What Jacobin does

Jacobin Foundation, LTD operates Jacobin, a socialist-perspective media publication headquartered at 388 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and publishes a quarterly print magazine alongside a continuously updated website (jacobin.com) reaching approximately 3.2 million monthly page views and 3 million monthly web visitors. It also operates Catalyst, a sister journal of political theory and strategy, and distributes Jacobin Radio as a podcast on Acast.

The core product portfolio consists of the print magazine, the digital/web publication, the Catalyst journal, a merchandise and back-issue store, and the Jacobin Radio podcast. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing platform and CMS supporting free and subscriber-only articles, with a searchable archive of more than 6,000 pieces. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through jacobin.com, email newsletters, social channels (Facebook, X), podcast platforms, and print fulfillment.

The business model combines three revenue streams: recurring subscriptions (Standard Digital $29.95/year, Print+Digital $39.95/year, monthly digital starting at $1.60/month) across a 60,000–75,000 subscriber base; advertising in print, web, and audio sold to academic presses, independent publishers, universities, and progressive nonprofits; and tax-deductible donations and bequests to the Jacobin Foundation. GTM is direct-to-consumer with earned-media amplification (Vox, NYT), and the primary customer segments are progressive/left-leaning individual readers and advertisers seeking access to that audience.

Name

Jacobin

Legal name

Jacobin Foundation, LTD

Website

https://jacobin.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jacobin is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit media publication producing a quarterly print magazine, a continuously updated website, the Catalyst theory journal, and a podcast, serving progressive readers with socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

Keywords

• Political magazine
• Socialist journalism
• Left-wing commentary
• Print publication
• Political analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Jacobin generates revenue through digital and print magazine subscriptions. Digital subscriptions start at $29.95/year for 4 issues, while print + digital subscriptions are $39.95/year. The publication has over 60,000-75,000 subscribers.
2. Advertising: The publication sells advertising in print, web, and audio formats. Past advertisers include Duke University Press, SAGE Publications, Verso Books, n+1 magazine, Haymarket Books, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Ovid TV, University of Pennsylvania, New Left Review, and University of California Press. Discounts available for multi-issue commitments and non-profit organizations.
3. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Jacobin Foundation), the company accepts tax-deductible donations and bequests. Contact for donations is [email protected].

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Jacobin publishes a quarterly print magazine and continuously updated website offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. The publication sells digital and print subscriptions directly to readers, supplemented by advertising sales and tax-deductible donations to its affiliated 501(c)(3) Jacobin Foundation. The portfolio includes the main Jacobin magazine, the Catalyst journal of theory and strategy, podcasts, and an online store for merchandise and back issues.

Product overview

Jacobin is a multi-platform leftist media publication consisting of a quarterly print magazine (75,000 subscribers), an online publication (3+ million monthly web visitors), and the Catalyst journal of theory and strategy. The publication offers digital and print subscriptions, merchandise through its store, and podcast content. The portfolio centers on Jacobin Magazine as the core print product, Jacobin Digital/Web as the primary online platform, with Catalyst serving as a theoretical supplement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Catalyst: A journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin

Products and services

• Jacobin Magazine A quarterly print magazine offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture, reaching approximately 75,000 subscribers via mail and select newsstands.
• Jacobin Digital/Web Continuously updated online publication providing articles, news, and analysis on politics, economics, and culture from a socialist perspective, reaching over 3 million monthly web visitors with an archive of 6,000+ articles.
• Catalyst A journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin, covering political theory and strategic analysis from a left perspective.
• Jacobin Subscriptions Digital and print subscription offerings including standard digital ($29.95/year), print + digital ($39.95/year), and monthly digital plans starting at $1.60/month, plus renewal options.
• Jacobin Store Online e-commerce store offering back issues, print subscriptions, and merchandise.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000 print subscribers and 3M+ monthly web visitors

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Catalyst JournalminorOthersCatalyst is a journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin. It is presented as a related publication on the Jacobin website with its own subscription and about pages. Vol. 9, No. 4 featured articles by Vivek Chibbing, Ahmad al-Sholi, and others on topics including Palestinian dilemmas and climate politics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Nation: The Nation is a long-running progressive political magazine offering news, analysis, and opinion from the American left. It is the most direct competitor to Jacobin in left-leaning print+digital political publishing, with a similar subscription-based model and overlapping advertiser base.
• Current Affairs: Current Affairs is a print and digital magazine focused on socialism, labor, and left political analysis, founded and edited by Nathan J. Robinson. It competes head-to-head with Jacobin for the same socialist-leaning, intellectually-engaged reader audience.
• Dissent Magazine: Dissent is a quarterly magazine of politics and culture publishing left-leaning perspectives on democracy, socialism, and political economy. It serves a comparable audience to Jacobin with a similar quarterly print cadence and digital presence.
• In These Times: In These Times is a progressive monthly magazine covering labor, politics, and social movements from a left perspective. It competes with Jacobin for the same progressive readership and overlaps significantly in editorial mission and subscriber demographic.
• Mother Jones: Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative journalism magazine covering politics, social justice, and progressive causes. It is a broader progressive competitor with a larger subscriber base, overlapping in ideological positioning and nonprofit media model.
• The Intercept: The Intercept is a digital-first progressive news outlet covering national security, politics, and civil liberties. It competes with Jacobin's digital publication for left-leaning readers and shares the nonprofit/reader-supported media model.
• The New Republic: The New Republic is a center-left political magazine covering politics, culture, and ideas with a subscription-based model. It overlaps with Jacobin in covering progressive political analysis, though typically from a less ideologically explicit standpoint.
• n+1: n+1 is an intellectual magazine of literature, politics, and culture from a literary left perspective. It is both a peer publication (similar intellectually-engaged left readership) and a past advertiser in Jacobin, indicating direct competitive overlap.
• The Baffler: The Baffler is a magazine of cultural and political criticism published from a left perspective, with print and digital editions. It serves a comparable audience to Jacobin and competes in the niche of intellectual left cultural commentary.

Others

• Verso Books: Verso Books is a leading left-wing book publisher and a notable Jacobin advertiser. While operating in book publishing rather than periodicals, it shares the same ideological readership and frequently collaborates with Jacobin on cross-promotion, making it a closely adjacent ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jacobin
• YouTubeshows.acast.com/jacobin-radio
• Facebookfacebook.com/jacobinmag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobin-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Jacobin