What Hatena does

Hatena Co., Ltd. (株式会社はてな) is a Japanese public technology company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Kyoto, with a registered Tokyo office in Minato-ku. Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market since February 24, 2016 under ticker 3930, Hatena employs 101–250 people and operates four functional segments. The Content Platform Services segment runs consumer-facing UGC properties including Hatena Blog (a blogging platform with Pro subscription), Hatena Bookmark (a social bookmarking service), the Q&A site Hitokuto Hatena, and the experimental Hatena Labo, collectively serving 13.12 million registered users as of January 2026. The Content Marketing Services segment encompasses Hatena CMS for website publishing and toitta, an AI-powered interview analysis SaaS launched commercially in October 2024. The Technology Solutions segment provides Mackerel, a server and application observability platform covering infrastructure monitoring, APM, distributed tracing, log management and AWS integrations, and GigaViewer, a white-label manga viewing technology licensed to 18 publishers across 28 web and app services including those of Shueisha (Shonen Jump+), Kodansha (Comic Days), Shogakukan (Sunday Webry), and Kadokawa. A fourth stream consists of co-developed and co-operated platforms with strategic partners, including the Kakuyomu novel platform with KADOKAWA, the Rookie manga service with Shueisha, and game companion apps (Splatoon 2/3's IkaRing, Smash Bros.'s Smash Plus) with Nintendo.

The company's technology stack is built on Japanese domestic data centers and leverages multi-cloud and on-premises compatible monitoring; it uses OpenTelemetry for instrumentation and LiteLLM Proxy for internal multi-provider LLM management. Revenue is generated through five primary streams: consumer subscriptions (Hatena Blog Pro), B2B SaaS subscriptions (Mackerel business/premium plans, toitta business/enterprise plans and N1 Interview Survey service), advertising on bookmark and blog properties, OEM/white-label licensing of GigaViewer to publishers, and professional service and revenue-share income from co-developed platforms. Distribution is dual-mode: product-led growth and self-serve for consumer products and freemium tiers, paired with enterprise field sales and OEM partnerships for Mackerel, toitta, and GigaViewer. The fiscal year runs from August 1 to July 31; FY July 2025 revenue was 3,794 million yen (+14.7% YoY). Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward AI capability (toitta, the MCP server, and university research partnerships) and international expansion of the manga platform business via the Link-U partnership, though a capital outflow incident disclosed in April 2026 and the resulting Special Investigation Committee remain unresolved as of the latest data.

Name

Hatena

Legal name

株式会社はてな

Website

https://hatena.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hatena Co., Ltd. is a Japanese public technology company operating UGC platforms (Hatena Blog, Bookmark), the Mackerel observability SaaS, the toitta AI interview analysis platform, and GigaViewer manga viewing technology licensed to 18 publishers across 28 services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Platforms and Observability Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Economy & Monetization Tools for UGC (tips, subs, rev share, payouts) (MPAFAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB), Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights) (MPACAFAK)

Keywords

• User-generated content platforms
• Server monitoring software
• AI interview analysis
• Manga viewer technology
• Content management system

Headquarters

HQ city

Minami-aoyama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Content Platform Subscriptions: Hatena Blog Pro (paid subscription plans for individual bloggers) and Mackerel SaaS plans (business/premium tiers) generate recurring subscription revenue. Hatena Blog Pro is offered free to qualifying libraries and NPOs.
2. GigaViewer OEM / Licensing: GigaViewer manga viewer is licensed to publishers (Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shinchosha, etc.) as a white-label solution. Hatena provides viewer technology plus site development, design, and ad operations support for manga services.
3. Advertising Revenue: Hatena Bookmark native/in-feed advertising and Hatena Blog ad placements generate advertising revenue. Includes branded content and sponsored campaigns leveraging Hatena's large user community.
4. Co-development / Joint Service Revenue: Hatena co-develops and co-operates manga and novel services with major publishers (Shueisha's Shonen Jump+, Shogakukan's Sunday Webry, Kodansha's Comic Days, Kadokawa's Kakuyomu, Nintendo game companion services). Revenue from development fees, ongoing operations, and revenue sharing.
5. toitta SaaS Subscriptions: AI interview analysis SaaS toitta generates subscription revenue from business/enterprise plans. Free trial with extended 10x trial for new customers. Text import feature offered free initially before paid plan transition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hatena operates a portfolio of consumer UGC platforms (Hatena Blog, Hatena Bookmark, 人力検索はてな) used by 13.12 million registered users, enterprise SaaS products (Mackerel observability platform and toitta AI interview analysis), a white-label manga viewing technology (GigaViewer) licensed to 18 publishers across 28 services, and co-developed content platforms with Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, KADOKAWA, and Nintendo.

Product overview

Hatena operates a broad internet service portfolio organized into four segments. Content Platform Services include consumer-facing UGC platforms: はてなブログ (blogging), はてなブックマーク (social bookmarking), 人力検索はてな (Q&A), and はてなラボ (experimental services). Content Marketing Services serve enterprise customers with はてなCMS (website CMS), はてなブログ法人向けプラン (blogging for business), and toitta (AI interview analysis SaaS). Technology Solutions Services include Mackerel (observability platform with infrastructure monitoring, APM, and log management) and GigaViewer (manga viewer for publishers, supporting 28 manga services across 18 publishers). Hatena also co-develops and co-operates several services with partners including 集英社 (Shueisha) for manga services and KADOKAWA for novel platforms, as well as Nintendo for game companion apps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hatena Blog: Blog platform service for individuals to publish content online.
• Hatena Bookmark
• Mackerel
• toitta
• GigaViewer
• Hatena CMS
• 人力検索はてな
• はてラボ
• マンガノ
• ジャンプルーキー！
• カクヨム

Products and services

• Hatena Blog (はてなブログ) A consumer blogging platform supporting personal essays, technical documentation, and daily journals, with features including SEO title assist and design staging preview. Targets individual bloggers and content creators.
• Hatena Bookmark (はてなブックマーク)

Quantifiable outcome

• GigaViewer adopted by 18 publishers across 28 manga services, described as de facto industry standard (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Link-U Technologies (Link-U)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026GigaViewer publishers can opt-in to share Hatena-licensed data with Link-U Mangaful Base platform. The partnership enables analysis combining GigaViewer data with Mangaful Base's distribution infrastructure (connecting to international manga platforms) for overseas expansion strategy. Link-U operates manga apps with 20M+ MAU and processes 1B+ monthly views.
• MCT CorporationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026MCT Corporation and Hatena co-hosted a free online webinar on April 17, 2026 focused on marketing research workflows combining AI efficiency with qualitative field insights. The seminar addressed limitations of AI-based research, practical use of AI persona tools, and N1 interview methodologies using toitta.
• Pentio Corporation (ペンティオ)supportingTechnology or Integration · 16 February 2026Pentio, a Platinum Partner of OneLogin, developed the OneLogin Mackerel Connector enabling Mackerel's SAML single sign-on and SCIM user provisioning with OneLogin. This addresses enterprise security and operational efficiency for Mackerel business/premium plan customers.
• Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Collaborative research project to improve natural language processing accuracy for toitta's AI interview analysis, leveraging Ritsumeikan's linguistics and NLP research expertise.
• Musashino Art University (武蔵野美術大学)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025Collaborative research project to improve toitta's language processing accuracy, utilizing Musashino Art University's design research and user study expertise.
• Shueisha (集英社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-development partnership for Shonen Jump+ (web and apps), Rookie (manga posting service), and other Shueisha manga platforms. Hatena provides GigaViewer technology, site development, design, and operational support.
• Kadokawa (KADOKAWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Kakuyomu novel platform and previously Magic: The Gathering i-land (merged into Kakuyomu). Ongoing collaboration on novel publishing platforms leveraging Hatena's content platform technology.
• Nintendo (任天堂)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHatena has co-developed multiple Nintendo game companion services: Smash Plus (Smash Bros), Ika Ring 2/3 (Splatoon 2/3), Taikai Support (Splatoon 3 tournament), Miiverse (Wii U, discontinued), and Ugomemo Hatena (Nintendo DSi, discontinued). Deep technical partnership spanning multiple Nintendo platforms.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Datadog: Global observability platform offering infrastructure monitoring, APM, distributed tracing, and log management — the same product surface Mackerel is expanding into with its 2025 APM GA.
• New Relic: Enterprise observability and APM vendor competing directly with Mackerel in APM, distributed tracing, and infrastructure monitoring for mid-market and enterprise Japanese customers.
• UserTesting: Enterprise user-research and human-insights platform; overlaps with toitta's design-research and marketing-research workflows and competes for enterprise research budgets.
• Piccoma (Kakao Piccoma): One of Japan's largest manga / webtoon apps by revenue, operated by Kakao. Overlaps with GigaViewer-served publisher content and competes for end-user manga engagement in Japan.

Emerging players

• Otter.ai: AI transcription and meeting-notes SaaS that overlaps with the speech-to-text and conversational AI layer of toitta, particularly as both products expand agentic AI and meeting-analysis capabilities.

Direct peers

• Automattic (WordPress.com): Operates WordPress.com, a global consumer blogging and CMS platform that competes with Hatena Blog for individual creators and with Hatena CMS for hosted content publishing.
• CyberAgent (Ameba Blog): Operates Ameblo, one of Japan's largest consumer blogging platforms, directly competing with Hatena Blog for individual bloggers and with Hatena Bookmark for content discovery and ad-supported UGC traffic.
• Dovetail: AI-powered customer and user research analysis SaaS, the closest direct peer to toitta for design / UX / marketing research teams analyzing interviews and qualitative data at scale.
• NHN Japan (comico): Operates comico, a Japanese manga and webtoon distribution platform with proprietary viewer technology, comparable to the consumer-facing side of Hatena's GigaViewer ecosystem.
• Note, Inc. Japanese blogging / creator-monetization platform (note.com) that competes directly with Hatena Blog and Hatena Bookmark for individual writers and content creators in the same UGC and subscription monetization segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hatenapr
• Facebookfacebook.com/hatena.jp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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 Hatena