Zedge
Zedge Inc. operates the world's largest phone personalization mobile platform, serving 19.6M monthly active users with freemium wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds across iOS and Android, and has expanded into emoji reference (Emojipedia), photography gaming (GuruShots), music streaming (Tapedeck), and B2B AI training data (DataSeeds.AI).
- Company typePublic
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Zedge does
Zedge Inc. is a publicly traded mobile content platform (NYSE American: ZDGE; founded 2004; headquartered in New York; 51-100 employees) that operates the Zedge App, the world's largest phone personalization destination, with more than 721 million cumulative installs and 19.6 million active users. The core app delivers free and premium wallpapers, ringtones, video wallpapers, and notification sounds through a freemium model in which premium content can be unlocked via Zedge credits, direct purchase, or ad-watching. Underlying the app is a marketplace platform where artists upload and monetize content, plus an AI-powered image-creation feature that lets users generate wallpapers from text prompts or uploaded images. Beyond personalization, Zedge owns and operates a portfolio of consumer products built through M&A and internal launches: Emojipedia (emoji reference, acquired August 2021), GuruShots (mobile photography game, acquired 2022 for approximately $35 million), Tapedeck (a pay-per-stream music service launched in the U.S. on iOS in fall 2025 with an 80% revenue share to rights holders), DataSeeds.AI (a B2B AI training data business with its first six-figure order in Q3 fiscal 2026), and SynCat (an AI/vibe-coded app launched in October 2025). The company reports roughly $8M in revenue per quarter in fiscal 2026, growing 18% year-over-year, with subscription revenue up 32% and nearly 1.3M active subscriptions (up 41% YoY); ARPMAU reached $0.115 in Q2 2026, a 48% increase. Zedge is debt-free with $19.7M in cash, initiated a quarterly dividend in late 2025, and operates a $7M share repurchase program.
Zedge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zedge
- Legal name
- Zedge Inc.
- Website
- https://zedge.net
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Zedge Inc. operates the world's largest phone personalization mobile platform, serving 19.6M monthly active users with freemium wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds across iOS and Android, and has expanded into emoji reference (Emojipedia), photography gaming (GuruShots), music streaming (Tapedeck), and B2B AI training data (DataSeeds.AI).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zedge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Personalization / Digital Content Marketplace
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Advertising, Marketing & Customer Personalization (HDAAAGAC)
Keywords
Where Zedge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Zedge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Recurring subscription revenue from Zedge Premium service. Subscription revenue grew 32% year over year in Q3 2026 with active subscriptions growing 41% to nearly 1.3 million.
- Advertising Revenue: Revenue from in-app advertising across the Zedge platform. Driven by strong advertising CPMs with ARPMAU reaching a quarterly record of $0.115 in Q2 2026.
- Premium Content Sales: Revenue from sale of premium wallpapers, ringtones, and other content. Users can purchase premium content using Zedge credits. Top tier content creators contribute exclusive content.
- In-App Purchases: Revenue from in-app purchases including Zedge credits used to unlock premium content. Also includes in-app purchases from game platform GuruShots.
- DataSeeds.AI: B2B data business selling AI training data products. Achieved its first six-figure order in Q3 2026. Also referred to as Data Seeds in some sources.
- Tapedeck Music Streaming: Music streaming service revenue through its Tapedeck platform, which offers 80% revenue share to rights holders and allows artists to set their own pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free content tier with basic access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium content with Zedge credits |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Tapedeck streaming - artist revenue share model |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Zedge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zedge operates a mobile content platform that lets consumers personalize their smartphones with millions of free and premium wallpapers, ringtones, notification sounds, video wallpapers, and live wallpapers, with AI-powered image creation tools for custom artwork. The platform also functions as a marketplace where third-party artists and content creators can distribute and monetize personalization content via Zedge credits. Beyond the flagship app, Zedge runs the acquired Emojipedia emoji reference site, GuruShots photography game, the DataSeeds.AI B2B AI training data business, and the Tapedeck music streaming service offering an 80% revenue share to rights holders.
Product overview
Zedge operates as a phone personalization platform offering a suite of products including the core Zedge App for wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds; the acquired Emojipedia emoji reference site; the GuruShots photography game; the B2B DataSeeds.AI training data service; and the Tapedeck music streaming platform. The ecosystem also includes AI-powered features for image creation and innovative products like SynCat developed using AI and vibe coding. With over 721 million app installs and 19.6 million active users, Zedge serves as a digital marketplace connecting content creators with users seeking phone personalization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emojipedia: Leading authority on emoji definitions and cultural trends
- GuruShots
- DataSeeds
- Tapedeck
Products and services
- Zedge App Flagship mobile application providing millions of free and premium wallpapers, ringtones, notification sounds, video wallpapers, and live wallpapers for smartphone personalization. Includes AI-powered image creation, free and premium content tiers, Zedge credits, and ad-supported content unlocking.
- Emojipedia Emoji reference website acquired by Zedge in August 2021, providing emoji definitions, cultural trend analysis, and an active user community. Functions as an authoritative content destination within Zedge's portfolio.
- GuruShots Mobile photography game platform with photo challenges and contests; wholly owned Zedge subsidiary engaging users through photographic content.
- DataSeeds.AI B2B AI training data product business providing curated datasets for AI/ML model development to enterprise customers.
- Tapedeck Music streaming platform offering a pay-per-stream model with an 80% revenue share to rights holders, artists setting their own prices (minimum one cent per stream), and a virtual currency pay-as-you-go system.
- SynCat Standalone app developed using AI and vibe coding by Zedge's AI-Powered Product Innovation Team to drive new growth initiatives beyond the core personalization platform.
- Zedge Marketplace Two-sided marketplace where third-party artists can upload and sell ringtones, wallpapers, and other phone personalization content to Zedge's user base, with content unlocked via Zedge credits or ad-watching.
Quantifiable outcome
- Subscription revenue growth of 32% year over year in Q3 2026
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Zedge
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Zedge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Zedge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- EmojipediacoreZedge acquired Emojipedia, the leading authority on emoji definitions and cultural trends, to expand its global user base and diversify its portfolio. The acquisition was immediately accretive to fiscal 2022 earnings and involved Emojipedia's extensive resources and active user community. Emojipedia is now operated as a Zedge product.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zedge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spotify: Direct peer to Zedge's Tapedeck. Both are music streaming platforms competing for listener attention and rights-holder partnerships, with artist payout rates a key differentiator (Tapedeck 80% vs. Spotify's industry-standard share).
- Pinterest: Visual content discovery and personalization platform. Like Zedge, Pinterest is a discovery-and-save engine for visual content (wallpapers, aesthetics) organized by topic, with an ad-supported monetization model and category-driven engagement.
- Shutterstock: Stock image, video, and audio marketplace connecting creators with users needing licensed visual content. Comparable to Zedge's marketplace model of distributing creator-uploaded wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds to consumers.
- Getty Images: Global stock visual content marketplace. Operates a similar marketplace model to Zedge — connecting professional and amateur creators with consumers needing licensable imagery — and competes in adjacent creator-economics territory.
- Walli: Direct competitor in the mobile wallpaper category, featuring curated artist-designed wallpapers. Most head-to-head overlap with Zedge on the core personalization use case, with a similar premium-content and creator-attribution model.
- Scale AI: Leading provider of training data for AI/ML models. Most direct comparable to Zedge's DataSeeds.AI business, serving the same B2B AI training data market from a much larger scale and broader data modality offering.
- Tidal: Artist-friendly music streaming service historically emphasizing higher artist payouts. Conceptually aligned with Tapedeck's 80% rev share thesis of competing on artist economics rather than catalog breadth.
Broad incumbents
- Apple Music: Major incumbent music streaming service bundled with Apple's broader hardware and services ecosystem. Competes head-to-head with Tapedeck for music rights, listener attention, and artist relationships at much greater scale.
- Canva: Mass-market design platform with AI image generation, template marketplace, and creator monetization. Adjacent to Zedge's AI Wallpaper Maker and marketplace, with broader scope across design rather than phone-specific personalization.
Emerging players
- PicsArt: AI-powered photo and video editing platform with a creator community and asset marketplace. Comparable to Zedge's AI Wallpaper Maker and creator-marketplace model, but focused on editing tools rather than finished personalization content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zedge social profiles
Digital presenceZedge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zedge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Zedge subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Zedge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zedge M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zedge
What does Zedge do?
Zedge operates a mobile content platform that lets consumers personalize their smartphones with millions of free and premium wallpapers, ringtones, notification sounds, video wallpapers, and live wallpapers, with AI-powered image creation tools for custom artwork. The platform also functions as a marketplace where third-party artists and content creators can distribute and monetize personalization content via Zedge credits. Beyond the flagship app, Zedge runs the acquired Emojipedia emoji reference site, GuruShots photography game, the DataSeeds.AI B2B AI training data business, and the Tapedeck music streaming service offering an 80% revenue share to rights holders.
Is Zedge a public or private company?
Zedge is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Zedge founded?
Zedge was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Zedge based?
Zedge is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zedge make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are advertising Revenue, premium Content Sales, in-App Purchases, dataSeeds.AI and tapedeck Music Streaming.
Who are Zedge's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spotify, Pinterest, Shutterstock, Getty Images, Walli, Scale AI and Tidal. Broad incumbents are Apple Music and Canva. PicsArt is listed as an emerging player.
Does Zedge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zedge.
What industry is Zedge in?
Zedge's product category is Mobile Personalization / Digital Content Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAKAB, Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps, with a secondary code of HDAAAGAC, Advertising, Marketing & Customer Personalization. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7330.