What WebCrew does

WebCrew Inc. (株式会社ウェブクルー) is a Japanese consumer comparison platform operator that runs more than 56 vertical-specific comparison sites serving both end consumers (free of charge) and partner businesses (which pay referral fees, advertising fees, and transaction fees). Founded in 1999 in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture and now headquartered in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, the company's flagship properties include 保険スクエアbang! (insurance comparison), ズバット/ズバット引っ越し比較 (moving comparison), Smyb (SMS sending and relocation-related services), and the more recently launched カチミル (Kachimiru, AI-powered used-car evaluation). The cumulative user base exceeds 20 million and the partner network comprises 894 companies.

The company's product architecture is built on lead-generation funnels: web comparison interfaces aggregate consumer intent, partner-matching logic routes users to relevant suppliers, and increasingly AI-assisted tools such as Kachimiru — which combines auction data with proprietary evaluation records via the ユーストカードットコム API — add evaluation or decision-support layers on top. WebCrew holds ISO 27001 certification for information security and operates a network of 256 physical insurance stores alongside its digital channels, providing an omnichannel footprint in trust-sensitive verticals. The company was publicly listed on TSE Mothers in 2004, taken private via management buyout in 2015, and currently sits within the FW Inc. group; FW (and WebCrew) is scheduled to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inbound Tech Inc. (TSE Growth: 7031) in June 2026.

The business model is a two-sided marketplace monetized primarily through referral fees and advertising revenue generated from partner companies on the supply side. Consumer acquisition is free and supported through organic search, content, and partner-driven traffic, while revenue scales with partner breadth, partner ARPU, and vertical mix. With 113 full-time employees as of March 2026 and a multi-year track record of adjacent vertical entry (real-estate sale comparison 2020, energy comparison 2021, Kachimiru 2025, correspondence high school LINE service 2026), WebCrew's near-term trajectory is shaped both by organic product launches and by the inbound transaction with Inbound Tech.

Name

WebCrew

Legal name

株式会社ウェブクルー

Website

https://webcrew.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WebCrew (株式会社ウェブクルー) operates a portfolio of Japanese consumer comparison platforms across insurance, moving, SMS, and used-car verticals, serving 20M+ cumulative users and 894 partner companies via referral and advertising fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Comparison and Matching Platform

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Generation, Comparison & Marketplace Platforms (Financial Products) (FSAEAMAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Closing Coordination & Transaction Management (Broker/Agent Support) (BPAJAOAH)

Keywords

• Online comparison platform
• Insurance marketplace
• Moving services comparison
• Used car valuation
• Senior care matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Referral fees from partner companies: Receives referral fees when users purchase insurance, relocation services, or other products through the comparison platform
2. Advertising revenue: Advertising revenue generated from partner companies featured on comparison sites
3. Transaction fees: Transaction-based fees from completed service agreements initiated through the platform

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WebCrew operates a portfolio of online comparison and matching platforms that connect Japanese consumers with partner companies across insurance, moving, used cars, real estate, senior care, communication high schools, home security and other verticals. The company aggregates quotes and proposals from 894 partner companies and routes leads in exchange for referral commissions, while also running 256 physical insurance consultation shops that close policies on the spot.

Product overview

WebCrew运营以「ズバット」和「保険スクエアbang!」为核心的比较服务平台，提供「保险」「引越」「汽车」「老年人服务」「教育」等多领域的生活相关服务比较。平台采用多品牌策略：保险领域主力产品为保险Square bang!（覆盖汽车保险、人寿保险、火险等）；汽车领域包括ズバット 车両收购比较（2003年上线）和2025年新发布的カチミル（新型在线评估服务）；搬家领域包括ズバット 引越比较和Smyb（手続き一站式在线申请平台）；房产、钢琴收购、卡贷等生活服务通过ズバット品牌提供；教育领域以通信制高中比较为主；老年人服务包括护理餐配送、养老院入住咨询、助听器咨询（助听器销售已于2026年5月停止）。平台累计利用者超过2000万人，加盟事业者数894社，运营网站56个。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 保険スクエア bang! (Hoken Square bang!): Japan's largest insurance comparison website offering auto, life, fire, and other insurance comparisons since 1998
• ズバット (Zubat)
• ズバット 車買取比較
• ズバット 通信制高校比較
• シニアのあんしん相談室
• たのめーる正規代理店（オフィスノミカタ）
• Smyb（スマイブ）
• カチミル (Kachimiru)

Products and services

• 保険スクエア bang! (Hoken Square bang!) — Insurance Comparison Online insurance comparison platform aggregating life, medical, and auto insurance quotes from multiple carriers for individual consumers in Japan. Also offers a corporate auto insurance variant (法人) for businesses.
• 保険見直し本舗 (Hoken Mihon Honpo) — In-Person Insurance Consultation Shops Network of 256 physical insurance consultation stores across Japan where consumers can receive face-to-face advisory and complete insurance purchases, complementing WebCrew's online insurance comparison service.
• ズバット (Zubat) Comprehensive Comparison Portal Multi-vertical comparison portal covering moving, home security, piano purchase, card loans, real estate sale, communication high school enrollment, and used-car purchase comparison for Japanese consumers.
• Smyb (引越し見積もり / 引越し手続き) — Moving Quote and Procedure Service Moving-industry service combining a quote comparison feature (見積もり) with a procedure-management feature (手続き) that helps Japanese consumers compare movers and complete address-change tasks, including a corporate relocation variant.
• カチミル — Used-Car Appraisal Service AI-powered used-car appraisal platform that uses BizMINT and car-spec APIs to provide predictive pricing benchmarks to consumers selling a used vehicle.
• シニアのあんしん相談室 — Senior Welfare Consultation Service Comparison and consultation service for senior welfare offerings including meal delivery (配食), senior housing (老人ホーム), and hearing aids (補聴器), providing phone-based advisory to families of elderly Japanese consumers.
• たのめーる正規代理店 — Office Supplies Agency Service Authorized agency service for たのめーる office supplies, providing Japanese businesses a procurement channel for office consumables as a WebCrew distribution partner offering.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NTT DatacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Smyb relocation procedure service and BizMINT platform integration. NTT Data provides enterprise-grade infrastructure for WebCrew's relocation service offerings.
• WizcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPhone concierge service partnership for Smyb relocation platform, providing personalized customer support.
• Relocation companies (200+)coreOthersNetwork of over 200 relocation companies providing services through WebCrew's comparison platforms.
• Car dealerscoreOthersAutomotive dealer partners providing vehicle comparison and purchase services.
• Insurance companiescoreOthersMultiple insurance company partners featured on comparison platforms including 保険スクエアbang!.
• Hokkaido Electric Power (北海道電力株式会社)minorOthersRegional utility partnership for utility comparison services in Hokkaido region.
• Hokkaido Gas (北海道ガス株式会社)minorOthersRegional gas utility partnership for utility comparison services in Hokkaido region.
• Hokkaido Energy (北海道エネルギー株式会社)minorOthersRegional energy company partnership for energy comparison services.
• Sapporo Waterworks Bureau (札幌市水道局)minorOthersMunicipal water utility partnership for utility comparison services in Sapporo.
• Ryuseki Corporation (りゅうせき)minorOthersGas company partnership in Okinawa region.
• Okinawa City Water and Sewerage Bureau (沖縄市上下水道局)minorOthersMunicipal water utility partnership in Okinawa City.
• Educational institutions (communication high schools)minorOthersPartnerships with educational institutions for communication-related programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ヌリカエ株式会社 (Nurikae): Japanese home-renovation and housing-services comparison platform that aggregates quotes from contractors for paint, roofing, and exterior work. Comparable to WebCrew's vertical-specialized comparison sites (e.g., ホームセキュリティ, piano purchase, card loans) that narrow comparison to a single consumer decision.
• Money Forward, Inc. TSE Prime-listed personal finance platform with Money Forward Cloud and consumer finance, insurance, and lending comparison functions. Comparable to WebCrew because it bundles comparison/aggregation of financial products with broader SaaS and content monetization in the Japanese personal-finance category.
• Insweb (SBI Holdings): Japan's flagship insurance comparison/instant-quote site under SBI Holdings, aggregating auto, life, and fire-insurance quotes from multiple carriers. Closely comparable to WebCrew's 保険スクエアbang! franchise, sharing the lead-generation, carrier-referral business model in the same Japanese market.
• Kakaku.com, Inc. Japan's largest price-comparison and review platform (TSE: 3091), operating 価格.com and Tabelog. Directly comparable because it aggregates multi-vertical consumer comparison traffic and monetizes via referral/affiliate fees in insurance, finance, real estate, automotive, and lifestyle services — the same model WebCrew operates at smaller scale.
• LIFULL Co., Ltd. TSE-listed operator of HOME'S, Japan's leading real-estate and housing-comparison portal (TSE: 2120). Directly comparable to WebCrew's ズバット 不動産売却 comparison service and Smyb relocation utilities: both monetize real-estate search traffic via agent/partner referrals in Japan.

Broad incumbents

• MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC: UK-listed (LSE: MONY) price-comparison platform spanning insurance, energy, banking, and home services. A larger, established international comparable to WebCrew's multi-vertical comparison business model with the same referral-driven revenue structure.
• LendingTree, Inc. US-listed (NASDAQ: TREE) online loan and insurance comparison marketplace connecting consumers with multiple lenders and carriers. Operates the same referral-fee monetization model as WebCrew across financial products, but at materially larger US scale.
• NerdWallet, Inc. US-listed (NASDAQ: NRDS) consumer-finance comparison platform for credit cards, banking, loans, and insurance. Broadly comparable to WebCrew's lead-generation/marketplace model across financial products, but operates at significantly larger scale and is publicly listed.

Emerging players

• ZUU Consulting Group, Inc. Japan-focused fintech/media group operating ZUU Online and financial-product comparison content, including insurance, FX, and lending referrals. Emergent player with partial category overlap to WebCrew's insurance and financial-product comparison sites, but smaller and asset-/education-led.
• いえらぶ (IELove, Inc.): Japanese real-estate-tech company with property-search portals (いえらぶ, 賃貸スモッチャー) and SaaS for real-estate agencies. An emerging player with partial overlap to WebCrew's real-estate/relocation comparison services (不動産売却, Smyb utilities) in the Japanese housing-decision category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/webcrew_pr
• Facebookfacebook.com/WebCrewPR

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries8 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 WebCrew