What Tobit Software does

Tobit Software (legal entity: Tobit Laboratories AG) is a German software company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ahaus, with approximately 200 employees dedicated to research, design, development, and marketing of digitalization software. The company builds its entire product portfolio on a proprietary cloud-based operating system called chayns®OS™, which has served as the platform foundation since 2015 and underpins deployments across more than 100,000 companies and organizations. Core products include SideKick™ (an AI system providing access to over 50 AI models with cloud or on-premise deployment), TeamDavid (a GDPR-compliant unified communication platform combining email, chat, video, and tasks), SuperApp™ (a municipal/citizen connection application), PageMaker™ (a website builder), and SmartShop™ (an e-commerce and POS solution), along with add-on modules such as chayns® selforder™ (for hospitality ordering scenarios), ticketing, Stadtgutschein (city voucher system), bike-sharing integration, and an Intelligent Agent module.

The company sells primarily through a channel network of more than 2,000 authorized partners concentrated in the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region, supplemented by direct enterprise sales for larger customers including municipalities and organizations. Revenue is generated through software licensing and subscription arrangements with quote-based annual pricing (no publicly disclosed price list), alongside partner-related revenue streams. Customers span three primary horizontal segments — businesses, organizations/associations, and municipalities — with notable deployments including Digitalstadt Ahaus (a flagship smart city reference), 52 municipalities served through a partnership with KAAW (Kommunen als Arbeitgeber in Westfalen), the Westdeutscher Fußball- und Volleyball-Verband (WDFV), YouTaxi (a regional mobility platform in Münsterland), and various SMBs in hospitality and food service.

Tobit differentiates primarily through German-engineered GDPR-compliant infrastructure, sovereign on-premise AI deployment capabilities, and the integration breadth of the chayns®OS™ platform across communication, commerce, and municipal services. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent entities, or public listing; Ludwig Groten assumed the role of Chairman of the Executive Board (Vorstandsvorsitz) in 2025, and Julian Feller was appointed Marketing Director to complete the management team.

Name

Tobit Software

Legal name

Tobit Laboratories AG

Website

https://tobit.software

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tobit Software is a German digitalization software company (founded 1986, Ahaus) that sells AI, communication, e-commerce, and smart-city solutions through its proprietary chayns®OS™ platform to businesses, associations, and municipalities across the DACH region via a 2,000+ partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Digitalization Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B SaaS & Enterprise Personalization (CRM, Sales, Support) (HDAAAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Rules & Decision Management Platforms (BRMS/DMN) (HDAEAKAG)

Keywords

• Digitalization software
• Cloud operating system
• AI business platform
• Team communication software
• Smart city solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Ahaus

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Revenue generated from licensing of proprietary software products including SideKick™, TeamDavid, SuperApp™, PageMaker™, and SmartShop™ built on chayns®OS™ platform.
2. Partner Network Revenue: Over 2,000 authorized partners provide consulting and adaptations, suggesting revenue from partner relationships and potentially partner fees or revenue sharing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tobit Software develops and sells the chayns®OS™ cloud-based operating system and a suite of digitalization products built on it, including the SideKick™ AI platform (50+ models), TeamDavid unified communication suite, SuperApp™ citizen city app, PageMaker™ website builder, and SmartShop™ e-commerce/POS solution. The platform is sold to companies, organizations, municipalities, and associations—primarily in the DACH region—via a network of more than 2,000 authorized partners and direct enterprise sales.

Product overview

Tobit.Software offers a platform-plus-modules architecture built on the chayns®OS™ cloud operating system. The core product portfolio consists of five main products: SideKick™ (AI platform with 50+ models), TeamDavid (team communication), SuperApp™ (city/municipality app), PageMaker™ (website builder), and SmartShop™ (e-commerce/POS). Additional modules include chayns® selforder™ for various ordering scenarios, Ticketing, Stadtgutschein, Bike-Sharing, and Intelligent Agent. All products share the chayns®OS™ foundation and are designed for businesses, organizations, and municipalities seeking digitalization solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• chayns®OS™: Open cloud-based operating system for digitization that serves as the foundation for all Tobit.Software products.
• SideKick™
• TeamDavid
• SuperApp™
• SmartShop™
• PageMaker™
• chayns® selforder™

Products and services

• chayns®OS™ An open cloud-based operating system that serves as the foundational platform for all Tobit.Software products, enabling web app development and digitalization for companies, organizations, municipalities, and associations.
• SideKick™ A comprehensive AI system providing access to over 50 AI models, deployable cloud-hosted or on-premise, with professional applications and interfaces for full data sovereignty; designed for businesses, organizations, and municipalities.
• TeamDavid An all-in-one secure, GDPR-compliant team communication platform developed in Germany, combining email, chat, video, tasks, and other collaboration tools in a single interface.
• SuperApp™ A super app that connects people in cities through personalized user experiences and services, linking municipal offerings, mobility, payments, and citizen services.
• PageMaker™ A website building tool on chayns®OS that enables users to create digital websites quickly and easily with unlimited possibilities.
• SmartShop™ An e-commerce and point-of-sale solution enabling users to sell products online and in person, handling the technical complexity of digital and physical sales.
• chayns® selforder™ A modular self-ordering solution for table service, take-out, counter sales, cafeterias, and kiosks, primarily used in hospitality settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ companies and organizations use chayns®OS™
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• KAAW (Kommunen als Arbeitgeber in Westfalen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to bring AI to 52 municipalities, bypassing bureaucracy in city halls with AI solutions.
• Digitalstadt AhausflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Tobit is the driving force behind Digitalstadt Ahaus, making the city a reference for future cities with numerous private and municipal offerings.
• WDFV (Westdeutscher Fußball- und Volleyball-Verband)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AI agent 'Felix Flank' deployed for the sports association's service operations.
• YouTaxi Fleet PartnersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Opening the YouTaxi platform for fleet partners in the mobility initiative in Münsterland.
• Tobit.Software Partner NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 2,000 authorized partners in the German-speaking region providing consulting and implementation services. One of the most popular manufacturer networks in the DACH region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot: HubSpot is a horizontal SMB SaaS platform combining marketing, sales, service, content, and increasingly AI — the closest global analog to Tobit's strategy of bundling multiple horizontal digitalization products on one platform.
• Shopify: Shopify is the global e-commerce/POS platform incumbent. Tobit's SmartShop targets the same SMB merchant with similar self-service e-commerce functionality, but Shopify operates at vastly larger scale internationally.
• Wix.com: Wix is the global incumbent in SMB website building, with a much larger international footprint than Tobit's PageMaker. Comparable in product category and target customer, but broader in geography and depth of ecosystem.
• Microsoft 365 / Teams: Microsoft Teams competes with Tobit's TeamDavid as a communication and collaboration platform, bundled into the broader Microsoft 365 enterprise suite. Tobit positions TeamDavid on GDPR-compliant German hosting as a differentiator.

Direct peers

• IONOS (1&1 IONOS): IONOS is a leading German SMB-focused digital services provider offering web hosting, website builders, cloud infrastructure, e-commerce, and productivity tools — the closest direct analog to Tobit's horizontal SMB digitalization stack in the DACH market.
• Strato: Strato is a major German hosting and online services provider bundling domains, websites, e-commerce, and cloud tools for SMBs — competing head-to-head with Tobit for the same German SME digital services wallet.
• Shopware: Shopware is a German-headquartered e-commerce platform serving SMB and mid-market merchants across DACH — directly comparable to Tobit's SmartShop, with stronger open-source ecosystem ties.
• Jimdo: Jimdo is a German SMB website builder and online presence platform — directly comparable to Tobit's PageMaker product and to the broader chayns OS positioning of all-in-one digitalization for small German businesses.

Regional players

• Personio: Personio is a leading German SMB-focused HR SaaS company — not a direct product overlap, but highly comparable as a DACH-headquartered, partner-distributed horizontal SaaS business targeting the same German mid-market customer.
• DATEV: DATEV is the dominant German cooperative software provider for tax, accounting, and municipal/public-sector workflows. While different in product category, it is the closest comparable in DACH public-sector and SMB software distribution scale and longevity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Tobit_Davidfx
• Facebookfacebook.com/Tobit.David
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tobitlabs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Tobit Software