Is BAND a public or private company?

BAND is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was BAND founded?

BAND was founded in -1. It employs 101 to 250 people.

How does BAND make money?

One revenue line is on record: advertising.

Who are BAND's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Slack, Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp. Direct peers are Mighty Networks, Circle, Discord, Telegram, Remind, LINE and GroupMe.

Does BAND have an API?

No public API is recorded for BAND.

BAND company profile: firmographics, business model, customers, competitors

Namestring

BAND

Legal namestring

BAND

Websiteurl

about.band.us

Company typeenum

Private

Founded yearstring

-

Descriptiontext

BAND is a free, mobile-first group communication and coordination platform operated as a subsidiary of Naver Corp (formerly NHN Corporation), with operational presence in Los Angeles, California and corporate domicile in South Korea. The product is delivered as a single iOS/Android application that combines messaging, calendars with RSVP tracking, file and media sharing, subgroup chat rooms, polls and surveys, livestreaming, and administrative moderation tools. The platform targets three primary verticals: sports and activities organizations, K-12 and higher-education institutions, and SMB use cases such as branch management and field teams. Notable technical components include read-receipt functionality for accountability, QR-code-based member onboarding, and SMS alerting for members without smartphones.

BAND is monetized exclusively through non-intrusive in-app advertising under a 100% freemium model with no paid tiers, no per-user fees, and no member limits per group (users can create up to 200 groups). The company reaches 100M+ cumulative downloads, 8M+ active group leaders, and operates across 179 countries in 8 languages. Distribution occurs through Google Play and Apple App Store, supplemented by QR-code-driven offline acquisition and a developer portal for third-party integrations. The company holds Privo COPPA Safe Harbor certification, enabling compliant service to minors in U.S. education and youth-sports segments, and carries endorsement-grade relationships with NFHS, USA Wrestling, CIF, NAYS, Varsity, Girls on the Run, ACDA, and other national governing bodies.

Strategically, BAND functions as a non-core consumer-communication asset within Naver Corp's broader portfolio rather than an independently funded venture. With 184 employees and no disclosed revenue, the business is structurally low-revenue per user but operates at meaningful global scale, competing against general-purpose messaging apps and category-specific tools for sports team and school administration communication.

Short descriptiontext

BAND is a free, ad-supported mobile group communication and coordination platform serving sports teams, schools, and SMBs with messaging, calendars, file sharing, and livestreaming. It operates as a Naver Corp subsidiary with 8M+ group leaders across 179 countries.

Operating statusenum

Operating

Ownership categoryenum

Headcount rangeband

101–250

akta.pro rankint

Markets served

Serves global market

Keyword5 values

group communication app, team messaging platform, event coordination software, mobile community app, free messaging application

Product category

Group Communication Software

Social media profiles1 record

GTM motion1 record

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model1 record

1Advertising

TypeAdvertising

Description

BAND is provided completely free to users. Revenue is generated through non-intrusive advertisements placed within the app. This freemium-advertising hybrid model allows BAND to offer full functionality without any paywalls while monetizing through ad impressions across its 100 million+ user base.

band.us

Marketing channels5 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components4 values

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

Pricing details1 tier

1Free for all users

ModelFreemiumBilling cadencePay-as-you-go

Notes

100% free service with unlimited group creation (up to 200 groups per user), no member limits, and full feature access. Monetized via non-intrusive ads.

band.us

GTM typeB2C

B2C

Offering typeSoftware

Software

Core offering1 text field

BAND is a 100% free mobile group communication app that lets group leaders send announcements with read receipts, schedule events with RSVP tracking, run subgroup chats, share files/photos/videos, conduct polls and surveys, livestream events, and administer member permissions. It is offered globally through the Apple App Store and Google Play, with a Naver Corp-hosted backend and COPPA Safe Harbor certification for youth use cases.

Differentiator

Functional benefit

Problem solved

Quantifiable outcome1 of 3 values shown

100M+ app downloads worldwide

+2 more records

Product overview1 text field

BAND is a single, unified free group communication and coordination app. The core BAND App platform provides messaging, event management, file sharing, and livestreaming capabilities. These are delivered as integrated modules within the app: Post (announcements with read receipts), Calendar (event scheduling with RSVP), Chat (subgroup messaging), Files & Media (file/photo/video sharing), Survey Tools (polls, attendance, sign-ups), Livestream (live events/meetings), Admin Control (moderation permissions), and School Band (education-specific features). The platform supports sports teams, schools, and business teams across 179 countries with 100 million downloads.

Product and service1 record

1BAND App

CategoryGroup communication software

Description

A free, mobile-first group communication application for iOS and Android that lets group leaders send announcements with read receipts, schedule events with RSVP tracking, run subgroup chats, share files/photos/videos, conduct polls and surveys, livestream events, and manage member permissions. Designed for sports teams, schools, PTAs, and small business teams globally.

Scale indicator4 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership14 partners

1Varsity