Who owns Youdao?
Youdao is owned by NetEase (Hong Kong, Nasdaq: NTES).[1]
Evidence: NetEase, Inc. Annual Report on Form 20-F filed 2026-04-15, SEC EDGAR, 15 April 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- NetEase, Inc. verified
- Owner HQ
- 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Origin
- 🇨🇳 China
- Founded
- 2006
- Category
- Internet & digital › Digital services › Reference & knowledge
- Parent ticker
- Nasdaq: NTES HKEX: 9999
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Youdao
Youdao is described in NetEase's annual report as its intelligent learning and advertising solutions provider, founded in 2006. It sells online tutoring courses and digital learning content, and smart devices including the Youdao Dictionary Pen, Tutoring Pen and Listening Pod. Youdao, Inc. listed on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2019 under the symbol DAO, and NetEase remains its controlling shareholder.
What NetEase's annual report says about Youdao
Sentences about Youdao from NetEase's latest annual filing[1], copied word for word.
Risks Related to Our Other Businesses The success and future growth of our Youdao business will be affected by the user acceptance and market trend of integration of technology and learning .
The business model of our majority-controlled subsidiary, Youdao, features integrating technology closely with learning to provide a more efficient and engaging learning experience.
Even with the proliferation of internet and mobile devices in China, we believe that some of Youdao's target students may still be inclined to choose traditional face-to-face learning approaches over virtual learning as they find the former more intimate and reliable.
How often NetEase names Youdao in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central. The brand is named less often than it was three years earlier.
Ownership timeline of Youdao
Where Youdao sits in NetEase
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full NetEase ownership tree →
See the full NetEase brand portfolio (10) →
Other brands owned by NetEase
NetEase controls 10 brands on Brandtree, 10 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
- Fantasy Westward Journey (2004)
- Identity V (2018)
- Naraka: Bladepoint (2021)
- NetEase Cloud Music (2013)
- Once Human (2024)
- Onmyoji (2016)
- Westward Journey Online (2001)
- Where Winds Meet (2024)
- Yanxuan (2016)
Other brands in reference & knowledge, and who owns them
The 14 brands in reference & knowledge on Brandtree belong to 8 owners. The largest is Baidu, with 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Baidu Experience | Baidu | 🇨🇳 China |
| Encyclopaedia Britannica | Britannica | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Wikimedia Commons | Wikimedia Foundation | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Podchaser | Acast | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| PetMD | Chewy | 🇺🇸 United States |
| OccasionGenius | Hostelworld Group | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
| Penger.no | Schibsted Media | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| Baidu Knows | Baidu | 🇨🇳 China |
About the owner: NetEase
NetEase is a publicly listed company headquartered in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, founded in 1997. Brandtree records 10 brands under its control, and it is listed as Nasdaq: NTES and HKEX: 9999.
NetEase is a Cayman Islands holding company, incorporated in 1999, whose annual report says its business was founded in China in June 1997 and whose principal executive offices are in Hong Kong. It runs online games, the NetEase Cloud Music streaming service, Youdao learning and the Yanxuan private-label e-commerce brand. NetEase Cloud Music (HKEX 9899) and Youdao (NYSE: DAO) are listed majority-controlled subsidiaries, and the filing gives no percentage for either. Marvel Rivals, Diablo Immortal and Racing Master are not listed here because they use licensed or co-developed intellectual property.
🇨🇳 Youdao and other Chinese brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 319 brands that began in China. 39 of them (12%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Youdao among them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Youdao?
The parent company of Youdao is NetEase, a publicly listed company headquartered in Hong Kong.
Is Youdao Chinese or Hong Kong?
Youdao originated in China in 2006, but it is owned today by NetEase, which is headquartered in Hong Kong. So Youdao is a Chinese-origin brand under Hong Kong ownership.
Is Youdao still owned by NetEase?
Yes. As of 9 October 2026, Youdao is still owned by NetEase. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] NetEase, Inc. Annual Report on Form 20-F filed 2026-04-15 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 20-F, published 15 April 2026; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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