What DIAL does

DIAL GmbH, founded in 1989 in Lüdenscheid, Germany as the Deutsches Institut für Angewandte Lichttechnik (German Institute for Applied Lighting Technology), develops DIALux evo, a proprietary lighting design and visualization software distributed free of charge in 27 languages. The software supports BIM workflows via IFC import/export, integrates photometric data from 190+ luminaire manufacturers, and performs standards-compliant calculations per EN 12464-1/-2 and DIN EN 1838, including daylight-dependent energy analysis (developed with Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics) and light immission evaluation. DIALux evo is used by over 750,000 professional lighting designers, architects, and planners worldwide, and is self-described as the "worldwide standard for lighting planning software."

The company monetizes primarily through its DIALux Business Membership program, under which 403+ luminaire manufacturers (including BEGA, ERCO, Signify, Trilux, Zumtobel, Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Jung, and Schneider Electric) pay recurring annual subscriptions to have their products visible within the software and to access marketing tools and direct inquiry routing from users. Ancillary revenue is generated through the DIAL Academy (paid training seminars, European Lighting Expert certification, KNX Secure workshops) and the accredited Photometric Light Lab, which provides measurement and validation services to manufacturers. The company is owned in part by DIAL e.V., a supporting association of 30+ lighting and smart-building industry leaders, and operates regional sales offices in Jersey City (USA), Mirano (Italy), and Taichung City (Taiwan).

Name

DIAL

Legal name

DIAL GmbH

Website

https://dial.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DIAL GmbH develops DIALux evo, the world's leading free lighting design software used by 750,000+ professionals and 403+ luminaire manufacturers globally, monetizing through B2B manufacturer memberships, training, and accredited photometric lab services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lighting Design Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Lighting design software
• Photometric measurement
• BIM lighting planning
• Luminaire manufacturer services
• Professional lighting training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lüdenscheid

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DIALux Business Membership (Luminaire Manufacturers): Luminaire manufacturers pay for a DIALux Business Membership to have their products included in the DIALux software database and gain a platform for targeted marketing to over 750,000 professional lighting designers. Membership includes access to the My brands feature, product catalog integration, direct inquiry routing from DIALux users, and news feed visibility. This is the primary commercial revenue stream supporting the free software model.
2. Academy — Professional Training Seminars: DIAL Academy provides in-person seminars at the Lüdenscheid headquarters and online seminar formats. Training covers DIALux evo software, lighting technology, lighting design, and Smart Building topics. Certification programs include the European Lighting Expert Indoor Lighting certification. Revenue is generated through seminar fees.
3. Photometric Laboratory Services: The Light Lab measures luminaires and lamps for manufacturers, providing accredited photometric and colorimetric measurements. Services include individual/custom measurements and express measurements, generating revenue from luminaire manufacturers seeking third-party photometric validation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DIAL develops DIALux evo, the world's leading lighting design software, available free of charge in 27 languages to more than 750,000 professional lighting designers, architects, and planners. The integrated ecosystem bundles proprietary software with DIAL Academy training and certification (including European Lighting Expert Indoor Lighting), an accredited photometric Light Lab providing measurements for luminaire manufacturers, and the DIALux Business Membership program that integrates real product data from more than 190 luminaire manufacturers.

Product overview

DIAL GmbH offers a unified product ecosystem centered on DIALux evo, the world's leading free lighting design software available in 26 languages with over 750,000 professional users. The company was founded in 1989 as the German Institute for Applied Lighting Technology (Deutsches Institut für Angewandte Lichttechnik). The product portfolio includes: DIALux evo (core software platform for lighting planning, calculation, and visualization), DIALux Member (manufacturer membership program for product visibility), DIAL Academy (training and certification services), and Light Lab (photometric measurement services). The company operates as part of DIAL e.V. supporting association with headquarters in Lüdenscheid, Germany and additional offices in Italy, USA, and Taiwan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DIALux evo: World's leading lighting design software, free of charge, available in 27 languages
• DIAL Academy
• DIAL Light Lab
• DIALux Business
• DIAL Spotlight

Products and services

• DIALux evo The world's leading lighting design software, free of charge and available in 27 languages. Enables professional lighting designers, architects, and planners to plan, calculate, and visualize lighting with real products from more than 190 luminaire manufacturers. Supports IFC BIM import/export, daylight-dependent control energy analysis, light immission analysis, emergency lighting planning per DIN EN 1838, and usage plane evaluation per EN 12464-1 and -2.
• DIAL Academy Training and certification services teaching professional lighting design, DIALux evo software usage, and Smart Building / KNX topics through in-person seminars at the Lüdenscheid headquarters and online formats. Includes European Lighting Expert Indoor Lighting certification and KNX Secure workshops on IT security in building automation.
• DIAL Light Lab Accredited photometric lighting laboratory that measures luminaires and lamps from and for manufacturers. Confirms lighting competence, determines all photometric quantities, and offers individual services and express measurements.
• DIALux Business Membership Annual subscription membership program for luminaire manufacturers, providing product visibility inside the DIALux software environment, the My brands favorites feature, product catalog integration, direct inquiry routing from DIALux users, news feed visibility, and access to marketing tools reaching 750,000+ professional lighting planners. Includes a 10% discount on DIAL services (excluding the membership itself).

Quantifiable outcome

• 750,000+ professional lighting designers use DIALux evo worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VectorworkscoreTechnology or Integration · 3 September 2024DIAL announced a new level of interoperability between DIALux evo and the Vectorworks design and BIM platform. The integration uses the open IFC standard to enable seamless data exchange and facilitates the integration of professional lighting planning into comprehensive building models. The enhanced workflow benefits building services engineers, architects, and landscape architects.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Building PhysicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIAL collaborated with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics on a multi-year research project to develop the algorithms used in the daylight-dependent control energy analysis tool within DIALux evo. The Fraunhofer-validated algorithms calculate energy, CO2, and cost savings per year based on every hour and day of the year for tageslicht-dependent lighting control.
• DIALux Members (403+ Luminaire Manufacturers)coreGTM or Marketing Partner403+ luminaire manufacturers from around the world participate as DIALux Members, making their products available in DIALux evo for planning by 750,000+ professional lighting designers. Members include BEGA, ERCO, Signify, Trilux, Zumtobel, Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Jung, RIDI, Phoenix Contact, WAGO, and over 390 others. Members gain visibility within the DIALux software environment and can offer direct inquiry routing to DIALux users.
• Trägergesellschaft DIAL e.V. (30+ Member Companies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIAL e.V. is an association of modern, active companies and internationally operating market leaders in lighting and smart building. Member companies include BEGA Gantenbrink Leusen KG, ERCO GmbH, Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH, Willy Meyer & Sohn, Albrecht Jung, Signify, RIDI Leuchten, Zumtobel Lighting, Trilux, and others. The association supports DIAL GmbH's mission to promote better lighting and smarter building technology use, and represents DIAL in the shareholders' meeting of DIAL GmbH.
• KNX AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIAL is a member of KNX Association and related German entities (KNX Professionals Deutschland e.V.), actively contributing to building automation standards. DIAL offers KNX Secure training workshops covering IT security in building automation, reflecting its deep integration with KNX protocols.
• IU Internationale Hochschule (Dortmund)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIAL partners with IU Internationale Hochschule in Dortmund for dual study programs, offering students combined academic education and practical experience. DIAL provides practice-based training in areas including Computer Science and Marketing Management at the company's Lüdenscheid headquarters.
• idloom (Event Management)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDIAL uses idloom s.a., a Belgian event management provider, for seminar, webinar, and online seminar registration. Idloom processes personal data of seminar participants (names, addresses, email addresses, account details, and date and place of birth for personal certification) on DIAL's behalf under a data processing agreement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk (Revit): Owner of Revit, the leading architectural BIM platform that increasingly embeds lighting and daylight features. While broader than DIAL's specialist scope, Revit competes for the same architectural/lighting-design workflow and has the scale to add native features that erode DIAL's specialist positioning.
• Graphisoft (Archicad): Developer of Archicad, a major architectural BIM platform serving the same architects and lighting designers as DIAL. While not a lighting specialist, it competes for the workflow DIAL depends on and continues to add native lighting and energy features.
• Trimble (SketchUp / Tekla): Provider of SketchUp, Tekla and other architectural/building design tools used by the same design professionals as DIAL. Comparable as a broad incumbent in architectural and BIM design software with overlapping end-user base.

Direct peers

• Lighting Analysts Inc. (AGi32): US-based developer of AGi32, a widely used lighting calculation and visualization software for professional lighting designers and engineers. Comparable target customer (architects, lighting designers, electrical engineers) and use case (photometric analysis).
• Vectorworks: BIM and architectural design software vendor with which DIALux evo has a strategic IFC-based interoperability partnership. Comparable because Vectorworks is used by architects and lighting designers for the same building-model workflows DIAL targets.
• Relux Informatik AG: Switzerland-based developer of ReluxDesktop and ReluxNet, the closest direct competitor to DIALux in professional lighting design and visualization software. Competes head-to-head for lighting designer mindshare across Europe and beyond.

Others

• Signify (Philips Lighting): World's largest luminaire manufacturer and a Trägergesellschaft DIAL e.V. member. Relevant as a key DIALux Member/customer and shareholder rather than a competitor, and as a barometer for how the largest manufacturers evaluate the platform.
• Zumtobel Group: Major European luminaire manufacturer and DIAL e.V. shareholder. Comparable as a strategic DIALux Member and ecosystem participant rather than a direct software competitor, and indicative of DIAL's enterprise customer profile.

Emerging players

• IES (Integrated Environmental Solutions): Developer of the IESVE suite for building performance analysis including daylighting, lighting and energy simulation. Comparable as an adjacent performance-analysis tool serving the same architects and engineers who rely on DIAL for lighting calculation.
• LightStanza: Cloud-based daylighting and lighting design SaaS targeting architects and sustainability consultants. Comparable to DIAL in core daylight and lighting analysis use case, but offers a modern cloud-native delivery model that contrasts with DIAL's desktop application.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheDIALux
• Facebookfacebook.com/DIALux.support
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dial-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/dialux_official
• Xx.com/dial_gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 DIAL