OKO.press
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWarsaw, Poland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What OKO.press does
OKO.press is a non-profit Polish investigative-journalism portal launched in June 2016 and operated by Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej OKO, a registered Polish foundation (KRS 0000620036) with public-benefit (OPP) status since 2019. Headquartered in Warsaw with "several dozen" staff (including ~25+ named editorial journalists), the outlet publishes investigations, long-form reportages, fact-checks ("Prawda czy fałsz"), podcasts ("Drugi Rzut OKA"), audio reportages, video debates, and a continuously updated free news brief ("Rzut oka na newsy"). Coverage spans Polish politics, rule of law, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, the EU, and global hotspots. The platform explicitly carries no advertising, no sponsored content, and no political financing; it is reader-funded.
The technology layer combines a standard publishing CMS with gated article access, an authenticated "Twoje OKO" user account supporting Google/Facebook/Apple/email login, comments, save-for-later, dark mode, and a tiered subscription system (15–200 PLN/month). Articles can be listened to as AI-generated audio via an ElevenLabs partnership, a feature awarded the 2025 Wirtual Wirtualnych Mediów prize for Audio AI. Distribution extends to Spotify, YouTube, Google News, Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The revenue model is a hybrid reader-funded stack: monthly tiered subscriptions (introduced 2026, starting at 15 PLN/month with a 15 PLN VAT service fee), recurring bank transfers and PayPal donations, the Polish 1.5% personal income tax designation (since 2019), independent grants, and annual lump-sum payments. Only ~0.5% of readers currently pay for access (1 in 200), making conversion scale-up the central commercial challenge. Pricing tiers, named donor communities ("Bohaterowie naszego konta", "OKO nigdy nie zasypia"), and a dedicated Wesprzyj (Support) page anchor the donor-relations motion.
OKO.press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OKO.press
- Legal name
- Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej OKO
- Website
- https://oko.press
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OKO.press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Investigative Journalism
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)
Keywords
Where OKO.press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warsaw
- HQ country
- Poland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
OKO.press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Reader subscriptions (recurring): Newly launched tiered monthly subscription model introduced in 2026 to stabilize funding. Tiers start at 15 zł/month and scale up to 200 zł/month, plus annual lump-sum payments. Includes 15 zł VAT service fee per month. Each subscription gives access to gated articles.
- Voluntary one-time donations from readers: Spontaneous "co łaska" payments; on average ~50,000 zł per month (described as the most volatile revenue line).
- 1.5% PIT tax designation: Since 2019 OKO.press holds status of Organizacja Pożytku Publicznego (OPP), enabling Polish taxpayers to designate 1.5% of their tax to the foundation.
- Independent grants and bank/PayPal transfers: Historically supported by grants from independent institutions (noted as under pressure as grantors cut budgets), plus bank transfers (Bank Millennium account) and PayPal donations including from international supporters.
- Non-profit foundation operations (no ads, no sponsored content): Explicitly no advertising, no sponsored articles, no political financing. Issued by Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej OKO as a non-profit foundation. All surpluses reinvested into editorial operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Minimum subscription — basic monthly support giving access to gated articles |
| Subscription | Monthly | "Siła napędowa" — most-popular mid tier for verifying information and community |
| Subscription | Monthly | "Pełniejsze wsparcie" — full support including fact-checking and Akademie OKO.press training |
| Subscription | Monthly | "Z Plusem" — funds costly in-depth investigations and counters disinformation |
| Subscription | Monthly | "Bohaterowie naszego konta" — supports new journalism formats and marketing |
| Subscription | Monthly | "OKO nigdy nie zasypia" — top tier funding field reporting and ad-free independence |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual one-time payment option for full-year access |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier (no payment) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
OKO.press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OKO.press is an independent, non-profit Polish investigative-journalism portal that publishes news, analyses, long-form investigations, reportages, fact-checks, podcasts and video content for Polish and international readers. The outlet operates through a hybrid free/paid model: curated news, podcasts, video and socially critical topics remain publicly accessible, while deeper investigative articles are gated behind an authenticated reader account ("Twoje OKO"). Funding comes from reader subscriptions, voluntary donations, grants and the Polish 1.5% PIT tax designation, with no advertising, no sponsored content and no political financing.
Product overview
OKO.press is a single unified Polish investigative-journalism platform (non-profit, operated by Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej OKO since June 2016) rather than a multi-product suite. The core product is the OKO.press news portal, around which a set of content modules are organised: Prawda czy fałsz (fact-checking), Śledztwa (investigations), Reportaże (reportages), Audioreportaże (audio reportages), Podcasty / Drugi Rzut OKA, Multimedia (video debates and programs), Analizy i sondaże, Long read, Sobota prawdę Ci powie, and Niedziela Cię zaskoczy. The free Rzut oka na newsy live news brief and the Multimedia video section are deliberately kept open-access, while the rest of the content sits behind the Twoje OKO authenticated subscription system (tiered 15–200 PLN/month, login via Google/Facebook/Apple/email). AI-generated audio of articles, produced in partnership with ElevenLabs, overlays the textual modules as an audio output modality and was awarded Wirtual Wirtualnych Mediów 2025 for "funkcjonalność Audio AI".
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OKO.press news portal Non-profit Polish investigative journalism news portal operated by Fundacja Ośrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej OKO; publishes news, analyses, investigations, reportages and fact-checks for Polish and international readers, with hybrid free/paid access.
- Twoje OKO reader account and subscription system Authenticated reader account platform underpinning OKO.press's tiered subscription model and paywall access to gated investigative articles; aggregates support from recurring bank transfers, PayPal, Apple/Google Pay, BLIK and the 1.5% PIT tax designation into a single verified subscription status.
- AI-narrated audio articles (ElevenLabs integration) AI text-to-speech audio narration of OKO.press articles in Polish, produced through a partnership with ElevenLabs and surfaced to readers via a "Wysłuchaj artykułu" listening control on articles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Recognized with the 2025 Nagroda Wirtual Wirtualnych Mediów for Audio AI functionality
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use OKO.press
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OKO.press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
OKO.press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ElevenLabscoreElevenLabs powers OKO.press's AI-narrated audio versions of articles. The article page footer states: "Wyprodukowano przy współpracy z ElevenLabs" (Produced in cooperation with ElevenLabs). The feature won the 2025 Nagroda Wirtual Wirtualnych Mediów for Audio AI functionality.
- PayPalminorPayPal is offered as a donation channel specifically for international supporters ("Dla Czytelników z zagranicy udostępniamy także możliwość wpłat za pomocą systemu PayPal"). Functions as a payment-processor integration.
- SpotifycoreOKO.press distributes its podcasts (e.g. Drugi Rzut OKA, audioreportaże) on Spotify via its own show page (open.spotify.com/show/5VT2reIZuuM4zDLYqluoXL). Functions as a podcast-distribution platform.
- Google NewscoreOKO.press is a registered publisher on Google News (linked from the site footer), providing continuous top-of-funnel discovery via search and the Google News aggregator.
- YouTubecoreOKO.press hosts video content on its official YouTube channel (UCgL0f77U3iEPSSU-Mv5yV5g), including the 10-year anniversary panel debate and other multimedia programming.
- Google / Facebook / Apple (Login-as-Identity providers)coreUsers can create "Twoje OKO" accounts via Google, Facebook, or Apple ID OAuth login (in addition to email/password). The account system is central to the new subscription/paywall logic.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
OKO.press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Rappler: Philippine non-profit investigative newsroom known for fact-checking and impact journalism; comparable reader-supported, no-advertising model and strong fact-checking operations under the "Prawda czy fałsz" rubric.
Direct peers
- Gazeta Wyborcza: Poland's flagship independent newspaper where founder Piotr Pacewicz previously served as deputy editor-in-chief; comparable investigative and rule-of-law coverage, broad Polish audience, and overlapping editorial bench, but commercial with a paywall rather than non-profit.
- The Intercept: US non-profit investigative outlet focused on accountability journalism; comparable donor-funded model, no advertising, strong investigative reputation, and global reader base of civically engaged audiences.
- VSquare: Central European cross-border investigative journalism outlet focused on democracy and rule of law in the Visegrád region; very comparable mission, regional focus, and non-profit funding model targeting Polish/Czech/Hungarian/Slovak audiences.
- Bellingcat: Global cross-border investigative non-profit newsroom using open-source research; shares OKO.press's donor-funded structure, investigations focus (including Ukraine/Belarus), and emphasis on impact journalism without advertising.
- The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: UK non-profit investigative newsroom funded by grants and reader donations; comparable non-profit governance, no advertising, cross-border investigations, and impact-driven reporting model.
- De Correspondent: Pioneering Dutch reader-funded, ad-free investigative journalism platform; the closest international model for OKO.press's subscription-and-donation hybrid, civic-mission framing, and direct reader-supported funding architecture.
Broad incumbents
- ProPublica: Largest US non-profit investigative newsroom; very comparable reader-funded model, no advertising, investigative focus, award-driven reputation, and Pulitzer-style impact journalism — sets the global benchmark for the type of operation OKO.press is building in Poland.
Regional players
- Frontstory.pl: Polish investigative journalism outlet funded by foreign grants; directly comparable Polish-language investigative reporting, similar donor/grant revenue mix, and shared rule-of-law reporting beat.
- Notes from Poland: English-language Polish news and analysis outlet serving diaspora and international readers; comparable Poland-focused editorial scope, PayPal/international donor channel, and subscription-style funding for civic-society readers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OKO.press social profiles
Digital presenceOKO.press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OKO.press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles32 records
OKO.press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OKO.press 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 OKO.press
What does OKO.press do?
OKO.press is an independent, non-profit Polish investigative-journalism portal that publishes news, analyses, long-form investigations, reportages, fact-checks, podcasts and video content for Polish and international readers. The outlet operates through a hybrid free/paid model: curated news, podcasts, video and socially critical topics remain publicly accessible, while deeper investigative articles are gated behind an authenticated reader account ("Twoje OKO"). Funding comes from reader subscriptions, voluntary donations, grants and the Polish 1.5% PIT tax designation, with no advertising, no sponsored content and no political financing.
Is OKO.press a public or private company?
OKO.press is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OKO.press founded?
OKO.press was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is OKO.press based?
OKO.press is headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, in the Europe region.
How does OKO.press make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Reader subscriptions (recurring) is the primary driver. The others are voluntary one-time donations from readers, 1.5% PIT tax designation, independent grants and bank/PayPal transfers and non-profit foundation operations (no ads, no sponsored content).
Who are OKO.press's main competitors?
Rappler is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Gazeta Wyborcza, The Intercept, VSquare, Bellingcat, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and De Correspondent. ProPublica is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Frontstory.pl and Notes from Poland.
Does OKO.press have an API?
No public API is recorded for OKO.press.
What industry is OKO.press in?
OKO.press's product category is Independent Investigative Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations, with a secondary code of MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.