cheapenergy24
cheapenergy24 is a German digital switching assistant founded in 2015 that compares, optimizes, and switches electricity and gas tariffs for German residential (and select commercial) households, charging a success-based commission on realized annual savings rather than earning from energy providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAugsburg, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What cheapenergy24 does
cheapenergy24 GmbH is a German digital switching assistant that compares, optimizes, and switches electricity and gas providers on behalf of residential (and to a lesser extent commercial) households across Germany. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Augsburg, the company operates a curated consumer-facing service via cheapenergy24.de rather than a comparison-portal listing model: customers enter their postal code, annual consumption, current provider, and tariff preferences into the Tarifrechner, then receive a personal recommendation drawn from a proprietary 'Seriöse Anbieter Filter' that screens out disreputable providers on the basis of contract terms, market longevity, customer reviews, and consumer-friendliness. After sign-up, the platform — branded as a 'Rundum-sorglos' service — monitors deadlines, handles cancellations and provider communication via an automated email-based layer (a dedicated email identifier is provisioned for each customer), checks invoices, and proactively performs annual re-optimizations without requiring further user action. A 14-day auto-switching policy executes switches when no objection is received. SEPA direct debit is used for billing.
The core product surface consists of the Tarifrechner, the Strom- und Gas-Wechselservice, the annual Tarifoptimierung add-on, the Vertragsorganisation contract-management module, and Wechselschutz — a free switching-protection insurance bundled via a partnership with Versicherungskammer Bayern. There is no native mobile app and no customer login area; all document and recommendation traffic flows through email. Distribution is exclusively digital: SEO-driven educational content (lexicon, consumer topics, price development articles), Google Ads and Bing Ads paid search, Taboola/Outbrain display remarketing, social media (Facebook), video (YouTube), the rapidmail newsletter, and embedded ProvenExpert and Trustpilot review widgets.
The business model is a pure success-based commission (Erfolgsprovision) charged solely to the customer, calculated as a share of realized annual savings — a structural departure from comparison portals such as Check24 and Verivox that earn commissions from providers. First-optimization commission is 30% of annual savings, declining to 25% on the second optimization and 20% from the third onward. A reconciliation clause adjusts the commission after 12 months if actual consumption differs from estimates, supporting a 'win-win' positioning. cheapenergy24 has been awarded Stiftung Warentest's 'empfehlenswert' rating (Finanztest 12/2021), recognized as Computer Bild Top Online-Plattform 2025 in the energy/heating/oil category, and has accumulated consistent Proven Expert Top Empfehlung awards (2020 and 2026) alongside thousands of positive customer reviews across Proven Expert, Trustpilot, and Google. The company is privately held with two managing directors — Benjamin Reichenbach and Tilo Vieten — operates with a 1-10 employee team, has no institutional funding or subsidiaries, and does not serve customers outside Germany.
cheapenergy24 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- cheapenergy24
- Legal name
- Cheapenergy24 GmbH
- Website
- https://cheapenergy24.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- cheapenergy24 is a German digital switching assistant founded in 2015 that compares, optimizes, and switches electricity and gas tariffs for German residential (and select commercial) households, charging a success-based commission on realized annual savings rather than earning from energy providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
cheapenergy24 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Energy Switching Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auto-Switching & Price Comparison Platforms (EUAGAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Supplier Tendering / RFP Management & Contract Negotiation Services (EUAGAEAE), Competitive Retail Natural Gas Supply (Residential & SMB) (EUAGABAC), Natural Gas Retail Supplier (Competitive) Marketing & Sales (EUAAADAB), Customer Self-Service Portals & Digital Experience (Web/Mobile) (EUAJAHAK)
Keywords
Where cheapenergy24 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Augsburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
cheapenergy24 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Success-Based Commission (Erfolgsprovision): The company charges a percentage of the customer's annual savings achieved through provider switching or tariff optimization. Commission is calculated as a share of the cost difference between the customer's old contract and the new recommended tariff. Payment is collected only after the customer has saved at least the commission amount, typically several months after switching. A reconciliation mechanism adjusts commission based on actual consumption vs. estimated consumption after 12 months. Loyalty pricing reduces commission rate over time: 30% for first optimization, 25% for second, 20% from third optimization onward.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | 1st Optimization: 30% of annual savings |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | 2nd Optimization: 25% of annual savings |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | 3rd+ Optimization: 20% of annual savings |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels11 records
cheapenergy24 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
cheapenergy24 operates a German-language digital switching service for private and commercial electricity and gas customers. Customers enter their postal code, address, annual consumption, and current provider online, and the company identifies cheaper alternative tariffs from the open market and handles the full switching process — including pre-contractual information, cancellation of the existing supply contract, and notice of contract termination with the new supplier. The service is free for consumers; revenue is paid by partner energy providers as a commission on the customer's expected annual savings.
Product overview
cheapenergy24 operates as a digital switching assistant for electricity and gas, offering a unified platform centered around its Wechselservice (switching service). The core offering consists of the Tarifrechner (tariff calculator) for generating personalized recommendations, combined with automatic annual tariff optimization and contract management services. Additional features include Wechselschutz (switching protection) provided through partnership with Versicherungskammer Bayern. The company operates on a commission-based model where fees are calculated as a percentage (30%, 25%, or 20% depending on optimization count) of the customer's annual savings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strom- und Gas-Wechselservice (Electricity and Gas Switching Service) Provider-independent online switching service for German private and commercial electricity and gas customers. The customer enters postal code, address, annual consumption, and current provider; the company identifies cheaper alternatives, handles pre-contractual information, cancels the existing supply contract, and notifies the new supplier. Free for consumers; revenue is paid by partner energy providers as a commission on actual customer savings.
- Wechselschutz (Switching Protection) Free-of-charge switching protection bundled with the switching service, delivered in partnership with Arag. Covers protection around the energy switch process, providing legal-expenses-backed reassurance to the customer during the supplier transition.
Quantifiable outcome
- Annual savings of up to 900 EUR per household for combined electricity and gas
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use cheapenergy24
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
cheapenergy24 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
cheapenergy24 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Versicherungskammer BayerncoreThrough a partnership with Versicherungskammer Bayern (a major German insurance group), cheapenergy24 provides all customers with free 'Wechselschutz' (switching protection) insurance. This protects customers during the provider switching process. The costs of this protection are fully borne by cheapenergy24 — it is provided at no additional cost to the customer. This partnership differentiates cheapenergy24 from competitors by adding a layer of security to the switching process.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
cheapenergy24 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Toptarif: German energy and telecom comparison and switching portal owned by Verivox. Directly comparable service (online tariff comparison and switch initiation for German consumers) with overlapping value proposition, particularly in residential electricity and gas.
- Check24 Vergleichsportal für Energie: Energy-specific arm of Check24, the dominant German price-comparison portal. Provides the same core service — German household electricity and gas comparison and switching — with supplier-funded commission, and represents the highest-volume competitive threat in paid and organic search channels.
- Verivox: Direct German comparison portal specializing in energy (Strom & Gas), insurance, and telecom. Competes head-to-head with cheapenergy24 on the same energy-switching use case for German households; supplier-funded model and large incumbency make it the closest functional competitor despite the different monetization approach.
- Finanztip: Non-profit German consumer-finance recommendation portal with strong Stiftung Warentest-style editorial authority. While broader in scope, it actively recommends and reviews energy switching services and providers — competing for the same trust-driven, research-oriented consumer segment cheapenergy24 targets.
Emerging players
- Tibber: Norwegian digital energy retailer active in Germany, offering dynamic hourly tariffs integrated with smart-home hardware. Similar to Octopus, it removes the need for a switching intermediary by providing continuously optimized pricing directly, competing for the same digitally-engaged German household segment.
- Octopus Energy Germany: Tech-forward UK-origin energy supplier operating in Germany with dynamic tariffs and digital-first customer experience. Represents the disintermediation risk: a supplier that handles switching, optimization, and contract management in-house, potentially eroding demand for third-party switching services.
- Ostrom: Berlin-based digital green energy supplier serving German consumers with a tech-led, customer-experience-focused proposition. Represents an emerging direct competitor combining supplier and digital-service layers, attacking cheapenergy24's market from the supply side.
- Lichtblick: German green energy supplier offering digital customer portals and product innovation (e.g., ZuhauseStrom dynamic tariff). Comparable as a digitally enabled German energy player, though operating as a supplier rather than a switching intermediary; relevant as an alternative route for the same consumer savings need.
Broad incumbents
- Check24: Germany's largest multi-vertical comparison portal covering insurance, banking, energy, telecom, and travel. It is cheapenergy24's primary competitive threat in energy switching — supplier-funded rather than customer-funded, with vastly larger scale and marketing budget, but offering one-off rather than automated annual re-optimization.
- Verbraucherzentrale: Federated German consumer protection centers providing free, non-commercial energy-switching advice and tariff checks. Competes indirectly by offering a credible zero-cost alternative to paid switching services, particularly for cautious consumers in cheapenergy24's addressable market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
cheapenergy24 social profiles
Digital presencecheapenergy24 compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
cheapenergy24 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
cheapenergy24 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
cheapenergy24 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
cheapenergy24 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 cheapenergy24
What does cheapenergy24 do?
cheapenergy24 operates a German-language digital switching service for private and commercial electricity and gas customers. Customers enter their postal code, address, annual consumption, and current provider online, and the company identifies cheaper alternative tariffs from the open market and handles the full switching process — including pre-contractual information, cancellation of the existing supply contract, and notice of contract termination with the new supplier. The service is free for consumers; revenue is paid by partner energy providers as a commission on the customer's expected annual savings.
Is cheapenergy24 a public or private company?
cheapenergy24 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was cheapenergy24 founded?
cheapenergy24 was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is cheapenergy24 based?
cheapenergy24 is headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does cheapenergy24 make money?
One revenue line is on record: success-Based Commission (Erfolgsprovision).
Who are cheapenergy24's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Toptarif, Check24 Vergleichsportal für Energie, Verivox and Finanztip. Emerging players are Tibber, Octopus Energy Germany, Ostrom and Lichtblick. Broad incumbents are Check24 and Verbraucherzentrale.
Does cheapenergy24 have an API?
No public API is recorded for cheapenergy24.
What industry is cheapenergy24 in?
cheapenergy24's product category is Consumer Energy Switching Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAGAEAD, Auto-Switching & Price Comparison Platforms, with a secondary code of EUAGAEAE, Supplier Tendering / RFP Management & Contract Negotiation Services.