What Ethelred does

Ethelred AG is a privately held Swiss software company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Basel, employing 35 people and serving 341 customers with its modular workforce management platform e3. The platform addresses time recording, duty and shift planning, performance and expense recording, absence and case management, training and course planning, and physical access control, deployed across verticals including healthcare, emergency services, gastronomy, retail, industry, and public administration. Named deployments include migrolino AG (2,500 users), Schutz & Rettung Zürich (over 1,000 users), and Immobilien Stadt Bern (400 users), illustrating usage in 24/7 shift-intensive and government contexts.

The e3 platform is built on a client/server architecture supporting Windows servers and clients, Citrix, Microsoft Terminal Server, and App-V, with Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle (9+) as supported databases. It offers configurable SAP interfaces and standard connections to multiple payroll systems, plus open interfaces for external time recording data and outbound time and performance data. e3 is sold as a unified license covering all eight modules, with billing based on activated modules and active persons in the system, deployed either on-premise or as a SaaS/cloud solution with web and mobile app access. A hardware partner ecosystem — Dormakaba, PCS Systemtechnik, and Datafox for terminals, and Stepahead AG for ERP/CRM integration — extends the offering into physical access and operational data capture.

Ethelred operates a consultation-led, direct sales motion focused on the DACH region, with no application of e3 deployed without detailed needs assessment, pilot phases for larger projects, and multi-level training. Revenue is generated through recurring software licensing, subscription-based support (hotline, remote maintenance, Ethelwiki knowledge base), and professional services for consulting, training, and project management. The company is founder/independently operated, has no disclosed external investment, and operates primarily in Switzerland with limited public signals of geographic expansion beyond the DACH market.

Name

Ethelred

Legal name

Ethelred AG

Website

https://ethelred.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ethelred AG is a Basel-based Swiss software firm that develops and sells e3, a modular workforce management platform covering time recording, shift planning, performance recording, access control, and training, serving 341 customers across Swiss healthcare, emergency, retail, gastronomy, industrial, and public administration verticals via direct consultative sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Application License Advisory, Vendor Management & Optimization (BPAEAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Workforce management software
• Time tracking software
• Employee scheduling software
• Access control software
• HR management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Modular software licensing model where licenses are based on utilized modules and active persons in the system. Single simple licensing model covering all modules.
2. SaaS/Cloud Subscription: e3 available as SaaS solution with cloud deployment. Customers can use the software in parallel via web and app in addition to PC installation.
3. Professional Services: Consulting services including needs assessment, detailed concept development, comprehensive proposals, and pilot phases. Training services including multi-level training and project-specific training sessions. Project management services taking complete systems or components into operation.
4. Support Services: Multi-lingual support via hotline, remote maintenance, online Ethelwiki knowledge base for software, workshop and spare parts for hardware.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ethelred AG develops and sells e3, a modular human resource and workforce management software platform delivered as on-premise or SaaS/cloud deployment. The platform covers time recording, shift and duty planning, performance and expense recording, absence and case management, training/course planning, and physical access control, all under a single per-active-person subscription license available to enterprises across industries such as healthcare, emergency services, gastronomy, retail, industry, and administration.

Product overview

Ethelred offers e3, a fully integrated modular workforce management software platform. The core product consists of 8 modules: e3-Zeitwirtschaft (Time Management) for time recording and absence tracking, e3-Einsatzplanung (Workforce Scheduling) for duty/shift planning, e3-Leistungserfassung (Performance Recording) for project tracking and budget control, e3-Casemanagement for absence and case management, e3-Kursplanung (Training Planning) for course management and qualification tracking, e3-Zutritt (Access Control) for access permissions, plus web and mobile interfaces. All modules share a unified database and single license model, enabling seamless data flow between time management, scheduling, performance, and access control functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e3: Comprehensive human resource management software with modules for time management, scheduling, performance recording, access control, course planning, and case management

Products and services

• e3 Workforce Management Platform Modular workforce management software platform for enterprises covering time recording, shift/duty planning, performance recording, absence management, training coordination, and access control under a single per-active-person license. Available on-premise or as a SaaS/cloud deployment with web and mobile interfaces.
• e3-Zeitwirtschaft (Time Management) Module for recording working hours and employee absences with automatic processing of bookings and time calculations in line with regulations and labor law. Parametrizable for different employee groups, with automatic inconvenience calculation, integrated absence planning, and recalculation after corrections.
• e3-Einsatzplanung (Workforce Scheduling) Module for duty and shift planning supporting 24/7 operations, frequency-based retail planning, and process-driven production planning. Includes auto-generated planning proposals, customizable interface, traffic-light time account display, and shift exchange functions.
• e3-Leistungserfassung (Performance Recording) Integrated performance and expense recording with full budget control on a single screen, supporting multi-level project hierarchies, individual target time specifications per activity and/or person, and responsibility assignment.
• e3-Casemanagement (Case Management) Absence and sick leave management module that captures and analyzes absenteeism, creates events from individual absences, and recognizes required measures based on absence incidents over configurable observation periods.
• e3-Kursplanung (Training Planning) Training and course management module with checklists, budgets, participant assignment, and automatic qualification registration on successful completion, integrated with qualification management and deployment planning.
• e3-Zutritt (Access Control) Access permission management system controlling and monitoring doors, gates, barriers, and elevators. Features graphical access overview, person count tracking, multiple terminal modes including online mode for immediate intervention, and integration with time management and scheduling.
• e3 Web Interface Web-based interface providing time recording, balance inquiries, work schedules, and performance reporting for employees accessible via browser.
• e3 Mobile App Mobile application enabling employees to access time recording, schedule viewing, and expense reporting on the go.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced time administration effort through automatic processing of bookings and time calculations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DormakabacoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner specializing in terminals for access control, time recording, and data acquisition. Dormakaba provides flexible solutions for access, time, and data recording that integrate with e3 software.
• PCS SystemtechnikcoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware and software partner for access control, video surveillance, time recording, and operational data recording. Provides terminal hardware that integrates with e3.
• DatafoxcoreTechnology or IntegrationTerminal provider for personnel time recording, access control, operational and machine data recording, and mobile and vehicle data recording. Hardware partner for e3 integration.
• Stepahead AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware partner providing ERP and CRM solutions. Integration partner for e3 to connect with enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Personio: European all-in-one HR platform for SMBs with strong DACH presence — broader scope than e3 but increasingly overlapping on time tracking, scheduling, and HRIS for similar mid-market customers.
• ADP: Global payroll and HR services incumbent with strong DACH presence — competes at the high end of the same payroll-integrated workforce management market Ethelred serves.
• Sage HR: Broad HR and payroll vendor with established European footprint and modular offerings in time tracking and HR management — competes for the same SMB/mid-market buyer as Ethelred.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): Large US-headquartered workforce management and HCM vendor with European presence — competes in time/attendance and scheduling for shift-heavy industries similar to e3's verticals.
• Workday: Cloud-native HCM platform expanding into workforce management — broad incumbent competing for the same HR software budget that funds e3 deployments at larger customers.
• SAP SuccessFactors: Global HCM suite widely used in DACH enterprise and mid-market — direct integration partner reference for Ethelred but also a much larger competitor pursuing the same payroll/HR software buyer.

Direct peers

• ATOSS Software: German-based workforce management software vendor with deep focus on shift planning, time management, and workforce optimization for shift-heavy industries — a direct head-to-head competitor to Ethelred's e3 platform across DACH.
• Perbit Software: German HR software specialist focused on small and mid-sized enterprises — directly competes with e3 in payroll-adjacent HR management for DACH Mittelstand customers.
• ISGUS: German provider of time and attendance, workforce scheduling, and access control solutions — directly comparable to e3-Zeitwirtschaft and e3-Zutritt modules, with similar DACH mid-market positioning.
• rexx systems: German HR and talent management software vendor serving mid-market employers — comparable modular HR suite overlapping with e3's personnel management capabilities and DACH customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethelred-ag
• Xx.com/ethelred_ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Ethelred