct parent and Russia's #1 online real estate marketplace. Operates the same platform model with verified listings, agent/agency directories, developer new-construction catalogs, mortgage integration, and transaction services across Russia. Most directly comparable peer given acquisition relationship and identical product.
• IRR.ru: Long-standing Russian real estate classifieds portal covering sale, rent, and new construction nationally. Comparable marketplace mechanics with agent listings and consumer search, though with less rigorous moderation than EMLS/Cian.
• DomClick: Sberbank-owned real estate platform combining listings with deeply integrated mortgage origination. Competes with EMLS/Cian directly on agent/agency listings and new-construction developer marketing, with a financial-services moat.
• BN.ru: St. Petersburg-originated real estate portal offering residential and commercial listings, agent directories, and analytics. Closely comparable regional peer given overlapping St. Petersburg geography and similar broker/agent-led marketplace model.
• Restate.ru: Russian real estate analytics and listings platform with broad residential and commercial coverage. Comparable as a property data and listing portal competing for serious-buyer traffic and agent subscriptions.
• Yandex Real Estate (Yandex.Nedvizhimost): Yandex's dedicated real estate vertical competing head-to-head with Cian/EMLS in search-driven property discovery across Russia. Directly comparable as a free, search-led real estate listings portal with similar buyer-renter audience.

Broad incumbents

• Avito (Real Estate vertical): Russia's largest classifieds platform with a substantial real estate vertical. While not a pure-play real estate marketplace, its sheer traffic and brand make it a structural competitor for agent listings and buyer/renter attention across Russia.

Emerging players

• Etagi: Russian real estate agency and platform operating across multiple regions with mortgage brokering. Comparable hybrid brokerage/marketplace model competing for agent listings, buyer leads, and mortgage cross-sell revenue.
• MIEL: Russian real estate brokerage combining agency services with an online listings platform. Comparable on agent-led listing model and St. Petersburg/Moscow presence, though smaller scale and more agency-centric than marketplace-pure EMLS/Cian.

Regional players

• N1.ru: Network of regional Russian real estate portals serving major cities outside St. Petersburg/Moscow. Comparable marketplace model with listing directories, agent profiles, and developer sections; competes for regional agent wallet share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 EMLS