What Torchbox does

Torchbox is a UK-based digital agency founded in 1998 and headquartered in Bristol, with an additional office in Cambridge and a US subsidiary incorporated in 2020. The company operates as a 100% employee-owned B Corporation (score 118.5) with approximately 111 co-owner employees, holding ISO 27001, Living Wage, and Disability Confident Level 2 accreditations. Its core technology asset is Wagtail CMS, an open-source content management system built on Django that Torchbox created and continues to maintain, around which it sells implementation, hosting, support, and training services.

The company serves three primary verticals: charities and nonprofits (66.18% of income), public sector organizations including NHS, universities, and government bodies (32.38%), and direct Wagtail CMS users (1.44%). Service offerings span digital strategy, web development, Wagtail CMS implementation, digital marketing (SEO, PPC, email, social), accessibility audits and remediation, AI strategy, and data and measurement. Notable clients include Breast Cancer Now, Mind, Oxfam, RNIB, Amnesty International, Tate, University of Oxford, NASA JPL, and NHS Digital, with documented outcomes such as a 64% donation-income uplift for Mind, £3.2M raised for the DEC Afghanistan appeal, and 3M additional monthly clicks for NHS content.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-driven engagements typically structured as multi-year contracts, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is via direct enterprise field sales supplemented by thought leadership content, SEO, events (BrightonSEO, UKGovCamp, Wagtail community events), and webinars. The company is investing in proprietary AI productization (Wagtail AI, Sonar qualitative research platform, AI Interviewer) and geographic expansion, while maintaining its mission-driven positioning through Charity Bank treasury arrangements, sustainability reporting (265.02 tCO2e in 2024, a 23.5% year-over-year reduction), and employee-ownership governance with an independent trustee from John Lewis Partnership.

Name

Torchbox

Legal name

Torchbox

Website

https://torchbox.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Torchbox is a 100% employee-owned UK digital agency and creator of the open-source Wagtail CMS, serving charities, nonprofits, and public sector organizations with digital strategy, web development, accessibility, AI, and digital marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Charity Sector: Digital strategy, web development, digital marketing, and accessibility services for charity and nonprofit organizations. Revenue breakdown shows 66.18% from charity sector clients including Breast Cancer Now, Mind, RNIB, MND Association, Samaritans, and humanitarian organizations.
2. Public Sector Services: Digital transformation, Wagtail CMS implementation, and digital services for public sector organizations including NHS, universities, museums, and government bodies. Represents 32.38% of company income.
3. Wagtail CMS Services: Wagtail CMS implementation, developer support, staff augmentation, hosting, training, and accelerator kit services. Represents 1.44% of income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Torchbox is a 100% employee-owned digital agency that creates and maintains Wagtail CMS, an open-source content management system built on Django. The firm delivers digital strategy, web development, digital marketing (SEO, PPC, social, email), accessibility services, AI strategy, data and measurement, and hosting and support to charities, nonprofits, and public sector organisations across the UK, US, and select international markets.

Product overview

Torchbox operates as a digital agency focused on three core areas: Wagtail CMS services (as the creators and maintainers of the open-source Wagtail CMS), digital marketing services for charities and nonprofits, and AI strategy and transformation services. The Wagtail CMS serves as the core platform product, with supplementary AI features (Wagtail AI), plugins (wagtail-pdf-converter), and the Sonar AI research platform. Their service offerings include digital marketing (SEO, PPC, email, social media), accessibility services, AI strategy and transformation, data and measurement, and hosting and support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wagtail CMS: Open-source content management system created and maintained by Torchbox

Products and services

• Wagtail CMS Services Implementation, developer support, staff augmentation, hosting, training, and accelerator kit services for Wagtail CMS, provided by the creators of the platform. Targeted at organisations adopting or scaling Wagtail CMS.
• Charity Digital Strategy and Marketing Services End-to-end digital strategy, web development, digital marketing (SEO, PPC, social media, email), accessibility services, and AI strategy for charities and nonprofit organisations. Accounted for 66.18% of company revenue in 2024.
• Public Sector Digital Services Digital transformation, Wagtail CMS implementation, intranet development, digital services, and accessibility services for public sector organisations including NHS trusts, universities, museums, galleries, libraries, and government bodies. Accounted for 32.38% of company revenue in 2024.
• Sonar AI-powered qualitative research platform enabling organisations to conduct user research at scale through conversational AI interviews. Used primarily with public sector clients.
• wagtail-pdf-converter Plugin for Wagtail CMS enabling PDF generation and conversion capabilities directly within the content management system.

Quantifiable outcome

• 64% increase in donation income for Mind through Google Ad Grants optimization
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, community, flagship, learning and innovation.

• ZeverosupportingTechnology or IntegrationEmissions monitoring partner for Torchbox's sustainability reporting. Zevero provides the monitoring framework and methodology that Torchbox uses for comprehensive Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions tracking and reporting.
• Tech for Good South WestcommunityStrategic or Co-development PartnerTorchbox continued sponsorship of Tech for Good South West, a community that creates opportunities for collaboration and positive impact across the Southwest region.
• GympanzeesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year charity of the year partnership with Gympanzees, a Bristol-based charity building the UK's first fully inclusive play and exercise centre for disabled children and young people. Partnership includes fundraising activities like Big Jurassic Hike and annual auction.
• John Lewis PartnershiplearningStrategic or Co-development PartnerTorchbox built connection with John Lewis Partnership's Democratic Vitality team. Jo Undrell from John Lewis appointed as Independent Trustee. Multiple co-owners attended John Lewis Partnership council meetings as guest observers. Knowledge sharing on employee ownership governance.
• Google Summer of CodeinnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in Google Summer of Code program with projects including Wagtail accessibility improvements (Chiemezuo Akujobi, Sherry Yusupova) and low-carbon template (Nandini Arora). Students contribute to Wagtail development with Torchbox mentorship.
• The Green Web FoundationsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership on grid-aware websites concepts and digital carbon ratings research. Torchbox contributes to development of standards for sustainable web hosting and carbon-aware website delivery.
• Bristol City AcademycommunityStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird year of partnership for BIMA Digital Day, working with vibrant inclusive school to engage students with creative briefs from organizations like RSPCA and teach digital skills.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Equal Experts: UK technology consultancy delivering digital transformation, software engineering and agile delivery to public-sector and enterprise clients. A broader UK competitor for large-scale digital delivery contracts that overlap with Torchbox's public-sector practice.
• Automattic (WordPress): Owner of WordPress, the world's largest open-source CMS. A massive incumbent in the same CMS category as Wagtail; many mission-driven sites choose between the two, making Automattic the dominant adjacent competitor to Torchbox's Wagtail practice.
• Drupal Association / Drupal: Open-source CMS widely used in government and higher education — the same verticals where Torchbox deploys Wagtail. A direct open-source CMS competitor that large public-sector and higher-ed clients frequently evaluate against Wagtail.

Direct peers

• Nomensa: UK digital agency with deep accessibility and user-centred design expertise serving public-sector and enterprise clients. Comparable to Torchbox on accessibility-led service positioning and UK public-sector footprint.
• dxw: UK digital agency focused on building public-sector services for government and the NHS, with a similar practice to Torchbox's public-sector vertical. Strong comparable for UK gov/NHS digital work.
• Reason Digital: UK-based digital agency serving charities, nonprofits and social enterprises with web development, digital marketing, and transformation services. Closest direct competitor to Torchbox's charity-sector practice with similar positioning and customer base.
• Clearleft: UK digital design and strategy agency working with mission-driven and enterprise clients on product strategy, UX and service design. Overlaps with Torchbox on digital strategy, accessibility, and design-led engagements.
• Whole Whale: US-based digital agency specializing in nonprofit and charity clients, offering web build, digital marketing, CRM and analytics services. Directly comparable in mission-driven focus and service mix to Torchbox's charity vertical.

Emerging players

• Sanity: Structured content platform often chosen by mission-driven and digital-first organizations as a modern alternative to traditional CMSs. Adjacent competitor in the headless CMS space where Wagtail is increasingly positioned.
• Contentful: Headless/composable CMS platform targeting enterprise digital teams. Competes with Wagtail's headless CMS capabilities, particularly for large mission-driven organizations building multi-channel digital experiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/torchbox
• GitHubgithub.com/torchbox
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/torchbox
• Facebookfacebook.com/torchbox
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/torchbox
• Instagraminstagram.com/torchbox

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Torchbox