What Cuttlefish Multimedia does

Cuttlefish Multimedia Limited is a UK-based digital agency founded in 2000 and headquartered in Loughborough that designs, builds and hosts websites, native mobile applications and graphic design assets for community-focused organisations. The company operates through four functional lines — Websites, Apps, Design and Innovation — and serves five primary customer segments: UK Parish and Town Councils (over 400 clients, the dominant vertical), local charities, local community groups, local businesses, and sport and physical activity organisations served via its SportSuite platform. Cuttlefish has operated for over 25 years and holds specialized credentials including Cyber Essentials certification, Nominet registrar status, Jisc partnership and approval as a Government Digital Service (GDS) registrar for .gov.uk domains.

The company's core technology is its proprietary Content Management System (cGov / cCMS), developed for over 20 years specifically for UK local councils. It is an all-in-one architecture — content management, document management, calendars, form builder, A-Z services directory, social media and WCAG 2.2 / GDPR compliance built in, with no third-party plugin or widget dependencies. The product portfolio comprises Cuttlefish Communities (the mainstream council/charity/group/business line), SportSuite (a modular platform for sport organisations), bespoke website and mobile-app builds, graphic design, and Innovation Services that integrate AI, geolocation and wearable technology. Add-on modules include the Newsletter Tool, Appointments Tool, Cemetery Lite burial-record system, accessibility tools and a branded Parish & Town Councils mobile app on iOS and Android.

Cuttlefish operates a subscription-led revenue model with annual hosting fees ranging from £200/year (small charity sites) to custom precept-based pricing for councils (from £250/year), supplemented by one-off £350+VAT setup fees, Microsoft 365 and CF Mail email hosting resale (£35-£420 per user/year), .gov.uk / .org.uk / .com domain registration, and per-module add-on fees. Distribution is entirely UK-domestic via direct sales through the company website, phone and email, with a sales-led GTM motion combining an instant online quote tool for standard Communities packages and consultation-driven engagement for bespoke and Innovation projects. No external equity funding, acquisitions or parent company relationships are identified; the business operates as an independent, founder-managed private limited company.

Name

Cuttlefish Multimedia

Legal name

Cuttlefish Multimedia Limited

Website

https://cuttlefish.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cuttlefish Multimedia is a UK-based digital agency founded in 2000 that designs and hosts websites, mobile apps and graphic assets for over 400 Parish and Town Councils, local charities, community groups, businesses and sport organisations, powered by its proprietary cGov CMS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Website Hosting: Recurring annual hosting fees for websites, with pricing tiers based on organisation type and website size. Includes setup fees as one-time charges.
2. Website Setup Fees: One-off set-up fees for new websites, typically £350 + VAT for community sites.
3. Email Services: Annual email hosting services including CF Mail packages (starting from £35/year) and Microsoft 365 packages (starting from £85/year), charged per user.
4. Domain Registration: Domain registration and renewal services for various extensions including .gov.uk (£75/year), .org.uk/.co.uk (£25/year), and .org/.com (£35/year).
5. Premium Add-on Features: Optional annual extras including automatic Facebook posting (£50), appointments tool (£50), accessibility tool (£30), newsletter credits, cemetery records software (£100), and mobile app for councils (£225).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cuttlefish Multimedia is a UK-based digital design and software development agency founded in 2000, based in Loughborough. It builds bespoke websites, mobile apps, and a suite of proprietary SaaS products (notably the cGov content management system and Cuttlefish Communities platform) primarily for UK parish and town councils, local charities, and community groups, with supporting graphic design and innovation services.

Product overview

Cuttlefish Multimedia is a web design, app development, and graphic design agency with over 25 years of experience. Their product portfolio centers on two main offerings: Cuttlefish Communities (a platform of website solutions for local councils, charities, groups, and businesses) and SportSuite (web modules for sport and physical activity organisations). Cuttlefish Communities includes their proprietary cGov Content Management System, add-on modules like Newsletter Tool, Appointments Tool, Cemetery Lite, and Accessibility Tool, plus email services (Cf Mail and Microsoft 365 integration) and domain management. They also offer bespoke website and mobile app development services, graphic design, and innovation services incorporating AI, geolocation, and wearable technology. A Parish & Town Councils Mobile App is available as an add-on.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cuttlefish Communities SaaS platform that enables communities and local organisations to run their own websites with shared templates, hosting, and support.
• cGov Content Management System Specialist content management system built for UK local councils and government bodies to publish compliant websites and digital services.
• Cuttlefish Sport (formerly SportSuite) Website platform designed for sports clubs and associations, providing fixtures, results, news, and member management features.
• Bespoke Website Design Custom web design and build service delivering tailored websites for councils, charities, and local businesses.
• Mobile App Development Design and development of native and hybrid mobile applications for clients including a dedicated parish and town councils mobile app.
• Graphic Design Services Design service covering logos, branding, printed materials, and visual assets to support client websites and communications.
• Innovation Services Research, prototyping, and consultancy work helping clients adopt new digital approaches and emerging technologies.
• Cf Mail Email hosting and management service bundled with Cuttlefish web platforms for council and community customers.
• Newsletter Tool Tool enabling council and community clients to send email newsletters to residents and members.
• Appointments Tool Online booking and appointments system for council services and community organisations.
• Cemetery Lite Lightweight cemetery records management tool designed for parish and town councils to maintain burial records online.
• Accessibility Tool Accessibility auditing and compliance tool that helps council and community websites meet WCAG and UK government accessibility requirements.
• Domain Management (GDS Registrar) Domain registration and management service operated as a Government Digital Service (GDS) registrar for public sector clients.
• Parish & Town Councils Mobile App Dedicated mobile application giving parish and town councils a branded app for residents to access news, events, and council information.
• Career Questionnaire System Online questionnaire and career-guidance system developed for council and education-sector clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 council clients served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Government Digital Service (GDS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCuttlefish is an approved registrar for the Government Digital Service (GDS), authorized to manage .gov.uk domain registrations and renewals for Parish and Town Councils, ensuring compliance with government domain governance standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jadu: Jadu provides a CMS and web experience platform purpose-built for UK local government and councils, making it one of the closest direct competitors to Cuttlefish's cGov / Cuttlefish Communities offering.
• Reason Digital: Reason Digital is a UK digital agency specializing in websites and digital products for charities, non-profits, and public-health organizations — directly comparable to Cuttlefish's charity and community-focused service line.
• GOSS Online: GOSS provides a unified digital platform for UK councils covering content management, forms, and citizen engagement — directly competing for the same parish, town, and district council customers as Cuttlefish.
• Sequence: Sequence is a UK digital agency focused on charity and non-profit clients, designing and building websites, apps, and digital platforms — directly comparable to Cuttlefish's Cuttlefish Communities offering for charities and community groups.

Emerging players

• Hivebrite: Hivebrite is a community-engagement platform used by associations, nonprofits, and member-based organizations — adjacent to Cuttlefish's community and charity websites through overlapping target customers.
• Wild Apricot: Wild Apricot provides all-in-one membership and website software for small associations, clubs, and community groups — overlapping with Cuttlefish's local-groups and community-organization customer base.
• Hallam: Hallam is a UK digital agency offering web design, development, and marketing services to mid-market and public-sector clients, comparable in service mix and UK focus but with broader industry exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Granicus: Granicus (formerly GovDelivery/iCouncil) is a global government-experience cloud vendor offering web, communications, and workflow tools for councils, making it a broader incumbent with overlapping UK local-government presence.
• Civica: Civica is a major UK government-software provider with end-to-end local-government offerings that span web, CRM, payments, and case management — bundling capabilities that compete with Cuttlefish's specialist council web focus.
• IDOX Group: IDOX is a UK-listed public-sector software vendor offering a broad suite of local-government solutions including web/digital services; its broader portfolio and scale position it as a broader incumbent comparable to Cuttlefish in the council web space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cuttlefishers
• Facebookfacebook.com/cuttlefishmultimedia/?locale=en_GB
• Instagraminstagram.com/cuttlefishers

Compliance5 records

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 Cuttlefish Multimedia