Russian EdTech Market Results and Forecasts for the End of 2025

Contents:

• Key Challenges of the Past Year
• Children's EdTech: Slow Growth, Focus on Blended Learning, and Extended Customer Lifecycle
• Adult Education in EdTech: Striving for Sustainability, Systematic Learning, and Product Updates
• Promising Directions and Payment Models for Future Investments
• Analysis of Digital Business Solutions: Import Substitution Strategy and Fair Pricing
• The Bottom Line

While it will be some time before the final results for the current year are available, it is already possible to analyze some aspects of the cases and strategies, and also try to predict the future for the Russian EdTech market. We can find out whether new incentives for growth have emerged, which initial expectations have not been met, and what should be paid attention to in the future.

All these issues were discussed at a panel discussion held as part of the EdTech Expo 2025 conference. This event, dedicated to solutions, technologies, and contractors in the field of EdTech and online education, was held on October 15 and 16 at the Skolkovo Technopark.

The discussion on the topic "New crisis for the EdTech market: adaptation strategies from leading industry players" will feature:

• Ilya Kurmyshev holds the position of CEO of the Yandex online education platform Workshop."
• Pavel Moseykin, former CEO and current member of the board of directors of the educational organization Ultimate Education.
• Sergey Popkov is a co-founder and CEO of the Skillbox holding.
• Andrey Sizov is the CEO of the Foxford online school.
• Natalya Tsarevskaya-Dyakina is an EdTech specialist, who previously held the position of Director of EdTech in the IT cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation.
• Artur Zakharyan is the Director of Strategy at Websoft, a company that specializes in digital solutions for improving employee efficiency and offers an ecosystem of digital products for business.

Key challenges faced in the outgoing year

The meeting was moderated by Mikhail Mordasov, one of the founders of Smart Course. He opened the event by listing the main problems facing the industry, focusing on difficulties associated with interest rates, as well as declining public interest in traditional supplementary education.

Natalia Tsarevskaya-Dyakina noted that the increasingly complex rules regarding blogger advertising have made attracting clients even more challenging. She also expressed doubts about government support for the EdTech sector, which has fallen short of expectations. However, Nadezhda Surova, head of the Digital Economy Competence Center, would likely disagree with this view. During her presentation at the same conference, she explained in detail that online education specialists need to integrate into national and federal initiatives to receive accessible support. At the same time, despite the availability of such opportunities, EdTech market participants do not use them actively enough.

Sergey Popkov noted that one of the problems faced by the EdTech sector, like many other online spheres, is that in some regions mobile internet is unstable or completely absent.

Nevertheless, Mikhail Mordasov noted that, despite the existing difficulties, Smart Ranking's quarterly reports still indicate growth in the EdTech sector, although this growth is insignificant compared to the previous year. He encouraged participants to discuss the real circumstances in their companies and industries. We share the key findings and plans that were announced.

Children's educational technology: slowed growth, an emphasis on blended learning and an increase in the client lifecycle

Andrey Sizov noted that at Foxford, growth was less significant than expected at the beginning of this year. In his opinion, this reflects reality: the overall market is slowing, and this trend is also affecting the children's EdTech sector, despite the widespread belief that it continues to develop rapidly.

"According to my analysis, if there has been growth in the children's goods sector, it is largely due to inflationary factors. It is difficult to talk about a real market expansion in terms of user growth. There is a significant reason for this – the demographic situation," he noted.

Andrey highlighted homeschooling as a key factor driving Foxford's growth in the children's education market. This segment generates over 50% of the company's revenue. In addition, he noted that individual lessons with tutors are also in high demand.

However, according to Foxford's CEO, the key factor for growth is not attracting new customers, but rather improving loyalty and increasing the lifetime value (LTV) of existing users. Simply put, the focus should be on increasing retention rates so that existing customers make more purchases.

"Fortunately, our activities are focused on a field where educational needs persist over a long period of time and change with age. Our products are aimed at children aged four and up, and thanks to the opening of the IT college, we can also work with young people up to 21. This creates significant opportunities to increase customer lifetime value," noted Andrey Sizov.

The speaker also pointed to an area where companies working in the EdTech sector for children have not yet achieved significant success, with the exception of isolated cases: exam preparation for high school students. The main problem is that Foxford and most other players in this segment have traditionally based their product development approach on the needs of educational institutions, rather than on the needs of individual teachers. However, in the context of the examination track, a completely different model appears to be in effect, making adaptation to the new conditions difficult. Natalya Tsarevskaya-Dyakina expressed the opinion that the next significant increase in demand can be expected specifically in the area of ​​Unified State Exam preparation. This is due to government initiatives aimed at sending young people after ninth grade to secondary vocational educational institutions to train for vocational skills. This year, an experiment was conducted in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Lipetsk, with plans to expand to other regions in 2026. Meanwhile, admission to higher education institutions, even on a commercial basis, is becoming increasingly difficult. Thus, the demand for preparatory courses for the Unified State Exam will grow.

As for other forecasts, Andrey Sizov believes that further expansion of the online format is unlikely. The expert believes that the future lies in hybrid models. He noted that Foxford plans to develop in this direction. "I see the opportunity to increase the number of our students from 150,000 to a million simply by going beyond the usual formats," he concluded.

Adult Education in EdTech: Striving for Sustainability, Systematic Learning, and Product Updates

In 2025, companies working in the EdTech field for adults will focus on finding ways to stabilize their operations. Pavel Moseykin noted that it was more important to "streamline existing resources" than to try to develop new markets. In turn, Ilya Kurmyshev noted that, despite the economic crisis affecting all industries, including EdTech, “we continue to live, develop and grow in these conditions,” which in itself is already a positive result.

Companies focused on the areas that looked most reliable, as well as on formal education, including higher and secondary vocational education, which confirmed its relevance. At the same time, as Sergey Popkov noted, a new trend has emerged – training in neural networks. At the same time, there was a certain transfer of interest, and working with neural networks became an additional product that meets current consumer demands.

"Those who do not want to start with the basics, for example, in the field of graphic design, prefer the course "Neural Networks in Design." This course offers similar training, but additionally includes mastery of working with neural networks," he explained.

As a result, interest in neural networks has become the main driver of development in the fields of design and programming.

Opinions on the future of programming among the discussion participants differ. Sergey Popkov noted that the decline in this sector has stopped. Pavel Moseykin expressed satisfaction that their company had decided not to open or acquire an IT school, as it had ensured their stable growth, implying that such a venture could have negatively impacted the company's bottom line. In response, Ilya Kurmyshev remarked with a touch of irony, "We're also glad you didn't choose the IT path." He added that, in his opinion, current industry leaders are focusing on certain thematic areas, and he would like Yandex Praktikum to take a leading position in the IT segment, although this does not exclude the presence of competition.

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The demand for educational programs in information technology continues to evolve. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in IT professions, driven by the growing need for qualified specialists in the labor market. Companies are seeking to attract employees with skills in programming, cybersecurity, data analysis, and other related fields.

This, in turn, creates a steady demand for courses that help students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Given the rapid development of technology and constant changes in the industry, people understand the importance of updating their knowledge and upgrading their skills. As a result, not only young people but also professionals already working in other fields are turning to IT courses to adapt to the demands of the modern market.

Therefore, it's safe to say that interest in IT training will continue to grow, driven both by business needs and by people's desire to develop and find new career opportunities.

Sergey Popkov expressed an alternative view: for large players, the key is currently not so much consolidation as diversification and expansion of their product range. This means that a company's stability is ensured by the presence of various product lines, both in terms of subject matter and in terms of target audiences (for example, for both children and adults). If demand for one product declines, other product lines can compensate.

Pavel Moseykin also expressed a similar view, noting that Ultimate Education demonstrates stability thanks to the presence of seven brands covering a variety of niches—from healthy lifestyle to design. Each of these brands has its own well-established communities.

Among the significant findings, it's worth noting that Yandex Praktikum's B2B segment is demonstrating strong results, something the company has emphasized for the past three years. Ilya Kurmyshev noted, "We are increasingly developing our work with corporate clients, where the employer covers the cost of employee training." He clarified that companies request upskilling and reskilling programs almost equally. Upskilling is motivated by obvious reasons, while reskilling programs are sought by employers not for a complete career change, but for organizing and systematizing existing knowledge within their current specialty.

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Reskilling and upskilling courses in the field of design have their own unique features and goals. Reskilling is aimed at training in new professions or specialties, which is especially relevant for professionals wishing to change their careers or master a completely different field of design. Such programs help fill the knowledge and skill gaps needed to perform new tasks.

On the other hand, upskilling is focused on improving and deepening existing skills. This means that upskilled professionals continue to develop their competencies within their current profession, studying new technologies, methods, and approaches that allow them to remain competitive in the market.

Thus, the main difference between these courses lies in their goals: reskilling is focused on mastering a new profession, while upskilling is focused on improving existing design skills.

Promising directions and payment models for future investments

All discussion participants agreed that the market will undergo significant changes in the next two years. This is primarily due to the trend toward expanding formal education. Pavel Moseykin noted that the market size associated with infobusiness and EdTech is approximately 300 billion rubles, while university revenue alone exceeds one trillion. Sergey Popkov added that factors stimulating demand play a significant role. For example, among secondary vocational education (SVE) programs, those that allow young people to obtain a diploma in just three years are particularly attractive, enabling them to enter the labor market. Furthermore, accredited programs offer military service deferments, unlike additional vocational education (AVE), as well as the opportunity to obtain a government-supported student loan. According to the head of Skillbox, EdTech companies should expand their horizons and go beyond modern digital professions. They should consider traditional programs such as management, economics, and law, which, according to statistics, remain in high demand among students entering vocational schools.

The appeal of online education in vocational schools is confirmed by a simple fact: attracting students to the Skillbox Digital College in 2025 didn't even require investing in advertising campaigns. It was enough to offer training to parents of teenagers who had previously interacted with the Skillbox brand through courses. This example demonstrates that EdTech companies can develop traditional education by building on an existing client base formed through continuing professional education.

At Yandex Praktikum, formal education is offered through an online master's degree program, implemented in collaboration with universities. Ilya Kurmyshev notes that this is seeing significant growth, as edtech companies are incorporating skills acquired through continuing professional education into higher education. This includes the use of new technologies and platforms, as well as the ability to effectively work with content and organize the customer journey. The speaker emphasized that this is still a significant innovation for traditional education. Yandex Praktikum believes it is important to expand its horizons beyond the traditional educational sector. In this regard, in 2025, a new service called "Career Praktikum" was launched, which is designed to assist students and graduates in finding employment. The speaker also noted that additional services that could complement this project may be introduced in the future. Short-term programs and subscription models appear to yield varying results depending on the situation. According to the head of Yandex Praktikum, subscription offers are not as popular as expected. He attributes this to the fact that clients' planning horizons have significantly shortened in both life and business, making the current period unsuitable for making decisions that require long-term service use. Furthermore, short and inexpensive formats are also unjustified, as they don't cover the economic costs of their development.

Pavel Moseykin emphasizes that the effectiveness of both subscriptions and inexpensive short formats largely depends on the chosen niche and target audience. He noted that Ultimate Education successfully transitioned to short-term skill-based programs, which have a "very clear average cost for consumers." Regarding the subscription model, Pavel is confident in its potential, and Ultimate Education plans to test it. According to the speaker, the key to successful promotion lies in edutainment - the ability to harmoniously combine entertainment elements with educational content.

Natalia Tsarevskaya-Dyakina suggested that the discussion participants consider the possibilities of a subscription model from a different perspective. She noted that, as an online learning user, she would be willing to pay for a subscription that would ensure updated content for courses already purchased, especially in areas where information changes rapidly.

She also noted that a year ago, many EdTech companies promised to create the opportunity for users to learn not only on their own platforms, which often prove unfamiliar and confusing ("you go, log in, and then forget why you came"), but also on other platforms, such as Telegram. This initiative could significantly improve the customer experience, but to date, no one has implemented these ideas.

Among other comments and conclusions, Pavel Moseykin noted that Ultimate Education is seeing growing interest in hybrid formats, and the company plans to incorporate this into its strategy. He is also curious about the concept of joint marketing with marketplaces such as Ozon, Wildberries, and Avito, as he sees significant opportunities for audience expansion.

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Are there factors that will drive the growth of EdTech companies in 2025 if people already feel overwhelmed by learning?

Analysis of Digital Business Solutions: Import Substitution Strategy and Fair Pricing

Artur Zakharyan, using Websoft as an example, illustrated the current state of another area of ​​EdTech—the B2B segment, which is not focused on educational products but offers technological solutions for employee development. In this context, the year 2025 also turned out to be ambiguous.

On the one hand, Websoft demonstrated a more noticeable increase in revenue compared to the educational products sector. According to Artur, growth was 40% in the first six months, and 35% in the third quarter. However, on the other hand, this growth could have been even more impressive if not for the suspension of a number of projects that were frozen at the final stage of development.

This occurred due to a lack of proven sources of financing from clients. Simply put, signs of an economic crisis have also emerged in this situation.

Websoft's Enterprise division, launched in 2025, also failed to deliver the expected results, and this was due to a similar reason. The offering, focused on an improved level of service and expanded digital system packaging for clients with high demands, did meet market expectations, as Artur noted. However, due to financial constraints, potential clients are not yet ready to make purchases, and they proposed discussing the matter again at the end of 2026.

"Our client base remains stable due to a combination of two factors," Artur Zakharyan noted. "On the one hand, we are facing economic difficulties and a crisis, and on the other, import substitution and a shortage of personnel." In our case, these aspects compensate each other to a certain extent.

He is confident that reasonable pricing played a significant role in maintaining the stability of the client base. As the speaker noted, Websoft had the opportunity to significantly increase prices, given market trends and the cost of more specialized products. However, reversing this decision proved successful when, during the crisis, company executives began asking HR questions about the digital platforms they were using: "What is our total cost of ownership? How much will this cost us over the next 3-5 years, and how predictable will these expenses be?"

"All together—stability, predictability, and reasonable pricing—were probably the main reasons why our key clients are even slightly increasing their usage this year." "They're not just maintaining existing capabilities, but also adding new functional modules, as the time has come to automate the talent pool," the speaker noted.

The Bottom Line

Summarizing the main ideas voiced by the participants of the main discussion panel at EdTech Expo, we can identify several key findings about the state of Russian EdTech this year:

• A slowdown in growth is observed not only in the adult sector, but also in the children's sector. As for the market for comprehensive technical solutions for human resources management, which includes tools for employee development, the situation here is somewhat more favorable. However, the effects of economic crises are also evident in this area.
• Key market players in both children's and adult education have focused their efforts not on increasing the number of customers, but on increasing the lifetime value (LTV) of those who are already their customers.
• There is a concept that allows one to reach potential new users in a situation where traditional advertising methods have ceased to be effective: this can be done through cooperation with marketplaces.
• In the area of ​​strategic products, major players in the adult EdTech market continue to actively focus on the opportunities of formal education. Those who have not yet entered this sector are likely to do so in the near future, and those who have already started will likely seek to expand their operations. In addition, companies are focused on diversifying their offerings, with neural network training being one of the key growth drivers.
• Furthermore, there is a trend towards hybrid formats, albeit partially, in both the children's and adult segments of educational technologies.

Read also:

• Key factors contributing to the development of Russian EdTech companies in 2024 have been identified.
• The situation on the Russian educational technology market in 2024: key achievements and forecasts for 2025.
• What are the real opportunities for Russian EdTech in the CIS markets?
• In Russia, many organizations prefer to develop their own educational programs for their employees, while abroad they more often resort to purchasing ready-made courses. The reasons for this phenomenon can be explained by several factors.

  Firstly, domestic companies strive to create unique content that will correspond to the specifics of their activities and corporate culture. This not only helps better prepare employees but also fosters team spirit, as courses are developed with the company's internal processes and values ​​in mind.

  Secondly, there's the economic aspect. Developing courses can be more cost-effective in the long term, especially for larger organizations that can invest in creating high-quality educational content. This also avoids the additional costs of purchasing external programs, which may not always meet the company's needs.

  Furthermore, the Russian education market is experiencing a shortage of high-quality, ready-made courses, which is encouraging companies to create their own training materials. This makes it possible not only to adapt the content to current tasks, but also to quickly respond to changes in the industry.

  Thus, the approach to personnel training in Russia and abroad is determined by differences in corporate culture, economic calculations and the availability of high-quality educational content.