What Workhorse Software does

Workhorse Software, operating as Guideline, is a global provider of ad intelligence and media plan management technology for brands, advertising agencies, publishers, and hedge funds. The company's platform combines an Ad Intelligence Suite (Spend, Pricing, AI Agent, Reach, Insights) and a Media Plan Management Suite into a single system that runs global media investment. Underlying both suites is a proprietary dataset built on $200 billion of annual actualized global media spend, aggregated through a give-to-get model in which six major agency holding companies contribute billing data in exchange for market intelligence access. The Ad Intelligence Suite delivers real-time market insights, validated TV pricing benchmarks drawn from 40+ years of actual transactions, custom research, post-buy reconciliation, AI-driven insights, and structured data products for institutional investors. The Media Plan Management Suite operationalizes this intelligence by enabling annual client briefs to flow through planning, governance, and actualization within a configurable, taxonomy-driven workspace; it powers 60,000+ media plans annually for leading agencies and brands. Customer footprint includes 5 of 5 top US broadcasters, 90% of top global media companies, and a growing hedge fund / alternative data user base.

The company operates a subscription-based, quote-priced enterprise SaaS model with annual billing. Direct enterprise sales (consultative, with 'Talk to an Expert' and 'Contact Us' CTAs) are complemented by distribution through the six major agency holding company partnerships, which simultaneously serve as the primary data supply channel. Revenue is generated from (1) Ad Intelligence platform subscriptions to brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds, (2) Media Plan Management subscriptions, and (3) custom research and professional services for institutional clients. Geographic reach spans six major global markets; the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures in the available data.

Name

Workhorse Software

Legal name

Guideline, Inc.

Website

https://workhorsesoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Workhorse Software (operating as Guideline) is a global ad intelligence and media plan management platform serving brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds, built on $200B+ of annual transaction data aggregated from six major agency holding companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms (HDAEAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Work Management & Collaboration Suites (BPAMAMAG)

Keywords

• Software development
• Custom software
• Business software
• Enterprise software
• Software products

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Revenue model

1. Ad Intelligence Platform Subscription: Subscription-based access to Ad Intelligence platform providing real-time market insights, spend analytics, AI-powered insights, and structured data for brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds. Revenue derived from annual subscription contracts with enterprise clients.
2. Media Plan Management Platform: SaaS platform for media plan creation, governance, and execution. Powers over 60,000 media plans annually for leading agencies and brands through subscription licensing.
3. Custom Research & Analytics: Custom research, post-buy reconciliation, and specialized analytics services for institutional investors and enterprise clients requiring tailored market intelligence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Workhorse Software is a private software company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Evanston, United States. The firm has been described in its firmographic profile as a leader in its industry since 1996. It operates with 11-50 employees. Specific product and service details for Workhorse Software are not documented in the available source material.

Product overview

Guideline offers a dual-suite platform for ad intelligence and media plan management. The Ad Intelligence Suite (featuring Spend, Pricing, AI Agent, Reach, and Insights) provides real-time market intelligence backed by $200 billion in annual transaction data. The Media Plan Management Suite powers over 60,000 media plans annually, enabling brands and agencies to plan, govern, and execute media investment across markets. The two suites share a unified data foundation, ensuring consistency between market insights and actual media execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ad Intelligence Suite: Real billing data on $200 billion of annual media spend across six major markets, including TV pricing benchmarks, custom research, post-buy reconciliation, AI insights, and structured data for institutional investors.
• Media Plan Management Suite

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 of 5 top US broadcasters leverage Guideline's data solutions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 6 Major Agency Holding CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuideline has partnered with all six major agency holding companies who receive data from Guideline's solutions. These partnerships form the foundation of Guideline's give-to-get data model where agencies contribute billing data in exchange for comprehensive market intelligence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MediaOcean: MediaOcean is a leading media planning and buying platform used by major agencies and brands. Its planning and workflow capabilities make it a direct competitor to Guideline's Media Plan Management Suite across global agency holding companies.
• Standard Media Index: Standard Media Index (SMI) is a direct competitor tracking actual ad spend across media using agency billing data, supplying similar competitive intelligence to brands, agencies, and publishers. SMI is owned by Dentsu, one of the six major agency holding companies that also partners with Guideline, making it a particularly close functional and ecosystem peer.
• Pathmatics (Sensor Tower): Pathmatics, now part of Sensor Tower, provides ad creative and spend intelligence across digital channels. It overlaps directly with Guideline's spend analytics and competitive intelligence offerings for advertisers and agencies, serving similar buyer personas.
• MediaRadar: MediaRadar provides competitive ad intelligence tracking advertising spending across channels for brands, agencies, and publishers. It competes head-to-head with Guideline's Ad Intelligence Suite in offering visibility into where advertisers are spending and on what creatives.

Broad incumbents

• Comscore: Comscore provides digital media measurement, audience analytics, and advertising intelligence. While primarily focused on digital audience measurement, it overlaps with Guideline's digital spend and reach analytics for advertisers and publishers.
• FreeWheel: FreeWheel provides TV and video ad management, monetization, and planning solutions for publishers and agencies. It is a broad incumbent whose media planning capabilities overlap with Guideline's Media Plan Management Suite, particularly for TV/video workflows.
• Nielsen: Nielsen is a dominant incumbent in media measurement, audience ratings, and advertising intelligence. While broader in scope than Guideline, Nielsen competes for the same media buyer and seller budgets and overlaps in audience reach and pricing benchmark capabilities.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global market research and media intelligence provider offering advertising effectiveness, audience measurement, and media planning services. It overlaps with Guideline's media intelligence and consulting-led research offerings across brands and agencies.

Emerging players

• Samba TV: Samba TV provides TV and cross-screen ad intelligence and audience insights using first-party viewership data. It is an emerging player overlapping with Guideline's TV pricing benchmarks and reach capabilities for advertisers and broadcasters.
• TVTY: TVTY offers cross-channel ad measurement and conversion attribution linking TV campaigns to digital outcomes. It is an emerging player in the same ad intelligence category as Guideline's spend, pricing, and reach products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mediatoolshelp
• Facebookfacebook.com/workhorsesoftware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sqad-inc.

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 Workhorse Software