Cities Apps

What Cities Apps does

Cities Apps GmbH (legal entity: citiesapps S&R GmbH, DBA "CITIES") is an Austria-based SaaS company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Graz that operates a mobile-first digital community platform connecting municipalities, local businesses, associations, and residents. The core CITIES product is delivered as native apps for iOS, Android, and Huawei plus a web application, hosted on AWS in Frankfurt with MongoDB as the data layer, and integrates optional ID Austria authentication. The product is modular: the Stadtstream bundle for municipalities combines Abfallmanagement (waste calendar with reminders), Amtstafel (digital official bulletin board), Anliegenmanagement (citizen issue reporting with photo and GPS), and Seite (business/association pages); additional modules include municipal and business website services and Bonuswelt, a digital loyalty program with stamp passes, receipt scanning, and sweepstakes.

The company operates a B2B2C go-to-market. Pricing is quote-based, with municipal SaaS subscriptions sold on 12-month contracts with automatic annual renewal and pricing indexed to the Austrian VPI 2015 consumer price index; businesses pay for Page subscriptions and digital stamp passes; citizens download the app for free; nonprofits may request free Page access. Distribution combines community-led growth (municipalities promote the app to residents), direct sales to municipalities and businesses, presence at industry events such as the Kommunalmesse, and app-store channels (Google Play, Apple App Store, Huawei AppGallery). Cities Apps operates primarily in the DACH region (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), with an officially announced expansion into Germany and Switzerland dated 2025-09-26. Reported scale metrics include 256 cities and municipalities as members, 15,000+ businesses and associations, 300,000+ registered users, 380,000+ total app downloads, and a 4.7 App Store rating.

The business is privately held, founder-led (CEO and co-founder Sebastian Thier), with one disclosed investor (i5invest, 2024 round, amount not publicly disclosed). The platform is WCAG 2.1 A/AA accessible and GDPR-compliant, positioning it for European public-sector procurement requirements including the EU Accessibility Act applicable from June 28, 2025. There are no disclosed revenue figures, no disclosed external AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed large institutional funding round beyond i5invest.

Name

Cities Apps

Legal name

citiesapps S&R GmbH

Website

https://citiesapps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cities Apps (DBA CITIES) is an Austrian SaaS company that operates a mobile-first digital community platform connecting municipalities, local businesses, associations, and residents across the DACH region, with 256 municipal members and 300,000+ registered users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology / Municipal Engagement Software

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Civic engagement platform
• Municipal government software
• Community mobile app
• Local business loyalty platform
• Citizen services SaaS

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscriptions for Municipalities: Municipalities and cities subscribe to service bundles including Stadtstream (waste management, official bulletin board, issue management, and business pages). 12-month minimum contract with automatic annual renewal unless terminated 30 days prior.
2. SaaS Subscriptions for Businesses and Associations: Local businesses and associations pay for Page service to create profiles, publish content, events, and promotions. Profitoriented institutions are charged; nonprofit organizations may request free usage.
3. Digital Stamp Pass / Bonus World: Businesses can purchase digital stamp passes and conduct promotional campaigns through the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cities Apps operates the CITIES Platform, a mobile-first (iOS, Android, Huawei) and web-based digital community platform that connects municipalities, local businesses, associations, and citizens. The platform offers municipalities service bundles (Stadtstream) for official communications, waste calendars, bulletin boards, and citizen issue reporting; provides businesses and associations with profile pages (Seite), websites, and a digital stamp-pass loyalty program (Bonuswelt); and gives citizens a free app to follow local news, events, and offers.

Product overview

CITIES is a modular digital platform connecting municipalities, businesses, associations, and residents through a unified ecosystem. The core CITIES Platform provides mobile app and web access to official community information and local events. The platform's flagship offering is the Stadtstream service bundle, which combines Abfallmanagement (waste calendar with notifications), Amtstafel (official bulletin board), Anliegenmanagement (citizen request submission with photo/GPS), and Seite (business/association pages). Additional modules include dedicated Website services for municipalities and businesses, plus the Bonuswelt loyalty program featuring digital stamp passes, receipt scanning, and sweepstakes. The platform serves 256+ cities/municipalities across the DACH region with over 300,000 registered users, functioning as a central information and communication channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CITIES Platform Core digital platform connecting regions, cities, municipalities, communities, businesses, associations, and citizens through official announcements, local events, and community information via mobile apps (iOS, Android, Huawei) and web.
• Stadtstream (City Stream) Service bundle for municipalities combining Abfallmanagement (waste calendar), Amtstafel (official bulletin board), Anliegenmanagement (citizen issue management), and Seite (business/association pages), sold via 12-month annual SaaS contracts.
• Seite (Page) Profile service for profit-oriented local businesses and associations to publish posts, events, articles, opening hours, and contact details reaching CITIES Platform users in their community. Nonprofits may request free usage at Cities Apps' discretion.
• Bonuswelt (Bonus World) Digital stamp-pass loyalty program for local businesses enabling customer stamp collection, receipt scanning, sweepstakes, and exclusive discount offers to drive repeat visits within CITIES communities.
• Gemeinde-Webseite (Municipal Website) Website service providing digital presence for cities and municipalities with integration into the CITIES Platform, sold alongside Stadtstream service bundles.
• Seiten-Webseite (Business Website) Website service for local businesses and associations tied to the Seite (Page) subscription, creating a complete digital presence with the CITIES Platform.
• CITIES Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS, Android, and Huawei platforms enabling free citizen access to official community information, waste calendars, events, and local business pages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 256 cities and municipalities already members
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• citiesapps at Softwarevertriebs GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner within the citiesapps group. citiesapps S&R GmbH develops and operates the CITIES platform while citiesapps at Softwarevertriebs GmbH provides software distribution services. Both companies together form the citiesapps group offering the platform to customers.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationServer, database, and hosting infrastructure provider. All CITIES platform data is processed and stored on AWS servers located in Frankfurt, EU.
• MongoDB, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationDatabase hosting provider for the CITIES platform. MongoDB provides the database infrastructure for storing and managing platform data.
• Microsoft (Microsoft 365, Dynamics CRM)supportingTechnology or IntegrationInternal communication, customer service, and CRM tools. Used for internal operations, customer relationship management, and support functions.
• StripesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing for paid services. Handles payment transactions for subscription billing to municipalities and businesses.
• Google (Google Play Store)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution channel for the Android mobile application. Google Play Store is one of three app stores used for app distribution.
• Apple (App Store)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution channel for the iOS mobile application. Apple App Store is one of three app stores used for app distribution.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nextdoor: US-based hyperlocal community social network connecting neighbors, local businesses, and public agencies. Closest analog to CITIES on the community-and-business side, though without the deep municipal SaaS tooling.
• CitizenLab: Belgian civic engagement SaaS platform for municipalities offering idea submission, participatory budgeting, and citizen consultation. Most direct SaaS competitor to CITIES on the municipality-facing side.
• Bang the Table: Australia-based civic engagement platform serving 300+ councils with online consultation and community engagement tools. Comparable mission of connecting citizens to local government digitally.
• Polco: US civic engagement and community survey platform used by municipalities for resident feedback and local data. Comparable focus on the municipality-to-citizen communication layer.

Broad incumbents

• Granicus: US-headquartered govtech incumbent providing communications, workflow, and citizen engagement software to 5,500+ government agencies. Overlaps with CITIES on municipal digital communications and citizen services.
• CivicPlus: US govtech platform offering municipal websites, citizen request management (via SeeClickFix), and civic engagement. Direct overlap on Anliegenmanagement and municipal website modules of CITIES.
• OpenGov: US government technology vendor serving 2,000+ public agencies with budgeting, procurement, and citizen engagement software. A broader incumbent that competes for municipal wallet share.
• Accela: US govtech platform for permitting, licensing, and civic services across 600+ governments. Adjacent incumbent that could expand into citizen communications over time.

Emerging players

• ProudCity: US municipal website and digital services platform serving smaller municipalities. Comparable in target customer (smaller local governments) and product scope, though smaller scale.
• Decidim: Open-source participatory democracy platform from Barcelona used by 500+ municipalities worldwide. Comparable mission on citizen participation and digital municipal services, with a non-commercial model that creates an indirect competitive pressure on paid civic SaaS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/citiesappsofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citiesapps
• Instagraminstagram.com/citiesapps

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Cities Apps