Ciando
Ciando is a German eBook marketplace operated by Lehmanns Media GmbH, selling DRM-protected PDF and EPUB titles across fiction and academic categories to individual consumers and corporate, library, and bookshop customers in the DACH region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Ciando does
Ciando is the eBook retail brand operated by Lehmanns Media GmbH, a privately held German media company headquartered at Engelhardstr. 6, 81369 Munich. The platform was launched in 2009 and serves consumers and institutions in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with digital books delivered in PDF and EPUB formats protected by Adobe DRM and digital watermarking. Catalog coverage spans fiction (Belletristik Romane), politics, culture, history, and professional/academic categories including business, law, computer, engineering, medicine, psychology, and pedagogy. The platform is described on its own materials as one of Germany's larger eBook stores for PC, MAC, and common eBook readers.
Ciando firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ciando
- Legal name
- Lehmanns Media GmbH
- Website
- https://ciando.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ciando is a German eBook marketplace operated by Lehmanns Media GmbH, selling DRM-protected PDF and EPUB titles across fiction and academic categories to individual consumers and corporate, library, and bookshop customers in the DACH region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ciando industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Book Retail
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution (CRAOALAE)
Keywords
Where Ciando is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ciando business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual eBook Sales: One-time purchase of individual eBook titles. Customers pay per book with no monthly subscription fees. Prices range from approximately €8.99 to €219 depending on the title. Each purchase includes two downloads plus online reading access.
- Corporate/Library Licensing: Special firmenlizenz (corporate license) packages for business customers, libraries, and educational institutions. Corporate licenses allow internet/intranet deployment starting from 2+ exemplars. Maximum order quantity per shop is 500 copies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual eBook purchase with 2 downloads + online reading |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Ciando product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ciando operates an eBook distribution platform selling digital books in PDF and EPUB formats to individual consumers and corporate customers in the DACH region. Each purchase includes two downloads plus unlimited online reading access via browser, with content transferable to up to six devices using Adobe ID. The platform additionally offers Firmenlizenz (corporate license) packages for business customers, libraries, and bookshops that enable internet and intranet multi-user deployment.
Product overview
Ciando is a German eBook distribution platform operated by Lehmanns Media GmbH, offering a digital bookstore where customers can purchase and read electronic books. The platform provides eBooks primarily in PDF and EPUB formats, supporting reading on computers (PC/MAC), mobile devices (Android/iOS), tablets, and dedicated eBook readers (Tolino, Kobo, PocketBook). The core offering combines the ciando eBooks Platform with Online-Lesen (browser-based reading), Mehrfachnutzung (multi-device access with 2 downloads plus unlimited online reading per purchase), and Firmenlizenz (corporate licensing for business customers). The platform serves both individual consumers and institutional customers including libraries, bookstores, publishers, and corporate clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ciando eBooks Platform
Companies that use Ciando
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ciando technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ciando partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lehmanns Media GmbHcoreParent company of Ciando eBooks. Lehmanns Media GmbH operates the Ciando platform and provides the eBook distribution infrastructure.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Ciando competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing / Kindle Store: Amazon's Kindle Store is the dominant global eBook retail platform, directly competing with Ciando in the German-speaking market. Both sell eBooks to consumers via downloadable formats with DRM, though Amazon operates at massive scale and bundles Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.
- Lehmanns Media (Lehmanns Fachbuchhandlung): Lehmanns Media GmbH is the parent company operating Ciando, and also runs the academic bookstore chain Lehmanns. The retail arm sells academic and professional books online and to universities, providing a closely related peer view of Ciando's institutional offerings.
Direct peers
- Tolino Media: Tolino is a German eBook ecosystem backed by Deutsche Telekom and leading German booksellers (Thalia, Hugendubel, buecher.de). Ciando is listed as a Tolino-compatible partner, making Tolino both a competitor and a complementary distribution channel in the German market.
- Thalia: Thalia is Germany's largest physical book retailer with a strong eBook and audiobook digital store. Like Ciando, Thalia sells eBooks through a dedicated storefront and serves German-speaking consumers with a mix of trade and academic titles.
- buecher.de: buecher.de is a German online bookstore operated by the Umbreit group and a Tolino partner. It sells eBooks to consumers and competes directly with Ciando in German-language trade and academic eBook retail.
- Libreka: Libreka is a German eBook platform operated by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, offering eBooks and digital library lending services. It directly overlaps with Ciando's library and consumer eBook offerings in the German market.
Emerging players
- Legimi: Legimi is a Polish-origin eBook and audiobook subscription service that has expanded into the German market. It represents a subscription-based alternative to Ciando's perpetual-license model and competes for the same price-sensitive German-speaking readers.
- Skoobe: Skoobe is a German eBook subscription service originally launched by publishers including Holtzbrinck and Bonnier. Its flat-rate eBook subscription model competes for German consumer reading spend and represents a different monetization approach versus Ciando's one-time purchase model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ciando social profiles
Digital presenceCiando financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ciando leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Ciando funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ciando 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 Ciando
What does Ciando do?
Ciando operates an eBook distribution platform selling digital books in PDF and EPUB formats to individual consumers and corporate customers in the DACH region. Each purchase includes two downloads plus unlimited online reading access via browser, with content transferable to up to six devices using Adobe ID. The platform additionally offers Firmenlizenz (corporate license) packages for business customers, libraries, and bookshops that enable internet and intranet multi-user deployment.
Is Ciando a public or private company?
Ciando is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Ciando founded?
Ciando was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ciando based?
Ciando is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Ciando make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Individual eBook Sales are the primary driver. The others are corporate/Library Licensing.
Who are Ciando's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing / Kindle Store and Lehmanns Media (Lehmanns Fachbuchhandlung). Direct peers are Tolino Media, Thalia, buecher.de and Libreka. Emerging players are Legimi and Skoobe.
Does Ciando have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ciando.
What industry is Ciando in?
Ciando's product category is Digital Book Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAA, E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices), with a secondary code of CRAOALAE, E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 2731.