Skillsoft's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Skillsoft (SKIL) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Skillsoft vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 453M vs 472,698M combined for its competitors (0.1% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-12.6% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs holding steady (+1.8%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Skillsoft generated -24.4% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 24.3% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -42.8% net margin compares with 93.3% for the peer group.
- Scale: Skillsoft ranks #167 of 255 companies by market capitalization in the Software & Programming industry, holding 0.0% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Skillsoft accounted for 0.1% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 0.1% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.20M compares with $6.43M for the peer group (0.0x).
- Structure: Skillsoft operates in the following segments: Talent Development Solutions Segment, Global Knowledge Segment.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
SKIL Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Skillsoft reported revenue contraction of 24.39 % year on year in Q2 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 24.27 %.
With a net margin of -42.79 %, Skillsoft reported lower profitability than its competitors (93.25 %).
Skillsoft generated 0.08 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 0.14 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
Skillsoft vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in Skillsoft reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Skillsoft and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Skillsoft's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Software & Programming industry grew revenue 16.7% year over year, combined, vs -24.4% for Skillsoft. Skillsoft's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.05% to 0.03%, a loss of 0.02 percentage points.
Skillsoft's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | No | No | No | No |
| Competitors combined (6) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 25.00 % (2 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
SKIL Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
SKIL Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
SKIL Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
SKIL Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pearson Plc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Ziprecruiter Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Franklin Covey Co | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Udemy Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Coursera Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Skillsoft's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Skillsoft's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Skillsoft Corp
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 Skillsoft Corp |
30.20 | 452.92 |
 Alphabet Inc |
3,511,646.24 | 471,097.00 |
 Pearson Plc |
11,403.38 | 4,718.73 |
 Coursera Inc |
872.92 | 886.00 |
 Udemy Inc |
672.44 | 781.23 |
 Ziprecruiter Inc |
310.85 | 452.64 |
| SUBTOTAL | 3,525,120.97 | 478,651.27 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Skillsoft Corp versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Skillsoft's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from Skillsoft reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Udemy | Company report | 85% |
| CoachHub | Company report | 85% |
| Fast Lane | Company report | 85% |
| LinkedIn Learning | Company report | 85% |
| Safari (O’Reilly) | Company report | 85% |
| Educate 360 | Company report | 85% |
| J.J. Keller | Company report | 85% |
| OpenSesame | Company report | 85% |
| Coursera | Company report | 85% |
| LRN | Company report | 85% |
| SAI Global | Company report | 85% |
| BetterUp | Company report | 85% |
| EZRAx | Company report | 85% |
| Learning Technologies Group | Company report | 85% |
| Pluralsight | Company report | 85% |
| UL-PURESafety | Company report | 85% |
| CrossKnowledge | Company report | 85% |
| Harvard ManageMentor | Company report | 85% |
| Navex Global | Company report | 85% |
| Udacity | Company report | 85% |
| Global Knowledge | Company report | 85% |
| Korn Ferry | Company report | 85% |
| Cornerstone Ondemand Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Franklin Covey Co | Company report | 85% |
| Pearson Plc | Company report | 85% |
| 2u inc | Company report | 85% |
| Vitru Ltd | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Skillsoft's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Skillsoft's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | Talent Development Solutions Segment 79.33 % |
| Alphabet Inc | Google Services 75.49 % |
| Coursera Inc | Enterprise 53.33 % |
| Udemy Inc | Enterprise 69.48 % |
| Franklin Covey Co | North America Segment 56.08 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Skillsoft's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | 30 | 201,567 | -72,750 |
| Alphabet Inc | 3,511,646 | 10,191,610 | 5,098,953 |
| Pearson Plc | 11,403 | 200,618 | 18,845 |
| Coursera Inc | 873 | 677,888 | -104,285 |
| Udemy Inc | 672 | 566,109 | -5,099 |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | 311 | 565,794 | 35,037 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 3,525,091 | 6,431,546 | 3,174,415 |
Skillsoft's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | EMEA 26.67 % |
| Alphabet Inc | United States 53.05 % |
| Coursera Inc | United States 42.24 % |
| Udemy Inc | North America 39.14 % |
| Franklin Covey Co | Americas 85.64 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Skillsoft's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 229 companies in Skillsoft's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Skillsoft ranks #167 of 229 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.00 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,855, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Corporation | 3,954,636 | 52.39 % |
| 2 | Palantir Technologies Inc | 411,967 | 5.46 % |
| 3 | Oracle Corporation | 338,315 | 4.48 % |
| 4 | Sap Se | 307,220 | 4.07 % |
| 5 | Crowdstrike Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Shopify Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Full Truck Alliance Co Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Salesforce Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Servicenow Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Snowflake Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 167 | Skillsoft Corp | 30 | 0.00 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Skillsoft's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-06.
Skillsoft's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 162 | Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd | 60 | -91.19 % |
| 163 | Marketwise Inc | 57 | 24.76 % |
| 164 | Intellicheck Inc | 43 | -54.34 % |
| 165 | Skkynet Cloud Systems Inc | 33 | - |
| 166 | Wm Technology Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 167 | Skillsoft Corp | 30 | -69.00 % |
| 168 | Visionwave Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 169 | Zedge Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 170 | Aether Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 171 | Cango inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 172 | Clps Incorporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Skillsoft's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-06. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Skillsoft's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Software & Programming industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (442 companies). See the full Software & Programming industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 82.71 % | 50.50 % (avg) | +32.2 pp |
| Operating Margin | -9.83 % | industry median | -10.0 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 8.51 % | 1.87 % (avg) | +6.6 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 3.44 % | 5.22 % (avg) | -1.8 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Skillsoft's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Software & Programming industry average (442 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Software & Programming industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | - | 40.4x | - |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.1x | 20.3x | -6.2x |
| P/B | -1.2x | 5.5x | -6.7x |
| Return on Equity | - | industry aggregate | - |
| Return on Invested Capital | -9.13 % | -3.23 % (avg) | -5.90 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Skillsoft's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | - | - | - | - | -0.28 % | -4.00 % | -4.20 % |
| Operating Margin | - | - | - | -145.26 % | - | -58.07 % | -11.19 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | - | - | -1.50 % | -33.38 % | -57.80 % | -36.20 % | -9.29 % |
| P/E | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Skillsoft's Strategic Group Map
Skillsoft is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
Skillsoft's trailing-12-month revenue growth of -13.1% and operating margin of -9.8% compares with an average of -9.5% growth and -12.7% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- Skillsoft sits below that peer average on growth and above it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Skillsoft's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
Skillsoft falls in the Question Mark quadrant: relative market share of 0.00x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 11.3% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Microsoft Corporation alone holds 52% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
Skillsoft's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 2,855 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 3.44 % vs industry average 5.22 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on Skillsoft's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
Skillsoft's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
Skillsoft falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Skillsoft's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
No rule matched.
Weaknesses
- Operating margin 10.0 points below the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-12.6% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.00x).
Opportunities
- Industry revenue growing at a healthy 11.3% median pace.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Microsoft Corporation, holding 52.39 % of industry market cap.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
Skillsoft's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | 0.31 | 0.91 | - |
| Alphabet Inc | 0.63 | 2.40 | 0.16 |
| Pearson Plc | - | - | 0.37 |
| Coursera Inc | 1.77 | 2.13 | - |
| Udemy Inc | 0.59 | 1.32 | - |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | 2.82 | 5.59 | - |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Skillsoft's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | Q2 2026 | -24.4 % | - |
| Alphabet Inc | Q3 2026 | +24.7 % | -24.3 % |
| Pearson Plc | Q4 2025 | +3.9 % | -20.3 % |
| Coursera Inc | Q2 2026 | +59.9 % | - |
| Udemy Inc | Q1 2026 | -4.1 % | - |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | Q2 2026 | +6.1 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +23.7 % | -24.4 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Skillsoft's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | Q2 2026 | -4.9 % | -28.1 % |
| Alphabet Inc | Q3 2026 | +24.3 % | +114.4 % |
| Pearson Plc | Q4 2025 | +1.9 % | - |
| Coursera Inc | Q2 2026 | +49.0 % | -25.0 % |
| Udemy Inc | Q1 2026 | -11.4 % | -10.0 % |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | Q2 2026 | +14.4 % | +24.9 % |
Skillsoft's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | - | - | - |
| Alphabet Inc | 29.24% | 34.26% | 42.62% |
| Pearson Plc | 5.10% | 12.01% | 9.00% |
| Coursera Inc | - | - | - |
| Udemy Inc | - | - | - |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | 5.56% | 6.45% | - |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Skillsoft's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Skillsoft Corp | - | 0.07 |
| Alphabet Inc | 14.82 | 7.45 |
| Pearson Plc | 34.06 | 2.42 |
| Coursera Inc | - | 0.99 |
| Udemy Inc | - | 0.86 |
| Ziprecruiter Inc | 10.74 | 0.69 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 14.95 | 7.36 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.