Hoplr
Hoplr is a Belgian software company operating a private, geographically-bounded neighbourhood social network for residents and a SaaS dashboard for 250+ municipalities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLokeren, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hoplr does
Hoplr NV is a Belgian software company founded in 2014 by Jennick Scheerlinck and Jonas Heirwegh, operating a private, geographically-bounded neighbourhood social network available via web (hoplr.com) and native iOS/Android applications. The platform creates closed, address-verified neighbourhood scopes in which verified residents can introduce themselves, share and borrow items, request help, organise activities, exchange alerts, and access local social capital; 1.2M+ registered citizens across 2,500 active neighbourhoods and 78% weekly active engagement underpin the consumer side. The company monetises exclusively through B2B subscriptions: a paid public-sector service dashboard (services.hoplr.com / dashboard.hoplr.com) licensed to 250+ municipalities, utility companies, and civic organisations across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey, plus a separate 'Hoplr for Groups' offering for associations. The platform is GDPR-native, ISO 27001:2022 certified, WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformant, and explicitly ad-free and no-data-resale, positioning it as a European privacy-first alternative to global social networks. Hoplr's enterprise go-to-market is sales-led (demos, case studies, partner referrals via investors Matexi and Belfius), while citizen adoption is driven virally through municipal launch campaigns and address-verified invite codes.
Hoplr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hoplr
- Legal name
- Hoplr N.V.
- Website
- https://hoplr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hoplr is a Belgian software company operating a private, geographically-bounded neighbourhood social network for residents and a SaaS dashboard for 250+ municipalities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hoplr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neighborhood social networking and citizen participation platform
- NAICS
- Taxi and Ridesharing Services (48531)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Neighborhood Communities (BPAMABAG)
Keywords
Where Hoplr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lokeren
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hoplr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Public-sector licence subscriptions: Hoplr "provides licenses to parties active in the public sector" and sells access to a paying service dashboard used by local authorities, utility companies, project developers and civic organizations for neighbourhood-oriented communication, community work and citizen participation. The Code of Ethics references "about two hundred local governments and public sector organizations" as customers. Recurring annual licences; no advertising or data resale.
- Hoplr for Groups (organisations and associations): Separate "Hoplr for Groups" product offering for organisations and associations with shared messaging, member lists, private chat, activity organisation and file sharing — sold as a paid offering alongside the public-sector licence.
- Free citizen tier (freemium / loss-leader): Citizens use hoplr.com and the iOS/Android apps free of charge, monetised indirectly through the public-sector licence model rather than advertising or data monetisation. Hoplr explicitly states it will never sell personal data.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Public-sector dashboard licence — paid annual licence for local governments, utility companies and civic organisations |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Citizen membership — free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hoplr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hoplr provides a private, geographically demarcated neighbourhood social network accessible via web and native iOS/Android apps where verified residents connect, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts. It monetises by licensing a paid service dashboard (services.hoplr.com) to local governments, utility companies, and civic organisations for neighbourhood-oriented communication, citizen participation projects, AI-powered topic and sentiment analysis, and SROI impact reporting.
Product overview
Hoplr offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centred on its core product: the Hoplr Neighbourhood Social Network, a private, geographically demarcated social network accessible via web and native iOS/Android mobile apps. The core platform lets residents meet neighbours, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts from their municipality. The Hoplr Dashboard (Hoplr for Public Sector) extends the platform with paid tools for local governments and organisations, including citizen participation features (polls, surveys, participation projects) and an Impact Dashboard with SROI reporting and AI Topic & Sentiment analysis. Hoplr for Groups (Communities) is an add-on module that lets associations and organisations use the same infrastructure for member messaging, file sharing, private chats, and activity planning. Supporting assets include the Hoplr Blog (case studies, whitepapers) and the Hoplr Help Center. The offering is advertising-free, GDPR-compliant, and serves more than 1,200,000 registered citizens and 250+ municipalities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Turkey.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hoplr for Groups: A separately branded offering for organisations, allowing them to share messages and files with members, manage member lists, private chat, organise activities, share files and integrate with other tools.
- Hoplr Dashboard
- Hoplr for the public sector (services.hoplr.com)
Products and services
- Hoplr Neighbourhood Social Network Private, geographically demarcated neighbourhood social network where verified residents get to know neighbours, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts from their city or municipality. Accessible via the Hoplr web application and native iOS/Android apps. Used by more than 1 million households across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey.
- Hoplr Dashboard (Hoplr for the Public Sector) Paying service dashboard for public-sector organisations (local authorities, utility services, project developers, civic organisations) enabling neighbourhood-oriented communication, citizen participation projects (polls, surveys, referenda), AI Topic & Sentiment analysis, one-click bulk export, and an Impact Dashboard with SROI reporting.
- Hoplr for Groups Sub-brand offering for organisations and associations allowing them to share messages and files with all members, manage member lists, start private chats or chat groups, organise activities, share documents (PDFs and other files), and connect with integrations.
- Hoplr Mobile App (iOS & Android) Native iOS and Android applications providing full access to the Hoplr neighbourhood social network on mobile devices, including group chats, neighbourhood alerts, activity organisation, push notifications, and private messaging.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 60% household adoption in cities running launch campaigns
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Hoplr
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hoplr technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
Hoplr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ICTRechtcoreDutch privacy and IT-law firm that audits Hoplr's platform and has issued the "Privacy Verified" certificate displayed across Hoplr's websites. The privacy page explicitly states: "In collaboration with ICTRecht" alongside Hoplr's digital security commitments.
- IntigriticoreEthical hacking platform used by Hoplr as part of its digital security programme. The Dutch About page states Hoplr "werken we onder andere samen met het Ethical Hacking Platform Intigriti" to continuously probe and harden its applications.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hoplr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- PlaceSpeak: Location-verified civic engagement platform for public consultations. Comparable address-verified participation model aimed at municipal and government buyers.
- CONSUL DEMOCRACY: Open-source citizen participation platform forked from Madrid's Decide Madrid. Increasingly used by European cities as a free alternative to paid citizen-engagement suites like Hoplr's dashboard.
- Decidim: Open-source civic participation platform used by many European municipalities. Comparable participation tools (polls, proposals, assemblies) that compete with Hoplr's public-sector dashboard offering.
Direct peers
- Streetlife: UK-based neighbourhood social platform with closed geographic scopes and council partnerships. Comparable closed-network, privacy-first approach and municipal GTM targeting European cities.
- Front Porch Forum: US-based neighbourhood email and forum network organised by geographic boundaries. Closely comparable neighbourhood-scope community model and municipal engagement approach.
- Nextdoor: Global neighbourhood social network connecting verified residents at the street level. Directly comparable product (address-verified neighbourhood feeds, alerts, help requests) and the dominant incumbent Hoplr positions against in Europe.
- Bang the Table: Australian-founded civic engagement SaaS used by municipalities worldwide. Comparable B2G sales motion, surveys, polls and reporting to municipal customers.
- Buurtlink: Dutch neighbourhood platform run by Togetherwork/Swec, similar to Hoplr in concept. Closest direct competitor in Hoplr's home Dutch-speaking market.
- CitizenLab: Belgian civic participation platform offering polls, surveys, ideation and budgeting tools for municipalities. Overlaps with Hoplr's public-sector dashboard and citizen-participation value proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Meta (Facebook Groups): Global social network with neighbourhood-based Facebook Groups. Represents the open, large-scale incumbent Hoplr explicitly differentiates against via closed geographic scopes and no advertising.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hoplr social profiles
Digital presenceHoplr compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Hoplr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hoplr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hoplr subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Hoplr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hoplr M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hoplr
What does Hoplr do?
Hoplr provides a private, geographically demarcated neighbourhood social network accessible via web and native iOS/Android apps where verified residents connect, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts. It monetises by licensing a paid service dashboard (services.hoplr.com) to local governments, utility companies, and civic organisations for neighbourhood-oriented communication, citizen participation projects, AI-powered topic and sentiment analysis, and SROI impact reporting.
Is Hoplr a public or private company?
Hoplr is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hoplr founded?
Hoplr was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hoplr based?
Hoplr is headquartered in Lokeren, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Hoplr make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Public-sector licence subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are hoplr for Groups (organisations and associations) and free citizen tier (freemium / loss-leader).
Who are Hoplr's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are PlaceSpeak, CONSUL DEMOCRACY and Decidim. Direct peers are Streetlife, Front Porch Forum, Nextdoor, Bang the Table, Buurtlink and CitizenLab. Meta (Facebook Groups) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Hoplr have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hoplr.
What industry is Hoplr in?
Hoplr's product category is Neighborhood social networking and citizen participation platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAG, Local & Neighborhood Communities. Its NAICS code is 48531 and its SIC code is 8300.