trusted

What trusted does

trusted GmbH operates trusted.de, a German-language comparison and review portal for business software and digital services. The platform aggregates coverage of 1,900+ business tools and 460+ digital services across 230+ categories, supported by 1,600+ test reports and over 16 years of operating history since founding in 2010. Content is organized into two pillars: business software (marketing, e-commerce, collaboration, finance, project management, HR, customer management, IT, and vertical-specific) and digital services (entertainment, dating, finance, food, travel, education). Each product or service listing carries editorial reviews, feature and pricing comparisons, and authenticated user reviews from real buyers. The platform is free for end-users and monetizes exclusively through affiliate commissions paid by providers when referred users convert, with the company stating that commissions do not influence ranking or rating.

The company is privately held, headquartered in Pullach i. Isartal near Munich, and employs 11-50 people. It is self-funded with no disclosed external investors or funding rounds, suggesting the affiliate unit economics support current operations without venture capital. Distribution is concentrated in Germany within the DACH region, driven primarily by organic search on SEO-optimized category and comparison pages, with secondary reach through earned-media citations in major German outlets (ARD, Chip, Giga, Focus, Handelsblatt). There is no proprietary technology product, no app, no API, and no AI/ML capability disclosed; the underlying asset is the editorial content library and the inbound traffic it generates. The named executive in the source data is Maximilian Reichlin, Head of Content. Customer concentration, revenue figures, and ownership details are not disclosed in the available material.

Name

trusted

Legal name

trusted GmbH

Website

https://trusted.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

trusted GmbH operates trusted.de, a German comparison and review portal covering 1,900+ business software tools and 460+ digital services across 230+ categories. It serves freelancers, founders, and SMEs in the DACH region with reviews, test reports, and guides, monetizing via affiliate commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Commissions: trusted generates revenue through affiliate links. When visitors click on provider recommendations and make purchases or sign up, trusted receives a commission from the provider. The service is free for visitors to use. This success-based model aligns incentives between trusted and software providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

trusted operates a German-language comparison and review portal (trusted.de) where visitors can browse and compare over 1,900+ business software tools and 460+ digital services across 230+ categories. The platform aggregates authentic customer reviews, independent expert test reports, and comprehensive guides to help users select the right digital tools. The service is offered free to visitors and monetizes through affiliate commissions paid by software providers when users click through and purchase.

Product overview

trusted is a German comparison and review portal for business software and digital services, offering a comprehensive platform where users can compare over 1,900+ tools and services. The platform consists of two main comparison categories: Business Software (covering Marketing, E-Commerce, Collaboration, Finance, Project Management, HR, Customer Management, IT, and Industry Software) and Digital Services (covering Entertainment, Dating, Finance, Food, Education, and more). The service includes authentic user reviews, independent expert comparisons, and expert-authored guides to help freelancers, founders, and SMEs find appropriate digital solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Software Comparisons Comparison portal for business software across multiple categories including Marketing & Sales, Website & E-Commerce, Collaboration, Finance, Project Management, HR, Service & Customer Management, IT & Development, and Industry-Specific Software. Targeted at freelancers, founders, and SMEs evaluating business software for their operations.
• Digital Services Comparisons Comparison platform for digital consumer services including Entertainment, Family & Dating, Finance & Insurance, Food, Photo & Video, Learning & Education, Fashion, Travel, Sports & Health, and Miscellaneous services. Targeted at consumers comparing consumer-facing digital subscriptions and services.
• Software Reviews and Ratings Authentic user reviews and ratings for software products, allowing potential buyers to make informed decisions based on real customer experiences. Reviews are contributed by verified users and displayed across product pages on trusted.de.
• Expert Guides and Articles (Ratgeber) Expert-authored articles, test reports, and comprehensive guides covering software selection, digital trends, and technology topics to help users make informed purchasing decisions. Includes guides on topics such as tech stack selection, project management methods, and digital service comparisons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1900+ business tools compared
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ARDminorOtherstrusted appears as an expert source in ARD media coverage, providing commentary on business software and digital services.
• ChipminorOtherstrusted is featured as a trusted software review source in Chip magazine and digital platforms.
• GigaminorOtherstrusted appears as an expert source in Giga technology media coverage.
• FocusminorOtherstrusted is featured as a trusted source in Focus magazine's digital coverage.
• HandelsblattminorOtherstrusted appears as an expert source in Handelsblatt business media coverage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• G2: G2 is the world's largest software marketplace and review platform, directly competing with trusted in serving SMB buyers comparing business software through reviews, rankings, and affiliate links. Both monetize via pay-per-click and affiliate referral models.
• Capterra: Capterra operates a software marketplace with verified user reviews and category rankings, mirroring trusted's core offering on a larger, English-first scale. Owned by Gartner, it competes head-to-head for affiliate-driven software leads.
• Software Advice: Software Advice is a Gartner-run software advisor site that matches buyers with vendors via reviews, comparison reports, and advisor calls — closely analogous to trusted's comparison/recommender model.
• GetApp: GetApp is a Gartner-owned software comparison and review platform targeting SMB buyers, very similar in business model and target customers to trusted but operating globally in English.

Broad incumbents

• tom's HARDWARE / TechRadar (Tech advisor brands): TechRadar publishes deep-dive reviews and comparisons of business software and consumer tech, overlapping with trusted's Digital Services and IT categories from a content-and-affiliate angle.
• Trustpilot: Trustpilot is a large, established consumer review platform that hosts reviews for many software vendors and competes indirectly for the buyer-research moment, especially for Digital Services on trusted's consumer-facing category.
• Verivox / Check24 (comparison portals): Verivox and Check24 are Germany's leading vertical comparison portals (insurance, finance, energy) and demonstrate the scaled-up playbook for European comparison-and-affiliate businesses, contextualizing trusted's potential trajectory.

Regional players

• OMR Reviews (now Workpath/SaaS Hub vendor directory): OMR is a German digital-marketing ecosystem media brand that publishes software content and reviews serving the same German SMB/founder audience as trusted, making it the most directly comparable regional peer in DACH.
• CHIP Vergleich / CHIP Bestenliste: CHIP.de is a major German tech media outlet featuring product comparisons and best-of lists for software and consumer electronics. It competes with trusted for German-speaking SEO traffic on software comparisons.

Emerging players

• GetApp Germany / GetApp alternatives: Capterra's localized German site (capterra.com/de) and other regional software directories are emerging localized competitors to trusted in the same DACH market and same SMB buyer persona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trusted-de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 trusted