What Cylex does

Cylex is a privately held Romanian-headquartered operator of a global business directory and listings data platform, founded in 1997 and incorporated as S.C. CYLEX Tehnologia Informaţiei Internaţional S.N.C. The company runs a network of 32 country-specific business directories and four discovery brands — Cylex, FindOpen, Yably, and Firmania — spanning 5 continents with 91 directory integrations, 54+ million company listings, 115+ million annual active users, and approximately 196.7 million annual pageviews. Its core customers are small and medium-sized business owners, SEO and marketing agencies, listing partners and platforms, and enterprise multi-location brands, with revenue generated through freemium listings, premium subscription upgrades, Bulk Upload services, REST API access, and enterprise Data Sync contracts.

The underlying platform combines automated data pipelines with a human-in-the-loop AI layer that performs entity matching, deduplication, and quality scoring on business listing data, supported by a Python SDK and OpenAPI-documented REST API supporting the full CRUD lifecycle. Distribution is hybrid: direct self-service through country-specific websites, enterprise field sales for large chains, and channel partnerships for white-label and affiliate distribution, with named integration partners including Yext, Vendasta, Uberall, Rio SEO, Soci.ai, 11880.com, and DAC Group.

The business model is predominantly subscription-based across per-listing, per-entry API, and customized Data Sync contracts, with regional pricing variations and volume discounts. The company has offices in Oradea (Romania) and Germany, employs 101–250 people, and is currently in a team restructuring phase focused on efficiency. In December 2025 Cylex was featured in Google Publisher Stories, and the company has subsequently repositioned its thought leadership around Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), reflecting an attempt to align its directory data assets with AI-driven search paradigms.

Name

Cylex

Legal name

S.C. CYLEX Tehnologia Informaţiei Internaţional S.N.C.

Website

https://cylex-international.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cylex operates a global network of 32 business directories and four discovery platforms (Cylex, FindOpen, Yably, Firmania) serving SMBs, SEO/marketing agencies, listing partners, and enterprise multi-location brands with subscriptions, APIs, bulk uploads, and Data Sync services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Business Directory and Local Search Platform

NAICS

Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314), Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Location Intelligence, Analytics & Geospatial BI (BPAMANAE)

Keywords

• Business directory listings
• Local search visibility
• Listing management platform
• Business data syndication
• Reputation management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Oradea

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Entry Subscriptions: Paid premium listings with priority placement, enhanced profiles, verified badges, photo galleries, and performance insights. Free basic listings available; premium upgrade unlocks stronger visibility and ad-free experience. Pricing varies by country and region.
2. API Access & Subscriptions: REST API access with one-time setup fee plus per-entry annual subscription. Regional pricing and volume discounts available. Designed for aggregators, agencies, and platforms building local search or analytics features.
3. Bulk Upload Services: Spreadsheet-based upload service for managing hundreds or thousands of listings. Per-listing subscription with processing fees for small batches. Volume discounts for large uploads. Regional pricing applies.
4. Data Sync Enterprise: Enterprise ingestion and synchronization service for large chains with 500+ locations. Subscription-based with customized pricing based on location count and sync frequency requirements.
5. Free Basic Listings: Free business registration for individual business owners. Generates network effects and user base for premium upsell opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cylex operates a proprietary directory network of 32 country-specific business directories (Cylex, Yably, FindOpen, Firmania) that help small and medium businesses manage accurate business information and boost local search visibility. The company monetizes via premium listing subscriptions, REST API access, bulk upload services, and enterprise data synchronization, supported by human-in-the-loop AI for entity matching, deduplication, and quality scoring across 91 directory integrations.

Product overview

Cylex is a platform-plus-modules architecture comprising 32 regional business directories (Cylex, Yably, FindOpen, Firmania) that form the core product network. The portfolio is extended by supporting services: Cylex Premium Entry (enhanced listing tier), Cylex API (programmatic access), Cylex Bulk Upload (spreadsheet-based batch management), and Cylex Data Sync (enterprise ingestion). Two products are retired: Schnaeppchenhelden (deal catalogs) and JoZoo (job portal).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cylex Business Directories Network of 32 country-specific business directories spanning 5 continents serving millions of customers. Businesses can register for free listings, agencies can manage visibility at scale, and partners can distribute accurate data across the network.
• FindOpen Opening hours search platform operating in 18 countries with 11 languages, helping agencies and listing partners keep business hours accurate for local discovery, with smart search by category, address, or near me functionality.
• Yably Review aggregation platform with 160,000 companies and 470,000 reviews from 100+ sources, bringing ratings and reviews from multiple sources into one place to help businesses, agencies, and listing partners improve online reputation and local trust.
• Firmania Business information platform operating in 18 countries with 11 languages that brings essential business information together including contact details and opening hours, helping agencies and partners keep listings consistent.
• Cylex Premium Entry Enhanced listing tier offering priority placement in search results, enhanced profile features, photo galleries, verified badge, performance insights, and ad-free business profile pages. Premium entries typically see 3x more profile views than free listings.
• Cylex Bulk Upload Spreadsheet-based bulk listing management service that allows agencies and partners to upload thousands of business listings at once using an XLSX template with validation, normalization, and duplicate checks. Per-listing subscription with volume discounts for large uploads.
• Cylex Data Sync Enterprise data ingestion service that collects data from branch locators, XML sitemaps, or store URLs and keeps listings up to date across the Cylex directory network using AI-assisted matching with human QA. Designed for chains with 500+ locations.
• Cylex REST API REST API documented with OpenAPI providing unified access to company profiles, contact data, categories, hours, and attributes across 32 countries. Supports full CRUD lifecycle, Bearer token authentication, and is designed for aggregators, agencies, platforms, and multi-location brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• 115+ million active users annually across the directory network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 11880.comcoreTechnology or Integration11880.com is a German business directory and search platform. Partnership enables data integration and syndication across complementary directory networks.
• YextcoreTechnology or IntegrationYext is a digital brand management platform. Partnership provides interoperability and data exchange capabilities for business listing management.
• VendastacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendasta provides a white-label platform for agencies to sell digital services. Cylex listings management integrated into Vendasta's reseller platform.
• UberallcoreTechnology or IntegrationUberall provides location management platform for multi-location brands. Integration enables synchronized business data across Cylex network.
• DAC GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDAC Group (now part of堆) is a digital marketing agency. Partnership for co-marketing and lead generation in local search market.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Foursquare: Location intelligence and POI data platform. Overlaps with Cylex on geo-coordinates, places data, and location-based discovery, but operates at a broader consumer and enterprise scale.
• Google Business Profile: Free default business-listing product from Google that anchors the local search ecosystem. Sets the price benchmark (free) against which all Cylex premium tiers must justify ROI.

Regional players

• 11880.com: German business directory and search platform. Direct regional competitor in Germany and a named mutual data-integration partner of Cylex.

Direct peers

• Yext: Digital presence platform for multi-location brands with APIs and listings syndication. Overlaps with Cylex's Data Sync, Bulk Upload, and API products for enterprise location-data management.
• Rio SEO: Local SEO and listings management platform. Comparable to Cylex's directory network and a named integration partner for local SEO distribution.
• Yelp: Public business directory and reviews platform. Competes directly with Cylex's directory and Yably review-aggregation offerings for SMB visibility and agency-driven listing management.
• Uberall: Location marketing platform focused on multi-location brands. Directly comparable to Cylex's enterprise Data Sync product and one of Cylex's named integration partners.
• BrightLocal: Local SEO software suite for agencies and SMBs with citation building and listing management. Closely comparable to Cylex's agency-focused listing-management value proposition.
• Vendasta: White-label platform enabling agencies to sell digital services including listings management. Direct overlap with Cylex's white-label and channel-partner motion; also a named Cylex partner.

Emerging players

• Trustpilot: Consumer review platform. Comparable to Cylex's Yably sub-brand which aggregates reviews from 100+ sources, including Trustpilot, for SMB reputation management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cylex
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cylex.International
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cylex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cylex