Honcho
Honcho is an Australian ASIC- and ATO-authorised online business services platform that helps over 900,000 SMBs and entrepreneurs register businesses, manage compliance, and run back-office operations. It combines real-time government integrations, recurring subscription tools, and white-label distribution through NAB and ANZ.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Honcho does
Honcho (operating as Business Switch Pty Ltd, ABN 83 134 235 304) is an Australian online business services platform founded in 2008 that has served over 900,000 customers. The company provides a self-serve, end-to-end stack for Australian small businesses and entrepreneurs covering business registration (ABN, business name, company, GST, and trademark), ongoing compliance (ASIC agent services, annual renewals, company changes), virtual office services (registered address, virtual phone via Twilio, virtual receptionist), digital presence tools (domain registration via TPP Wholesale, Microsoft 365 professional email, AI-assisted website builder, Google Business Profile, logo and business card design), and back-office functions (invoicing at $15/month, bookkeeping, tax management as a registered tax agent, and insurance referral to BizCover).
The underlying platform is built around real-time digital integrations with ASIC and the ATO, authorised under ASIC Agent 29963, ASIC Digital Service Provider status, ATO Digital Service Provider status, and Tax Agent 03631006, with ISO 27001:2022 certification. Product surface includes a Business Registration Wizard, business name and company name generators, and an Instant Website generator. AI capabilities are layered on top via third-party providers: standalone AI Services powered by OpenAI and a 2023-launched Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector inside Anthropic's Claude that performs real-time ASIC business-name availability checks during conversational registration intake.
Revenue is generated through a hybrid model of one-time registration fees and recurring subscriptions (Company Compliance at $69/month, Registered Office Address at $9/month, Quoting & Invoicing at $15/month, plus bookkeeping, tax, and website subscriptions), supplemented by professional services fees and referral income from Applied Marks (trademarks), BizCover (insurance), and DesignCrowd (logo design). Distribution is primarily direct (honcho.com.au) with inside-sales support across phone, email, SMS, and live chat, supplemented by white-label partnerships with NAB and ANZ that embed Honcho's services into major Australian business banking platforms.
Honcho firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Honcho
- Legal name
- Business Switch Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://honcho.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Honcho is an Australian ASIC- and ATO-authorised online business services platform that helps over 900,000 SMBs and entrepreneurs register businesses, manage compliance, and run back-office operations. It combines real-time government integrations, recurring subscription tools, and white-label distribution through NAB and ANZ.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Honcho industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Registration Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Account Opening & Onboarding (eKYC, eSignature, Origination) (FSAGAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB)
Keywords
Where Honcho is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Honcho business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Business Registration Services: One-time fees for ABN registration, business name registration, company registration, and trademark registration. Services are paid upfront at time of application.
- Subscription Services: Monthly or annual subscription services including Company Compliance ($69/month), Registered Office Address ($9/month), Bookkeeping, Virtual Services (Virtual Address, Virtual Phone, Virtual Receptionist), Instant Website Platform, Professional Email, and Tax Management. Automatic renewal unless cancelled.
- Invoicing Tool Subscription: $15/month subscription for quoting and invoicing tool with features including quotation builder, invoice generation, customization, tax calculation, and payment tracking. First two invoices free.
- Professional Services: Additional services including custom website design, logo design, business card printing, and professional support services like bookkeeping and tax management.
- Referral Fees: Company receives referral fees from third-party partners including Applied Marks Pty Ltd (trademark services), BizCover Pty Ltd (insurance), and DesignCrowd Pty Ltd (logo design).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Quoting & Invoicing Tool - $15/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Company Compliance - $69/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Registered Office Address - $9/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Instant Website Platform - subscription service |
| Subscription | Monthly | Bookkeeping Services - subscription service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Business Name Registration - one-time fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | ABN Registration - one-time fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Company Registration - one-time fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Trademark Registration - one-time fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Honcho product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Honcho is an online business services platform that helps Australians register, set up, and manage businesses by lodging applications directly with ASIC and the ATO in real time. The platform bundles business registration (ABN, business name, company, GST, trademark) with virtual office services, online presence tools (domain, email, website builder), and back-office support (invoicing, bookkeeping, tax, company compliance) into a single self-serve ecosystem.
Product overview
Honcho is a comprehensive managed business services platform for Australian businesses, offering a unified ecosystem of registration, operations, and growth tools. The core platform centres on ASIC- and ATO-authorised business registration services (ABN, business name, company, GST, and trademark registration) with real-time digital lodgement through government systems. Around this core, Honcho bundles virtual office services (Virtual Address, Virtual Phone, Virtual Receptionist), online presence tools (Domain Name Registration, Professional Email via Microsoft 365, Instant Website with AI-generated content, Custom Website Design, Logo Design, Business Cards, Google Business Profile), and back-office tools (Quoting & Invoicing, Bookkeeping, Tax Management, Company Compliance, and insurance referral). The platform also offers an MCP integration with Anthropic's Claude for conversational registration intake and standalone AI Services powered by OpenAI. Since 2008, Honcho has served over 900,000 Australians across all industry sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Business Registration Wizard Guided online questionnaire that helps users determine the right business structure (sole trader, partnership, or company) and which registrations they need, routing them to the appropriate Honcho service.
- ABN Registration ABN registration with expert review, instant lodgement, and support delivered through Honcho's real-time ATO integration. Approximately 75% of eligible applicants receive their ABN in 15 minutes.
- Business Name Registration Australia-wide business name registration with ASIC, including name availability checks and lodgement, delivered through Honcho's real-time integration with ASIC's systems.
- Company Registration Registration of an Australian company with ASIC, including ACN, ABN, and company constitution, with Honcho acting as the ASIC registered agent throughout the process.
- GST Registration
- Trademark Registration
- Virtual Address (Registered Office Address)
- Virtual Phone
- Virtual Receptionist
- Domain Name Registration
- Professional Email
- Instant Website (Website Builder)
- Google Business Profile Management
- Custom Website Design
- Logo Design
- Custom Business Cards
- Quoting & Invoicing Tool
- Bookkeeping
- Tax Management
- Business Insurance
- Company Compliance
- Business Name Renewal
- ABN Cancellation
- Honcho MCP Connector (Claude Integration) A Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration running inside Anthropic's Claude platform that enables users to conduct business registration intake through a conversational AI workflow. Checks business name availability against ASIC's registry in real time and generates a personalised handoff link to Honcho's platform.
- Business Name Generator
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% of eligible ABN applicants receive their ABN in 15 minutes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Honcho
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Honcho technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
Honcho partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NABcoreHoncho is listed as a business essentials partner with NAB (National Australia Bank), providing business registration and startup services to NAB business banking customers through the NAB business banking platform.
- ANZcoreHoncho powers ANZ's small-business startup or 'business ready' style tool, providing integrated business registration services for ANZ business banking customers.
- Applied Marks Pty LtdcoreThird-party provider engaged to deliver trademark prosecution services. Honcho acts as agent appointing Applied Marks as address for service and instructing them to deliver trademark services directly to customers.
- BizCover Pty LtdminorInsurance referral partner. Honcho receives referral fees when customers are referred to BizCover for business insurance services.
- DesignCrowd Pty LtdminorLogo design referral partner. Honcho receives referral fees when customers are referred to DesignCrowd for logo design services.
- TPP WholesalecoreDomain name registrar for Honcho's domain registration services. Honcho is a domain name reseller of TPP Wholesale, which handles the actual domain registration with relevant domain authorities.
- OpenAIcoreAI services provider for Honcho's AI-powered tools. OpenAI provides the AI technology powering Honcho's AI services available on the website.
- Anthropic (Claude)coreAI assistant technology provider for Honcho's MCP (Model Context Protocol) connector. Anthropic's Claude platform runs the connector that guides users through registration intake before handoff to Honcho's website.
- TwiliocoreVirtual phone services provider. Twilio provides the underlying technology for Honcho's virtual phone services comprising call forwarding services.
- GooglecoreProfessional email service provider. Google provides the professional email platform (previously Google Workspace) integrated with Honcho's services for business email functionality.
- MicrosoftcoreProfessional email service provider. Microsoft provides the Microsoft 365 platform powering Honcho's professional email service with 1TB mailbox and expert setup.
- StripecorePayment processor. Stripe provides encrypted payment processing to protect customer financial information.
- PayPalcorePayment processor. PayPal is used as a payment processor for customer transactions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Honcho competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LegalZoom: US-listed online legal services and business formation platform offering LLC incorporation, registered agent, trademarks, and compliance subscriptions. Directly comparable to Honcho's registration-and-compliance platform model, with a much larger but US-focused customer base.
- ZenBusiness: US SMB formation and compliance platform providing LLC formation, registered agent, and ongoing compliance services. Closely comparable product stack and customer profile (early-stage SMBs), though operating exclusively in the US market.
- Incfile (Bizee): US online business formation service offering incorporation, registered agent, and compliance filings. Directly comparable to Honcho on the registration-and-compliance core, with a US-only focus.
- Stripe Atlas: Stripe's cross-border incorporation service enabling founders worldwide to form US (Delaware) companies with banking, tax, and compliance bundled. Comparable as a digital-first formation + compliance platform with embedded payments rails.
- doola: US-based platform helping international founders form US LLCs and C-Corps, including EIN, registered agent, and ongoing compliance. Comparable as a digital-first SMB formation + compliance bundle targeting founders.
- Lawpath: Australian online legal services platform offering company registration, legal documents, and compliance tools to SMBs. Closest Australian competitor to Honcho, operating in the same geography and overlapping on registration, trademarks, and ongoing compliance.
- Northwest Registered Agent: US registered-agent and business formation specialist with strong recurring compliance subscriptions. Comparable on the registered-agent and ongoing compliance bundle that mirrors Honcho's $9/mo Registered Office and $69/mo Company Compliance subscriptions.
- Firstbase: Digital-first US business formation and compliance service targeting founders and remote-first startups. Comparable product model (formation + registered agent + compliance + website/email) and similar SMB/startup ICP.
- Swyft Filings: US online business formation service offering incorporation, EIN, and compliance filings to SMBs. Comparable on the core registration workflow and self-serve model targeting first-time founders.
Broad incumbents
- Xero: New Zealand-headquartered cloud accounting platform dominant in the Australian SMB market. Overlaps with Honcho on bookkeeping and tax-adjacent services and could expand upstream into business formation and compliance over time, making it both an adjacent competitor and a potential acquirer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Honcho social profiles
Digital presenceHoncho compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Honcho financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Honcho leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Honcho funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Honcho 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 Honcho
What does Honcho do?
Honcho is an online business services platform that helps Australians register, set up, and manage businesses by lodging applications directly with ASIC and the ATO in real time. The platform bundles business registration (ABN, business name, company, GST, trademark) with virtual office services, online presence tools (domain, email, website builder), and back-office support (invoicing, bookkeeping, tax, company compliance) into a single self-serve ecosystem.
Is Honcho a public or private company?
Honcho is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Honcho founded?
Honcho was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Honcho based?
Honcho is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Honcho make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Business Registration Services are the primary driver. The others are subscription Services, invoicing Tool Subscription, professional Services and referral Fees.
Who are Honcho's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Incfile (Bizee), Stripe Atlas, doola, Lawpath, Northwest Registered Agent, Firstbase and Swyft Filings. Xero is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Honcho have an API?
No public API is recorded for Honcho.
What industry is Honcho in?
Honcho's product category is Business Registration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAAAB, Digital Account Opening & Onboarding (eKYC, eSignature, Origination), with a secondary code of CRAFAIAB, Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer). Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.