Giphy

What Giphy does

GIPHY is a content search and discovery platform for short-form visual media — animated GIFs, Stickers, and Clips — operating a consumer-facing web property at giphy.com, native iOS and Android applications (including a dedicated Messenger keyboard app), and an API integration layer that embeds its content directly into third-party messaging and social surfaces. The platform surfaces a library of over 10 billion pieces of short-form visual content to 1+ billion daily users through keyword-driven search, trending queries, and curated brand channels operated by rights-holders such as NBC (Saturday Night Live, The Office), Paramount (South Park), Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street, Muppet Wiki), FIFA, the Norwegian Football Federation, Paris Saint-Germain, Warner Music Norway, Nicki Minaj, Red Bull, and others. GIPHY Studios operates an in-house original content production arm, and an AI-powered GIF generation capability positions the company within the broader AI-powered GIF generator market (projected USD 438.5M in 2025 → USD 2,830.3M in 2035 at 20.5% CAGR).

Name

Giphy

Legal name

GIPHY

Website

https://giphy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GIPHY is a search and discovery platform for short-form visual content — GIFs, Stickers, and Clips — serving 1+ billion daily users via web, mobile apps, and API integrations embedded across Meta's apps and a broad roster of rights-holder brand channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Content Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Form Video Discovery, Curation & Aggregation Platforms (MPACAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB), Short-Form User-Generated Video Platforms (MPACABAB)

Keywords

• Animated GIF platform
• Short-form visual content
• Digital visual communication
• GIF search engine
• Messaging content platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. GIPHY Ads: GIPHY Ads is integrated into the Shutterstock portfolio, enabling brand advertisers to run campaigns against GIPHY's 1+ billion daily user reach via native ad placements on the platform. The site includes an "Advertise" navigation entry indicating a direct ad sales channel.
2. API / Integration Licensing: Revenue generated through multi-year integration partnerships with major platforms such as Meta, where GIPHY's content library and APIs are embedded into third-party apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger) and other distribution points.
3. Premium Branded Channels / Content Partnerships: Rights-holders and brands (e.g., NBC's The Office, Paramount's South Park, Sesame Street, FIFA, Red Bull, VeeFriends, Nicki Minaj, Liquid Death, Smartwater) maintain official channels on the platform, suggesting content distribution and co-marketing relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GIPHY operates a content search and discovery platform for short-form visual media — GIFs, Stickers, and Clips — delivered through its consumer-facing website (giphy.com), native mobile apps (iOS and Android), and an API integration layer that embeds content directly inside Meta's family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger). The platform serves more than 1 billion daily users with over 10 billion pieces of short-form content, monetized through GIPHY Ads, multi-year API/integration licensing with major partners, and premium branded channels operated by rights-holders.

Product overview

GIPHY operates a single unified content-discovery and sharing platform organized into three primary content categories — GIFs (the core product at giphy.com/), Stickers (/stickers), and Clips (/clips) — augmented by native mobile apps (GIPHY and GIPHY for Messenger), an original content production arm called GIPHY Studios, and a brand-focused advertising product called GIPHY Ads that was integrated into the parent Shutterstock portfolio during the June 2025 rebrand. Following its 2023 acquisition by Shutterstock, GIPHY's platform also serves as a distribution backbone for powering GIF and sticker experiences across Meta's suite of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger) under a multi-year partnership. The platform is positioned as a key player in the AI-powered GIF generator market, with Text-to-GIF being a dominant adjacent use case.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GIPHY Ads: Advertising product offering within the GIPHY platform, integrated into the Shutterstock portfolio.

Products and services

• GIPHY (GIFs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1+ billion daily users reached via GIPHY content
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, flagship and core.

• SonilosecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Shutterstock partnered with Sonilo for music catalog licensing for AI model training, announced alongside the launch of its AI-powered creative platform that integrates GIPHY and Shutterstock's licensed content library with generative AI tools.
• Meta Platforms, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Multi-year extension of GIPHY's integration partnership with Meta, continuing to power GIF and sticker experiences across Meta's entire suite of apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The partnership serves GIPHY's reported 1+ billion daily users with over 10 billion pieces of short-form content daily, reinforcing both companies' focus on making digital communication more visual and intuitive.
• Shutterstock, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023GIPHY is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shutterstock, Inc., having been acquired in 2023. The acquisition combines GIPHY's distribution and engagement with Shutterstock's licensed content library, AI tooling (Generative AI Pro, AI Data Licensing), and Shutterstock Studios production capabilities, with GIPHY Ads integrated into the parent portfolio.
• FIFAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFIFA operates an official @fifa brand channel on GIPHY distributing licensed World Cup and football-related reaction GIFs to GIPHY's 1+ billion daily user audience, including GIFs tagged to France, Argentina, and World Cup 2026 content.
• Norges Fotballforbund (Norwegian Football Federation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @NFF channel publishing Norway national team content (women's team, Euro 2025) to GIPHY's global audience, including branded and licensed player GIFs.
• Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @psg channel distributing licensed player GIFs (Mbappé and other players) on GIPHY for global fan engagement.
• Saturday Night Live (NBCUniversal)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @snl brand channel distributing licensed reaction GIFs from Saturday Night Live to GIPHY's audience.
• The Office (Peacock / NBCUniversal)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @theoffice channel distributing licensed reaction GIFs from The Office on Peacock to GIPHY's audience.
• South Park (Paramount)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @southpark channel publishing licensed clips and GIFs from South Park to GIPHY's audience.
• Sesame Street / Sesame WorkshopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @sesamestreet and @muppetwiki channels publishing branded Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and other Muppet character GIFs to GIPHY's audience.
• Nicki MinajcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @nickiminaj artist channel publishing branded content and music video reactions, including Anaconda, Super Freaky Girl, and Barbie Dreams.
• Warner Music NorwaysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @warnermusicno brand channel distributing Warner Music Norway artist content.
• SmartwatersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @smartwater brand channel publishing branded hydration-related GIFs to GIPHY's audience.
• Essentia WatersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial brand channel distributing branded "Stay Hydrated" reaction GIFs.
• Liquid DeathsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @liquiddeathofficial brand channel publishing edgy branded content.
• Liquid I.V.secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial brand channel distributing Formula 1-themed "Stay Hydrated" reaction GIFs.
• Red BullcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @redbull brand channel distributing sports and lifestyle GIFs.
• VeeFriendssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @veefriends brand channel publishing IP-driven reaction and lifestyle GIFs.
• Plan Bee StudiossecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @PlanBeeStudios brand channel publishing themed love / hearts / bee content for a Web3 native IP.
• Love Island (Peacock / ITV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @LoveIslandUSA, @loveislandfr, @loveislandde, and @LoveIslandAU channels distributing licensed reality-show reaction GIFs to GIPHY's audience.
• TRT (Turkish state broadcaster)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial @trt_network brand channel publishing soccer and entertainment GIFs linked from tabii.com.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tenor (Google): Tenor is Google's GIF search engine and the closest direct competitor to GIPHY, embedded in Gmail, Android keyboards, and other Google surfaces. Tenor and GIPHY are the two dominant dedicated short-form visual content discovery and sharing platforms, competing for the same OEM/embedded distribution deals with messaging and social apps.
• Imgur: Imgur is a consumer image and GIF hosting and discovery platform that has historically served as one of the largest UGC GIF communities. It directly overlaps with GIPHY on short-form visual content hosting, browsing, and sharing for general consumer audiences, though with less of a rights-holder / brand-channel emphasis.
• Imgflip: Imgflip is a meme and GIF creation platform named alongside GIPHY as a key player in the AI-powered GIF generator market. It is directly comparable on user-generated short-form visual content creation and discovery, though at a smaller scale.

Emerging players

• Picsart: Picsart is a creator-focused visual editing and AI-generation platform named alongside GIPHY in the AI-powered GIF generator market. It overlaps with GIPHY in short-form visual content creation, AI image/animation tools, and sticker/clip workflows for creator and prosumer audiences.
• Kapwing: Kapwing is a browser-based collaborative video and image creation platform named alongside GIPHY in the AI-powered GIF generator market. It overlaps on short-form video/clip creation, editing templates, and AI-assisted content generation, serving a creator and social-media-manager audience similar to GIPHY's.
• VEED.IO: VEED.IO is an AI-enabled online video editing and short-form content platform named alongside GIPHY in the AI-powered GIF generator market. It is comparable on short-form video creation and AI-driven visual content tools targeting creators, marketers, and social teams.

Broad incumbents

• Canva: Canva is a broad incumbent in visual design and AI content generation, named alongside GIPHY in the AI-powered GIF generator market. While not a dedicated GIF platform, Canva's short-form video, animation, and AI-generation capabilities make it a comparable creative-platform peer with overlapping advertising and brand-creator use cases.
• Adobe (Express / Firefly): Adobe is named alongside GIPHY in the AI-powered GIF generator market via its Firefly generative-AI and Adobe Express products. As a broad creative-software incumbent with deep enterprise distribution, Adobe is comparable to GIPHY on AI-assisted short-form visual content creation and brand-template workflows.
• Reddit: Reddit hosts a large volume of GIF-based content and reaction media across its communities and is a significant upstream source of meme culture that flows through GIPHY. While not a dedicated GIF search engine, Reddit is comparable as a UGC-driven short-form visual content platform with substantial reach.

Others

• Pinterest: Pinterest is a visual discovery and bookmarking platform that, like GIPHY, monetizes through brand advertising on a high-engagement visual content surface. It is comparable on the advertiser side of GIPHY Ads, though its content is predominantly static images rather than short-form video/GIFs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/giphy
• Facebookfacebook.com/GIPHY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giphy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Giphy