Chefkoch App
Chefkoch is Germany's leading digital recipe platform, serving ~20 million monthly users with 380,000+ community recipes via web, iOS, and Android apps, monetizing through freemium subscriptions (PLUS and PUR), display advertising, and brand partnerships under FUNKE Mediengruppe ownership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersBonn, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Chefkoch App does
Chefkoch GmbH is Germany's leading digital food platform, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Hamburg, serving approximately 20 million monthly unique users with a community-driven database of more than 380,000 recipes. The platform operates a freemium model: a free ad-supported tier with community recipe browsing, forums, and user ratings, supplemented by two subscription products — Chefkoch PUR (€1.99/month or €14.99/year for ad-free browsing) and Chefkoch PLUS (€5.99/month or €29.99/year, adding a weekly meal planner with automatic shopping lists, ingredient-based recipe search, recipe import from external websites, a personal digital cookbook, premium recipes from professional chefs under the Kochstars sub-brand, and curated magazine collections from essen & trinken, BEEF!, and BRIGITTE). Distribution is via chefkoch.de and iOS/Android apps, with content syndication across FUNKE Mediengruppe's print and digital magazine portfolio following the October 2025 acquisition.
Revenue mechanics combine three streams: subscription recurring revenue from PUR and PLUS tiers, display and video advertising on the free tier (with 174 data partners supporting targeted advertising), and brand partnerships featuring sponsored recipe collections with food brands such as Ostmann, BÜRGER, and Henglein. The technology stack is a recipe database platform with meal planning, ingredient search, digital cookbook storage, and community features (forums, recipe collections, social sharing). User authentication is handled via Apple, Google, and Facebook OAuth logins. The company acknowledges using AI-generated images (KI-Bilder) for promotional content while signaling intent to replace them with community-sourced photography. The platform supports single sign-on across web and mobile, with no public API or documented third-party integrations beyond authentication providers.
The platform is wholly owned by FUNKE Mediengruppe following its October 2025 acquisition from Gruner + Jahr (under RTL Deutschland), which also brought the kochbar.de portal and approximately 100 employees. Managing Director Christine Nieland continues to lead the brand. Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer with freemium conversion and product-led growth across web and mobile, supplemented by content marketing through the Kochstars chef ambassador program, TV show tie-ins with 'Das perfekte Dinner,' and cross-promotion within FUNKE's media portfolio. The company does not publicly disclose revenue or financial performance.
Chefkoch App firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chefkoch App
- Legal name
- Chefkoch GmbH
- Website
- https://chefkoch.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chefkoch is Germany's leading digital recipe platform, serving ~20 million monthly users with 380,000+ community recipes via web, iOS, and Android apps, monetizing through freemium subscriptions (PLUS and PUR), display advertising, and brand partnerships under FUNKE Mediengruppe ownership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Chefkoch App is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonn
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chefkoch App business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription - PLUS Tier: Premium subscription offering ad-free experience plus advanced features including Wochenplaner (meal planner), Zutatensuche (ingredient search), Rezept-Import, premium recipes from professional chefs, curated monthly recipe collections from partner magazines. Monthly at €5.99 or annual at €29.99 with 40% discount.
- Subscription - PUR Tier: Ad-free subscription tier offering banner and video ad removal. Monthly at €1.99 or annual at €14.99.
- Advertising: Display advertising on the free tier of the platform including banner ads and video ads, with 174 data partners mentioned for advertising and personalization purposes.
- Brand Partnerships & Sponsored Content: Brand recipe partnerships with food brands such as Ostmann, BÜRGER, and Henglein featuring branded recipe collections on the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | PLUS - Premium subscription with all features |
| Subscription | Monthly | PUR - Ad-free basic subscription |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier with advertising |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Chefkoch App product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chefkoch is a German-language digital recipe platform that aggregates approximately 380,000 community and professionally curated recipes through a website and mobile apps, complemented by community forums, cooking videos, and editorial magazine content. It monetizes through freemium access, ad-free PUR subscriptions (€1.99/month), and premium PLUS subscriptions (€5.99/month) that bundle a weekly meal planner with shopping lists, ingredient-based search, recipe import, and curated magazine and professional-chef content.
Product overview
Chefkoch is a leading German digital food platform offering a comprehensive ecosystem centered around its core recipe platform with approximately 380,000 recipes. The portfolio consists of a free base tier (Chefkoch Website/App) supplemented by two subscription tiers: Chefkoch PUR (ad-free browsing at €1.99/month) and Chefkoch PLUS (premium subscription at €5.99/month featuring meal planning, ingredient search, recipe import, and professional chef content). Supporting features include a digital cookbook, community forums, cooking courses, and video content. Premium content is delivered through sub-brands like Kochstars (professional chef profiles), PLUS-Rezepte aus Magazinen (magazine partner recipes), and Das perfekte Dinner (TV tie-in content). The platform also acquired kochbar.de alongside the main brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chefkoch PLUS: Premium subscription tier offering additional features including ad-free browsing, weekly meal planner with shopping list, ingredient search, recipe import, professional recipes, and curated seasonal collections.
- Chefkoch PUR
- kochbar.de
Products and services
- Chefkoch Website & App Germany's leading digital food platform offering approximately 380,000 recipes, recipe search, cooking videos, community forums, and editorial magazine content via web and mobile app.
- Chefkoch PLUS Premium subscription offering ad-free browsing, weekly meal planner with automated shopping lists, ingredient-based search, recipe import, premium recipes from professional chefs, and curated monthly recipe collections from partner magazines like essen & trinken and BEEF!.
- Chefkoch PUR Ad-free subscription tier providing browsing without banner and video advertising on chefkoch.de and the mobile app, without the additional premium features of PLUS.
- kochbar.de Food portal acquired alongside the Chefkoch brand from RTL Deutschland as part of the FUNKE Mediengruppe acquisition, retained as a separate recipe destination.
- Chefkoch Kochkurse (Cooking Courses) Cooking course offerings delivered through a dedicated subdomain where users can learn cooking skills from professional chefs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Germany's leading digital food platform with approximately 20 million monthly unique users
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Chefkoch App
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Chefkoch App technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Chefkoch App partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FUNKE MediengruppecoreFUNKE Mediengruppe acquired Chefkoch from Gruner + Jahr (under RTL Deutschland). The acquisition includes the Chefkoch brand, the kochbar.de portal, and around 100 employees. FUNKE is strengthening its position in the food segment as a key growth area, continuing its strategy of integrating strong national digital brands following similar moves with GALA, BRIGITTE, and ELTERN. Managing director Christine Nieland remains on board to lead the brand.
- essen & trinkencoreMagazine brand providing curated recipe collections to Chefkoch PLUS subscribers. Monthly recipe selections are integrated into the PLUS subscription service.
- BEEF!coreMagazine brand providing curated recipe collections to Chefkoch PLUS subscribers. Monthly recipe selections are integrated into the PLUS subscription service.
- BRIGITTEcoreMagazine brand providing curated recipe collections to Chefkoch PLUS subscribers. Seasonal recipe collections are integrated into the PLUS subscription service.
- OstmannminorBrand partner providing branded recipes on the Chefkoch platform, featuring Ostmann branded recipe collections.
- BÜRGERminorBrand partner providing branded recipes on the Chefkoch platform, featuring BÜRGER branded recipe collections.
- HengleinminorBrand partner providing branded recipes on the Chefkoch platform, featuring Henglein branded recipe collections.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chefkoch App competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Allrecipes: One of the largest global digital recipe platforms with a massive community-driven recipe library. Comparable to Chefkoch in product format (recipes, community, ratings) but operates at much larger, English-language global scale.
Direct peers
- Yummly: Digital recipe platform offering personalized recipe recommendations, meal planning, and smart appliance integration. Comparable to Chefkoch in its recipe-plus-meal-planning offering and freemium-plus-premium monetization structure.
- Food52: Premium cooking and recipe platform combining recipes, community, and curated cooking content with a paid membership tier. Comparable to Chefkoch PLUS in its paid-community-plus-premium-content model and recipe-centric offering.
- Kitchen Stories: A cooking app and recipe platform with a strong DACH presence, offering recipes, cooking videos, and community features. Directly comparable to Chefkoch as a digital recipe and cooking inspiration destination in the German-speaking market.
- Lecker: German recipe portal from Funke Mediengruppe's media portfolio (Funke is also Chefkoch's parent), offering recipes, magazine content, and cooking inspiration. Closely comparable in target audience, content format, and DACH market positioning.
Others
- HelloFresh: German-founded global meal kit subscription leader. While a different format (physical meal kits vs. digital recipes), it competes for the same German home-cooking consumer wallet and shares DACH market roots with Chefkoch.
Emerging players
- SuperCook: Recipe search engine that lets users find recipes based on ingredients they already have at home. Directly comparable to Chefkoch's Zutatensuche (ingredient search) feature in addressing food-waste and pantry-driven cooking use cases.
- Sidechef: Recipe and guided cooking app with smart-kitchen integration and grocery partnerships. Comparable to Chefkoch PLUS in its meal-planning, ingredient-driven, and tech-enabled cooking features.
Regional players
- Marmiton: France's leading recipe and cooking platform operated by M6 Group, with a large community-driven recipe base. Comparable to Chefkoch as the leading domestic recipe platform in its home market with similar community and content monetization.
- Essen & Trinken: Leading German food magazine and digital recipe brand now integrated within Funke Mediengruppe's portfolio. Comparable to Chefkoch as a German food-content brand with both editorial and recipe offerings; also a content partner via PLUS magazine integrations.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chefkoch App social profiles
Digital presenceChefkoch App financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chefkoch App leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Chefkoch App subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Chefkoch App funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chefkoch App 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 Chefkoch App
What does Chefkoch App do?
Chefkoch is a German-language digital recipe platform that aggregates approximately 380,000 community and professionally curated recipes through a website and mobile apps, complemented by community forums, cooking videos, and editorial magazine content. It monetizes through freemium access, ad-free PUR subscriptions (€1.99/month), and premium PLUS subscriptions (€5.99/month) that bundle a weekly meal planner with shopping lists, ingredient-based search, recipe import, and curated magazine and professional-chef content.
Is Chefkoch App a public or private company?
Chefkoch App is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Chefkoch App founded?
Chefkoch App was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chefkoch App based?
Chefkoch App is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Chefkoch App make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription - PLUS Tier is the primary driver. The others are subscription - PUR Tier, advertising and brand Partnerships & Sponsored Content.
Who are Chefkoch App's main competitors?
Allrecipes is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Yummly, Food52, Kitchen Stories and Lecker. HelloFresh is listed as an others. Emerging players are SuperCook and Sidechef. Regional players are Marmiton and Essen & Trinken.
Does Chefkoch App have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chefkoch App.