Search.ch
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Search.ch does
Search.ch is a Swiss local search engine and web directory operated by Swisscom Directories AG, headquartered in Zürich. Founded in 1995 and owned by Swisscom AG through its directories subsidiary, the platform combines a phone directory with over 2,021,590 daily-updated entries, interactive maps with routing, weather forecasts for 3,000 Swiss locations, public transportation timetables via SBB data, cinema listings, snow reports covering 211+ winter sports areas, a TV guide, a local web search engine, and a leisure activity planner. It serves two primary user groups: Swiss consumers seeking free daily-life local information, and Swiss SMEs seeking advertising and digital presence through the affiliated localsearch platform.
Search.ch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Search.ch
- Legal name
- Swisscom Directories AG
- Website
- https://search.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Search.ch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Directory & Local Search
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Search & Business Directories (BPAMAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- POI, Local Listings & Business Directory Platforms (BPAMANAD), Vertical/Specialty Search (e.g., jobs, real estate, travel, products) (BPAMAAAD), Local SEO (Maps, Citations, Reviews) (BPAFAJAD)
Keywords
Where Search.ch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Search.ch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising: The platform generates revenue through advertising, offering products for SME (small and medium enterprises) in all segments and budget sizes. Valuable services with trusting users enable attractive advertisement with high reach.
- SME Business Solutions: localsearch platform offers advertising and digital presence solutions for businesses, connecting thousands of advertisers with customers daily through the Swiss directory and search platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Search.ch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Search.ch operates a free Swiss online directory and search portal that helps users find people, businesses, and public offices, and access daily-life information such as weather forecasts, public transport timetables, maps with routing, cinema and TV listings, snow reports, and leisure activities. The platform is supported by advertising products sold primarily to Swiss SMEs through the related localsearch service. Mobile apps for iPhone and Android, plus public APIs, extend the platform's reach.
Product overview
Search.ch is a unified Swiss search and information platform offering a comprehensive suite of services for daily life organization. The core product portfolio includes: the Phone Directory (with 2,021,590 business and residential entries), Map/Routing (with road and aerial views), Weather Forecasts (3,000 locations), Timetable (Swiss public transportation), Cinema listings, Snow Report (300+ resorts), TV Guide, Web Search, and Leisure activities. Mobile apps for iPhone and Android extend the platform with location-aware Live Search features. Developer access is provided via public APIs for directory, map, weather, and timetable services. The platform is operated by Swisscom Directories AG and connects with local.ch as the dominant player in the Swiss directory market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- localsearch: SME advertising and listing platform connected to search.ch, operated by Swisscom Directories AG.
Products and services
- Phone Directory
- Map and Routing
- Weather Forecast
- Public Transport Timetable
- Cinema Listings
- Snow Report
- TV Guide
- Web Search
- Leisure
- Mobile Apps (iPhone and Android)
- Public Developer APIs
Companies that use Search.ch
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Search.ch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature4 records
Search.ch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- local.chcoresearch.ch and local.ch are operated by Swisscom Directories AG as part of the same platform ecosystem. Both platforms together hold the number one position in the Swiss directory market. Users can log in to search.ch using their local.ch account, and both platforms connect thousands of advertisers and customers daily.
- localsearch (Swisscom Directories AG)corelocalsearch is the SME advertising platform operated by Swisscom Directories AG alongside search.ch. The platforms offer products for small and medium enterprises in all segments and budget sizes, connecting thousands of advertisers with customers daily.
- MeteoSwisscoreWeather data provider for search.ch's weather forecasts and snow reports. MeteoSwiss provides official Swiss meteorological data used in the platform's weather service.
- SBB (Swiss Federal Railways)coreData provider for public transportation timetable services. The platform integrates SBB timetable data for Swiss train, bus, and tram departure times.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Search.ch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yelp: Yelp is a global leader in local business directory and review search, comparable to search.ch's core directory and SME advertising offering. Both monetize via advertising products aimed at SMBs seeking local customer reach.
- local.ch: Operated by the same parent company (Swisscom Directories AG), local.ch is the sister directory platform to search.ch and the most directly comparable peer, sharing Swiss directory data, advertising products, and user accounts. The two together claim #1 in the Swiss directory market.
- Pages Jaunes / Yellow Pages: Yellow Pages-style directory platforms offer phone-directory search and SME advertising, the same business model as search.ch's localsearch product. They serve as the closest international analog for directory-driven local advertising economics.
- DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo is an independent web search engine comparable to search.ch's web search product, offering an alternative to Google Search. Both operate proprietary search algorithms rather than relying on a major search engine's results stack.
Broad incumbents
- Google Search: Google Search is the dominant general web search engine and the principal competitor to search.ch's web search and directory query products. The vast majority of Swiss consumer search volume flows through Google, making it the key traffic and advertising competitor for search.ch.
- HERE Technologies: HERE provides map data, location services, and APIs to enterprises and developers, comparable to the mapping, POI, and routing layer of search.ch. As a major incumbent in location data, HERE represents the global scale against which search.ch's local data depth competes.
- TomTom Maps: TomTom provides maps, POI data, and routing APIs used across consumer and enterprise applications, directly comparable to search.ch's interactive map and routing product. It is a broader incumbent in the mapping-and-location data space.
- Google Maps: Google Maps offers overlapping POI, business directory, routing, transit, and "live nearby" features that compete directly with search.ch's map, directory, and timetable products. As the global incumbent, it sets user expectations for local information services and is the primary competitive threat to search.ch's organic traffic.
Regional players
- Das Örtliche: Germany's leading printed and online directory, Das Örtliche offers phone-directory lookup, maps, and SME advertising in the German-speaking market. It is highly comparable to search.ch in product mix but serves Germany rather than Switzerland.
- SBB Mobile: SBB's official mobile app provides timetable, routing, and station search for Swiss public transportation — directly overlapping with search.ch's timetable product. While a data partner rather than a competitor, it can serve as a destination alternative for transit queries.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Search.ch social profiles
Digital presenceSearch.ch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Search.ch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Search.ch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Search.ch 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 Search.ch
What does Search.ch do?
Search.ch operates a free Swiss online directory and search portal that helps users find people, businesses, and public offices, and access daily-life information such as weather forecasts, public transport timetables, maps with routing, cinema and TV listings, snow reports, and leisure activities. The platform is supported by advertising products sold primarily to Swiss SMEs through the related localsearch service. Mobile apps for iPhone and Android, plus public APIs, extend the platform's reach.
Is Search.ch a public or private company?
Search.ch is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Search.ch founded?
Search.ch was founded in 1995. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Search.ch based?
Search.ch is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Search.ch make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are SME Business Solutions.
Who are Search.ch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yelp, local.ch, Pages Jaunes / Yellow Pages and DuckDuckGo. Broad incumbents are Google Search, HERE Technologies, TomTom Maps and Google Maps. Regional players are Das Örtliche and SBB Mobile.
Does Search.ch have an API?
Yes. Search.ch offers public APIs for several of its core services: Directory queries (for businesses and persons), Interactive map API (points of interest, routing), Weather forecast API, and Timetable queries API (including stations, business and person search). Developer documentation is at api.search.ch.
What industry is Search.ch in?
Search.ch's product category is Online Directory & Local Search. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAE, Local Search & Business Directories, with a secondary code of BPAMANAD, POI, Local Listings & Business Directory Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51929.