What pflege.de does

pflege.de is a German-language online care portal operated as a service of web care LBJ GmbH, founded in 2012 by Lars Kilchert and Benedikt Zacher and headquartered in Germany. The platform functions as a content hub and lead-generation intermediary focused on home care (häusliche Pflege), aggregating expert-reviewed editorial guides, regulatory information, and free digital tools for German families navigating the country's complex long-term care insurance system (Pflegeversicherung). Core products include the Pflegegradrechner care-level calculator, Notruflotse emergency-device comparison portal, Treppenlift-Vergleich stair-lift brokerage, Badumbau bathroom modification service, 24-Stunden-Pflege placement, Pflegegrad-Widerspruch legal support, and the curabox Pflege supply delivery sub-brand; content products include the 'Pflege leichter leben' podcast, Pflege.de Magazin, a 400,000+ subscriber newsletter, and a WhatsApp channel.

The underlying technology stack is a web-based content management platform with comparison/brokerage engines that route consumer leads into a network of affiliated third-party service providers (stair lift, bathroom conversion, emergency call, 24-hour care, nursing service vendors). pflege.de monetises exclusively through advertising and affiliate/referral fees, with no direct consumer pricing on the core informational product; the company's growth proposition to users is free access to regulated care information, calculators, and curated provider introductions. The audience is bifurcated between primary family caregivers (Pflegende Angehörige) and care-dependent individuals (Pflegebedürftige) searching for entitlements, financing, and operational guidance.

Operations are confined to the DACH region, and trust is reinforced by the TÜV Saarland certification (most recently 'Sehr gut' in November 2022) and the afgis-Qualitätslogo health-information quality seal (valid through May 2027). The company is privately held, with disclosed institutional capital from KfW, Holtzbrinck Digital, Hanse Ventures, pd ventures, ALSTIN Family GmbH, and RI Digital Ventures across rounds from 2011 through 2018, totalling approximately $6.2M.

Name

pflege.de

Legal name

web care LBJ GmbH

Website

https://pflege.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

pflege.de is a German online home-care portal operating content, comparison tools, and affiliate brokerage services for family caregivers and care recipients, connecting 400,000+ newsletter subscribers with stair lift, bathroom modification, emergency system, and nursing service providers across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Care Information and Provider Marketplace

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Home Health Care Services (62161)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Childcare & Eldercare Caregiving Platforms (BPAMAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Caregiver Coaching, Education & Support (HSABAIAI), Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Coordination & Case Management (HSABAIAM)

Keywords

• Home care information
• Care portal services
• Elder care resources
• Care level assessment
• Care provider comparison

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Affiliate/Referral Fees from Service Providers: pflege.de connects users with selected providers for services such as stair lifts, bathroom modifications, emergency call systems, 24-hour care, and nursing services. The company earns commissions or referral fees when users are matched with these service providers.
2. Advertising: The platform displays advertisements and sponsored content from commercial partners and service providers in the elder care sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

pflege.de is a German online care portal operated by web care LBJ GmbH that provides informational guides, digital tools (such as the Pflegegradrechner care level calculator), and brokerage connections to third-party service providers for home care (häusliche Pflege). The platform helps family caregivers and care-dependent individuals navigate the German care insurance system, understand care grades and entitlements, and find providers for stair lifts, bathroom modifications, emergency call systems, and 24-hour care services. Revenue is generated through affiliate/referral commissions from partner providers and advertising.

Product overview

pflege.de is a German online care portal and information platform that provides comprehensive guidance and digital services for home-based care in Germany. The platform operates as a content and service hub offering informational ratgeber (guides) across multiple care topics, complemented by several digital service products including the Pflegegradrechner (care level calculator), Notruflotse (emergency call comparison), curabox Pflege (free monthly care supplies delivery), Badumbau (bathroom modification service), and Treppenlift comparison services. The company also offers the Pflege.de Podcast, an editorial magazine, and various advisory services including care consultation (§ 37.3) and care degree contestation support. The platform functions as a marketplace connecting users with third-party providers for services including 24-hour care, stair lifts, bathroom modifications, and emergency call systems, while the curabox product provides direct delivery of branded care consumables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• curabox Pflege: Free care supplies box for home care recipients with recognized care level
• Notruflotse

Products and services

• Pflegegradrechner (Care Level Calculator) Free digital tool that helps users determine their estimated care level (Pflegegrad) by assessing their situation against the official German care assessment procedure, providing an initial evaluation of potential eligibility for care benefits.
• Notruflotse (Emergency Call Comparison Service) Comparison platform for emergency call devices and providers, allowing users to compare prices, features, and services for home emergency systems (Hausnotruf, mobile notruf, GPS trackers for dementia).
• Badumbau (Bathroom Modification Service) Brokerage service that connects users with experienced craftsmen for barrier-free bathroom conversions, including tub-to-shower conversions, walk-in showers, and accessible WCs, with subsidies of up to EUR 4,180 available through German care insurance.
• curabox Pflege Monthly subscription/fulfillment service delivering free branded care supplies (incontinence products, disinfectants, disposable gloves, protective aprons, bed pads, mouth masks, FFP2 masks) worth up to EUR 42 per month to home care recipients with recognized care degrees.
• Treppenlift-Vergleich (Stair Lift Comparison) Stair lift comparison and brokerage service that connects users with providers to compare offers and pricing for stair lift systems, including seat lifts, standing lifts, platform lifts, home lifts, curve lifts, and outdoor lifts.
• 24-Stunden-Pflege Vermittlung (24-Hour Care Placement) Placement service connecting users with 24-hour care providers and caregivers, particularly Polish caregivers, for round-the-clock home care arrangements for elderly individuals.
• Pflege.de Podcast ('Pflege leichter leben') Podcast series providing information about home care topics, including interviews with experts on care reform, care assessment, and practical caregiving advice.
• Pflege.de Magazin Online editorial magazine featuring real-life stories, interviews, experiences, and home stories related to caregiving and senior care.
• Pflegeberatung (§ 37.3 Care Consultation) Advisory consultation service for care allowance (Pflegegeld) recipients, providing guidance on care quality assurance and practical training for family caregivers as required under § 37.3 of the German Social Code.
• Pflegegrad-Widerspruch Service (Care Grade Appeal) Free initial consultation service for contesting unfair care degree (Pflegegrad) decisions from German care insurance funds, with support through the appeals process.
• Pflege.de Newsletter Free email newsletter delivering exclusive content and information about home care to over 400,000 subscribers, including updates on care regulations, practical tips, and new content.
• Pflege.de WhatsApp-Kanal WhatsApp communication channel providing practical tips, current information, reminders for important care-related deadlines, and free checklists for home caregivers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400,000 newsletter subscribers rely on pflege.de for home care information

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• web care LBJ GmbH (Parent Company)coreOthers · 1 January 2012pflege.de is operated by web care LBJ GmbH, founded in 2012 by Lars Kilchert and Benedikt Zacher. The parent company runs the pflege.de portal as its primary business.
• curaboxcoreGTM or Marketing Partnercurabox Pflege delivers branded care supply boxes to users with recognized care grades. The service provides consumable care products worth up to €42 monthly, free of charge. pflege.de promotes curabox as a featured service offering.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• pflegehilfe.org: German online portal providing care information, caregiver matching, and 24-hour care placement; directly overlaps pflege.de's content + referral marketplace model for home care services.
• Deutsche-Seniorenlotse.de: Germany-focused portal offering senior care information, service provider comparisons, and home care directory listings; competes with pflege.de for the same caregiving-intent audience and affiliate relationships.
• 24h-pflege.de: Platform focused on the placement of 24-hour caregivers (incl. Polish care agencies), intersecting directly with pflege.de's 24-Stunden-Pflege Vermittlung offering and shared monetization on international caregiver referrals.

Broad incumbents

• AOK (Die Gesundheitskasse): Largest statutory health insurer in Germany, providing Pflegekasse information, care advice hotlines, and care degree guidance to its members; competes as an authoritative but broader (insurance-led) source for the same caregiving questions pflege.de answers.
• Verbraucherzentrale.de: Independent German consumer-protection network publishing authoritative guides on care financing, insurance rights, and elder services; overlaps as a trusted content destination, but covers all consumer topics rather than specializing in care.

Emerging players

• Sanvartis GmbH: Telemedicine and care navigation provider in Germany offering digital health advice lines and care guidance; partial overlap with pflege.de's Pflegeberatung (§37.3) and advisory services.
• Care.com: Global online marketplace for finding caregivers and senior care services; convergent business model (content + referrals) on a much larger scale, not yet as dominant in Germany as pflege.de.

Regional players

• Care Deutschland (Caritas): Major German welfare organization operating in-home care services, caregiver consultation, and family caregiver support programs; adjacent peer because it offers a competing trusted institutional channel for care advice and home care referrals.
• Home Instead (Deutschland): International home care franchise operating in Germany, connecting families with non-medical in-home caregivers; comparable as a service-provider counterpart that pflege.de routes users to via its marketplace.

Others

• ZQP - Zentrum für Qualität in der Pflege: Independent German foundation producing evidence-based care knowledge and caregiver education, partially overlapping pflege.de's expert-reviewed content while operating as a nonprofit knowledge base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pflege.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/pflege.de
• Xx.com/pflegede

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 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 pflege.de