WHOIS
WHOIS (후이즈) is Korea's #1 domain registrar and business solutions provider, founded in 1999, serving 500,000+ SMB customers and ~150 major Korean conglomerates with domain registration, Super DNS, email, cloud hosting, and AI-based brand protection.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersGwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WHOIS does
WHOIS (후이즈) is a South Korea-based for-profit corporation founded in 1999 as Korea's first domain registration website, currently operating as Korea's No. 1 domain and business solutions provider with a wholly-owned Japanese subsidiary (Whois Japan, est. 2000). The company delivers a comprehensive internet infrastructure stack including domain registration across gTLDs and ccTLDs (with new .ai.kr, .io.kr, .it.kr, .me.kr launches in 2025), Super DNS (Akamai-powered cloud-based nameserver with DDoS protection and 100% uptime guarantee), cloud web hosting on 100% global cloud infrastructure, corporate email (Whois Mail — Korea's #1 email solution serving 100,000+ businesses with GS Grade 1 certification), SSL certificates, IDC/cloud server hosting, groupware (Whois Works), SMS, and internet fax services. The company's proprietary technology stack is anchored by an Oracle-backed domain registration database, ICANN-accredited gTLD registry operator status (the only Korean company holding this for .samsung, .삼성, and .doosan brand TLDs), and an AI-based Digital Risk Protection (DRP) service launched in May 2024 for brand threat monitoring and removal.
Whois serves a bifurcated customer base: ~150 major Korean conglomerates and enterprises (including Samsung, LG, Hyundai, POSCO, Hanwha, Shinsegae, E-mart, Starbucks Korea, Samsung Life, Shinhan Financial, Kakao Entertainment, G-market, News1, and Doosan) on full-scale Domain Management Service (DMS) contracts, plus 500,000+ SMB and self-serve customers for domain, hosting, and email services. The company monetizes primarily through subscription-recurring revenue (annual domain renewals, monthly hosting/email, per-seat groupware and Naver Works), supplemented by managed IDC services, freemium homepage creation, and enterprise DMS contracts.
Whois distributes through a multi-channel GTM: a self-serve website (whois.co.kr), inside phone sales (1588-4259), Naver TalkTalk/KakaoTalk chat, channel partners for Naver Works and homepage creation, and the Whois Japan subsidiary. The company holds ISMS certification (renewed continuously since 2014), was the first Korean domain company to be designated a KISA personal information protection excellence company (2020, with perfect 100/100 score), and signed a June 2026 MOU with KISA and 5 patent law firms for K-Brand online protection. Leadership transitioned to a Co-CEO structure (Jeong Ji-hoon and Woo Hee-moon) in December 2023, succeeding the prior representative director.
WHOIS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WHOIS
- Legal name
- 주식회사 후이즈
- Website
- https://whois.co.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- WHOIS (후이즈) is Korea's #1 domain registrar and business solutions provider, founded in 1999, serving 500,000+ SMB customers and ~150 major Korean conglomerates with domain registration, Super DNS, email, cloud hosting, and AI-based brand protection.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WHOIS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Domain Registration & Web Hosting Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI) (HDAFAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP (DDI) (HDAFAMAE), Vendor & Contract Management (Software/Cloud) (BPAEAOAD)
Keywords
Where WHOIS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
WHOIS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- 도메인 등록 및 연장 (Domain Registration & Renewal): Annual domain registration and renewal fees across gTLDs (.com, .net, .org) and ccTLDs (.kr, .한국). Primary revenue driver. Domain registration up to 10 years. Premium domain pricing available.
- 웹호스팅 / 클라우드 (Web Hosting / Cloud): Cloud web hosting services with monthly and annual billing. Video hosting, SSL certificates, and managed hosting add-ons.
- 메일 솔루션 (Email Solutions): Corporate email solutions including Whois Mail (GS Grade 1 certified), Internet fax, SMS messaging. Subscription-based with per-account pricing. Naver Works resale as premium partner.
- IDC / 서버호스팅 (IDC / Server Hosting): Server hosting, colocation, cloud services, and managed security services for enterprise customers.
- 그룹웨어 (Groupware): Whois Works groupware, Whois Works+ and Hiworks groupware solutions. Subscription-based per user.
- 홈페이지 제작 (Homepage Creation): Free homepage creation service (freemium) with premium custom development and add-on services (SEO, KakaoTalk notifications, online advertising consulting).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | 도메인 신규등록 (Domain New Registration) |
| Subscription | Monthly | 클라우드 웹호스팅 (Cloud Web Hosting) |
| Subscription | Monthly | 후이즈메일 (Whois Mail) |
| Subscription | Annual | 네이버웍스 (Naver Works) |
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | 홈페이지 무료제작 (Free Homepage Creation) |
| Subscription | Monthly | IDC / 서버호스팅 (IDC / Server Hosting) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
WHOIS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WHOIS is Korea's No. 1 domain registrar and business solutions company, providing domain name registration and renewal across gTLDs (.com, .net) and ccTLDs (.kr, .한국), cloud-based web hosting with proprietary Super DNS nameserver, corporate email (Whois Mail), groupware (Whois Works), SSL certificates, IDC cloud services, and free homepage creation. The company also operates enterprise-grade Domain Management Service (DMS) for major Korean conglomerates and AI-based brand protection (DRP) for digital risk mitigation.
Product overview
WHOIS (후이즈) is Korea's No. 1 domain and business solutions company offering a comprehensive portfolio of internet infrastructure services. The core offerings include domain registration (후이즈 도메인) with Super DNS nameserver, email solutions (후이즈메일), and cloud web hosting (클라우드 웹호스팅). The company resells Naver Works as a premium partner and offers proprietary groupware (후이즈웍스). Additional services include SSL security certificates, IDC cloud services, homepage creation, SMS/internet fax, and enterprise domain management (DMS). The portfolio also includes an AI-powered brand protection and threat removal service (DRP) for brand asset protection. Services target businesses of all sizes with enterprise-grade support and 1:1 assistance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 후이즈메일: 국내 메일솔루션 분야 점유율 1위, 국가공인 GS 1등급 메일솔루션
- 후이즈웍스
- Super DNS
- 후이즈 IDC
- 후이즈재팬
Quantifiable outcome
- 53,693 customer reviews with 92.6% satisfaction rating
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use WHOIS
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WHOIS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
WHOIS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and notable.
- 한국인터넷진흥원 (KISA)coreKISA and Whois signed an MOU for enterprise online brand protection. Whois participates as a domain name registration agency in KISA's public-private collaborative defense network against domain squatting and brand impersonation targeting K-beauty, K-pop, and other Korean brands. Announced June 18, 2026.
- 네이버클라우드 (Naver Cloud Platform)coreNaver Cloud Platform service provider partnership established January 2020. Whois serves as Naver Works Premium Partner (2025), reselling Naver Works with special discounts and 1:1 support. May 2025 designated as top Naver Works partner in Korea.
- 퍼스트몰 (Firstmall) / 크리마 (Cremareview)minorFirstmall partnership offering创业 package with Cremareview review management. 2-month support benefits for Whois customers to convert reviews into sales.
- 뉴스1 (News1)notableWhois supplied News1 (Korea's private news agency) with cloud-based integrated security solutions covering website, API, and APP environments. September 2023.
- Akamai Technologies (아카마이 테크놀로지스)coreStrategic technology partnership for Super DNS — cloud-based high-performance DNS nameserver with DDoS protection. Akamai provides underlying cloud infrastructure for Whois's Super DNS service. Announced July 2023.
- LG Uplus Bizmarket (엘지유플러스 비즈마켓)minorWhois Mail listed on LG Uplus Bizmarket channel for distribution. April 2023.
- KT CloudminorKT Cloud resale agreement signed March 2020.
- 후이즈 상생플랫폼minorWhois Mall and Welcome Payments co-growth platform partnership. March 2018.
- LG CNS (엘지씨엔에스)minorResale contract for KakaoTalk 알림톡 and 친구톡 services through LG CNS. September 2017.
- 에스원 (Samsung S1, 삼성에스원)minorMOU signed May 2017 with Samsung S1 (에스원) for free homepage service partnership. Also, free homepage service partnership signed January 2018.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
WHOIS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MarkMonitor (Clarivate): Global leader in enterprise domain management and brand protection services. Comparable to Whois's DMS (Domain Management Service) for Samsung, LG, and Hyundai — both serve enterprise brand-protection and anti-piracy needs at the corporate domain portfolio level.
- Hover (Tucows): Independent domain registrar owned by Tucows, focused on clean, no-upsell registration experience. Comparable business model and target customer (SMBs and individuals seeking domain services) to Whois's core domain registration offering.
- CSC (Corporation Service Company): Enterprise-focused corporate domain management and brand protection provider serving Fortune 500 companies. Comparable to Whois's enterprise DMS for managing large corporate domain portfolios and online brand enforcement.
- Namecheap: Independent global domain registrar offering registration, hosting, and email. Comparable business model focusing on retail and SMB customers with competitive renewal pricing and add-on services.
- Gabia (가비아): Korea's largest direct competitor in domain registration, web hosting, email, and groupware (Hiworks). Both companies target Korean SMBs and enterprises with overlapping multi-product portfolios including domain, hosting, email, and groupware — making them the closest 1:1 head-to-head peer.
Broad incumbents
- GoDaddy: Global domain registration and hosting incumbent that dominates the .com/.net retail registrar market. While Whois operates primarily in Korea, GoDaddy competes for global domain registrations of Korean SMEs and sets pricing/feature benchmarks Whois must match.
- Verisign: Operator of the .com and .net registry infrastructure globally. Comparable registry-operator function to Whois's role as a Korean gTLD registry operator for .samsung, .삼성, and .doosan — though at vastly different scale and geography.
- Cloudflare: Global DNS, CDN, and security platform whose DNS and security services overlap with Whois's Super DNS and AI DRP services. Competes for enterprise security-driven DNS and brand protection spend, particularly with Whois's premium enterprise customers.
Regional players
- Cafe24 (카페24): Korea's leading e-commerce platform and hosting provider. Cafe24 primarily serves online merchants with storefronts but overlaps with Whois in cloud hosting, domains, and corporate email solutions for the Korean SMB market.
Others
- Naver Cloud / Naver Works: Provider of the Naver Works collaboration and email platform that Whois resells as Korea's #1 Premium Partner. As Whois's upstream platform partner and a broader Korean cloud/email incumbent, Naver is both a strategic ally and a potential direct competitor if Navert Clou─d verticalizes in domains/hosting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WHOIS social profiles
Digital presenceWHOIS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
WHOIS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WHOIS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WHOIS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
WHOIS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WHOIS 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 WHOIS
What does WHOIS do?
WHOIS is Korea's No. 1 domain registrar and business solutions company, providing domain name registration and renewal across gTLDs (.com, .net) and ccTLDs (.kr, .한국), cloud-based web hosting with proprietary Super DNS nameserver, corporate email (Whois Mail), groupware (Whois Works), SSL certificates, IDC cloud services, and free homepage creation. The company also operates enterprise-grade Domain Management Service (DMS) for major Korean conglomerates and AI-based brand protection (DRP) for digital risk mitigation.
Is WHOIS a public or private company?
WHOIS is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was WHOIS founded?
WHOIS was founded in 1999.
Where is WHOIS based?
WHOIS is headquartered in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does WHOIS make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. 도메인 등록 및 연장 (Domain Registration & Renewal) is the primary driver. The others are 웹호스팅 / 클라우드 (Web Hosting / Cloud), 메일 솔루션 (Email Solutions), IDC / 서버호스팅 (IDC / Server Hosting), 그룹웨어 (Groupware) and 홈페이지 제작 (Homepage Creation).
Who are WHOIS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MarkMonitor (Clarivate), Hover (Tucows), CSC (Corporation Service Company), Namecheap and Gabia (가비아). Broad incumbents are GoDaddy, Verisign and Cloudflare. Cafe24 (카페24) is listed as a regional player. Naver Cloud / Naver Works is listed as an others.
Does WHOIS have an API?
No public API is recorded for WHOIS.
What industry is WHOIS in?
WHOIS's product category is Domain Registration & Web Hosting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFAGAF, IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI), with a secondary code of HDAFAMAE, IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP (DDI). Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.