Code Piraten GmbH

What Code Piraten GmbH does

Code Piraten GmbH is a privately held German software company headquartered in Mülheim an der Ruhr (with a mailing address in Essen), specializing in SaaS workflow and process optimization tools alongside bespoke custom software development. The company operates a portfolio of proprietary products including guestoo (guest and event management), workYoo (team collaboration and project management), persoo (flexible staff scheduling), scansio (privacy-compliant OCR API), depositoo (inventory and asset lending), and the more recent comploo (compliance management). All products are built on a Java (Spring) backend with an Angular frontend, reflecting the founders' deep technical roots and a long-standing development philosophy that prioritizes pragmatic, user-friendly interfaces over feature complexity.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model: a product-led growth motion for self-serve SaaS signups across free and tiered subscription plans, combined with direct sales engagement for custom software development projects targeting DACH enterprise clients. Revenue streams span SaaS subscriptions (guestoo's Free, Basic, Pro, and Business tiers plus add-on modules), professional services for bespoke development (analysis through introduction), usage-based fees for the scansio API, and transaction fees from payment processing integrations (pmPayment/GovConnect for government entities, Wallee, Mollie). The customer base is concentrated in Germany and Austria, spanning enterprises such as AXA, T-Systems, ASUS, Koelnmesse (gamescom), Volkswagen dealers, Volksbank Oldenburg, and Stauder, alongside trade associations, government entities, religious institutions, and event-driven SMBs. Products support eight or more languages including German, English, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, and Italian, supporting cross-border expansion potential within Europe.

As of early 2025, the company achieved ISO/IEC 27001 certification, signaling compliance readiness for regulated enterprise and government customers, alongside ongoing X-Rechnung/ZUGFeRD support and GDPR-compliant design principles. The organization remains founder-owned and founder-managed with a flat hierarchy, employing approximately 10-15 people across development, support, marketing, and management functions. Recent strategic activity in 2024-2025 includes the launches of scansio (OCR API), comploo (compliance management), and a self-check-in station hardware product, as well as a new guestoo pricing structure introduced for the first time since 2016, suggesting an active product portfolio expansion from a small but focused team without external institutional capital.

Name

Code Piraten GmbH

Legal name

Code Piraten GmbH

Website

https://codepiraten.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Code Piraten GmbH is a German software company offering SaaS products for event management, team collaboration, staff scheduling, OCR document processing, inventory, and compliance, plus custom software development for DACH-region enterprise and SMB clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Management Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor Sourcing & Contract Management (HSACAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) & Document Generation/Templating (HDAEAGAL), Vendor & Contract Management (Software/Cloud) (BPAEAOAD)

Keywords

• Event management software
• Custom software development
• SaaS business applications
• OCR document processing
• Association management tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Mülheim an der Ruhr

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscriptions (Guestoo): Guestoo offers tiered subscription plans (Free, Basic, Pro, Business) with increasing features. Basic and Free tiers include advertising footers in emails. Premium features like Kundenkarten-Funktion, Medienverwaltung, Namensschild-Template-Designer, and advanced ticket conditions are add-on purchases.
2. SaaS Subscriptions (workYoo): workYoo is offered as a team collaboration SaaS with subscription pricing based on team size or feature tiers.
3. SaaS Subscriptions (persoo): persoo operates on subscription model for flexible staff scheduling, targeted at events, caterers, festivals and organizations with variable staffing needs.
4. API/Usage-based (scansio): scansio provides privacy-compliant OCR API services, likely with usage-based or subscription pricing based on API call volumes.
5. Custom Software Development: Code Piraten develops bespoke software applications for individual client needs, covering analysis, conception, implementation, and introduction phases. Services include project management, database concepts, interface development, integration, support, training, maintenance, and regular penetration testing.
6. Transaction Fees (Event Payments): Integration with payment service providers (pmPayment/GovConnect, Wallee, Mollie) for event registrations and ticket sales, generating transaction fees from payment processing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Code Piraten GmbH is a German software company that develops and sells a portfolio of SaaS products — including guestoo (event management), workYoo (collaboration), persoo (HR/recruiting), scansio (OCR/document processing), depositoo (equipment lending) and comploo (compliance) — and additionally provides custom software development services for clients, built primarily on Java/Spring back-ends with Angular front-ends.

Product overview

Code Piraten GmbH offers a portfolio of professional, secure, and privacy-compliant web applications centered around workflow optimization and digital process management. The core product lineup includes guestoo (comprehensive event and guest management), workYoo (project management, CRM, and team collaboration), persoo (personnel scheduling), scansio (OCR API for document processing), and depositoo (inventory management). Additional modules extend the guestoo platform with specialized features including a manager app, guest app, desktop application, self-check-in station, media management, name badge designer, customer cards, surveys, lottery/giveaway tools, and export functionality. The products share a focus on user-friendly interfaces despite professional capabilities, with strong data protection compliance suitable for German and European organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• guestoo: Full guest and participant management system for events including planning, invitations, info mailings, check-in/out, surveys, and complete event planning workflow.
• workYoo
• persoo
• scansio
• depositoo
• comploo
• covidoo

Products and services

• guestoo
• workYoo
• persoo
• scansio
• depositoo
• comploo
• Custom Software Development

Quantifiable outcome

• Replaced multiple software applications with one unified platform (Bundesverband Marketing Clubs case)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers55 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• akademoominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining partner providing beginner and advanced courses for guestoo users to maximize product adoption and customer success.
• ESSEN DIGITALISIERTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Essen Economic Development's digitalization event, participating with presentation on Digitalisierung & Compliance Management.
• ruhrSUMMITminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresentation partnership at ruhrSUMMIT conference in Bochum, introducing new compliance management tool 'comploo'.
• Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.minorOthersCustomer success story partner; Code Piraten supported the organization's 2025 jubilee gala using guestoo.
• KoelnmesseminorOthersMajor trade fair operator using guestoo for VIP guest management at gamescom and other events.
• Bundesverband Marketing ClubsminorOthersAssociation customer managing 60 regional clubs using guestoo for unified event management, featured as success story.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eventbrite: Global self-serve event ticketing and management platform. Closely comparable to guestoo for SMB event organizers with self-service sign-up, ticketing, and check-in workflows, though at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Whova: Event management and community engagement platform used by associations and conferences. Directly comparable to guestoo for trade associations like Bundesverband Marketing Clubs, with similar attendee app, agenda, and networking capabilities.
• Bizzabo: Event experience platform for B2B conferences and trade shows. Closely comparable to guestoo for corporate events, check-in, and attendee engagement, with similar mid-market enterprise focus and feature parity around registration and on-site operations.
• Deputy: Staff scheduling and workforce management platform. Directly comparable to persoo's shift scheduling, time tracking, and variable-staff coordination for events, hospitality, and shift-based workforces.
• EventMobi: Event apps and engagement platform for conferences and trade shows. Closely comparable to guestoo for enterprise and association events with attendee apps, check-in, and engagement features.
• Mindee: Developer-focused OCR and document parsing API. Closely comparable to scansio's privacy-compliant OCR API for ID cards, invoices, and contracts, with similar API-driven developer distribution model.
• Shiftboard: Employee scheduling software for shift-based and event workforces. Comparable to persoo's flexible staff planning focus, particularly for organizations managing pool/freelance staff across multiple events or locations.

Regional players

• Xing Events: DACH-focused event management platform from Xing (now part of New Work SE). Comparable to guestoo's DACH positioning and association/corporate event focus, with similar German-market privacy and language strengths.

Broad incumbents

• monday.com: Broad work management platform including project management, CRM, time tracking, and collaboration. Comparable to workYoo's all-in-one team collaboration positioning, but at much larger scale and with broader workflow coverage.
• Cvent: Enterprise-focused event management platform covering registration, venue sourcing, and onsite management. Directly comparable to guestoo's enterprise segment (gamescom-scale deployments), but operating as a large incumbent with broader portfolio including venue sourcing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/codepiraten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/code-piraten-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Code Piraten GmbH