What Frie does

Frie is a Danish member-based organization, founded in 1951 and headquartered in Odense, that bundles three services for the Danish labor market: an a-kasse (unemployment insurance fund), a fagforening (trade union), and a gratis lønsikring (free wage insurance) that pays up to 7,500 DKK per month on top of state dagpenge for up to six months of involuntary unemployment. Membership is segmented into wage earners (704 DKK/month for the combined bundle), self-employed (555 DKK/month for the a-kasse, plus add-on income protection), and students (free during qualifying education). Supplementary member benefits include legal representation, career counseling and outplacement, stress counseling, pension advisory, and discounted insurance through Gjensidige — distribution is purely direct-to-consumer via the website, a member portal (Mit Frie), phone, and 12 physical meeting locations across Denmark.

The organization is built on a subscription-recurring revenue model that depends entirely on monthly member fees, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or capital markets exposure. Underlying technology is relatively conventional: a web-based member portal for self-service (dagpengekort submission, membership management, secure messaging), supplemented by AI-based document analysis and case processing tools used internally under data-minimization and GDPR-compliant data processing agreements. Wage insurance underwriting and claims processing are operated through FF Forsikring A/S, a related insurance entity, which runs automated eligibility assessments for lønsikring claims.

Frie employs 130 staff supporting roughly 45,000 members, with a leadership team led by CEO Jesper Wengel and including specialized directors for insurance (Ulrik Karlsen), marketing/press (Pernille Gammelgaard Larsen), legal, finance, HR, a-kasse operations/IT, and member services. The organization actively participates in Danish labor-market public debate and uses content marketing, SEO, social media, email/SMS, and a member referral program ('Tip en ven') as primary acquisition channels. Frie is not publicly traded and does not have external investors disclosed in the source material.

Name

Frie

Legal name

A-kassen Frie og Foreningen Frie

Website

https://frie.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Frie is a Danish member-based a-kasse and trade union founded in 1951, serving ~45,000 wage earners, self-employed, and students with combined unemployment insurance, free wage insurance (up to 7,500 DKK/month), legal aid, and career services via direct-to-consumer channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unemployment Insurance and Trade Union Services

NAICS

Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Professional Organizations (81392), Health and Welfare Funds (525120)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Universal Life (GUL) (FSAIADAC), Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

Keywords

• Unemployment insurance fund
• Trade union services
• Wage insurance coverage
• Member benefits program
• Career counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Odense

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Frie generates revenue through monthly membership fees for both the a-kasse (unemployment insurance fund) and the fagforening (trade union). Members pay a combined fee that includes access to both organizations and the free lønsikring (wage insurance). Pricing varies by employment status (wage earner, self-employed, student) and full-time vs. part-time insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Frie is a Danish member-based organization that sells a combined subscription membership bundling a-kasse (unemployment insurance fund), fagforening (trade union), and Gratis Lønsikring (free wage insurance paying up to 7,500 DKK/month on top of state dagpenge). The membership also includes legal assistance, career counseling and outplacement, stress counseling, pension advisory, partner-branded insurance, and discount programs. It serves employed individuals, the self-employed, and students in Denmark.

Product overview

Frie is a Danish labor union and unemployment insurance provider offering a bundled membership package for employees, self-employed individuals, and students. The core offerings consist of A-kasse (unemployment insurance), Fagforening (labor union), and Gratis Lønsikring (free salary insurance) combined in one membership. For self-employed members, the package includes A-kasse, Forening (association membership), and Indtægtssikring (income security). The company also provides supplementary member benefits including legal assistance, career counseling, stress management support, pension advisory, insurance products through Gjensidige partnership, and various discounts. Membership for employees costs 704 kr./month including all three core products, while self-employed pay 555 kr./month. Students receive free membership. The organization has approximately 45,000 members and 130 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frie Favorit: Premium trade union membership product with full legal assistance and career counseling services.
• Frie Lønsikring Gratis
• FF Forsikring A/S

Products and services

• A-kasse (Unemployment Insurance) Unemployment insurance providing daily cash benefits (dagpenge) to members who lose their job. Offers both full-time and part-time insurance options with maximum monthly benefits of 22,041 DKK (full-time) or 14,694 DKK (part-time) before tax.
• Fagforening (Trade Union) Labor union offering collective representation, legal assistance, and advocacy for workers' rights. Provides full legal support including court representation for members.
• Gratis Lønsikring (Free Wage Insurance) Free wage insurance providing up to 7,500 DKK/month extra on top of unemployment benefits for up to 6 months during involuntary unemployment. Coverage activates after a 5-month qualification period (market's shortest) and amounts escalate with tenure: 3,000 DKK at joining, 4,000 DKK after 6 months, 5,000 DKK after 12 months, 7,500 DKK after 18 months.
• Indtægtssikring (Income Security for Self-Employed) Income protection product for self-employed members, providing financial security similar to wage insurance. Offered as part of the self-employed membership package.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free lønsikring pays up to 7,500 kr./month extra on top of dagpenge for up to 6 months of involuntary unemployment.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Serén PensionsmæglerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2023Frie entered a partnership with Serén Pensionsmægler (pension broker) announced in September 2023, focused on providing pension-related services and guidance to members.
• GjensidigeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 April 2023Gjensidige and Frie entered an agreement for the sale of insurance products to Frie members, announced in April 2023. Gjensidige provides insurance offerings through Frie's membership base.
• FF Forsikring A/ScoreOthersFF Forsikring A/S (CVR 31887887) administers Fries lønsikring (wage insurance) products. It is a related entity that underwrites the insurance policies offered to Frie members. FF Forsikring processes wage insurance claims and makes automated eligibility assessments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Akademikerne: Akademikerne is the Danish consortium of academic and professional unions providing a-kasse services to university-educated professionals. It competes with Frie for higher-income Danish wage earners with a similar service-bundling approach.
• Min A-kasse: Min A-kasse is a smaller Danish unemployment insurance fund offering low-cost a-kasse membership. It directly competes with Frie for price-sensitive Danish wage earners seeking unemployment insurance coverage.
• 3F: 3F is the largest blue-collar trade union in Denmark, operating a-kasse services for unskilled and manual workers. It is a direct competitor to Frie in the Danish unemployment insurance and union market with a much larger membership base.
• IDA: IDA is the Danish Society of Engineers providing union representation and a-kasse services to technical and engineering professionals. It competes with Frie for Danish wage earners with a focus on professional segment service.
• Dansk Metal: Dansk Metal is the Danish metalworkers' union providing a-kasse services to industrial and technical workers. It competes directly with Frie in the Danish wage-earner segment with a similar union + unemployment insurance bundle.
• ASE: ASE is a Danish a-kasse providing unemployment insurance to executives, managers, and salary earners. It is a direct peer to Frie in the Danish wage-earner unemployment insurance market with a similar target customer profile.
• Krifa: Krifa is a Christian-values-based Danish trade union and a-kasse providing unemployment insurance and member benefits. It competes directly with Frie in the same cross-industry Danish a-kasse market with a comparable bundled membership model.
• Det Faglige Hus: Det Faglige Hus is a Danish a-kasse and union offering unemployment insurance and member services across industries. It is a direct peer to Frie with a similar cross-industry positioning rather than occupation-specific membership.
• HK (HK Danmark): HK Danmark is the largest white-collar trade union and a-kasse in Denmark, offering unemployment insurance, union representation, and member services. It directly competes with Frie for the same Danish wage-earning customer base with a similar bundled membership model.

Broad incumbents

• Gjensidige: Gjensidige is one of the largest Nordic insurance companies and a distribution partner of Frie, selling insurance products to Frie members. As a broad insurance incumbent, it represents both a partner and potential competitor in adjacent insurance offerings to Danish consumers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Frie.Danmarks.bedste
• Instagraminstagram.com/frie.dk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Frie