Smoothwall
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Smoothwall firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smoothwall
- Legal name
- Smoothwall Limited
- Website
- https://smoothwall.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smoothwall industry classification
Industry- Product category
- School digital safeguarding software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Security Systems Services (56162)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Web Content Filtering & Safe Search Controls (EDAFALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Content Moderation, Safe Messaging & Classroom Communication Safety (EDAFALAE), Student Support Hotlines & Digital Wellbeing Tools (EDAJAIAL)
Keywords
Where Smoothwall is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smoothwall business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription-based SaaS: Smoothwall operates on a subscription recurring revenue model, providing web filtering, digital monitoring, and wellbeing solutions to schools on an annual subscription basis. Customers can obtain quotes or demos, indicating custom enterprise pricing. The company is part of Qoria family of digital safety companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription pricing for schools, colleges, and MATs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Smoothwall product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smoothwall builds and sells a suite of digital safety and wellbeing software for UK schools, colleges, and Multi Academy Trusts. Its core products are real-time content-aware web filtering (Filter, Cloud Filter, Hybrid Filter), an AI-and-human-moderated student monitoring system (Monitor, Cloud Scan), a student wellbeing check-in platform (Pulse), and engagement tools including an Online Safety Hub, the Qustodio parental app, and Training & Consultancy. The portfolio is delivered as SaaS subscriptions that help schools meet statutory safeguarding duties under KCSIE, the Prevent Duty, and the Online Safety Act.
Product overview
Smoothwall offers a comprehensive suite of student digital safety and wellbeing solutions organized around three pillars: Prevention & Enablement (Filter, Cloud Filter, Hybrid Filter, Firewall, AI Visual Safety Bundle), Early Detection & Intervention (Monitor, Cloud Scan, Pulse), and Education & Engagement (Online Safety Hub, Qustodio Parental App, Training & Consultancy). The portfolio spans web filtering, digital monitoring with human moderation, student wellbeing platforms, and parental controls. Smoothwall is part of the Qoria family and serves over 32,000 schools globally with solutions designed specifically for UK education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Qustodio: Parental control app that helps parents manage their child's screen time and online safety across multiple devices.
- Online Safety Hub
Products and services
- Filter (on-premise) Real-time, content-aware on-premise web filtering purpose-built for UK schools, assessing page content, construction, and context to block harmful material while preserving educationally valuable content.
- Cloud Filter 100% real-time, always-on cloud-based web filter that protects students at school, at home, and everywhere in between.
- Hybrid Filter Hybrid web filter combining on-premise Smoothwall Filter with cloud flexibility to deliver the safest, most secure filtering in UK education.
- Firewall Unified threat management firewall that combines with Smoothwall Filter to provide complete, all-in-one network protection for schools.
- Monitor Real-time, human-moderated digital monitoring that uses contextual screen assessment and 24/7 UK-based human moderators to alert designated staff to students showing signs of vulnerability online.
- Cloud Scan Cloud-based scanning solution that detects online risks and threats across school devices on web and social platforms.
- Pulse (Student Wellbeing Check-in) Student wellbeing check-in platform that enables 60-second weekly mental health check-ins and gives schools dashboards at school, class, and individual level to spot students in need.
- Online Safety Hub Branded resource platform written by digital safety experts that helps schools and parents have meaningful conversations with children about online safety and wellbeing.
- Qustodio Parental Control App Cross-device parental control solution for families that helps parents manage children's screen time, block inappropriate content, monitor online behaviour, and locate children; trusted by over 9 million parents globally.
- Training & Consultancy Expert training and consultancy services delivered to schools, Multi Academy Trusts, and local authorities to help them create safe digital learning environments and achieve digital safety excellence.
- AI Visual Safety Bundle AI-powered computer vision solution that analyses images in real time to detect inappropriate visual content in educational settings as part of the Prevention & Enablement suite.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 in 3 schools in UK rely on Smoothwall solutions for student digital safety
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Smoothwall
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Smoothwall technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
Smoothwall partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- eSafe GlobalcoreSmoothwall acquired eSafe Global, a Salford-based firm that monitors online behavior in schools. The acquisition strengthened Smoothwall's position in the school monitoring market amid increasing online safety concerns. Both companies worked to enhance digital safety for young people in educational environments.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Smoothwall competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Impero: UK-based education software provider with classroom management and student safeguarding tools. A direct UK competitor of comparable scale, often appearing on the same shortlists as Smoothwall for school IT procurement.
- Lightspeed Systems: K-12 web filtering and student safety platform (Lightspeed Filter, Alert, Classroom) sold into US school districts. Comparable in offering breadth and K-12 vertical focus, though with broader device-management capability.
- Gaggle: K-12 digital safety and student wellbeing monitoring vendor using a managed-service model with human review. Closest head-to-head with Smoothwall's Monitor product in the US K-12 segment.
- Senso: UK-based education-focused web filtering and monitoring vendor selling to schools and MATs. A like-for-like UK specialist competitor for IT/DSL procurement.
- Bark: AI-driven K-12 student monitoring and parental control platform. Competes in the same school safeguarding category with overlapping capabilities in content monitoring, wellbeing alerts, and home-extension parental controls.
- Securly: US-headquartered K-12 student safety platform providing web filtering, AI-based monitoring, and parental engagement tools to schools. Directly comparable product surface and target buyer (IT leads and DSLs in K-12) as Smoothwall, although primarily US-focused.
Broad incumbents
- Sophos: Global cybersecurity incumbent whose web filtering and endpoint protection products are widely deployed in UK schools via managed service providers. Represents the broader-stack competitive threat to Smoothwall's specialist positioning.
- Qoria (parent group): Diversified education technology group that owns Smoothwall, Linewize and related brands across ANZ, NA and Europe. Functions as both parent and portfolio-level comparable for evaluating Smoothwall within a multi-region digital safety strategy.
- Cisco Umbrella (Cisco): Enterprise-grade DNS and web filtering layer often procured as part of Cisco networking estates in UK schools and MATs. Exemplifies the incumbent network-vendor dynamic that could commoditize Smoothwall's filtering layer.
Others
- Linewize (Qoria): Sister brand within the Qoria family of companies delivering the same digital safety portfolio to ANZ and North American school markets. Technically the same product family distributed under a regional brand, making it the closest technological peer despite not competing head-to-head in the UK.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smoothwall social profiles
Digital presenceSmoothwall financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smoothwall leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Smoothwall subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Smoothwall funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smoothwall M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smoothwall
What does Smoothwall do?
Smoothwall builds and sells a suite of digital safety and wellbeing software for UK schools, colleges, and Multi Academy Trusts. Its core products are real-time content-aware web filtering (Filter, Cloud Filter, Hybrid Filter), an AI-and-human-moderated student monitoring system (Monitor, Cloud Scan), a student wellbeing check-in platform (Pulse), and engagement tools including an Online Safety Hub, the Qustodio parental app, and Training & Consultancy. The portfolio is delivered as SaaS subscriptions that help schools meet statutory safeguarding duties under KCSIE, the Prevent Duty, and the Online Safety Act.
Is Smoothwall a public or private company?
Smoothwall is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Smoothwall founded?
Smoothwall was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Smoothwall based?
Smoothwall is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Smoothwall make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription-based SaaS.
Who are Smoothwall's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Impero, Lightspeed Systems, Gaggle, Senso, Bark and Securly. Broad incumbents are Sophos, Qoria (parent group) and Cisco Umbrella (Cisco). Linewize (Qoria) is listed as an others.
Does Smoothwall have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smoothwall.
What industry is Smoothwall in?
Smoothwall's product category is School digital safeguarding software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFALAK, Web Content Filtering & Safe Search Controls, with a secondary code of EDAFALAE, Content Moderation, Safe Messaging & Classroom Communication Safety. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 7372.