MAKA

What MAKA does

MAKA (码卡（广州）科技有限公司) is a privately held Chinese cloud-based online design platform founded in 2014 and headquartered in Guangzhou, with a research and development center in Beijing. The platform enables SMBs, enterprises, and individual users to create marketing and commercial visual content — including H5 pages, marketing posters, social media graphics, e-commerce materials, GIFs, and print designs — through a template-driven, drag-and-drop interface. At its core, MAKA distributes a content library of more than 160,000 templates spanning 15+ industry verticals (education, retail, F&B, healthcare, real estate, beauty, sports, entertainment, etc.) across web (maka.im), iOS, Android, Windows PC (client v2.2.3), and WeChat mini-program, with 30M+ registered users.

The technology stack combines a cloud-based editor with multi-format export (H5, flat posters, mobile posters, WeChat public account assets, video, GIF, print) and a 3-second AI-powered background-removal tool. MAKA does not expose a public or partner-facing API or SDK; access is entirely self-serve through its consumer-facing surfaces. The company monetizes via a freemium model with three primary streams: (1) Personal VIP subscription (monthly and annual) granting full template access, watermark removal, licensed fonts, unlimited storage, and design guidance; (2) Enterprise VIP subscription adding team management, brand templates, and collaboration tools; and (3) à-la-carte individual template purchases for non-subscribers, supplemented by an on-demand Custom Design professional service.

MAKA's go-to-market is product-led growth with no disclosed outside sales motion; acquisition is driven by app store listings, WeChat ecosystem presence (official account plus mini-program), template-based SEO across hundreds of occasion- and industry-specific landing pages, and a designer recruitment program that feeds third-party templates into the marketplace. The company has raised approximately $5.27M across three disclosed rounds (2014 seed, 2015 Series A led by Matrix Partners China, 2016 Series B from Yinbaodian Chuangtou and Yingtan Wosi Feiyang Touzi) with no subsequent funding events in the eight years since. Founder Ma Yanfei remains CEO.

Name

MAKA

Legal name

码卡（广州）科技有限公司

Website

https://maka.im

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MAKA is a Chinese cloud-based online design platform offering 160,000+ templates across 15+ industries, serving 30M+ SMBs, enterprises, and individuals with marketing and commercial visual content creation via freemium subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Design Platform

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Management (DAM) for Media/Creative (MPAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metadata Management & Cataloging (Taxonomy, Semantic Search, AI Tagging) (MPAHAGAG), Content Retrieval, Distribution & Reuse Workflows (Interoperability/APIs) (MPAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Online design platform
• Template design tools
• Marketing design software
• H5 page creation
• Graphic design templates

Headquarters

HQ city

Guangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Membership Subscription: Individual and enterprise membership providing access to all premium templates, watermark removal, licensed fonts, unlimited storage, and official design guidance
2. Individual Template Purchase: Pay-per-template model for non-subscribers to access specific premium templates
3. Enterprise Solutions: Customized enterprise membership with team management, brand guidelines, and bulk design capabilities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MAKA operates a cloud-based online design platform providing template-driven creation tools for H5 pages, marketing posters, social media content, e-commerce materials, and print designs. The platform is accessible via web (www.maka.im), iOS and Android mobile apps, and a Windows PC client, and includes AI-powered one-click background removal along with multi-format export. It monetizes through freemium personal and enterprise VIP subscriptions, with over 160,000 templates serving 30M+ users across 15+ industries in China.

Product overview

MAKA is a comprehensive multi-scene commercial visual design platform operated by Makai (Guangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. The platform consists of a web-based design tool (MAKA Online Design Platform), mobile applications for iOS and Android, and a Windows desktop client (v2.2.3). The core product offers over 160,000 templates across four main categories (H5, flat design, e-commerce, and social media) spanning 15+ industries. Key product modules include H5 creation (flip-style and long-scroll), marketing posters, social media content, e-commerce materials, office/print designs, and GIF creation. The platform operates on a freemium model with personal VIP and enterprise VIP subscription tiers. Additional services include a Design Academy for tutorials, custom design professional services, and a designer recruitment program for marketplace content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAKA APP: Mobile application for design creation on iOS and Android devices
• MAKA Windows PC版
• MAKA个人会员
• MAKA企业会员

Products and services

• MAKA Online Design Platform (MAKA在线设计平台) A multi-scene commercial visual design platform providing H5 pages, poster design, video creation, print materials, and e-commerce design tools. Offers 160,000+ templates across 15+ industries with drag-and-drop editing capabilities, accessible via web browser for SMBs, enterprises, and individual users.
• MAKA APP (Mobile Application) iOS and Android mobile application enabling users to create designs on-the-go. Features include template browsing, editing, one-click background removal, and direct export for social media sharing.
• MAKA Windows PC Client Desktop client application for Windows (version 2.2.3) enabling design creation and editing on personal computers with full template library access.
• MAKA Personal VIP (MAKA个人会员) Paid membership offering unlimited access to all template categories, watermark removal, licensed fonts, official creation guidance, premium template recommendations, and unlimited storage, billed monthly or annually.
• MAKA Enterprise VIP (MAKA企业会员) Enterprise-level subscription with team collaboration features, brand management tools, advanced analytics, and dedicated support for business users, billed annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Create professional designs in 3 minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 站酷 (Yestone)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign resources and inspiration platform partnership
• 智业 (Zhiye)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHR and recruitment industry collaboration partner
• 运营瞄 (YYMiao)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOperations and marketing tools partnership
• 西瓜助手 (Xigua)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWeChat official account management tools partnership

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Figma: Cloud-based collaborative design platform with strong template/plugin ecosystem. Adjacent comparable in design-as-SaaS and PLG adoption, though Figma targets professional designers while MAKA targets non-designers.
• Adobe Express: Adobe's template-driven design product for SMBs and consumers. Overlaps with MAKA's template-and-quick-design value proposition but operates as part of Adobe's broader Creative Cloud portfolio.
• Meitu (美图): Established Chinese consumer photo/AI-editing and design platform. Comparable to MAKA's AI background-removal and consumer/SMB design tools but with a broader image-editing portfolio.
• PicMonkey: Online graphic design and image-editing platform targeting SMBs and marketers. Overlaps with MAKA's template-and-edit workflow for social and marketing visuals.

Direct peers

• Canva: Global leader in template-based, PLG design tools serving SMBs and consumers. Most directly comparable to MAKA in product (template-driven design), business model (freemium subscription), and target customer (non-designers needing marketing assets).
• Chuangkit (创客贴): Leading Chinese online design platform with a template library and freemium model. Direct Chinese-market competitor to MAKA with similar SMB/enterprise target customers and template-based H5/poster design.
• VistaCreate (formerly Crello): Template-driven online design tool for SMBs, similar to Canva and MAKA. Directly comparable product offering (poster, social, video templates) on a freemium subscription model.
• Yiqixiu (易企秀): Chinese H5 and marketing-design platform with templates for posters, H5 pages, and social media. Direct competitor in MAKA's core H5/marketing use cases for Chinese SMBs.
• Gaoding Design (稿定设计): Chinese online design and image-editing platform with template library, background removal, and team collaboration. Closely comparable to MAKA on product breadth and SMB/marketing focus.

Emerging players

• Piktochart: Template-driven infographic and visual design tool for SMBs/marketers. Comparable to MAKA's template-based marketing-asset workflow but focused more on infographics and reports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 MAKA