What Readly does

Readly International AB is a Swedish digital media company, founded in 2012 and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (ticker: READ), that operates an 'all you can read' subscription app providing unlimited access to more than 1,200 magazine and newspaper titles from publisher partners. The product is delivered as native mobile apps on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire, with a self-serve web funnel and country-specific localized domains spanning 50+ countries across Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Africa. Core technical capabilities include offline issue downloading, multi-device access (up to five devices per account), and family-sharing functionality; the company recently added interactive mobile headlines that materially boosted article read-through.

The business model is a direct-to-consumer, fixed monthly subscription with a two-week free trial and no minimum term. Revenue is reported at SEK 725.3 million (£60.8m) for FY2024, with 427,200 full-paying subscribers as of the most recent operational update, yielding gross profit of SEK 292.4 million. The company achieved its first full-year profitability in 2024, following adjusted EBITDA profitability in Q3–Q4 2023. Its primary customer segment is individual consumers and families seeking consolidated, low-friction access to premium magazine and newspaper content.

Readly is currently undergoing a strategic restructuring: in May 2025 it acquired Arcy AB from Bonnier News for SEK 339 million (paid via new share issuance), and in November 2025 Cafeyn agreed to acquire Readly's non-Nordics businesses from majority shareholder Bonnier, with the merger expected to settle in H1 2026. Post-settlement, Readly retains its Nordic core while leveraging Cafeyn's mobile technology and broader international footprint for the combined entity's planned marketing and growth investment.

Name

Readly

Legal name

Readly International AB

Website

https://global.readly.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Readly International AB is a Swedish digital magazine and newspaper subscription app offering unlimited access to over 1,200 titles from publisher partners via iOS, Android and Kindle Fire for a fixed monthly fee, serving individual consumers and families across more than 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Subscription

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Digital magazine subscriptions
• Online newspaper reading
• Digital content platform
• Magazine streaming service
• Subscription reading app

Headquarters

HQ city

Växjö

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Readly generates revenue through fixed monthly subscription fees that provide unlimited access to the entire digital magazine and newspaper catalogue. The model follows an 'all you can read' approach with no minimum term, allowing customers to cancel anytime. Users pay a fixed monthly fee for access to everything in the catalogue after a two-week free trial period.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Readly operates an unlimited digital magazine and newspaper subscription service that gives paying subscribers access to content from over 1,200 publishing partners through native mobile apps and a web reader. The offering targets individual consumers across 50+ countries, bundling thousands of titles into a single monthly subscription with offline reading, multi-device sync, and interactive features.

Product overview

Readly operates as a single unified digital magazine and newspaper subscription app, branded as an 'all you can read' service. The platform provides unlimited access to over 1,200 publisher partners' content across tablets, PCs, and smartphones for a fixed monthly subscription fee with no minimum term. Users can download magazines for offline reading and access content on up to five devices per account. Following the Cafeyn merger and Arcy acquisition, Readly has expanded its content catalog and technology capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Readly Unlimited Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription A monthly subscription product that gives individual consumers unlimited access to thousands of magazines and newspapers from over 1,200 publishing partners, available on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and web, with offline reading and up to five registered devices.
• Interactive Headlines A new interactive headline content format within the Readly app, designed to increase subscriber engagement with publisher content through dynamic, clickable news and magazine headlines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Interactive headlines increased mobile article reading nearly threefold
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• CafeyncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Merger integration combining Readly's Nordic business with Cafeyn's non-Nordics operations. Cafeyn agreed in November 2025 to acquire Readly's non-Nordics businesses from majority shareholder Bonnier. The partnership will see Readly leverage Cafeyn's mobile app technology and expand internationally. Integration planned to 'settle' in H1 2026, after which significant marketing and growth investment will begin.
• The Evening StandardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with The Evening Standard newspaper for the Winter Olympics retro series campaign featuring Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards. Provides archived Olympic coverage from The Evening Standard's historic collection.
• Eddie 'The Eagle' EdwardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWinter Olympic legend Eddie Edwards partnered with Readly to launch a nostalgic Winter Olympic retro series campaign. Research indicated nearly 30 million people would follow the Winter Olympic Games, providing a significant awareness opportunity.
• Publisher PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReadly works with 1,200 publisher partners across its platform, providing digital magazine and newspaper content. Publisher partners include major UK publishers such as The Times, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, and others. Chloe Rushmere appointed to Head of Content UK to oversee publisher partnerships and content strategy.
• Arcy ABmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital publishing platform acquired from Bonnier News in May 2025 for SEK 339 million through new share issuance. Assets valued at SEK 610.87 million based on share price. Acquisition approved at Readly's annual general meeting.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cafeyn: French digital press subscription platform offering unlimited magazine and newspaper access for a fixed monthly fee. Cafeyn is Readly's most direct competitor and recent merger partner, sharing the same 'all you can read' model and publisher-aggregation approach in complementary European geographies.
• Zinio: Pioneer digital magazine newsstand offering single-issue and subscription access to thousands of magazine titles globally. Closely comparable product surface and content-licensing model to Readly, though historically more single-title and library-oriented.
• Magzter: Digital magazine subscription platform distributing titles from thousands of publishers via mobile apps. Operates a comparable all-you-can-read subscription model and serves as a direct competitor in the global digital magazine category.
• PressReader: Digital newspaper and magazine platform serving both consumers and institutional customers (libraries, hotels, airlines). Highly comparable in catalogue breadth and multi-device delivery, with additional B2B exposure that Readly does not currently emphasize.

Broad incumbents

• Apple News+: Apple's subscription bundle providing access to magazines, newspapers, and audio content across Apple devices. A well-capitalized incumbent with deep cross-sell into Apple's installed base; competes for the same consumer wallet as Readly in overlapping markets.
• Kindle Unlimited: Amazon's subscription service providing unlimited reading access to a large catalogue of ebooks, magazines, and audiobooks. A deep-pocketed incumbent with strong cross-sell into Kindle hardware and the broader Amazon ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Scribd: Subscription reading platform offering unlimited access to ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and documents. Overlaps with Readly in digital reading subscription and competes for similar consumer time and wallet share, though with a heavier book/audiobook mix.
• Flipboard: Mobile-first news and magazine aggregation app that curates stories from publishers into personalized magazines. Overlaps with Readly in digital magazine consumption, though Flipboard's model is largely ad-supported rather than subscription-first.
• Issuu: Digital publishing and reading platform used by publishers to distribute magazines and catalogs online. Comparable in the magazine-distribution value chain, though more of a publishing/distribution tool than a direct consumer subscription competitor.

Others

• Pocket (Mozilla): Read-later and content-saving app with a recommendation feed. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but competes for the same reading-time consumer use case that Readly targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/readly
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Readly
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReadlyUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/readly
• Pinterestpinterest.se/readly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors9 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Readly