BigAnt
BigAnt (Hangzhou, China; private) sells BigAnt Office Messenger, a self-hosted enterprise instant messaging platform with perpetual per-user licensing, serving healthcare, government, banking, education, and enterprise customers across 40+ countries via a global reseller network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersXihu, China
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BigAnt does
BigAnt (legal entity BigAntSoft) is a privately held Chinese enterprise instant messaging software vendor headquartered in Hangzhou, with operational roots in Xihu District and a European mailing address via Digital River GmbH in Cologne, Germany. The company's core product, BigAnt Office Messenger, is a self-hosted client/server IM platform that supports on-premises deployment with embedded database, MySQL, or SQL Server backends and is engineered to scale to over 1 million concurrent users on a single server. The product suite spans a Windows/macOS desktop client, iOS and Android mobile clients, and adjacent modules including Live Chat (website visitor support), Cloud Disk (enterprise file sharing), Bulletin System (organization-wide announcements), and Remote Desktop (screen sharing and control).
The platform is differentiated by a perpetual, self-hosted licensing model — server license priced at US$399 plus per-user fees of $11.90–$19.90 depending on volume — with lifetime updates included for Version 5 and a free tier for accredited academic institutions. BigAnt sells primarily through direct sales, online purchasing via MyCommerce/Paypro Global, and a global network of more than 40 regional resellers across 40+ countries. Vertical targeting is concentrated in Healthcare (with HIPAA/HITECH positioning), Government, Banking & Financial Services, Enterprise, and Education, with named customers including HP, Honeywell, MetaBank, People's United Bank, Vivendi, First Citizens Bank, and Tobyhanna Army Depot.
The company has no disclosed outside funding, no M&A history, no disclosed headcount, and no disclosed financial metrics. Independent ownership and founder-led operations are implied. The product has been in market for over a decade (versions traceable to v2.98 in 2010, v4.0 in 2014/2015, and v5.x through 5.6 in 2023/2024), positioning BigAnt as an established but small niche player in an enterprise IM market that has been substantially disrupted by cloud-native, AI-enabled collaboration platforms from larger vendors.
BigAnt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BigAnt
- Legal name
- BigAntSoft
- Website
- https://bigantsoft.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- BigAnt (Hangzhou, China; private) sells BigAnt Office Messenger, a self-hosted enterprise instant messaging platform with perpetual per-user licensing, serving healthcare, government, banking, education, and enterprise customers across 40+ countries via a global reseller network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BigAnt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Messaging Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Application Development (Web/Mobile/Desktop) (BPAEAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Application UX, Portals & Low-Code Extensions (BPAEAGAM)
Keywords
Where BigAnt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Xihu
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
BigAnt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software License (Perpetual): One-time perpetual license purchase for BigAnt IM Server Pro (US$399.00) plus per-user license fees. Server license required; client licenses sold per concurrent user. No annual fee for existing licenses. Lifetime free updates for Version 5 included. Additional user licenses purchased separately.
- Professional Services & Customization: Customization services including rebranding with company logo/icon, custom feature development, and plugin integration. Offered at additional cost. MSI installer customization also available.
- Additional User Licenses: Additional user packs sold at per-user pricing tiers (10-99 users at $19.90 per user; volume pricing for 100+ users). No server license required when adding users to existing deployment.
- Education Free Tier & Upsell: Free license for up to 20 concurrent users for accredited academic institutions, with 20% discount for 200+ user licenses. Revenue generated from upsell to larger user counts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | IM Server Pro + 1-99 users |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 100-999 users volume tier |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 1000+ users enterprise tier |
| Freemium | Annual | Education Free License |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Additional user packs (10-99 users) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BigAnt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BigAnt develops and sells a self-hosted enterprise instant messaging platform (BigAnt Office Messenger) deployed on the customer's own server. The solution includes a server administration console plus Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android clients, and provides messaging, group chat, file transfer with P2P acceleration, screen sharing and remote desktop, enterprise cloud disk, bulletin announcements, voice and video chat, live chat for website visitors, Active Directory/LDAP integration, and role-based access control. The company sells perpetual per-user licenses (with an additional one-time server license) and offers customization services for branding and integrations.
Product overview
BigAnt is an enterprise instant messaging software provider offering BigAnt Office Messenger as its core product, available in Standard and Pro tiers. The solution consists of server-side administration console plus desktop clients (Windows/Mac) and mobile apps (iOS/Android). Key modules include Live Chat for website visitor support, Cloud Disk for enterprise file sharing, Bulletin System for organizational announcements, and Remote Desktop for screen sharing and control. The product supports on-premises deployment with embedded, MySQL, or SQL Server database options, and offers customization services for branding and feature extensions. BigAnt targets enterprise, government, banking, healthcare, and education sectors with specialized licensing and compliance features including HIPAA support for healthcare.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BigAnt Office Messenger (Messenger Pro and Messenger Standard) Enterprise self-hosted instant messaging solution for business communication, offered in Standard and Pro tiers. Includes instant and offline messaging, group discussions, file transfer, voice and video chat, remote desktop, cloud disk, bulletin messaging, Active Directory/LDAP integration, and live chat. Deployed on the customer's own server with no cloud dependency.
- BigAnt Server (Administration Console) Server-side administration console required to deploy and manage BigAnt Messenger. Includes user management, system settings, security administration, audit management, server clustering, and supports embedded, MySQL, or SQL Server database backends. Sold as a separate one-time US$399.00 server license.
- BigAnt Desktop Client (Windows and macOS) Desktop client application for Windows and Mac that connects to the BigAnt Server to provide end-user access to messaging, collaboration, file transfer, and communication features.
- BigAnt for iOS (iPhone and iPad) Mobile client for iPhone and iPad providing team connectivity, group access, contacts management, push notifications, voice and video calling, and synchronized message history.
- BigAnt for Android Mobile client for Android devices providing access to groups, contacts, push notifications, cloud disk, bulletin viewing, and synchronized message history.
- Custom Branding and Customization Service Professional services offering that re-brands the BigAnt client with the customer's own logo, company name, and icon, develops custom features, and delivers MSI installer customization; sold separately on top of the standard perpetual license.
- Free Education License Program Special licensing program that provides accredited academic institutions with free BigAnt Messenger for up to 20 concurrent users, no total user limit, and no server console license fee, with a 20% discount on licenses of 200+ users.
Companies that use BigAnt
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
BigAnt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature14 records
BigAnt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MyCommerce (element 5 / share-it / Digital River)coreMyCommerce (operated by Digital River GmbH dba element 5, Share-it!) serves as BigAnt's primary online purchasing and payment processing agent for European customers. Handles online order processing, payment collection, and digital delivery. Contact address: Scheidtweilerstr. 4, Cologne, 50933 Germany. Tel: +1 859 648 0106.
- Micro Systems ManagementminorRegional reseller based in Westlake, Ohio 44145, USA. Phone: 440-892-9997. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the US market.
- e.constructminorRegional reseller based in Dubai Internet City, Building #4, Dubai, UAE. Phone: +971-4-3911015. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the UAE market.
- SolusinfominorRegional reseller based in Surabaya, Indonesia. Phone: +628165421253. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Indonesian market.
- TrustanceminorRegional reseller based in Vareseweg 45, Netherlands. Phone: +31107508755. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Dutch market.
- Katalogo SoftwareminorRegional reseller based in Rua Joaquim Floriano 913, Brazil. Phone: 55 11 34054568. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Brazilian market.
- Fabulous Media Pvt LtdminorRegional reseller based in Gurugram, India. Phone: 75329 71329. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Indian market.
- MicroAge (Frontier Technologies dba)minorRegional reseller based in 8160 S Hardy Dr, USA. Phone: 480-366-2120. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the US IT market.
- Biz CIS Co LtdminorRegional reseller based in Bangkok, Thailand. Phone: +66856678022. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Thai market.
- TT Virtual Technology Sdn. Bhd.minorRegional reseller based at Level 3, 70-3-39 D'Piazza Mall, Jalan Mahsuri, Malaysia. Phone: 604-6456616. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Malaysian market.
- Bilesen BilisimminorRegional reseller based in Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey. Phone: +90216 414 00 41. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Turkish market.
- Softense LTDminorRegional reseller based in Israel. Phone: 972-72-2203000. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Israeli market.
- Watery International Inc.minorRegional reseller based in 145 Royal Crest Court, Unit 49, Canada. Phone: (905) 305-0331. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Canadian market.
- Total Computing (UK)minorRegional reseller based in 1 Cabot House, Compass Point Business Park, UK. Phone: 01480 468899. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the UK market. Website: bigant-messenger.co.uk.
- Linksoft Inc. (Taiwan)minorRegional reseller based in 6F.-10, No.351, Sec. 2, Zhongshan Rd., Zhonghe Dist., Taiwan. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Taiwanese market.
- MICROHARD SYSTEMS (Kenya)minorRegional reseller based in Kenya (85795, 80100). Phone: 0722827780. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Kenyan market.
- Global Tiger Solutions (Philippines)minorRegional reseller based in 3F PET PLANS TOWER, 444 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo, Philippines. Phone: 8352-8250. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Philippine market.
- D Soft Media (Sri Lanka)minorRegional reseller based in 330A/2 Batagama South, Sri Lanka. Phone: +940770210891. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Sri Lankan market.
- Wood Networks (Australia)minorRegional reseller based in Australia (10260 Robinson Dr). Phone: 903-581-0922. Provides local sales and support for BigAnt products in the Australian market.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BigAnt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Microsoft Teams: Dominant enterprise team collaboration platform bundled with Microsoft 365. Competes with BigAnt in messaging, file sharing, voice/video, and enterprise integration — though cloud-delivered rather than on-premises.
- Slack (Salesforce): Cloud-based enterprise messaging platform owned by Salesforce. Competes in team chat and collaboration with broader integrations ecosystem, though SaaS-only and lacking BigAnt's on-premises option.
- Cisco Webex Teams: Enterprise messaging, meeting, and calling platform from Cisco. Comparable in regulated industry (government, healthcare, banking) focus, though cloud-delivered vs. BigAnt's on-premises model.
Emerging players
- Wire: Secure enterprise messaging platform with end-to-end encryption and on-premises deployment option. Comparable in security-focused positioning and regulated vertical (government, financial) target market.
- Openfire (Ignite Realtime): Open-source XMPP-based instant messaging server with focus on ease of deployment and community/enterprise chat. Comparable self-hosted IM use case to BigAnt though more lightweight and less feature-rich.
- Zoho Cliq: Team messaging and collaboration platform from Zoho with free/low-cost tier and SMB/mid-market focus. Comparable as an alternative to BigAnt for cost-conscious enterprise buyers, though cloud-delivered.
Direct peers
- Rocket.Chat: Open-source team communication platform with self-hosted and cloud deployment options. Directly comparable to BigAnt in self-hosted enterprise messaging, customization, and security-focused buyer segments.
- Mattermost: Open-source, self-hosted team messaging and collaboration platform targeting enterprises, government, and DevOps teams. Most direct comparable to BigAnt given shared on-premises deployment model, AD/LDAP integration, and regulated vertical focus.
- Element (Matrix.org): Open-source secure messaging built on Matrix protocol, offering self-hosted deployment for enterprises and governments. Comparable to BigAnt in on-premises architecture, end-to-end encryption, and regulated vertical focus including government and defense.
- ejabberd (ProcessOne): Open-source XMPP-based instant messaging server for enterprise and telco deployments. Comparable self-hosted IM architecture, focus on scalability, and ability to support large concurrent user bases similar to BigAnt's positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BigAnt social profiles
Digital presenceBigAnt compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
BigAnt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BigAnt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
BigAnt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BigAnt 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 BigAnt
What does BigAnt do?
BigAnt develops and sells a self-hosted enterprise instant messaging platform (BigAnt Office Messenger) deployed on the customer's own server. The solution includes a server administration console plus Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android clients, and provides messaging, group chat, file transfer with P2P acceleration, screen sharing and remote desktop, enterprise cloud disk, bulletin announcements, voice and video chat, live chat for website visitors, Active Directory/LDAP integration, and role-based access control. The company sells perpetual per-user licenses (with an additional one-time server license) and offers customization services for branding and integrations.
Is BigAnt a public or private company?
BigAnt is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BigAnt founded?
BigAnt was founded in -1.
Where is BigAnt based?
BigAnt is headquartered in Xihu, China, in the Asia region.
How does BigAnt make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software License (Perpetual) is the primary driver. The others are professional Services & Customization, additional User Licenses and education Free Tier & Upsell.
Who are BigAnt's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Microsoft Teams, Slack (Salesforce) and Cisco Webex Teams. Emerging players are Wire, Openfire (Ignite Realtime) and Zoho Cliq. Direct peers are Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, Element (Matrix.org) and ejabberd (ProcessOne).
Does BigAnt have an API?
No public API is recorded for BigAnt.
What industry is BigAnt in?
BigAnt's product category is Enterprise Messaging Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAFAA, Custom Application Development (Web/Mobile/Desktop), with a secondary code of BPAEAGAM, Enterprise Application UX, Portals & Low-Code Extensions. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.