What Popular Pays does

Popular Pays, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, is an AI-powered content creation and influencer marketing platform that connects brands with a marketplace of more than 160,000 verified creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other major social channels. The platform operates on a core marketplace architecture — discovery, campaign management, contract and payment administration, analytics, and an asset/content library — augmented by AI-driven modules including SafeCollab (brand safety and fraud detection), predictive analytics for campaign performance, and LTX Scaler (AI-powered video content resizing, rephrasing, and localization). The company serves primarily large consumer packaged goods brands (Frito Lay, Kraft Heinz, M&M's, Olly, PepsiCo Foods US) as well as technology, travel, hospitality, and rideshare clients (Google, Delta, Hyatt, Lyft), and also licenses its platform to marketing and media agencies for multi-brand campaign management. Partnerships with Amazon, TikTok (as a Marketing Partner), and Walmart extend the platform into commerce-linked creator workflows.

Revenue is generated through a combination of platform subscriptions, transaction-based fees on creator-brand engagements, and quote-based multi-year enterprise contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is hybrid — enterprise field sales anchored on demo requests, combined with a self-serve model for mid-market brands and a dedicated portal for individual creators. The company is a subsidiary of Lightricks, an Israel-based AI-first creative technology company, which provides access to proprietary generative AI capabilities across its broader product ecosystem.

Name

Popular Pays

Legal name

Popular Pays (operated by Lightricks)

Website

https://popularpays.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Popular Pays is an AI-powered influencer marketing platform that connects brands with over 160,000 verified creators across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It serves enterprise CPG companies, agencies, and consumer brands with end-to-end campaign management, content libraries, and brand-safety tools, operating as a subsidiary of Lightricks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Influencer Marketing Platform

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Influencer Marketing & Creator Marketplaces (BPAMALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Influencer/Creator Marketplaces & Brand Deal Platforms (MPACABAI), Creator Sponsorship & Brand Deal Monetization Tools (MPACAFAG), Influencer Operations & Payments (Workflow/Invoicing/Payouts) (MPAAAHAO)

Keywords

• Influencer marketing platform
• Creator marketplace
• Content creation tools
• Brand safety software
• Campaign analytics platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription & Commission: Popular Pays generates revenue through a platform-based model where brands pay for access to the influencer marketplace, campaign management tools, and analytics. The platform handles payments between brands and creators, taking a commission or service fee on transactions.
2. Creator Marketplace Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from facilitating transactions between brands and influencers on the platform, with each influencer setting their own rates and the platform facilitating payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Popular Pays operates an AI-powered influencer marketing and content creation platform that connects brands with a network of 160,000+ verified creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other social platforms. The platform provides end-to-end campaign management spanning creator discovery and briefing, content review and approval, legal and payments processing, and ROI measurement. It is offered as a SaaS solution to enterprise brands, marketing agencies, and creators (as the supply side), generating revenue through platform subscriptions and marketplace transaction commissions.

Product overview

Popular Pays is a content creation and influencer marketing platform offering a unified ecosystem of tools for brands to discover, hire, collaborate with, and measure the impact of content creators. The platform operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture built around a core Influencers & Creators Marketplace (160K+ verified creators), supported by complementary services: Influencer Analytics & Campaign Reporting for performance measurement, Creator and Influencer Management for end-to-end campaign workflow, Content Library & Asset Management for asset storage, and the AI-powered SafeCollab brand safety module. The platform recently introduced LTX Scaler for AI-powered video content scaling. Additional value-add includes free marketing calculators (CPM, ROI, CTR, Instagram Follower Count) and Amazon influencer integration for creator monetization. Popular Pays supports campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, and X (Twitter), with use cases spanning influencer marketing campaigns, UGC content creation, brand ambassador programs, and product seeding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LTX Scaler: AI-powered tool for scaling creator content across campaigns - resize, rephrase, and localize video content at scale.
• SafeCollab

Products and services

• Influencers & Creators Marketplace Central platform that enables brands to discover, hire, and collaborate with a network of over 160,000 verified content creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Amazon. Each creator sets their own rates and the platform facilitates the transaction.
• SafeCollab: AI-Powered Brand Safety AI-driven brand safety service that monitors influencer partnerships, assesses risk, detects fraud, and ensures authenticity of creator collaborations during marketing campaigns.
• LTX Scaler AI-powered video content scaling tool that resizes, rephrases, and localizes creator content at scale, allowing marketers to adapt influencer videos for different platforms and markets.
• Creator and Influencer Management Full-service campaign management handling creator relationships, brief distribution, content review and approval workflows, legal contracts, payments, and performance optimization across influencer marketing campaigns.
• Influencer Analytics & Campaign Reporting Real-time analytics dashboard providing campaign performance tracking, engagement metrics, predictive forecasting, and ROI measurement for influencer marketing campaigns.
• Content Library & Asset Management Centralized repository for storing, organizing, and managing branded content assets generated through influencer campaigns for reuse across social platforms and other marketing channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ pieces of content for M&M's Caramel campaign with impressive results
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AmazoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPopular Pays has a partnership and integration with Amazon, allowing brands to work with Amazon influencers and create content for Amazon storefronts. The platform offers specific tools and categories for Amazon influencer discovery and campaigns.
• TikTokcoreTechnology or IntegrationPopular Pays is a TikTok Marketing Partner, enabling brands to discover TikTok influencers and create content for the platform. The partnership provides access to TikTok-specific creator categories and campaign tools.
• WalmartcoreTechnology or IntegrationPopular Pays has a partnership with Walmart, enabling brands to create content featuring Walmart integrations and work with influencers for Walmart campaigns.
• LightricksflagshipTechnology or IntegrationLightricks is the parent company of Popular Pays, providing AI-first technology capabilities. Lightricks is a pioneer in innovative technology bridging imagination and creation, enabling content creators and brands to produce engaging, top-performing content. Popular Pays offers Lightricks products including LTX Studio, LTXV, Facetune, Photoleap, and Videoleap.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Upfluence: All-in-one influencer marketing platform offering creator discovery, campaign management, affiliate tracking, and analytics. Comparable offering across the influencer marketing workflow for brands and agencies.
• Traackr: Influencer marketing platform with focus on creator discovery, brand safety, and performance analytics for enterprise brands. Direct overlap in serving large CPG and consumer brand customers with creator relationship management.
• Grin: Influencer marketing platform focused on e-commerce and DTC brands with creator marketplace, relationship management, and content collection features. Closely overlaps with Popular Pays' creator discovery and campaign workflow offering.
• Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Creator marketing platform serving enterprise and mid-market brands with influencer discovery, campaign management, and UGC tools. Directly comparable in serving CPG and consumer brand customers with end-to-end campaign workflows.
• CreatorIQ: Enterprise-grade influencer marketing platform offering creator discovery, campaign management, analytics, and integrations. Direct competitor in the same product category serving similar enterprise CPG and consumer brand customers.
• Captiv8: Influencer marketing platform with creator marketplace, campaign management, and analytics tools serving brands and agencies. Comparable in target customer (enterprise brands) and core platform capabilities.
• Later (formerly Mavrck): Influencer marketing and social media management platform with creator marketplace and analytics capabilities. Overlaps with Popular Pays in serving brands seeking creator discovery, campaign execution, and performance reporting.

Broad incumbents

• Klear (now part of Meltwater): Influencer marketing platform acquired by Meltwater, offering creator discovery, analytics, and campaign management. Operates within Meltwater's broader media intelligence suite rather than as a standalone influencer platform.
• IZEA: Public influencer marketing and sponsored content platform offering creator marketplace, managed services, and content production. Operates more broadly in influencer marketing including managed services rather than specializing in enterprise SaaS workflow tools.

Others

• LTX Studio (Lightricks): AI-powered video creation platform from the same parent company (Lightricks). Related as an internal sibling product and potential adjacent offering rather than a direct competitor, though LTX Scaler is offered via the Popular Pays ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/popularpays
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@popularpays9201
• Facebookfacebook.com/PopularPays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/popular-pays
• Instagraminstagram.com/popularpays
• TikToktiktok.com/@popularpays
• Pinterestpinterest.com/popularpays

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors17 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Popular Pays