What Helpling does

Helpling operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects households with self-employed cleaning professionals. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in London with its primary operating entity structured as Helpling GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. The platform serves German households across more than 200 cities and operates internationally in the UAE, Australia, France, Singapore, and Switzerland. According to company-reported metrics, Helpling has facilitated over one million cleanings for more than 100,000 customers and maintains a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating.

The platform's core technology is a web and mobile marketplace featuring postcode-based algorithmic matching, an escrow payment system supporting credit card, PayPal, and SEPA direct debit, identity-verified cleaner profiles with ratings and reviews, and liability insurance coverage of up to €5 million. Customers self-serve by entering their postcode, comparing cleaner profiles, and booking in a few clicks. Cleaners independently set their hourly rates (averaging €21/hour within a €16.90-€35 range), manage their schedules through a dedicated provider portal, and receive guaranteed payouts. The technology stack emphasizes ease-of-use and safety/security as the primary differentiators, with native iOS and Android applications available for both customers and providers.

Helpling's revenue model is built around a flat service fee of up to €2.90 per booking, charged to the customer, with cleaners retaining their independently set hourly rates. The go-to-market is product-led growth combined with direct-to-consumer acquisition, leveraging localized SEO (e.g., 'Putzfrau Berlin'), social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, content marketing through the Helpling blog, and discount codes for first-time customers. A dedicated English-language platform explicitly targets expatriates and international residents in Germany who face language barriers with traditional agencies. The company has expanded its addressable market through a partnership with tiger facility services for commercial office cleaning and the 2021 acquisition of Jeffrey. Across multiple funding rounds since inception, Helpling has raised approximately $95 million+ from investors including Rocket Internet, Lakestar, Mangrove Capital Partners, Point Nine, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, Unilever Ventures, Team Global, and Asia Pacific Internet Group.

Name

Helpling

Legal name

Helpling GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://helpling.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Helpling is a two-sided online marketplace, founded in 2014, that connects households with self-employed cleaning professionals. Operating across Germany (200+ cities), the UAE, Australia, France, Singapore, and Switzerland, it has facilitated over one million cleanings for 100,000+ customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission / Service Fee: Helpling charges a service fee per booking (up to €2.90 per appointment) to customers. Cleaners set their own hourly rates independently on the platform. Revenue is generated from the transaction spread between cleaner-set prices and platform fees.
2. Marketplace Commission: Self-employed cleaners use the platform to find recurring clients. Platform takes a commission on each completed booking through the service fee mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Helpling operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects households seeking cleaning services with self-employed cleaning professionals across 200+ German cities. Customers enter their postcode, compare cleaner profiles, ratings, reviews, and prices, then book appointments with secure online payments, while cleaners self-register, set their own hourly rates, and manage their schedules through a provider portal and mobile apps. A partnership with tiger facility services extends the offering to commercial office cleaning.

Product overview

Helpling operates a two-sided online marketplace connecting households seeking cleaning services with self-employed cleaning professionals. The core platform (helpling.de) enables postcode-based matching, profile comparison, instant booking requests, and secure payment processing. The offering includes dedicated mobile apps for both customers (iOS/Android) and service providers, with platforms available in German and English. A commercial cleaning add-on (tiger. facility services) extends services to business clients. The company also maintains a content hub (blog) with cleaning tips and an AI-powered article summarization feature. The platform differentiates through liability insurance coverage, algorithmic matching based on location and preferences, and a self-employed cleaner model with flexible scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million cleanings mediated through the platform
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• tiger facility servicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelpling partners with tiger facility services to offer office cleaning services (Büroreinigung). The partnership extends Helpling's services from residential to commercial cleaning, providing business customers with professional office cleaning through the tiger.facilityservices.com platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• ProntoPro: Italy's leading home services marketplace connecting customers with local professionals across 400+ categories including cleaning. Comparable to Helpling's European marketplace approach with a focus on professional service matchmaking, though ProntoPro is a regional incumbent in Italy.
• Airtasker: Australian online marketplace connecting users with local service providers for cleaning, handyman, moving, and other tasks. Directly comparable to Helpling's Australian operations (helpling.com.au) with a similar two-sided marketplace model and category breadth across home services.
• Housekeep: UK-based home cleaning platform that offers regular cleaning services with vetted, employed cleaners. Comparable to Helpling in the cleaning marketplace category, though Housekeep employs cleaners directly (W-2 model) rather than the self-employed model Helpling uses.
• Mila: Swiss-based home services marketplace (cleaning, moving, handyman) that directly overlaps with Helpling's Swiss operations (helpling.ch). Comparable business model with vetted service providers, online booking, and customer support infrastructure; operates in adjacent geography with shared target market.

Emerging players

• Porch: US-based home services platform that helps homeowners find and book local professionals for home improvement, maintenance, and cleaning. Comparable to Helpling's marketplace approach with broader scope across home services categories, though smaller and less established than ANGI/Thumbtack.

Broad incumbents

• Thumbtack: Large US-based local services marketplace with 1,000+ categories including cleaning. Comparable to Helpling's marketplace infrastructure (pro matching, reviews, lead generation) but at much greater scale and broader category coverage, with a pay-per-lead monetization model.
• ANGI Homeservices: Broad incumbent in the home services marketplace space (formerly Angie's List), connecting consumers with local professionals for cleaning, handyman, and other home services. Overlaps with Helpling's platform model but operates at much larger scale and broader category scope, primarily in North America.

Direct peers

• TaskRabbit: Operates a two-sided online marketplace for home services including cleaning, furniture assembly, moving help, and handyman tasks. Directly comparable to Helpling's marketplace model with similar platform-based matching, vetted professionals, and booking management, though TaskRabbit's category breadth is wider and it primarily operates in the US and select European/Canadian cities.
• Handy (ANGI): Leading on-demand home cleaning and handyman services platform, now part of ANGI Homeservices. Directly competes with Helpling in the home cleaning marketplace category with similar platform-based matching, vetted professionals, and online booking management.
• Care.com: Online marketplace connecting households with care service providers including cleaners, nannies, and senior care. Comparable to Helpling as a household services marketplace with similar vetting, review, and payment infrastructure, though Care.com's category focus is broader.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/helpling
• Instagraminstagram.com/helpling.de
• TikToktiktok.com/@helpling.de
• Xx.com/helplingde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helpling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors13 records

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

M&A4 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Helpling