Umito

What Umito does

Umito's business model is a freemium consumer app model: most titles are offered in a free, ad-supported Lite version and a paid, ad-free Pro version. Distribution is entirely through third-party app stores (Google Play, Amazon Appstore, iOS App Store) on a global basis, with the operational footprint concentrated in Europe. Marketing is largely organic, relying on app store listings, the umito.nl website, and the founder's LinkedIn presence. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, no funding rounds have been raised, and the company shows no M&A, leadership, or restructuring activity in the available data.

Name

Umito

Legal name

Umito

Website

https://umito.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Umito is a Netherlands-based independent mobile app studio (1-10 employees, Leiden) that builds freemium music education apps (Mini Piano, KeyChord, Fretter) and utility apps (Addons Detector, ESTHER, Emo App) for Android and iOS via the major app stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Applications

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Music Creation Apps (Beatmaking, Songwriting, Practice) (MPAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Mobile app development
• Music education apps
• Virtual instrument apps
• SDK detection tools
• Activity tracking apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Leiden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freemium App Sales: Umito generates revenue through freemium mobile applications. Most apps are offered in Lite (ad-supported free) and Pro (paid, no ads) versions. Users can upgrade from free to paid versions for an ad-free experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Umito develops and publishes a portfolio of mobile applications for Android and iOS focused on music education, utility tools, and privacy/security. Core products include Mini Piano (multitouch virtual piano with 88 keys and 128 MIDI instruments), KeyChord (piano chord and scale reference with a proprietary chord-construction algorithm), Fretter (chord finder for stringed instruments), Addons Detector (SDK and notification scanner with over 1 million downloads), and additional utility apps (Contact, Emo App, ESTHER). Apps are distributed via Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and iOS App Store using a freemium model with ad-supported Lite and paid Pro versions.

Product overview

Umito offers a portfolio of mobile applications focused on music education and utility tools. The core product lineup includes Mini Piano (multitouch virtual keyboard with 88 keys and 128 MIDI sounds), KeyChord (piano chord and scale reference with keyboard and staff views), and Fretter (chord finder for string instruments). Supporting utilities include Addons Detector (SDK detection tool with over 1 million downloads), Contact (social connection app), Emo App (crowd emotion measurement for festivals), and ESTHER (activity planning and tracking app). All products are available on Android via Google Play and Amazon Appstore, with some also available on iOS and Windows Phone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mini Piano Multitouch virtual piano app for Android featuring 88 keys, a sampled piano sound, 128 MIDI instruments, song recording with ringtone sharing, multitouch support (5 or 10 fingers), and zoom functionality. Targeted at music learners and hobbyists.
• KeyChord Piano chord and scale reference app featuring a virtual keyboard, staff notation view, over 50 chord types, over 100 scale types, reverse search functionality, and audio playback. Uses a proprietary algorithm that constructs chords dynamically.
• Fretter Chord finder app for stringed fretted instruments (guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandoline) with over 50 chord types, 75+ tunings, slashed chords, reverse search, full inversions, interval information, playable diagrams, and audio playback.
• Addons Detector SDK and addon detection tool that scans installed apps for SDKs, identifies apps that send advertising notifications and spam, and shows which permissions are used. Co-developed with Denper; version 2.0 with 1M+ downloads.
• Contact Social connection app that helps users get to know each other by asking mutual questions at different levels, with shake functionality to advance to the next question and flip animations for visual card transitions. Android port done for Shapers.
• Emo App Crowd emotion measurement app for festivals, developed for Shapers and TU Delft Industrial Design. Users select their location, indicate personal and crowd mood via a custom circular slider, and earn and redeem free drinks. Used at the IO Festival 2013.
• ESTHER Activity measurement app for planning daily exercise (such as walking), tracking performance, and reflecting on activity. Features a step counter built with low-level C++ code and a Butterworth filter for accuracy and battery efficiency, and a circular interface. Developed with Shapers for TU Delft.

Quantifiable outcome

• Addons Detector achieved over 1 million downloads

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DenpercoreTechnology or IntegrationDenper partnered with Umito to develop Addons Detector, described as 'the ultimate tool to detect addons that your apps use.' The app identifies both harmless SDKs and apps sending advertising notifications and spam. This is a co-developed product available on Google Play and Amazon Appstore.
• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmito developed the ESTHER app for a TU Delft Industrial Design (IO) PhD student. The app was designed according to the ideas of a TU Delft IO promovendus as part of his doctorate research. Technical development was handled by Umito, while Shapers designed the interface based on the researcher's concepts.
• ShaperscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShapers is a design firm that collaborated with Umito on multiple projects including ESTHER and the Emo App. Shapers designs the visual interfaces according to client or research specifications, while Umito handles technical implementation and Android development.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Ultimate Guitar: Ultimate Guitar offers chord, tab, and learning tools for guitarists and other string-instrument players. It directly competes with Umito's Fretter in the fretted-instrument chord finder segment.
• Yousician: Yousician is the leading subscription-based music learning app for guitar, piano, bass, and ukulele. It directly competes with Umito's Mini Piano and KeyChord in the mobile music education category.
• BandLab: BandLab is a mobile-first music creation and collaboration platform with social and learning elements. It is comparable to Umito's Mini Piano as a free mobile music-making tool.
• Chordify: Chordify automatically generates chords for any song from audio or video. It overlaps with Umito's KeyChord and Fretter in helping musicians find and learn chord progressions on mobile.
• Songsterr: Songsterr provides interactive guitar tabs and chord charts with playback. It competes with Fretter in serving musicians who need chord diagrams and instrument-specific reference material.
• Smule: Smule builds social music-making apps (Sing!, Magic Piano). It overlaps with Umito's Mini Piano as a freemium mobile music creation/practice app distributed via app stores.
• Simply Piano (JoyTunes): Simply Piano by JoyTunes is a top piano-learning app with interactive lessons and song libraries. It is a direct competitor to Umito's Mini Piano and KeyChord on iOS and Android.

Broad incumbents

• Fender Play: Fender Play is the incumbent guitar brand's subscription video learning app. It competes in the same fretted-instrument learning category as Fretter, backed by a much larger catalog and brand.

Emerging players

• Musixmatch: Musixmatch is the world's largest lyrics catalog and offers lyrics and music-metadata apps. It is comparable as a mobile music utility that enhances how users interact with songs, similar to Umito's music reference apps.
• Exodus Privacy: Exodus Privacy is an open-source platform auditing Android apps for trackers and SDKs. It is comparable to Addons Detector as a focused Android SDK/privacy detection tool, although Umito's product is consumer-facing and freemium.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Umito