PI Magazine
PI Magazine is a privately held, owner-operated trade publication founded in 1988 that delivers print and digital magazine content to professional private investigators, legal investigators, and process servers across the US, Canada, and the UK via subscriptions, advertising, and single-issue sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSicklerville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What PI Magazine does
PI Magazine, Inc. is a privately held trade publication serving the private investigation profession, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Sicklerville, New Jersey. The company publishes a bimonthly/bi-monthly magazine — currently Issue 205 — in both print and digital formats, distributing to professional private investigators, legal investigators, and process servers primarily in the United States, with additional reach into Canada and the United Kingdom. The core editorial product covers surveillance, digital forensics, legal investigation techniques, process serving, background screening, business management, and industry news, with content authored by industry practitioners and contributed through an open article submission process.
The underlying technology stack is deliberately lean: distribution and subscription management are handled through the third-party Simplecirc platform, which provides digital issue viewing, new subscription, renewal, change-of-address, and single-issue purchase flows. The company website (pimagazine.com) hosts regularly updated editorial content, a searchable article archive spanning the publication's 37+ year history, banner advertising placements, and links to industry associations. A Preferred Partners Program bundles logo display, promotional video placement, and conference vendor packages for industry-supporting businesses. PI Magazine also operates reciprocal banner and link partnerships with PI associations (NALI, CII2) and vendors (PI Gear/PI Bookstore, PI Directory).
The business model is a hybrid of subscription recurring revenue (print and digital), one-time single-issue sales, and advertising — both banner ads on the website and classified ads within the magazine. Distribution is a mix of mail-based print delivery and self-serve digital access, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The publication is owner-operated by Publishers Nicole Cusanelli and Richard Rosell, with a Managing Editor and Graphic Designer, reflecting a 1-10 employee lifestyle-scale operation with no external institutional funding, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity.
PI Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PI Magazine
- Legal name
- PI Magazine, Inc.
- Website
- https://pimagazine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PI Magazine is a privately held, owner-operated trade publication founded in 1988 that delivers print and digital magazine content to professional private investigators, legal investigators, and process servers across the US, Canada, and the UK via subscriptions, advertising, and single-issue sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PI Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Publication
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
Keywords
Where PI Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sicklerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PI Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print and digital magazine subscriptions including renewals and new subscriptions sold through the Simplecirc platform
- Single Issue Sales: One-time purchase of individual back issues through the Simplecirc platform
- Advertising: Banner advertising on the PI Magazine website and classified ads within the magazine publication
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Print and Digital Subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
PI Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PI Magazine publishes Professional Investigator Magazine, a bimonthly trade publication for licensed private investigators, legal investigators, and process servers, delivered in both print (mail) and digital (Simplecirc) formats. Content covers investigative techniques, surveillance, digital forensics, legal investigation, process serving, background screening, regulatory compliance, business management, and industry news. The publication aggregates editorial from recognized PI practitioners and maintains a searchable archive spanning decades of issues.
Product overview
PI Magazine is a trade publication for private investigators that offers both print and digital subscription formats. The core product is the magazine itself (Issue 205 currently), supplemented by digital access via the SimpleCirc platform, a preferred partners program for industry supporters, and advertising services. The publication maintains strategic partnerships with PI Gear/PI Bookstore and PI Directory, and offers searchable archives of past articles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PI Magazine Print Subscription Annual print subscription to Professional Investigator Magazine, mailed to subscribers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, covering industry news, investigative techniques, digital forensics, and business management.
- PI Magazine Digital Subscription Annual digital subscription providing online access to current and past issues of PI Magazine through the Simplecirc viewer, available globally and searchable via the article archive.
- Single Issue Sales One-time digital purchase of individual back issues of PI Magazine through the Simplecirc platform for readers who do not want an annual subscription.
- Advertising Services Media kit and ad placement services for vendors and associations seeking reach into the PI professional audience, including website banner ads and classified ads in print issues.
- Preferred Partners Program Exclusive partner-status program for industry vendors and associations, granting logo placement, promotional video features, and conference vendor package benefits for businesses supporting the PI community.
Companies that use PI Magazine
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PI Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
PI Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- InvestigativeCourses.comcorePI Magazine partners with InvestigativeCourses.com in 2025 to offer subscribers 25% discount on all courses using Promo Code PImag25. This partnership provides professional development opportunities for PI Magazine readers.
- CII2 (Council of Investigative and Intelligence Investigators)minorBanner partnership displaying CII2 promotional content on PI Magazine website
- NALI (National Association of Legal Investigators)minorBanner partnership promoting NALI association on PI Magazine website, supporting the professional association for legal investigators
- PI Gear / PI BookstoreminorPartner vendor for PI equipment and investigative resources, linked through PI Magazine website for reader purchases
- PI DirectoryminorIndustry directory partnership linking PI agencies and professionals through PI Magazine website
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PI Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PI News Daily: Digital-first news outlet for the private investigation profession, targeting the same core audience as PI Magazine and competing directly for advertising spend in the PI vendor ecosystem.
- The Legal Investigator: NALI's publication serving legal investigators — directly overlaps with PI Magazine's legal-investigator audience and is hosted by one of PI Magazine's key association partners, making it a primary competitive threat.
- Evidence Technology Magazine: Trade publication for the evidence collection, crime scene, and forensics profession. Closely adjacent to PI Magazine's investigative audience with overlapping advertisers in surveillance and forensic technology.
Others
- SimpleCirc: Subscription management and digital publishing platform used by PI Magazine to manage its print, digital, and back-issue commerce. An enabling technology partner rather than a content competitor, but a critical operational dependency.
Broad incumbents
- ACFE Fraud Magazine: Publication of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners covering fraud investigation and forensic accounting. Closely adjacent profession and trade publication model, with overlapping advertisers and contributors.
- Security Sales & Integration: B2B trade magazine for security dealers, integrators, and installation firms. Comparable in trade publishing model (subscriptions, advertising, partner programs) and overlaps in advertiser base with PI Magazine.
- Security Magazine: A long-running B2B trade publication covering the broader security industry, including physical security, investigations, and surveillance. Directly comparable in business model (print + digital subscriptions, advertising) to PI Magazine but serves a much larger audience.
- Law Enforcement Technology: Trade publication serving law enforcement technology buyers. Adjacent professional audience (investigators, surveillance users) with comparable subscription and advertising business model to PI Magazine.
- Security Dealer: Trade magazine covering security products, services, and investigations suppliers. Comparable subscription-based B2B trade publishing model with overlapping advertiser base in surveillance and PI equipment vendors.
- ASIS Security Management Magazine: Official publication of ASIS International, the largest security professional association. Comparable trade publication model serving security and investigations professionals with deep association backing similar to PI Magazine's NALI/SPI partnerships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PI Magazine social profiles
Digital presencePI Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PI Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
PI Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PI Magazine 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 PI Magazine
What does PI Magazine do?
PI Magazine publishes Professional Investigator Magazine, a bimonthly trade publication for licensed private investigators, legal investigators, and process servers, delivered in both print (mail) and digital (Simplecirc) formats. Content covers investigative techniques, surveillance, digital forensics, legal investigation, process serving, background screening, regulatory compliance, business management, and industry news. The publication aggregates editorial from recognized PI practitioners and maintains a searchable archive spanning decades of issues.
Is PI Magazine a public or private company?
PI Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PI Magazine founded?
PI Magazine was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PI Magazine based?
PI Magazine is headquartered in Sicklerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does PI Magazine make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are single Issue Sales and advertising.
Who are PI Magazine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PI News Daily, The Legal Investigator and Evidence Technology Magazine. SimpleCirc is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are ACFE Fraud Magazine, Security Sales & Integration, Security Magazine, Law Enforcement Technology, Security Dealer and ASIS Security Management Magazine.
Does PI Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for PI Magazine.
What industry is PI Magazine in?
PI Magazine's product category is Trade Publication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.