ValueMags
ValueMags, operated by Contrail Inc. and founded in 1999 in Chicago, is an online e-commerce marketplace selling discounted print and digital magazine subscriptions across 32 categories to U.S. consumers. It also develops retail sales sites for major publishers such as Meredith and Sports Illustrated, and earns affiliate revenue from partners including AARP, Atkins, and Bark Box.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What ValueMags does
ValueMags, operated by Contrail Inc., is a Chicago-headquartered e-commerce marketplace that sells discounted print magazine subscriptions across 32 categories including Arts & Crafts, Business & Finance, Cooking & Food, Home & Garden, News & Politics, Sports & Recreation, and Travel. The platform runs on Shopify and explicitly disclaims automatic renewal, with annual subscription prices ranging from roughly $9.99 (Midwest Living) to $123.66 (People) and the bulk of titles priced between $19 and $50. The customer base is primarily U.S. individual consumers, with a secondary B2B line in which ValueMags develops and operates retail sales sites for major publishers including Meredith and Sports Illustrated.
The product surface extends beyond the core print marketplace into a complementary digital offering, eMags Unlimited, which provides mobile-optimized reading and listening access across hundreds of titles on a free 2-week trial. Supporting products include the MagPoints loyalty program, a Free Magazine Offers program, and the INSTANT START sub-brand that bundles expedited digital access to high-traffic titles. Revenue is generated through three streams: subscription resales to consumers, affiliate commissions from partners including AARP Rewards, Atkins, Orange Theory Fitness, and Bark Box, and professional services revenue from publisher retail-site development. The company is a sponsor and member of the Fulfillment Management Association and the Alliance for Audited Media, holds a Better Business Bureau A+ Rating and McAfee Secure certification, and is GDPR, CCPA, and PCI DSS compliant.
The business is privately held by Contrail Inc., founded in 1999 by Andrew Degenholtz, and operates exclusively in the U.S. domestic market with no foreign order fulfillment. With 1-10 employees and no disclosed external funding, ValueMags runs as a lean, founder-controlled operation in a structurally declining print category, extending its surface area modestly through digital subscriptions, publisher services, and affiliate monetization rather than through scale expansion.
ValueMags firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ValueMags
- Legal name
- Contrail Inc.
- Website
- https://valuemags.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ValueMags, operated by Contrail Inc. and founded in 1999 in Chicago, is an online e-commerce marketplace selling discounted print and digital magazine subscriptions across 32 categories to U.S. consumers. It also develops retail sales sites for major publishers such as Meredith and Sports Illustrated, and earns affiliate revenue from partners including AARP, Atkins, and Bark Box.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ValueMags industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Magazine Subscription Services
- NAICS
- Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK)
Keywords
Where ValueMags is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ValueMags business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscription Sales: ValueMags generates revenue through the sale of print magazine subscriptions. Customers purchase annual or multi-issue subscriptions at fixed prices, with no automatic renewal policy. The company acts as an intermediary between publishers and consumers.
- Affiliate Marketing: ValueMags promotes free magazine offers and partner products (AARP Rewards, Atkins, Orange Theory, Bark Box) through affiliate relationships, earning commissions on referred customers.
- Publisher Retail Site Development: ValueMags develops and operates retail sales sites for publishers and partners, including Meredith and Sports Illustrated, generating revenue through service agreements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual magazine subscriptions with varying prices by title and frequency |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
ValueMags product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ValueMags operates an online e-commerce platform selling discounted print magazine subscriptions from major U.S. publishers across 32 categories. The company also offers the eMags Unlimited digital reading subscription service providing mobile-optimized access to hundreds of magazines, and develops custom retail sales sites for publishing partners such as Meredith and Sports Illustrated.
Product overview
ValueMags is an online magazine subscription marketplace operated by Contrail Inc., founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, IL. The platform operates as a single unified e-commerce product (not a platform-plus-modules architecture) that sells print magazine subscriptions across 32 categories including Arts & Crafts, Business & Finance, Cooking & Food, Home & Garden, News & Politics, Sports & Recreation, Travel, Entertainment, Children's Magazines, and more. The core ValueMags Magazine Subscription Platform serves as the main marketplace, while eMags Unlimited provides a complementary digital reading subscription service with unlimited mobile-optimized access. INSTANT START is a sub-brand offering expedited access to select titles. Additional offerings include the MagPoints Loyalty Program for earning rewards, Free Magazine Offers for promotional subscriptions, and Publisher Retail Sites development services for partners like Meredith and Sports Illustrated. ValueMags also maintains affiliate partnerships with AARP Rewards, Atkins, Orange Theory, and Bark Box for promotional offers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ValueMags Magazine Subscription Platform Online e-commerce platform selling discounted print magazine subscriptions from major U.S. publishers such as Meredith, Sports Illustrated, TIME USA, and Trusted Media Brands across 32 categories. Targets individual consumers seeking affordable magazine subscriptions with no automatic renewal policy.
- eMags Unlimited Digital reading subscription service providing unlimited access to hundreds of magazines optimized for mobile devices, with reading and listening capabilities and a free 2-week trial. Targets consumers seeking portable digital magazine access.
- INSTANT START Subscription tier offering immediate digital access to a curated selection of magazine titles across lifestyle, cooking, news, sports, and home categories.
- Publisher Retail Site Development Custom development and operation of retail sales websites for magazine publishers, including single-issue sales pages. Targets publishers seeking digital retail sales capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- BBB A+ Rating demonstrates customer satisfaction and trust
Companies that use ValueMags
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ValueMags technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
ValueMags partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MeredithcoreMeredith is a major magazine publisher that partners with ValueMags for retail site development. ValueMags develops retail sites for Meredith, including the website selling books and magazines in Canada.
- Sports IllustratedcoreSports Illustrated partners with ValueMags for its single issue sales pages. ValueMags develops and operates retail sales pages for Sports Illustrated magazine.
- eMagscoreValueMags operates eMags.com, a digital magazine platform that transforms print products into premium mobile experiences for reading and listening on the go. eMags Unlimited provides all-access mobile magazine reading.
- AtkinsminorAffiliate marketing partnership promoting Atkins diet and nutrition products through ValueMags special offers section.
- AARPminorAARP Rewards partnership offering deals and exclusive content for AARP members through ValueMags affiliate links.
- Orange Theory FitnessminorAffiliate marketing partnership promoting Orange Theory fitness offerings through ValueMags promotional pages.
- Bark BoxminorAffiliate marketing partnership promoting Bark Box dog subscription products through ValueMags promotional section.
- Fulfillment Management AssociationminorValueMags is a sponsor and member of the Fulfillment Management Association, an industry organization for the subscription and fulfillment industry.
- Alliance for Audited MediaminorValueMags is a sponsor and member of the Alliance for Audited Media, an industry organization that sets standards for media measurement and verification.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ValueMags competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Magazines.com: Direct competitor in discounted print magazine subscriptions across a similar title catalog and price points. Operates an analogous e-commerce subscription storefront targeting U.S. consumers.
- Magazine.com: Long-running online magazine subscription retailer with a similar catalog and discounted subscription model, making it a head-to-head competitor in the same niche.
- DiscountMags.com: Direct peer offering discounted magazine subscriptions online with comparable category coverage and U.S. consumer focus; competes for the same buyer intent and publisher allocations.
Emerging players
- Readly: Digital magazine all-you-can-read subscription service; closely comparable to ValueMags' eMags Unlimited product, though focused primarily on European markets and a mobile-first reading experience.
- Zinio: Digital newsstand offering single-issue and subscription access to magazines globally; overlaps with ValueMags' eMags digital reading subscription in the digital magazine category.
- Magzter: Digital magazine subscription platform with a global catalog and mobile reading apps; competes most directly with ValueMags' eMags Unlimited rather than its print subscription business.
- Issuu: Digital publishing and reading platform that hosts magazines and catalogs from publishers; comparable to eMags as a technology layer for publishers digitizing their print content for online audiences.
Others
- Texture: Digital magazine all-access subscription service (now folded into Apple News+); historically a direct peer to eMags Unlimited, useful as a prior-art benchmark for category economics.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon (Magazine Subscriptions): Amazon's magazine subscription storefront offers deep discounts and an unmatched title catalog under the umbrella of its broader e-commerce platform; a dominant competitor for the same consumer subscription dollars.
- Apple News+: Bundled digital magazine and news subscription inside Apple News; represents the scaled, platform-bundled alternative to eMags Unlimited and other digital magazine subscription services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ValueMags social profiles
Digital presenceValueMags compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ValueMags financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ValueMags leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ValueMags funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ValueMags 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 ValueMags
What does ValueMags do?
ValueMags operates an online e-commerce platform selling discounted print magazine subscriptions from major U.S. publishers across 32 categories. The company also offers the eMags Unlimited digital reading subscription service providing mobile-optimized access to hundreds of magazines, and develops custom retail sales sites for publishing partners such as Meredith and Sports Illustrated.
Is ValueMags a public or private company?
ValueMags is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ValueMags founded?
ValueMags was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ValueMags based?
ValueMags is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does ValueMags make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscription Sales are the primary driver. The others are affiliate Marketing and publisher Retail Site Development.
Who are ValueMags's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Magazines.com, Magazine.com and DiscountMags.com. Emerging players are Readly, Zinio, Magzter and Issuu. Texture is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Amazon (Magazine Subscriptions) and Apple News+.
Does ValueMags have an API?
No public API is recorded for ValueMags.
What industry is ValueMags in?
ValueMags's product category is Magazine Subscription Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAD, Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAK, eBook & Digital Reading Platforms. Its NAICS code is 459210 and its SIC code is 2721.