Kakao Piccoma
Kakao Piccoma operates Japan's #1 IAP-revenue digital manga and novel app, offering 190,000+ titles through a freemium coin model (待てば¥0) to 50M+ cumulative users, with complementary SMARTOON, audiobook, ANIME, and online lottery (Piccoma Kuji) verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersRoppongi, Japan
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Kakao Piccoma does
Kakao Piccoma Corp. (株式会社カカオピッコマ) operates Japan's leading digital manga and novel distribution platform. Originally incorporated as Kakao Japan in July 2011 and rebranded in November 2021, the company is a majority-owned subsidiary of South Korean internet group Kakao Corp. Its flagship product, the Piccoma app, launched in April 2016 with the trademarked 待てば¥0 (Matechaba Yen Zero) freemium mechanic, under which users wait 23 hours to unlock one episode for free or pay coins to read immediately. The platform serves a primarily Japanese consumer base of manga enthusiasts across iOS, Android, and web, with a catalog of 190,000+ titles sourced from 600+ publishers and includes exclusive SMARTOON vertical-scroll full-color content, audiobooks, and short-form ANIME content.
Kakao Piccoma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kakao Piccoma
- Legal name
- 株式会社カカオピッコマ
- Website
- https://kakaopiccoma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Kakao Piccoma operates Japan's #1 IAP-revenue digital manga and novel app, offering 190,000+ titles through a freemium coin model (待てば¥0) to 50M+ cumulative users, with complementary SMARTOON, audiobook, ANIME, and online lottery (Piccoma Kuji) verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kakao Piccoma industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Manga and Novel Platform
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA), Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF), Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing (MPAJAFAH)
Keywords
Where Kakao Piccoma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roppongi
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kakao Piccoma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- In-app Coin Purchases: Users purchase coins (used within the app) to buy episodes or volumes of manga/novels. The free waiting model drives users to either wait for free episodes or pay to read immediately.
- ピッコマくじ (Piccoma Kuji): Online lottery service selling digital lottery tickets (starting at ¥770) for exclusive manga/SMARTOON merchandise and collectibles. Revenue from lottery ticket sales with guaranteed prizes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Freemium access with coin-based purchases |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Online lottery service pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kakao Piccoma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kakao Piccoma operates the Piccoma electronic manga and novel distribution platform, offering 190,000+ titles from 600+ publishers via iOS, Android, and web. The service runs on a freemium 待てば¥0 (wait 23 hours for one free episode) model with paid access purchased via in-app coins, and is supplemented by Piccoma Kuji (an online merchandise lottery from ¥770), SMARTOON full-color vertical scroll manga content, audiobook/drama CD offerings, and a new short-form ANIME category.
Product overview
Kakao Piccoma operates a platform-plus-content portfolio built around its flagship electronic manga/novel service ピッコマ (Piccoma), which uses an innovative '待てば¥0' (wait-for-free) model. The core platform is complemented by dedicated content verticals including SMARTOON (full-color vertical scroll manga), ANIME (short-form video adaptations), and Audiobook/Drama CD (audio content). Additional services include ピッコマくじ (Piccoma Kuji), an online lottery/gacha service offering original merchandise, and the ピッコマノベルズ大賞 (Piccoma Novels Award), a novel writing contest. The platform supports iOS, Android, and web access and has expanded internationally to France.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SMARTOON: Full-color vertical scroll manga content optimized for smartphone reading, a key content format for Piccoma.
- ピッコマくじ
- ANIME
Products and services
- ピッコマ (Piccoma) Electronic manga and novel distribution service offering over 190,000 titles including media-adapted comics, original manga, SMARTOON, and light novels via iOS, Android, and web, with a freemium model that lets users read one episode free every 23 hours or purchase access with in-app coins.
- ピッコマくじ (Piccoma Kuji) Online lottery (kuji) service selling digital lottery tickets from ¥770 (tax included) for exclusive manga, SMARTOON, and anime character merchandise including figures, plushies, and keychains, with guaranteed prizes from A to F rank and a special Last Draw prize for the final ticket buyer.
Quantifiable outcome
- Japan app market IAP revenue rank: #1 (2025)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kakao Piccoma
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kakao Piccoma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Kakao Piccoma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- KADOKAWAmajorMajor publishing partner with deep strategic alliance. Jointly developed 'MANGA Baru', an electronic manga magazine launched December 2024. Kakao Piccoma publicly supported KADOKAWA's medium-term management plan in 2026. Kakao Investment (part of Kakao group) is also a KADOKAWA shareholder.
- 株式会社サクラエクスチェンジ比特币 (Sakura Exchange Bitcoin)minorAcquired as a subsidiary in April 2022. Cryptocurrency exchange operator. Kakao Piccoma acquired majority shares and conducted a third-party allocation to make it a subsidiary, planning to build a cryptocurrency and blockchain-based economy system.
- piccoma Europe S.A.S.minorEuropean subsidiary established in September 2021 to expand Piccoma services internationally. Launched France service in March 2022 as the first international market.
- 600+ PublishersmajorContent partnership with over 600 publishers in Japan, growing from 3 publishers at launch in 2016. Publishers include major houses like Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kadokawa, as well as Korean webtoon studios.
- KDDIminorPartnership to provide Piccoma through KDDI's mobile plans. Starting May 2023, Piccoma became available on KDDI/UQ mobile web monthly plans, expanding distribution through telecom channel.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kakao Piccoma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LINE Manga: LINE Manga is the digital manga service of LY Corporation (LINE Yahoo Japan) and is Piccoma's closest direct competitor in Japan. Both apps distribute the same major Japanese publisher catalogs (Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan) on a freemium coin-purchase model, target identical manga-reader demographics, and compete on app store IAP rankings.
- Manga ONE (Shogakukan): Manga ONE is Shogakukan's vertically integrated digital manga app, offering free-reading of catalog titles supported by advertising plus paid models. It competes directly with Piccoma for Japanese manga readers and publisher exclusivity, particularly Shogakukan titles.
- BookWalker: BookWalker is KADOKAWA's digital bookstore and manga platform. Although KADOKAWA is a Piccoma content partner, BookWalker is a competing distribution channel, especially for KADOKAWA-published titles; it is a DIRECT_PEER for digital manga distribution in Japan.
- Webtoon Entertainment (Naver): Webtoon Entertainment (Naver Webtoon's parent) operates the global webtoon platform with the same vertical-scroll mobile format as Piccoma's SMARTOON. It is the global leader in serialized comics and the most direct international competitor in the SMARTOON/webtoon format category.
- comico: comico is a Japanese/Korean digital manga and webtoon platform (originally NHN Japan, now LINE) that competes with Piccoma in the vertical-scroll webtoon format in Japan, including original titles and freemium monetization.
- Lezhin Comics: Lezhin Comics is a Korean webtoon and webcomic platform that pioneered paid-episode monetization in the Korean/Japanese markets and competes with Piccoma for serialized reading share, particularly with Korean and Japanese titles.
- Tappytoon: Tappytoon is a Korean-operated webtoon and webcomic platform distributing Korean and Japanese titles via coin-based freemium models. It competes with Piccoma for serialized webtoon readers and has presence in Japan and other Asian markets.
- Renta! (Papyless): Renta! is a long-running Japanese digital manga/novel rental platform (Papyless) that competes with Piccoma via time-based rental access (a 48-hour model). It overlaps with Piccoma's Japanese reader segment and uses a differentiated rental-based monetization versus Piccoma's purchase model.
Broad incumbents
- Kindle (Amazon): Amazon Kindle is a broad digital reading platform offering manga/comics among many other categories. It overlaps with Piccoma on Japanese manga distribution (Kindle Manga) and acts as a broader incumbent alternative for Japanese consumers' digital reading wallet.
Emerging players
- Tapas: Tapas is a North-American emerging platform for serialized digital comics and novels, monetizing through coin-based unlocking. It is comparable to Piccoma in model (freemium, episode unlocking) and category (digital comics/novels) but serves Western audiences with English-language content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kakao Piccoma social profiles
Digital presenceKakao Piccoma compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Kakao Piccoma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kakao Piccoma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Kakao Piccoma subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Kakao Piccoma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kakao Piccoma M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kakao Piccoma
What does Kakao Piccoma do?
Kakao Piccoma operates the Piccoma electronic manga and novel distribution platform, offering 190,000+ titles from 600+ publishers via iOS, Android, and web. The service runs on a freemium 待てば¥0 (wait 23 hours for one free episode) model with paid access purchased via in-app coins, and is supplemented by Piccoma Kuji (an online merchandise lottery from ¥770), SMARTOON full-color vertical scroll manga content, audiobook/drama CD offerings, and a new short-form ANIME category.
Is Kakao Piccoma a public or private company?
Kakao Piccoma is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Kakao Piccoma founded?
Kakao Piccoma was founded in 2011. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Kakao Piccoma based?
Kakao Piccoma is headquartered in Roppongi, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Kakao Piccoma make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. In-app Coin Purchases are the primary driver. The others are ピッコマくじ (Piccoma Kuji).
Who are Kakao Piccoma's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LINE Manga, Manga ONE (Shogakukan), BookWalker, Webtoon Entertainment (Naver), comico, Lezhin Comics, Tappytoon and Renta! (Papyless). Kindle (Amazon) is listed as a broad incumbent. Tapas is listed as an emerging player.
Does Kakao Piccoma have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kakao Piccoma.
What industry is Kakao Piccoma in?
Kakao Piccoma's product category is Digital Manga and Novel Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAJ, Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJAGAA, Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global). Its NAICS code is 512120 and its SIC code is 7822.