About VitalSource
VitalSource is an Education company based in Raleigh (United States) founded in 1994, and was acquired by Francisco Partners in April 2021. Online platform offering ebooks and digital learning tools. It operates in the Education and Media & Entertainment sectors. VitalSource has completed 5 acquisitions, including Acrobatiq, Akademos and CourseSmart. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Kent Freeman. Its website vitalsource.com draws about 17.1 million monthly visits. Its focus areas include EdTech, Higher Education Tech, Ecommerce and Text Books. Its legal entity is VITALSOURCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC. Its competitors include Chegg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Packback; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
VitalSource was founded in 1994 in Raleigh, United States, and operates in the education technology sector. An online platform is maintained to deliver ebooks and digital learning tools. A bookshelf function is provided to educators for streamlining workflows, including textbook evaluation, adoption, and course content integration. Analytics and insights on book usage are supplied to administrators to support optimization of book renting processes.
- Headquarters Raleigh, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsEducationMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Arts and Entertainment · Books and Literature
- Website vitalsource.com/browser-not-supported
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Acquired by Francisco Partners (Apr 2021)
- Legal Name Vitalsource Technologies Llc
- Investors
- Investments & AcquisitionsAcrobatiq
& 4 more
- Acquired byFrancisco Partners
(Apr 2021)
Apps and channels of VitalSource
its YouTube channel VitalSource has 2.38K subscribers and 10 videos.
Videos from VitalSource
The most watched videos on VitalSource's YouTube channel, VitalSource (2.38K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on VitalSource.
Investors in VitalSource
VitalSource has secured backing from 1 investor, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Francisco Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity investment firm focused on technology sector | 1999 | franciscopartners.com | San Francisco, United States |
Investor details for VitalSource
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of VitalSource
1 people are tracked at VitalSource (1 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Kent Freeman | CEO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for VitalSource
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by VitalSource
VitalSource has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 5 companies. Notable acquisitions include Acrobatiq, Akademos and CourseSmart.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online platform for buying books | akademos.com | Norwalk, United States | 1999 | Mar 2023 | •••• | |
Adaptive courseware and data analytics are delivered for personalized learning. | acrobatiq.com | Pittsburgh, United States | 2013 | Sep 2018 | •••• | |
SaaS-based learning management platforms for corporations are provided. | intrepidlearning.com | Seattle, United States | 1999 | Dec 2017 | •••• | |
Digital educational materials are distributed by connecting publishers to consumers. | coursesmart.com | Carolina, Puerto Rico | 2007 | Mar 2014 | •••• | |
Publisher of visual textbooks and e-book | vpg.com | Kyiv, Ukraine | 1996 | Jun 2011 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for VitalSource
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of VitalSource
7 dated milestones of VitalSource across 29 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded VitalSource is founded.
- Acquisition Acquires VPG.
- Acquisition Acquires CourseSmart.
- Acquisition Acquires Intrepid Learning.
- Acquisition Acquires Acrobatiq.
- Exit Acquired by Francisco Partners.
- Acquisition Acquires Akademos.
Competitors of VitalSource
VitalSource has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Chegg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Packback.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chegg.com | 2005 | Santa Clara, United States | $205.99M | 771 | Rental books and homework help are provided to university students. | |
| hmhco.com | 1832 | Boston, United States | $5M | 2,148 | Interactive games and books for kids and schools. | |
| packback.co | 2012 | Chicago, United States | $13.64M | 111 | Text book rental platform |
Detailed competitors of VitalSource
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of VitalSource
The website of VitalSource (vitalsource.com) receives about 17.1M visits a month and ranks #3,093 among all websites worldwide, #307 in Books and Literature.
- Monthly visits17.1M
▲ 108.1% vs previous month
- Unique visitors2.1M
per month
- Global rank#3,093
among all websites
- Category rank#307
Arts and Entertainment · Books and Literature
- Bounce rate23%
- Pages per visit18.5
- Average visit14 min 30 sec
- DevicesDesktop 87% · Mobile 13%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with VitalSource. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| directtextbook.com | 100% | #81,132 | View details | ||
| betterworldbooks.com | 87% | 2.2M | #22,825 | View details | |
| thriftbooks.com | 85% | 18.6M | #1,943 | View details | |
| kobo.com | 82% | 8.8M | #5,694 | View details | |
| cheapesttextbooks.com | 80% | 95.3K | #864,415 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for VitalSource
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Education Technology Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as VitalSource (Education Technology Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of a platform providing gamified language learning through interactive exercises | 2011 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | USD 183.3 M | USD 748.02 M | 900 | |
Cloud-based software for K-12 education is provided. | 1997 | Folsom, California, United States | USD 32 M | USD 47.59 M | 1,308 | |
Online platform for preschool management and parent updates is offered. | 2014 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 88.8 M |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Vitalsource
Complete news archive for VitalSource
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about VitalSource
VitalSource was founded in 1994.
VitalSource is headquartered in Raleigh, United States. It is registered at Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.
Kent Freeman is the CEO of VitalSource, as recorded in our data.
VitalSource was founded in 1994 in Raleigh, United States, and operates in the education technology sector. An online platform is maintained to deliver ebooks and digital learning tools. A bookshelf function is provided to educators for streamlining workflows, including textbook evaluation, adoption, and course content integration. Analytics and insights on book usage are supplied to administrators to support optimization of book renting processes.
VitalSource's top competitors include Chegg, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Packback.
VitalSource has made 5 acquisitions, including Acrobatiq, Akademos, and CourseSmart.
VitalSource has 1 investor. Key investors include Francisco Partners.
VitalSource operates through Vitalsource Technologies Llc.
Yes. VitalSource was acquired by Francisco Partners in April 2021.
The website of VitalSource receives about 17.1 million visits a month and ranks #3,093 among all websites worldwide.