No Starch Press
No Starch Press is an independent technical book publisher (founded 1994, San Francisco) selling print and digital books on programming, cybersecurity, hardware/DIY, Linux/BSD, AI, LEGO, and kids' STEM direct-to-consumer via its own e-commerce storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What No Starch Press does
No Starch Press is an independent technical book publisher founded in 1994 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company produces print and digital books across specialized computing and maker topics including programming (Python, Rust, JavaScript, C/C++, Go), cybersecurity and offensive security, Linux and BSD systems administration, hardware/DIY electronics, LEGO engineering, AI/machine learning, and children's STEM education. Its catalog exceeds 500 active titles with monthly new releases, serving both professional practitioners and hobbyists across a horizontal segmentation of persona-driven segments. The company maintains no proprietary technology platform; its underlying capability is content curation, author relationships, and brand equity built over three decades in the developer and hacker community.
The core business model is direct-to-consumer book sales via the nostarch.com e-commerce storefront. Print editions are priced typically $39.99–$99.99 and are bundled with free PDF/Mobi/ePub ebook editions; standalone ebook sales are offered at lower price points. An Early Access program allows readers to purchase unfinished books at a discount and receive chapters as they are written, functioning as a quasi-subscription monetization layer. Secondary revenue includes branded merchandise (apparel, mugs, totes) and a multi-category email newsletter subscription (Programming, Security, Open Source, LEGO, Science/Math, Kids, Humble Bundle).
Go-to-market is primarily organic: the company maintains presence on X, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, drives content marketing through its catalog website and RSS feed, and earns coverage in third-party tech outlets. No Starch Press is founder/management-owned with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent-company involvement — the entity is structured as No Starch Press, Inc., a privately held corporation. Recent 2025–2026 product launches show active investment in AI security, offensive red-team tooling, and refreshed editions of flagship titles (Rust 3e, Foundations of Cybersecurity 2e), consistent with a managed-growth independent publisher.
No Starch Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- No Starch Press
- Legal name
- No Starch Press, Inc.
- Website
- https://nostarch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- No Starch Press is an independent technical book publisher (founded 1994, San Francisco) selling print and digital books on programming, cybersecurity, hardware/DIY, Linux/BSD, AI, LEGO, and kids' STEM direct-to-consumer via its own e-commerce storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
No Starch Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technical Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
Keywords
Where No Starch Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
No Starch Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales (Print): Traditional print book sales at various price points, typically ranging from $39.99 to $99.99 for technical titles, with free ebook bundled with purchase.
- Ebook Sales: Standalone ebook sales (PDF, Mobi, and ePub formats) at lower price points than print editions.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts (Death Metal series, Robot tees, Care Tag shirts), tote bags, mugs, and whiskey glasses.
- Early Access Program: Customers pay for early access to unfinished books, receiving full chapters before release and automatic delivery of final book upon completion.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Print Book + Free Ebook Bundle |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Ebook Only |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-Order with Discount |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Early Access Ebook |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
No Starch Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
No Starch Press is an independent technical book publisher that produces and sells print and digital books (PDF, Mobi, ePub) covering programming, cybersecurity/hacking, hardware/DIY, Linux/BSD, AI/ML, LEGO, science/math, and kids' coding. Every print purchase includes a free ebook bundle, and the Early Access program lets readers buy chapters of unreleased books before final publication.
Product overview
No Starch Press is a technical book publisher offering a diverse catalog of books primarily focused on programming, cybersecurity/hacking, hardware/DIY, Linux and BSD systems, AI and machine learning, LEGO, science and math, manga educational guides, and children's coding education. The core offering is print and digital technical books, with an Early Access program enabling readers to access chapters before release. Additional services include a newsletter subscription for new release notifications and branded merchandise. The company is known for publishing books in areas like Rust programming, cybersecurity, embedded systems, and retro gaming development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- No Starch Press Technical Book Catalog Catalog of 500+ active technical titles covering programming, cybersecurity/hacking, hardware/DIY, Linux/BSD, AI/ML, science/math, LEGO, manga, and kids categories. Books available in print and digital formats (PDF, Mobi, ePub), with free ebook editions bundled with every print purchase.
- Evasion Engineering Print and ebook book by Dennis Chow and Michael LaSalvia that teaches red teamers how to build custom offensive security tooling in Go that bypasses modern defenses including Cobalt Strike patterns, AV, and EDR.
- Practical AI Security Print and ebook book by Harriet Farlow providing a hands-on guide to attacking, defending, and securing modern AI systems, with over 30 Python demos.
- The Rust Programming Language, 3rd Edition Print and ebook book by Steve Klabnik, Carol Nichols, and Chris Krycho covering Rust 2024 Edition, including async programming, Miri for unsafe code analysis, modern Rust idioms, tooling, and practices.
- Foundations of Cybersecurity, 2nd Edition Print and ebook second-edition textbook by Jason Andress covering information security foundations, including AI security (OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications 2025), security operations, SOC, governance, compliance, and social engineering.
Companies that use No Starch Press
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
No Starch Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
No Starch Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
No Starch Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wiley: Global incumbent publisher whose technology and professional imprints (including For Dummies and Wiley Tech) publish programming, certification and IT security titles that compete broadly with No Starch's catalog.
- McGraw-Hill Education: Large incumbent publisher with significant computer, IT and professional lists (e.g., Osborne, McGraw-Hill IT) that overlap with No Starch's professional developer and certification-adjacent titles at scale.
- Addison-Wesley Professional: Pearson imprint publishing professional and university-level computer science, software engineering and IT books; broader portfolio but substantial overlap with No Starch in software development and systems topics.
- Pearson Education: Global publishing group whose technical and vocational imprints (Addison-Wesley, Que, Microsoft Press) collectively compete for the same programming and IT practitioner audience that No Starch Press serves.
Direct peers
- Packt Publishing: Specialist technical publisher focused on programming, web development, AI/ML and security books; very similar price points, ebook-plus-print delivery model and target developer/customer base to No Starch Press.
- O'Reilly Media: Long-standing independent technical book publisher whose core catalog in programming, security, data and infrastructure overlaps almost one-to-one with No Starch Press; both monetize primarily through specialist developer/security content and have built iconic brands in the same hacker/practitioner community.
- Apress: Springer Nature imprint publishing open-source, programming and computer science books; covers adjacent technical domains and competes for the same author pool and developer readership as No Starch Press.
- Manning Publications: Independent technical book publisher with a directly comparable author-paid/pre-publication revenue model, including a namesake 'MEAP' Early Access program that mirrors No Starch's Early Access offering across programming, security and data titles.
- Pragmatic Bookshelf: Independent publisher (The Pragmatic Programmers) producing programming, software-craft and design books aimed at working developers — a near-perfect niche/audience overlap with No Starch's programming and maker categories.
- Syngress: Elsevier imprint specializing in cybersecurity, hacking and IT operations books — direct competitive overlap with No Starch's Hacking & Computer Security, red-team and offensive-security catalog.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
No Starch Press social profiles
Digital presenceNo Starch Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
No Starch Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
No Starch Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
No Starch Press 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 No Starch Press
What does No Starch Press do?
No Starch Press is an independent technical book publisher that produces and sells print and digital books (PDF, Mobi, ePub) covering programming, cybersecurity/hacking, hardware/DIY, Linux/BSD, AI/ML, LEGO, science/math, and kids' coding. Every print purchase includes a free ebook bundle, and the Early Access program lets readers buy chapters of unreleased books before final publication.
Is No Starch Press a public or private company?
No Starch Press is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was No Starch Press founded?
No Starch Press was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is No Starch Press based?
No Starch Press is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does No Starch Press make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales (Print) is the primary driver. The others are ebook Sales, merchandise Sales and early Access Program.
Who are No Starch Press's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wiley, McGraw-Hill Education, Addison-Wesley Professional and Pearson Education. Direct peers are Packt Publishing, O'Reilly Media, Apress, Manning Publications, Pragmatic Bookshelf and Syngress.
Does No Starch Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for No Starch Press.
What industry is No Starch Press in?
No Starch Press's product category is Technical Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.), with a secondary code of MPAJAMAB, E-book Subscription & Bundling Services. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.