Yasni
Yasni (yasni GmbH) is a Frankfurt-based people search engine, founded in 2005, that aggregates publicly available web information about individuals into searchable profiles across 15+ languages and 19+ country-specific domains. It serves consumers, recruiters, and professionals conducting background checks or managing their online reputation via free Exposé profiles and a paid Promoted tier.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Yasni does
Yasni (legal entity: yasni GmbH) is a Frankfurt, Germany-based people search engine founded in 2005 by Steffen Rühl, who remains CEO. The platform aggregates publicly available information about individuals from across the open web and consolidates it into searchable profiles that users can query by name, location, profession, or skill. The service operates as a free, web-based, self-serve consumer tool, with country-specific domains covering Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, Russia, and several additional European and international markets, supported by 15+ language localizations. Its core product differentiator is the "Exposé" — a personal public web profile that registered users create and manage to control how they appear in Yasni search results, supplemented by a free email-monitoring feature that alerts users to new online mentions of their name.
Underneath the user-facing search and profile layer, the technical stack appears to be a conventional web crawler and entity-aggregation pipeline with no documented AI/ML components, proprietary models, or API exposure. The product surface consists of the free people search engine, the free Exposé profile module, the paid "Exposé Promotion" premium tier (which surfaces profiles prominently on the front page and above non-promoted peers, with a $30 annual discount for users who embed Yasni Buttons on external sites), and an ad-free "Yasni Premium" offering. There are no native iOS or Android applications, no public API or developer SDK, and no disclosed B2B contracts.
Yasni's revenue mechanics are dominated by Google AdSense and DoubleClick display advertising on the free site, supplemented by the annual Exposé Promotion subscription, the ad-free Premium tier, and Amazon EU affiliate referral fees. The customer base is horizontal and consumer/long-tail: business professionals, recruiters, and individuals conducting background checks or monitoring their own online reputation. The company has taken one disclosed external funding round (2008, Media Ventures and Mountain Partners, amount undisclosed) and remains founder-controlled with 11–50 employees and no subsidiaries, M&A activity, or institutional investor base beyond the original backers.
Yasni firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yasni
- Legal name
- yasni GmbH
- Website
- https://yasni.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Yasni (yasni GmbH) is a Frankfurt-based people search engine, founded in 2005, that aggregates publicly available web information about individuals into searchable profiles across 15+ languages and 19+ country-specific domains. It serves consumers, recruiters, and professionals conducting background checks or managing their online reputation via free Exposé profiles and a paid Promoted tier.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yasni industry classification
Industry- Product category
- People Search Engine
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms (BPAMAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Search, Indexing & Content Discovery (HDAEAGAH)
Keywords
Where Yasni is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yasni business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising: Revenue generated through Google Adsense and Doubleclick advertising displayed on the website. Web pages financed in part by promotional material.
- Premium Services / Exposé Promotion: Extended premium services offered for a price, including Exposé Promotion which displays profiles prominently on the front page and above competitors without Promotion. $30 discount offered for full-year membership when installing Yasni buttons.
- Affiliate Marketing: Participant in Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free basic people search |
| Subscription | Annual | Exposé Promotion premium service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Yasni product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yasni operates a people search engine and online directory that aggregates publicly available information from the web and social platforms to help users find and learn about other individuals by name. Beyond free search, Yasni offers a paid "Exposé" reputation management service that lets individuals monitor and curate what appears about them in search results.
Product overview
Yasni operates as a people search engine platform consisting of a core free people search service and two-tiered profile management offerings. The core product (Yasni.com) provides free people search functionality aggregating publicly available information from the internet. Users can also create a free Yasni Exposé to manage their online identity, with an optional Exposé Promotion upgrade for enhanced visibility and promotional placement. The platform is available across 15 languages and targets individuals seeking to manage their online reputation or find contact information about others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Exposé: A personal public web profile service allowing users to control their online reputation and present their information to those searching for them.
Products and services
- Yasni People Search
- Yasni Exposé
- Yasni Exposé Promotion
- Yasni Premium
Quantifiable outcome
- 56% of internet users have searched for themselves online (Pew Research)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Yasni
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Yasni technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Yasni partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Yiid (Your Internet ID)minorStrategic cooperation with German internet service provider Your Internet ID (yiid.com). Yiid's recommend-button was integrated into Yasni Exposés, allowing users to recommend people via social networks Facebook and Twitter. Yasni's people search was integrated on yiid.com. The partnership enabled social sharing of recommendations from Yasni profiles.
- Amazon EU Associates ProgrammeminorYasni GmbH participates in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.
- GooglecoreUses Google Analytics for web analytics to understand website usage patterns and identify errors. Uses Google Adsense and Doubleclick for displaying promotional material and advertising revenue. Google is certified under the Privacy Shield.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Yasni competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BeenVerified: BeenVerified provides background checks and people search across public records. It mirrors Yasni's positioning around consumer-facing background checks and reputation lookups, with a paid subscription model.
- Pipl: Pipl is a people search engine that aggregates identity information from the deep web and public sources. It directly competes with Yasni in identity resolution and people lookup, serving similar use cases in fraud prevention, investigations, and contact discovery.
- PeopleFinder: PeopleFinder is a US people-search service offering contact information and background lookups. It targets the same consumer use cases as Yasni—finding people, verifying identities, and reconnecting contacts.
- Intelius: Intelius is a people search and background-check provider offering similar public-records aggregation and identity lookup services. It targets overlapping customer segments with Yasni.
- TruthFinder: TruthFinder provides background-check and people-search services aggregating public records. Its freemium subscription model and consumer branding closely parallel Yasni's approach.
- Radaris: Radaris is a people search and public records aggregator offering background checks and contact lookup. It competes directly with Yasni in the free/paid people search category.
- Spokeo: Spokeo is a US-based people search engine aggregating public records and social profiles. It offers comparable free background-check and contact-discovery functionality to Yasni, with similar freemium monetization.
Regional players
- 192.com: 192.com is a UK-focused people search and directory service. It mirrors Yasni's UK presence (yasni.co.uk) and offers comparable name/address lookup functionality for British consumers.
Broad incumbents
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant professional networking and people-search platform. While focused on professional identity rather than full background checks, it captures much of the recruiter and professional-discovery use case that Yasni also serves.
- Whitepages: Whitepages is an established US incumbent in people search and contact information. It offers overlapping capabilities to Yasni but as part of a much broader identity and fraud-prevention portfolio targeting enterprise customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Yasni social profiles
Digital presenceYasni financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yasni leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Yasni funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yasni M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yasni
What does Yasni do?
Yasni operates a people search engine and online directory that aggregates publicly available information from the web and social platforms to help users find and learn about other individuals by name. Beyond free search, Yasni offers a paid "Exposé" reputation management service that lets individuals monitor and curate what appears about them in search results.
Is Yasni a public or private company?
Yasni is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Yasni founded?
Yasni was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yasni based?
Yasni is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Yasni make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are premium Services / Exposé Promotion and affiliate Marketing.
Who are Yasni's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BeenVerified, Pipl, PeopleFinder, Intelius, TruthFinder, Radaris and Spokeo. 192.com is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are LinkedIn and Whitepages.
Does Yasni have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yasni.
What industry is Yasni in?
Yasni's product category is People Search Engine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAF, Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAEAGAH, Enterprise Search, Indexing & Content Discovery. Its NAICS code is 5192.