What Index.hu does

Index.hu is Hungary's leading online news portal, operated by the privately held Index.hu Zrt. (a Hungarian "Zártkörűen működő Részvénytársaság" private limited-by-shares entity) from Budapest since its founding in 1999. The portal provides free, real-time coverage across a horizontal set of verticals: domestic news (Belföld), international news (Külföld), economics (Gazdaság), culture (Kult), opinion (Vélemény), technology and science (Tech-Tud), sports (Sport), and lifestyle (Fomo), targeted at the Hungarian-speaking general public in Hungary and the wider diaspora. The product is a web-based publishing platform built on a standard content management system with RSS feeds, mobile-responsive design, Facebook login/sharing, and increasingly video (Indexvideó, Indaplay.hu), podcasts (Sportcast), and a community blogging surface (Mindeközben).

The business model is a digital advertising model supplemented by affiliate commerce. Reader access is free; the company monetizes through display ad placements and sponsored content sections explicitly labeled "Támogatott tartalom" on the homepage, and through an embedded Bookline section that earns commissions on referred book sales. No subscription, paywall, or B2B pricing is disclosed. Distribution is exclusively digital and direct-to-consumer via index.hu, with no native mobile app in the Play Store or Apple App Store.

The company sits at the center of a multi-vertical Hungarian media portfolio owned under the same umbrella, including Blog.hu, Indavideó, Indaplay.hu, Galeria.index.hu, Economx, Dívány, Totalcar, Femina, Port, We Love Budapest, and Velvet. This ecosystem provides cross-vertical audience reach and shared ad inventory. The company employs 51-100 people, has not disclosed any funding rounds, parent company, M&A activity, or international expansion, and is led editorially by Editor-in-Chief Gergely Dudas.

Name

Index.hu

Legal name

Index.hu Zrt.

Website

https://index.hu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Index.hu is Hungary's largest independent online news portal, providing free real-time news, sports, and lifestyle coverage in Hungarian from Budapest. Founded in 1999, the company operates a network of related media properties and monetizes primarily through digital advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News & Digital Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA)

Keywords

• Online news portal
• Digital news media
• Hungarian journalism
• Digital advertising
• Online publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

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. Digital Advertising: The site generates revenue through display advertising and sponsored content placements. The homepage features sponsored content sections (marked as 'Támogatott tartalom') and standard display ad placements.
2. Affiliate Commerce: Bookline book sales integration through affiliate links on the Bookline section, earning commissions on book sales referred from index.hu.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Index.hu operates Hungary's leading independent online news portal, delivering real-time news coverage across domestic, international, economics, culture, technology, sports, and lifestyle categories. The platform offers free access to breaking news, in-depth reporting, opinion pieces, live event coverage (including the 2026 FIFA World Cup), financial market data, and weather information, supplemented by community blogging, video, and image gallery services.

Product overview

Index.hu is Hungary's leading online news portal operating as a unified platform with multiple integrated sub-products and sections. The core offering is the news portal delivering real-time coverage across 10+ categories (Belföld/Domestic, Külföld/International, Gazdaság/Economics, Kult/Culture, Vélemény/Opinion, Tech-Tud/Tech-Science, Sport, Fomo, Blog, Videó, Podcast). Supporting products include Mindeközben (community blog platform), Indaplay.hu (video content), and Galeria.index.hu (image gallery). The site also features a dedicated live coverage hub for major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with specialized coverage subsections and RSS feed capabilities. The Index.hu family includes sister sites such as Blog.hu, Totalcar.hu, Femina.hu, Port.hu, Velvet.hu, and Dívány.hu, forming a comprehensive Hungarian media ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Index.hu News Portal Hungary's leading online news portal providing free, real-time news coverage across domestic, international, economics, culture, technology, sports, and entertainment categories for Hungarian-speaking readers.
• Mindeközben (Community Blog) Community blogging and social platform integrated into Index.hu, featuring user-generated posts, community discussions, and reader-contributed content.
• Indaplay.hu Video Platform Video content platform affiliated with Index.hu, featuring video articles, news clips, and embedded multimedia content for Hungarian audiences.
• Galeria.index.hu Image Gallery Image gallery service providing visual content for Index.hu articles, events, and news coverage.
• Index 2026 FIFA World Cup Live Coverage Dedicated live coverage hub for the 2026 FIFA World Cup featuring real-time percről percre (minute-by-minute) live blogging, match schedules, standings, team information, and tournament results.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Blog.huminorOthersBlog.hu is a blogging platform within the Index network, offering blogging services to Hungarian users. Referenced in the site's navigation as a related service.
• IndavideóminorOthersHungarian video sharing platform and streaming service. Referenced as a related site/service within the Index media ecosystem.
• EconomxminorOthersHungarian financial and business news portal. Referenced as a related economic news platform under the Index umbrella.
• DíványminorOthersHungarian lifestyle portal covering topics such as lifehacks, personal stories, home, body, and VIP content. Part of the Index content network.
• TotalcarminorOthersHungarian automotive news and review portal covering car tests, advice, and automotive industry news. Referenced as a related site within the Index network.
• FeminaminorOthersHungarian women's lifestyle portal covering health, celebrity news, recipes, and travel. Referenced as a related site within the Index content ecosystem.
• PortminorOthersHungarian entertainment and cultural portal covering movies, TV, and theater reviews. Referenced as a related cultural content platform.
• We Love BudapestminorOthersBudapest-focused lifestyle and city guide portal covering restaurants, events, programs, and Budapest-specific content.
• VelvetminorOthersHungarian celebrity and lifestyle portal covering celebrities, fashion, and high-life content. Part of the Index media group network.
• BooklineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHungarian online book retailer integrated into Index.hu as a book sales partner. The Bookline section displays book recommendations with affiliate links that earn commissions on sales referred from Index.hu.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Origo.hu: One of Hungary's largest news portals, offering multi-vertical news coverage to Hungarian audiences. It is the most direct comparable to Index.hu in scale, content breadth, and monetization model.
• 24.hu: Hungarian news portal covering domestic, international, business, and lifestyle topics. Operates a similar ad-supported multi-vertical news model targeting the same Hungarian-speaking audience as Index.hu.
• Telex.hu: Independent Hungarian news portal launched in 2020 by former Index.hu journalists. Competes directly with Index.hu for the same Hungarian news audience with a similar ad-supported digital publishing model.
• 444.hu: Independent Hungarian news site known for investigative and opinion-driven journalism. Targets the same digitally native Hungarian audience as Index.hu and competes for advertising budgets in the same market.
• Portfolio.hu: Hungarian financial and business news portal operating under a similar ad-supported digital model. Closely comparable to Index.hu's Gazdaság vertical and competes for the same Hungarian business readership and B2B advertisers.
• HVG (hvg.hu): Hungarian weekly news magazine with a strong online portal covering politics, business, and culture. Overlaps with Index.hu's opinion and analysis verticals and competes for premium Hungarian news subscribers and advertisers.
• We Love Budapest: Budapest-focused lifestyle and city guide portal that is part of the Index.hu network. Comparable as a Hungarian vertical content site within the same ecosystem but operates in a narrower lifestyle and tourism niche.
• Totalcar: Hungarian automotive news and review portal within the Index.hu network. Comparable as a specialized vertical site under the same ownership umbrella, monetized through advertising and affiliate channels.
• Femina: Hungarian women's lifestyle portal covering health, celebrity news, recipes, and travel, part of the Index.hu network. Comparable as a vertical content site monetized through ads and affiliate commerce on the same platform stack.

Broad incumbents

• Magyar Nemzet: Established Hungarian national newspaper with a digital edition. Represents a traditional media incumbent with broader content reach but a different political alignment, competing for Hungarian news audiences and advertisers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/indexhu
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/index.hu-zrt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Index.hu