MAKE Magazine
MAKE Magazine is a bimonthly DIY publication operated by Make Community LLC, covering electronics, 3D printing, robotics, and crafts for makers, educators, and hobbyists. It is integrated with Maker Faire events, Maker Shed e-commerce, and education programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSebastopol, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What MAKE Magazine does
MAKE Magazine is a bimonthly DIY publication and the flagship media property of Make Community LLC, founded in 2005 by Dale Dougherty in Sebastopol, California. The magazine covers hands-on maker projects across electronics, digital fabrication (including 3D printing and CNC), woodworking, robotics, microcontrollers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi), IoT, and traditional crafts, targeting makers of all ages and skill levels alongside educators, hobbyists, and technology enthusiasts. Each issue is themed — recent volumes have covered humanoid robotics, companion AI, retro tech, multi-material 3D printing, and "tech craft" — and is complemented by a content archive exceeding 10,900 blog posts and project tutorials.
The business is operated as an integrated content, commerce, events, and education ecosystem rather than a standalone magazine. Make Community LLC wholly owns Maker Faire (a global event network operating across 12+ countries), Maker Shed (an e-commerce store for kits, books, and tools), Maker Camp (youth programming), Make: Learning Labs (STEAM education), and Make: Makerspaces. Distribution spans makezine.com, YouTube, Discord, Substack, physical newsstands, digital publication portals, and in-person events.
MAKE Magazine generates revenue through five streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions (annual billing with 40%+ savings versus cover price), Maker Shed e-commerce (hardware, kits, books), book publishing under the Make: imprint, advertising and sponsored content (e.g., HeyGears), and Maker Faire ticket sales, exhibitor fees, and event sponsorships. The go-to-market motion is community-led, leveraging Maker Faire gatherings, the online content platform, and the Make: Live virtual event series to drive subscriptions and engagement. The company employs 11–50 people, is privately held with no disclosed institutional backing, and shows no M&A or major restructuring activity in the input data.
MAKE Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MAKE Magazine
- Legal name
- Make Community LLC
- Website
- https://makezine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MAKE Magazine is a bimonthly DIY publication operated by Make Community LLC, covering electronics, 3D printing, robotics, and crafts for makers, educators, and hobbyists. It is integrated with Maker Faire events, Maker Shed e-commerce, and education programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MAKE Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- DIY Maker Media & Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG), Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
Keywords
Where MAKE Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sebastopol
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
MAKE Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions to Make: Magazine, with annual subscriptions offering 40%+ savings off cover price for 4 issues per year.
- Maker Shed E-commerce: Sale of maker-related products including books, electronics kits, robotics, microcontrollers, tools, and supplies through the Maker Shed online store (makershed.com).
- Book Publishing: Sale of Make: branded books covering topics such as microcontrollers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi), drones, 3D printing, and other maker technologies through Maker Shed.
- Advertising and Sponsorships: Sponsored content and advertising on the makezine.com website, including sponsored articles from companies like HeyGears.
- Maker Faire Events: Revenue from Maker Faire events held worldwide, including ticket sales, exhibitor fees, and event sponsorship.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Magazine Subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
MAKE Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MAKE Magazine publishes a bimonthly print and digital DIY magazine covering maker projects, electronics, 3D printing, CNC, robotics, woodworking, and IoT tutorials. The company also runs a content website (makezine.com) with thousands of project articles and reviews, a Maker Shed e-commerce store for kits, books, and tools, a global Maker Faire events network, Make: branded books, and Make: Live virtual programming for the maker community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Make: Magazine (print and digital subscription) Bimonthly DIY magazine covering maker projects, electronics, 3D printing, CNC, robotics, woodworking, and IoT tutorials, with both print and digital editions available to subscribers. Targeted at individual makers, hobbyists, educators, and technology enthusiasts across all ages and skill levels.
- Maker Shed (online retail store) Curated e-commerce store selling maker books, electronics kits, robots, microcontrollers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi), tools, supplies, and 3D printing equipment. Operated as Make:'s official retail storefront for hobbyists and educators.
- Maker Faire (global events) Global network of Maker Faire events celebrating the maker movement, held in cities worldwide including Bay Area, Tokyo, Rome, Paris, Hannover, and Miami. Generates revenue from ticket sales, exhibitor fees, and event sponsorship.
- Make: Books Maker-written books covering topics including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, drones, 3D printing, microcontrollers, and other maker technologies. Sold primarily through Maker Shed.
- Make: Live (virtual events) Live virtual shows featuring Make: magazine and book authors, conversations with makers, and exclusive previews. Hosted by founder Dale Dougherty.
- Ask Make: (AI conversational search) Beta AI conversational search feature on makezine.com allowing users to ask questions about making and technology and receive text-based answers drawn from Make:'s content library.
- Make: Physics (book) New Make: branded book that applies a learn-by-doing approach to physics using maker-level materials such as BBC micro:bit processors and 3D prints.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 40% savings off annual cover price for subscribers
Companies that use MAKE Magazine
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MAKE Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
MAKE Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Prusa ResearchcorePrusa Research joined MAKE Magazine in signing a coalition letter opposing California's AB 2047 bill that would require 3D printers to include firearm-blocking technology. Both organizations are part of the broader 3D printing and maker community opposing the legislation.
- Maker FairecoreMAKE Magazine and Maker Faire are closely affiliated organizations under Make Community LLC. Maker Faire is described as 'the official magazine of Maker Faire.' Both signed the coalition letter opposing California's AB 2047 bill.
- Community Manufacturing InitiativecoreLed by David Tobin, the Community Manufacturing Initiative is an industry critic of California's AB 2047 bill. MAKE Magazine joined the coalition letter opposing the bill organized by this group and other 3D printing organizations.
- HeyGearsminorHeyGears sponsored content on makezine.com, including sponsored articles about their G1 Series 3D printer launches on Kickstarter and the G1X full-color 3D printer.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MAKE Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SparkFun Electronics: Electronics kit retailer and educator producing open-source hardware components and learning resources. Closely comparable to Make: on the e-commerce and DIY learning axis, with similar maker/educator customer base.
- Hackster.io: Online community and project publishing platform for hardware developers and makers, covering Arduino, Raspberry Pi, IoT, and AI. Comparable to makezine.com as a project/tutorial destination for the same audience.
- Adafruit Industries: Open-source hardware retailer and learning platform serving makers and educators with electronics kits, microcontrollers, and tutorials. Directly comparable to Maker Shed and Make:'s educational content business, with an overlapping audience and product category.
- Instructables: User-generated DIY project platform covering electronics, crafts, woodworking, and fabrication. Comparable to Make:'s project library and maker community model, with overlapping audience and similar tutorial format.
- Hackaday: Long-running blog and community covering hardware hacking, electronics projects, and maker culture. Directly comparable editorial scope and target audience to makezine.com, with overlapping sponsored content and event coverage.
Broad incumbents
- Wired: Mainstream technology and culture publication with significant coverage of maker culture, hardware, and DIY technology. Adjacent incumbent in the science/technology publishing space, with broader scope and substantially larger scale than Make:.
- Popular Science: Mainstream science and technology magazine covering DIY projects, maker culture, and emerging tech. Comparable as a consumer science/technology publication, with a broader audience and larger scale than Make:.
- Popular Mechanics: Established consumer magazine and website covering DIY, technology, science, and home improvement. Larger incumbent in the same DIY/science magazine category, with broader editorial scope and audience reach than Make:.
Emerging players
- MagPi Magazine: Official Raspberry Pi magazine published monthly, focused on maker projects, tutorials, and product reviews. Comparable subscription/publishing model and maker audience, with a narrower platform-specific focus than Make:.
- Arduino Project Hub: Community-driven platform for Arduino-based DIY and electronics projects, with tutorials and code samples. Comparable as a project/tutorial resource for the same maker/electronics audience, with a platform-anchored rather than editorial-led model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MAKE Magazine social profiles
Digital presenceMAKE Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MAKE Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
MAKE Magazine subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
MAKE Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MAKE Magazine 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 MAKE Magazine
What does MAKE Magazine do?
MAKE Magazine publishes a bimonthly print and digital DIY magazine covering maker projects, electronics, 3D printing, CNC, robotics, woodworking, and IoT tutorials. The company also runs a content website (makezine.com) with thousands of project articles and reviews, a Maker Shed e-commerce store for kits, books, and tools, a global Maker Faire events network, Make: branded books, and Make: Live virtual programming for the maker community.
Is MAKE Magazine a public or private company?
MAKE Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MAKE Magazine founded?
MAKE Magazine was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MAKE Magazine based?
MAKE Magazine is headquartered in Sebastopol, United States, in the North America region.
How does MAKE Magazine make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are maker Shed E-commerce, book Publishing, advertising and Sponsorships and maker Faire Events.
Who are MAKE Magazine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SparkFun Electronics, Hackster.io, Adafruit Industries, Instructables and Hackaday. Broad incumbents are Wired, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Emerging players are MagPi Magazine and Arduino Project Hub.
Does MAKE Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for MAKE Magazine.
What industry is MAKE Magazine in?
MAKE Magazine's product category is DIY Maker Media & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAL, Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAG, Home, Garden & DIY Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.