comiru

What comiru does

Comiru is a Japanese cloud-based SaaS school management platform operated by 株式会社POPER (POPER Co., Ltd.), a publicly listed company on the JPX Growth Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The platform targets private tutoring schools (塾 / cram schools) and adjacent educational facilities — including programming schools, after-school care (学童・放デイ), English/conversation schools, sports schools, and music/art/hobby schools — providing an integrated system for parent communication, billing and payment collection, class scheduling, instructor attendance and payroll, student learning progress tracking, and marketing/lead management. As of April 2025, the platform serves 6,000+ classrooms and 400,000+ students across Japan, with a reported 99% customer retention rate (FY October 2023 monthly basis) and a No.1 introduction-results ranking for cloud-based tutoring school management systems per Deloitte Tohmatsu Mick Economic Research (Mick IT Report, February 2021).

The product is structured as a tiered subscription platform: Comiru BASIC serves single schools with the core communication, billing, scheduling, and learning management modules; Comiru PRO adds multi-school and headquarters-level controls including franchise management; Comiru ERP provides custom enterprise system development for large multi-school operators. Optional add-on modules include ComiruAir for online lessons (one-on-one video instruction, online study rooms, video distribution) and ComiruHR for instructor shift and salary management. The technology stack is a cloud SaaS platform with native iOS/Android apps, QR-code-based entry/exit management using standard smartphone cameras, LINE and Google SSO integration, Zoom integration for web demos and online lessons, and API connectivity for third-party systems. A freemium tier, ComiruFREE, provides basic marketing functions and serves as a customer acquisition funnel.

The business model is a per-student monthly subscription that scales with school size, supplemented by transaction fees from integrated payment processing (1.5%+ on credit card payments and ¥58 per account transfer). Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, combining direct web-based consultations, free trials, gated document downloads, content marketing through the Comimag blog, the ComiruLab community, and webinars. Distribution is domestic Japan only, with no indication of international expansion. The company is led by Founder and CEO Kurihara Shingo (栗原慎吾) and has augmented its leadership with Executive Advisors who are former presidents of major Japanese tutoring chains, reinforcing its domain credibility in the 塾 market segment.

Name

comiru

Legal name

株式会社POPER

Website

https://comiru.jp

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Comiru is a Japanese cloud-based SaaS school management platform operated by POPER Co., Ltd., providing integrated communication, billing, scheduling, learning, and marketing tools for 塾 (tutoring schools) and adjacent educational facilities. It serves 6,000+ classrooms and 400,000+ students across Japan with a 99% retention rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Management Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise/School-District Virtual Tutoring Providers (B2B2C) (EDANAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL), Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Tutoring school management
• School administration software
• Parent communication platform
• Billing automation
• Education technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Per Student Pricing: Comiru charges based on the number of registered students per month. The pricing scales with school size, with three main tiers: Comiru BASIC for single schools, Comiru PRO for multi-location operations, and Comiru ERP for custom enterprise systems. Additional optional add-ons include ComiruAir for online lessons and ComiruHR for instructor management.
2. Payment Processing Fees: Transaction fees from integrated payment processing services including credit card payments (1.5%+ per transaction) and account transfer payments (58 yen per transaction)
3. Freemium - ComiruFREE: Free tier providing basic marketing functions (web registration, lead management, review collection) and joint purchasing. This serves as a customer acquisition channel for upgrading to paid tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Comiru is a cloud-based school management SaaS platform for Japanese tutoring schools and educational institutions, integrating communication (announcements, instruction reports, QR code-based entry/exit management), administration (billing via credit card and account transfer, class scheduling with master templates, instructor attendance and salary calculation), marketing (lead management, web registration, review collection), and learning management (test scores, progress tracking, parent interview booking) into a single all-in-one system. The platform is offered via per-student monthly subscriptions across tiered plans (BASIC, PRO, ERP) with optional add-on modules (ComiruAir for online lessons, ComiruHR for instructor management) and a free tier (ComiruFREE) for customer acquisition.

Product overview

Comiru is a comprehensive school management platform consisting of a core product (Comiru BASIC) with multiple tiered plans (Comiru PRO for multi-school operators, Comiru ERP for custom enterprise development) and optional add-on modules (ComiruAir for online lessons, ComiruHR for instructor management). A free tier (Comiru FREE) is available for customer acquisition. The platform integrates communication tools (announcements, instruction reports, entry/exit management), administrative functions (billing, scheduling, attendance), marketing features (lead management, web registration, review collection), learning management (grades, progress tracking), and reservation systems into a single all-in-one solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Comiru BASIC: Core business management system for tutoring schools
• Comiru PRO
• Comiru ERP
• ComiruAir
• ComiruHR
• ComiruFREE
• ComiruLab (コミラボ)

Products and services

• Comiru BASIC Core per-student subscription tier of the Comiru school management platform covering announcements, instruction reports, absence/transfer management, parent-teacher meeting scheduling, QR code-based entry/exit management, payment processing (credit card and account transfer), billing, class scheduling, instructor attendance, and marketing tools. Designed for single-school operations.
• Comiru PRO Subscription tier of the Comiru school management platform for multi-location tutoring operators. Includes all BASIC features plus multi-school management, course management, headquarters-level billing control, franchise (FC) management, instructor shift management, and instructor attendance/compensation management.
• Comiru ERP Custom enterprise system development offering for large tutoring school operators that require bespoke core systems tailored to their specific operational workflows, including customization and API integration with existing systems. Sold as a separately quoted paid plan.
• Comiru FREE Free freemium tier of the Comiru platform offering web registration forms, lead management, review collection, and joint purchasing for school supplies. Functions as a self-serve customer acquisition funnel for paid tier upgrades.
• ComiruAir Optional add-on subscription module providing online lesson functionality including one-on-one video instruction, group video sessions, lesson notifications, online parent-teacher meetings, online self-study rooms, and video lessons with viewing history tracking.
• ComiruHR Optional add-on subscription module handling shift management, attendance tracking, and salary calculation for part-time and full-time instructors; these features are also included in the Comiru PRO tier.

Quantifiable outcome

• 54% reduction in operational costs (paper, stamps, payment processing fees)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• ClassDojo: ClassDojo is a widely adopted school-to-home communication and engagement platform. While not a full operations suite, it competes with a core module of Comiru (parent communication, announcements) and could evolve upmarket into the same workflow.

Broad incumbents

• PowerSchool: US-headquartered leading K-12 Student Information System serving schools and districts globally. Larger and more established than Comiru but overlaps in student information, attendance, billing, and parent communication — represents the broader incumbent Comiru could eventually compete against as it scales upmarket.
• FACTS: FACTS (formerly Renweb) provides K-12 school management including admissions, billing, tuition management, and learning management for private and faith-based schools. Comparable overlap with Comiru in tuition billing, family communication, and learning management at the school-operations layer.
• Veracross: Veracross is a unified school management platform for independent and international schools, combining SIS, learning, admissions, and billing. Broader and higher-end incumbent than Comiru, but functionally analogous across the integrated operations stack Comiru offers to Japanese private schools.

Regional players

• ManageBac: ManageBac is an international school management platform focused on IB curriculum schools, with curriculum planning, assessment, and parent communication modules. Comparable to Comiru's learning management and communication features for premium independent schools.
• Classi: Classi is a Japanese K-12 school communication and learning platform backed by Benesse and SoftBank. Operates in the same Japanese school-software space as Comiru but is primarily aimed at K-12 public/private schools rather than the tutoring-school vertical where Comiru is No.1.

Direct peers

• Teachworks: Canada-based tutoring business management SaaS offering scheduling, billing, payroll, and student tracking for tutoring companies. Direct functional overlap with Comiru BASIC's billing, scheduling, and instructor attendance modules.
• Classplus: India-based vertical SaaS enabling private tutors and coaching centers to manage content delivery, communication, and payments. Comparable to Comiru in serving independent tutoring operators with consolidated back-office and parent engagement tooling.
• Teachmint: India-based SaaS platform providing coaching and tutoring center management — communication, attendance, fees, scheduling — to small and mid-market private education operators. Highly comparable to Comiru in core functionality, vertical SaaS model, and target customer profile of independent learning centers.
• TutorCruncher: UK-based tutoring business management software covering scheduling, invoicing, CRM, and tutor payroll for independent tutors and tutoring agencies. Closely mirrors Comiru's billing, scheduling, and instructor management modules for private education providers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 comiru