The topic of online learning is relevant not only in connection with the global trend of learning digitalization and the emergence of new formats, including mass open online courses (MOOCs), but also in the context of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic impact, which led to a massive transition of educational organizations to online learning. However, countries are implementing MOOCs unevenly in the context of the digital economy development. The Internet is actively developing in Russia, and China is one of the world leaders in this area. In this regard, there is a problem of understanding how students in different countries choose MOOCs. The purpose of the article is to identify and compare the values of Russian and Chinese students as a target audience in the MOOC market. The hypothesis was the thesis: since the data on the implementation of MOOCs are asymmetric, especially from the standpoint of value approaches, the values of the student youth influence the choice of courses. The lack of unified methodological approaches to conducting online market research related to MOOCs prompted the development of proprietary research tools. The methodological basis of the research includes the theoretical provisions of marketing 4:0, behaviorism, and value theory. The work is applied online and offline field surveys using Google-form tools, and the following media were chosen for distribution: social networks, messengers and e-mail (Vkontakte, WeChat, the postal service of the national Internet), methods of values comparative analysis, taking into account the cultural aspects of the countries. The author's version of the MOOC classification is presented, and the coordinate-environment profiles of students' values are constructed. The hypothesis about the influence of values on the choice of courses was confirmed. It is revealed that the values of Russian students are egocentric and material, while the values of Chinese students are polycentric, social and aimed at intra-family interaction. The choice of MOOCs is also influenced by the objectives of the training, the expected professional field and guaranteed employment. The study may be of interest for adjusting the marketing strategies of universities in the context of digitalization.