Compensation partner
Compensation Partner operates Germany's largest salary database, providing a cloud-based benchmarking and job evaluation platform to enterprise and mid-market employers. A sub-brand of The Stepstone Group, it serves HR departments with subscription access plus consulting services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Compensation partner does
Compensation Partner is a German B2B SaaS provider operating Germany's largest compensation database, accessed by employers through a cloud-based platform called Compensation-Online. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hamburg, the company is a brand of The Stepstone Group Deutschland GmbH (legal entity registered in Düsseldorf). Its core product provides real-time salary benchmarking across all industries and job levels, backed by 250,000+ market-current salary records and 2,000,000+ evaluated datasets that are refreshed at least twice per year.
The platform's technical foundation combines a proprietary six-criteria analytical job evaluation methodology with regression-based salary determination models. The job evaluation system produces unified requirement values for positions ranging from entry-level to executive, classified into Compensation-Online Grades for cross-organizational comparison. The database covers all major industries and integrates with the job evaluation outputs to provide market-rate comparisons for any evaluated position.
Compensation Partner monetizes through tiered annual subscriptions priced by company headcount (four tiers from 1-150 to 2,500+ employees), supplemented by one-time bespoke salary reports (GehaltsReports), pre-published compensation studies (Vergütungsstudien such as the annual IT salary study), and referral revenue from Stepstone job advertising. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, inside sales with consulting-led upsell, and a self-serve trial pathway. The company serves more than 35 named enterprise customers including Deutsche Post, TUI Group, EY, PayPal, McDonald's, H&M, METRO, and RTL, with a particularly strong positioning in pay transparency compliance via its longstanding partnership with the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) on the Monitor Entgelttransparenz portal and the Logib-D project.
Compensation partner firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Compensation partner
- Legal name
- The Stepstone Group Deutschland GmbH
- Website
- https://compensation-partner.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Compensation Partner operates Germany's largest salary database, providing a cloud-based benchmarking and job evaluation platform to enterprise and mid-market employers. A sub-brand of The Stepstone Group, it serves HR departments with subscription access plus consulting services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Compensation partner industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Compensation Management Software / HR Analytics
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compensation Planning & Total Rewards (BPACAPAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory (BPACAJAG), Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting (BPAHAGAF)
Keywords
Where Compensation partner is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Compensation partner business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Compensation-Online Subscription: Annual subscription to the Compensation-Online cloud platform providing full access to the salary database and job evaluation tools. Pricing is tiered by company size (employee headcount): Category 1 (1–150 employees), Category 2 (151–500), Category 3 (501–2,500), Category 4 (over 2,500). Subscriptions auto-renew for 12-month terms unless cancelled 3 months in advance. The full version is fee-based; a free trial is available.
- GehaltsReports (Salary Reports): One-time individually prepared salary reports sourced from the Compensation-Online database or partner company research. Delivered once per order as a bespoke consulting deliverable.
- Vergütungsstudien (Compensation Studies): Pre-packaged compensation study reports extracted from Compensation-Online on specific topics (e.g., IT salary survey). Ordered and delivered as one-time products, e.g., IT-Studie 2021 priced at EUR 799 (plus VAT and shipping).
- Job Advertising (Stepstone Partnership): Referral revenue from job posting advertisements placed on Stepstone.de job board, promoted on the Compensation Partner website to hiring managers seeking salary benchmarking alongside recruitment solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Category 1: Small companies (1–150 employees) |
| Subscription | Annual | Category 2: Mid-sized companies (151–500 employees) |
| Subscription | Annual | Category 3: Large companies (501–2,500 employees) |
| Subscription | Annual | Category 4: Enterprise (over 2,500 employees) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | IT-Studie 2021 (IT Compensation Study) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | IT-Funktionen 2020 (IT Functions Study) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Compensation partner product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Compensation Partner operates Germany's largest compensation database and sells subscriptions to its cloud-based Compensation-Online platform, which enables employers to benchmark salaries, perform analytical job evaluation, and analyze compensation structures across all industries and job functions in the German market. The core offering combines a proprietary salary database (250,000+ market-current records, 2,000,000+ evaluated records) with a six-criteria job evaluation methodology and regression-based salary determination models. Supplemental consulting services include bespoke GehaltsReports, pre-published Vergütungsstudien (such as the annual IT salary studies), and Stellenbewertung job evaluation consulting, plus Entgelttransparenz compliance support for the German Pay Transparency Act.
Product overview
Compensation Partner operates as a digital salary service provider offering a unified cloud-based platform called Compensation-Online, supplemented by modular consulting services. The core platform provides access to Germany's largest compensation database with over 250,000 market-current salary data records, enabling employers to benchmark compensation structures and perform salary analysis. The modular add-on services include GehaltsReports (customized salary reports), Vergütungsstudien (pre-made compensation studies on topics like IT salaries and industry indices), Stellenbewertung (analytical job evaluation methodology), and Entgelttransparenz (pay transparency compliance consulting). The company was founded in 1999 and is a brand of The Stepstone Group Deutschland GmbH.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Compensation-Online Cloud-based SaaS platform enabling employers to access individual market salary overviews, benchmark compensation structures, and perform data-driven salary analysis across all industries and job functions in the German market. Includes the proprietary six-criteria analytical job evaluation methodology and regression-based salary determination, integrated into Compensation-Online Grades for cross-organizational comparison.
- GehaltsReports (Salary Reports) Individual salary reports customized to specific positions or functions, based on searches in the Compensation-Online database or partner company data. One-time order and delivery product offered as consulting services.
- IT-Studie 2021 (IT Compensation Study) Published IT compensation study covering 31 IT functions across 235 pages with up to 10 performance levels/grades. Available as one-time purchase at EUR 799 (plus VAT and shipping).
- Stellenbewertung (Job Evaluation) Analytical job evaluation consulting service using a six-criteria methodology (education/experience/thinking potential, complexity/strategy, leadership/coordination, communication/interaction, budget responsibility/decision authority, physical/psychological demands) to produce unified requirement values. Integrated with Compensation-Online for market-based salary benchmarking.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports companies in benchmarking compensation across 250,000+ salary records without exposing their own confidential data
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Compensation partner
Customer profileNamed customers37 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Compensation partner technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Compensation partner partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ)coreCompensation Partner was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs to develop the 'Monitor Entgelttransparenz' online portal in 2017. Prior to this, between 2009 and 2014, Compensation Partner implemented the Logib-D project within an international consortium to highlight the gender pay gap. The ministry partnership gives Compensation Partner significant credibility in the regulatory compliance space and direct involvement in shaping Entgelttransparenz tools used by German companies.
- The Stepstone Group Deutschland GmbHcoreCompensation Partner is a brand and operating division of The Stepstone Group Deutschland GmbH (formerly PMSG PersonalMarkt Services GmbH). The Stepstone Group provides the broader platform ecosystem including GEHALT.de and Gehaltsvergleich.com. The companies share management (Jan Neumann, Jörn Slink as Managing Directors), marketing channels, and customer base. Compensation Partner benefits from Stepstone's brand equity, distribution reach, and cross-selling opportunities within the group.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Compensation partner competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Salary.com: US-based compensation data and software company providing salary benchmarking, job evaluation, and pay structure analytics. Direct peer in cloud-delivered compensation intelligence for HR and compensation professionals.
- Ravio: European compensation benchmarking and people analytics platform operating across multiple European markets. Direct competitor in the SaaS compensation data category, particularly relevant given Compensation Partner's DACH focus and the EU-wide pay transparency rollout.
- PayScale: US-headquartered compensation data SaaS platform providing salary benchmarking and compensation management tools to HR teams. Closest direct competitor to Compensation-Online by virtue of cloud-based salary database delivery and B2B HR buyer focus.
- hkp// group: German compensation, governance, and HR advisory firm serving DAX and large Mittelstand clients. Direct peer in compensation consulting, board compensation benchmarking, and analytical job evaluation in Germany.
- Kienbaum: German HR consulting and compensation advisory firm with deep Mittelstand and DAX relationships. Competes with Compensation Partner's consulting arm (GehaltsReports, Vergütungsstudien) and job evaluation services in the German-speaking market.
Broad incumbents
- Mercer: Global consulting leader providing compensation surveys, job evaluation frameworks (e.g., IPE), and rewards strategy. Overlaps directly with Compensation Partner's salary benchmarking and analytical job evaluation methodology, but serves a multinational client base with broader consulting services.
- Aon (Radford): Global professional services firm with Radford compensation benchmarking network covering technology and life sciences. Overlaps with Compensation Partner's IT/specialist compensation studies and broader rewards consulting, but at global scale with cross-industry reach.
- Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global professional services firm offering compensation benchmarking, job evaluation, and rewards consulting through its Talent & Rewards practice. Directly comparable to Compensation Partner's compensation data and consulting offering, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
Emerging players
- Levels.fyi: Tech-sector focused compensation benchmarking platform with crowdsourced salary data. Emerging competitor particularly in the IT-Studie vertical where Compensation Partner publishes annual reports; represents the free/crowdsourced threat to benchmarking data.
- Pave: US-based compensation management platform combining benchmarking, planning, and real-time compensation workflows. Emerging peer in the modern comp SaaS category, differentiated by workflow/integration depth rather than raw salary data scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Compensation partner social profiles
Digital presenceCompensation partner compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Compensation partner financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Compensation partner leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Compensation partner funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Compensation partner 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 Compensation partner
What does Compensation partner do?
Compensation Partner operates Germany's largest compensation database and sells subscriptions to its cloud-based Compensation-Online platform, which enables employers to benchmark salaries, perform analytical job evaluation, and analyze compensation structures across all industries and job functions in the German market. The core offering combines a proprietary salary database (250,000+ market-current records, 2,000,000+ evaluated records) with a six-criteria job evaluation methodology and regression-based salary determination models. Supplemental consulting services include bespoke GehaltsReports, pre-published Vergütungsstudien (such as the annual IT salary studies), and Stellenbewertung job evaluation consulting, plus Entgelttransparenz compliance support for the German Pay Transparency Act.
Is Compensation partner a public or private company?
Compensation partner is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Compensation partner founded?
Compensation partner was founded in 1999.
Where is Compensation partner based?
Compensation partner is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Compensation partner make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Compensation-Online Subscription is the primary driver. The others are gehaltsReports (Salary Reports), vergütungsstudien (Compensation Studies) and job Advertising (Stepstone Partnership).
Who are Compensation partner's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Salary.com, Ravio, PayScale, hkp// group and Kienbaum. Broad incumbents are Mercer, Aon (Radford) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW). Emerging players are Levels.fyi and Pave.
Does Compensation partner have an API?
No public API is recorded for Compensation partner.
What industry is Compensation partner in?
Compensation partner's product category is Compensation Management Software / HR Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAPAH, Compensation Planning & Total Rewards, with a secondary code of BPACAJAG, Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8742.