OpenFisca
OpenFisca is a French non-profit that provides an open-source micro-simulator transforming legislative code into executable software for governments, developers, and researchers to calculate taxes and social benefits via APIs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenFisca does
OpenFisca is a French non-profit association that operates an open-source micro-simulator of the tax-benefit system. Founded in 2011, the platform transforms legislative code into executable software, enabling governments, parliamentarians, developers, data scientists, economists, and researchers to model and calculate taxes and social benefits collaboratively. Its core technology consists of country-specific legislation packages combined with two primary APIs: a JSON Web API for application developers and a Python Vector API for large-scale data science computation. The platform supports an extension system allowing domain-specific customization and operates as a community-driven project distributed through GitHub.
The business model is non-commercial: OpenFisca is free, open-source software with no pricing model. The project sustains itself through community contributions, public sector partnerships, and institutional recognition from organizations including the OECD, UNDP, UNICEF, Norad, and the European Commission. Its go-to-market is community-led and API-first, relying on self-serve digital channels such as GitHub repositories, a Slack workspace, an annual conference, documentation portals, and a showcase gallery. There is no formal enterprise sales motion; users discover and adopt the platform through open-source channels and institutional endorsements.
OpenFisca serves three primary customer segments: government administrations and cabinets needing to share regulatory updates and pool costs; developers and data scientists building applications and performing large-scale policy analysis; and academic economists and researchers studying fiscal policy impacts. Notable deployments include the Ajuntament de Barcelona's 'Les meves ajudes' service, the Assemblée nationale's LexImpact socio-fiscal reform simulator, and Japan's Institute for Poverty Prevention's 'Shien Mitsumori Yadokari-kun' service. The platform has been recognized as a Digital Public Good and has received multiple awards including the 2023 World Government Summit Edge of Government prize.
OpenFisca firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenFisca
- Legal name
- OpenFisca
- Website
- https://openfisca.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenFisca is a French non-profit that provides an open-source micro-simulator transforming legislative code into executable software for governments, developers, and researchers to calculate taxes and social benefits via APIs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenFisca industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open-source legislation modeling software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms (EDAGAJAM)
Keywords
OpenFisca business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
OpenFisca product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenFisca is a free, open-source engine that transforms legislative code into executable software, enabling governments, developers, economists, and researchers to model tax and social-benefit systems collaboratively. It exposes a JSON Web API for building applications that calculate taxes and benefits, and a Python vector API for large-scale policy simulation across populations. Country-specific legislation packages and an extension system allow the engine to be applied across multiple jurisdictions and business contexts.
Product overview
OpenFisca is an open-source legislative modeling engine that transforms laws into executable code. The platform consists of country-specific legislative packages that users select based on jurisdiction, combined with two APIs: the JSON Web API for developers building applications, and the Python vector API for data scientists performing large-scale computations. The system enables automated calculation of taxes and social benefits, reform impact simulation, and algorithmic transparency in public policy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OpenFisca Web API (JSON) RESTful JSON API that enables application developers to build services that calculate taxes, benefits, and complex social welfare computations based on the legislative models in OpenFisca's country packages. Used, for example, by Ajuntament de Barcelona's 'Les meves ajudes' service and the Institute for Poverty Prevention's 'Shien Mitsumori Yadokari-kun' in Japan.
- OpenFisca Python API (Vector API) Python API with vectorized computation capabilities that allows data scientists and economists to run large-scale fiscal and benefit simulations across millions of cases using administrative or census data.
- OpenFisca Country Packages Open-source legislation packages for specific jurisdictions (e.g., France, Spain, Japan) that encode the parameters and rules of tax and social-benefit law as executable code. Users select the package matching their jurisdiction to access the corresponding legislation model.
Companies that use OpenFisca
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
OpenFisca technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
OpenFisca partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenFisca competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Code for America: Code for America is a U.S. non-profit that builds digital tools and advocates for technology-driven government services. It is a broad incumbent because both organizations operate as non-profit civic-tech entities partnering with governments, though Code for America addresses a wider portfolio of government service delivery problems.
- 18F: 18F is a U.S. federal government digital services team that builds and procures technology for public agencies. It is a broad incumbent because both 18F and OpenFisca serve as technology infrastructure for government digital transformation, though 18F operates with a broader service mandate within U.S. federal agencies.
Others
- Open Data Institute: The Open Data Institute is a UK-based non-profit that advocates for open data adoption and trains organizations on data infrastructure. It is an adjacent peer because both ODI and OpenFisca advance the open-policy and open-data ecosystem recognized by the Digital Public Goods Alliance, though ODI focuses on data infrastructure rather than legislative code modeling.
Direct peers
- Decidim: Decidim is an open-source participatory democracy platform for cities and organizations, originating from Barcelona's civic tech ecosystem. It is a direct peer because both OpenFisca and Decidim are open-source civic-tech infrastructure projects deployed by European municipalities to power citizen-facing government services.
- Xcential: Xcential provides legislative technology platforms that structure and model legislation in machine-readable formats for U.S. federal and state governments. It is a direct peer because both Xcential and OpenFisca operate in the niche of converting legal code into computable models for legislative drafting and policy simulation.
Regional players
- Civio Foundation: Civio is a Spanish non-profit data journalism and civic tech organization that uses open data to monitor government activity. It is a regional peer because both Civio and OpenFisca operate in the European civic-tech non-profit ecosystem with Spanish-speaking user communities, though Civio focuses on transparency monitoring rather than legislative modeling.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenFisca social profiles
Digital presenceOpenFisca compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
OpenFisca financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenFisca leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
OpenFisca funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenFisca 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 OpenFisca
What does OpenFisca do?
OpenFisca is a free, open-source engine that transforms legislative code into executable software, enabling governments, developers, economists, and researchers to model tax and social-benefit systems collaboratively. It exposes a JSON Web API for building applications that calculate taxes and benefits, and a Python vector API for large-scale policy simulation across populations. Country-specific legislation packages and an extension system allow the engine to be applied across multiple jurisdictions and business contexts.
Is OpenFisca a public or private company?
OpenFisca is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenFisca founded?
OpenFisca was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Who are OpenFisca's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Code for America and 18F. Open Data Institute is listed as an others. Direct peers are Decidim and Xcential. Civio Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does OpenFisca have an API?
Yes. OpenFisca offers two APIs: a JSON Web API for developers to build applications calculating taxes and complex benefits, and a Python vector API for data scientists to work at scale. Both APIs allow users to simulate reforms and calculate taxes and social benefits based on legislative models. Developer documentation is at openfisca.org/doc.
What industry is OpenFisca in?
OpenFisca's product category is Open-source legislation modeling software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAM, OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.