CHECK24
CHECK24 is Germany's largest comparison portal, founded 1999 and headquartered in Munich, helping more than 20 million consumers compare and purchase insurance, energy, telecommunications, finance, and travel services from thousands of providers via a free, commission-funded platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CHECK24 does
CHECK24 is a Munich-headquartered German comparison portal founded in 1999 that operates as a two-sided aggregator connecting individual consumers with providers of insurance, energy, telecommunications, finance, and travel services. The company describes itself as Germany's largest comparison portal and has helped more than 20 million customers since inception, with parallel branded operations in Austria (CHECK24 Österreich) and Spain (CHECK24 Spanien). Its core product is a web- and mobile-based comparison platform using proprietary comparison calculators across categories; the platform is augmented by a centralized CHECK24 Kundenkonto (customer account) that aggregates user activity across group companies, the Smily cross-product loyalty program (points, levels, vouchers, cashbacks), a CHECK24 Gutscheine voucher system, and a CHECK24 Tippspiel prediction game tied to major sporting events. Underlying technical components include a recommendation engine for personalized advertising, an on-premise computer-vision Photo Search (Fotosuche) feature, and predictive analytics used to compute Smily loyalty levels.
The business model is a success-based affiliate/referral commission structure: services are free to consumers, and revenue is generated when a customer completes a purchase or contract through CHECK24, with the relevant provider (insurer, energy supplier, telco, bank, or travel operator) paying a commission. Customer segments are horizontal — primarily individual consumers on the demand side and a large network of service providers/merchants on the supply side — with no disclosed enterprise/anchor accounts. Distribution is self-serve via check24.de and native iOS/Android apps, supported by a multi-channel marketing mix including content, loyalty, events (e.g., Euro 2024 / FIFA World Cup jersey campaigns exceeding 2 million units distributed), and partnerships. The legal structure consists of two German private limited companies (GmbH): CHECK24 Vergleichsportal GmbH as the primary operating entity and CHECK24 GmbH (which manages the customer account, Smily loyalty program, and tipping game services). CHECK24 has executed a recurring M&A program (Travel IQ, pecupool, pecumax, Testsieger, askCharlie, Medilove, M Cube between 2008-2018) and in 2025 acted as lead investor in a €10 million Series A into Dutch AgTech company SAIA Agrobotics, indicating selective deployment of capital into adjacent verticals.
CHECK24 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CHECK24
- Legal name
- CHECK24 Vergleichsportal GmbH
- Website
- https://check24.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- CHECK24 is Germany's largest comparison portal, founded 1999 and headquartered in Munich, helping more than 20 million consumers compare and purchase insurance, energy, telecommunications, finance, and travel services from thousands of providers via a free, commission-funded platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CHECK24 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Price Comparison Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comparison Shopping & Price Discovery Portals (BPAMAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms (BPAMAGAH)
Keywords
Where CHECK24 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CHECK24 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Success-based commissions from providers: CHECK24 offers its services to customers free of charge. Revenue is generated through success-based commissions paid by providers (insurance companies, energy suppliers, telecommunications providers, financial service providers, travel companies) when customers complete a purchase or contract through the CHECK24 platform.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
CHECK24 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CHECK24 is Germany's largest comparison portal, enabling consumers to compare prices and services from thousands of providers across insurance, energy, telecommunications, finance, credit/loans, travel, furniture, and other consumer categories. Revenue is generated through success-based commissions paid by providers when customers complete purchases or contracts through the CHECK24 platform; consumers use the service free of charge.
Product overview
CHECK24 is a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the CHECK24 Vergleichsportal (core comparison portal), which aggregates and compares products and services from thousands of providers across insurance, telecommunications, energy, credit/loans, travel, and furniture. The platform is augmented by several complementary modules: the CHECK24 Kundenkonto (central customer account) that consolidates user activity across all group companies; the CHECK24 Smily Treueprogramm (cross-product loyalty program) offering points, levels, vouchers, and cashbacks; the CHECK24 App for mobile access; the CHECK24 Gutscheine voucher system; and the CHECK24 Tippspiel (prediction game) tied to sporting events. CHECK24 generates revenue through success-based commissions from providers. The offering spans Germany, Austria, and Spain.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Smily: CHECK24's loyalty and rewards program offering points, cashbacks, discounts and exclusive vouchers to customers.
Products and services
- CHECK24 Vergleichsportal (Comparison Portal) Germany's largest online comparison portal that aggregates offers from thousands of providers across insurance, energy, telecommunications, credit/loans, travel, furniture, and other consumer categories, allowing consumers to independently compare prices and purchase services through the platform.
- CHECK24 Smily Treueprogramm (Loyalty Program)
Quantifiable outcome
- 20+ million customers helped since 1999
Companies that use CHECK24
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CHECK24 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
CHECK24 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CHECK24 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Verivox: Verivox is one of CHECK24's closest German competitors, operating a price-comparison portal across energy, telecommunications, insurance, and financial services with a similar affiliate/commission revenue model.
- idealo: idealo is a leading German price-comparison platform, primarily for products but expanding into services and travel; it competes directly with CHECK24 on price-discovery and deal-driven traffic in Germany.
- Finanzcheck.de: Finanzcheck is a German credit and loan comparison portal that overlaps directly with CHECK24's financial-services vertical, using a similar lead-generation/commission model.
- Tarifcheck: Tarifcheck is a German comparison portal focused on insurance and finance tariffs, competing with CHECK24 on insurance switching and lead generation.
Broad incumbents
- MoneySupermarket Group: MoneySupermarket is a publicly listed UK price-comparison group operating across insurance, money, energy, and travel with the same affiliate revenue model as CHECK24, making it a useful international benchmark.
- LendingTree: LendingTree is a US-based online lending and insurance comparison marketplace operating a similar provider-network/commission model, particularly relevant for CHECK24's credit and insurance verticals.
- Compare the Market: Compare the Market is a UK price-comparison platform for insurance, energy, and financial products with a comparable affiliate business model to CHECK24's core verticals.
- GoCompare: GoCompare is a UK-based comparison portal focused on insurance and financial services, operating on the same success-based commission model as CHECK24.
Emerging players
- Kayak: Kayak operates travel metasearch and price comparison, directly competing with CHECK24's travel vertical via its German domain kayak.de on flights, hotels, and car rental comparison.
Regional players
- Selectra: Selectra is a France-headquartered energy and telecom comparison platform with a German presence (selectra.de), competing with CHECK24 in the energy-switching vertical across European markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CHECK24 social profiles
Digital presenceCHECK24 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CHECK24 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
CHECK24 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CHECK24 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CHECK24
What does CHECK24 do?
CHECK24 is Germany's largest comparison portal, enabling consumers to compare prices and services from thousands of providers across insurance, energy, telecommunications, finance, credit/loans, travel, furniture, and other consumer categories. Revenue is generated through success-based commissions paid by providers when customers complete purchases or contracts through the CHECK24 platform; consumers use the service free of charge.
Is CHECK24 a public or private company?
CHECK24 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CHECK24 founded?
CHECK24 was founded in 1999. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is CHECK24 based?
CHECK24 is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CHECK24 make money?
One revenue line is on record: success-based commissions from providers.
Who are CHECK24's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Verivox, idealo, Finanzcheck.de and Tarifcheck. Broad incumbents are MoneySupermarket Group, LendingTree, Compare the Market and GoCompare. Kayak is listed as an emerging player. Selectra is listed as a regional player.
Does CHECK24 have an API?
No public API is recorded for CHECK24.
What industry is CHECK24 in?
CHECK24's product category is Price Comparison Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAJ, Comparison Shopping & Price Discovery Portals, with a secondary code of BPAMAGAH, Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms.