Sooth.fyi
Sooth.fyi is an ad-free, student-focused internet search platform that integrates NewsGuard reliability and AllSides bias ratings into search results, offers paywall-free premium news, and sells subscriptions to K-12 schools, districts, higher education, and individual learners worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersWichita, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sooth.fyi does
Sooth.fyi (legal entity Sooth Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas) is an internet search platform designed exclusively for students and the educational market. Founded in 2022, the product is differentiated from general-purpose search engines by three structural decisions: (1) curation of credible sources rather than open web crawling, (2) integration of NewsGuard Reliability Ratings and AllSides Media Bias Ratings directly in search results to teach information literacy in real time, and (3) an explicit refusal to use generative AI summarization, instead linking users back to original source pages. The platform is built around a proprietary crawler called SoothBot, which indexes publicly accessible pages at polite rates while respecting robots.txt and signing requests via RFC 9421 HTTP Message Signatures. Core feature modules include a Misinformation Toolkit, an Info Diet monitor for balanced source consumption, Research Collections (bookmarking, notes, citations, Works Cited generation), and a Usage Analytics dashboard for educators introduced in April 2025.
The company operates a dual subscription model: individual subscriptions (monthly or annual, with automatic renewal and a 30-day free trial) for self-serve consumers, and group/school subscriptions sold through enterprise agreements with Student Data Privacy Agreements (SDPAs) covering FERPA, COPPA, and state-level privacy laws in Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Utah. Distribution combines product-led growth (web app, iOS App Store, Google Play) with enterprise field sales to K-12 districts, plus channel partnerships with ClassLink (SSO), TIPS purchasing cooperative, and the A4L/SDPC consortium. Paywall-free access to premium news from The Washington Post, The Economist, Business Insider, MIT Technology Review, Foreign Policy, Project Syndicate, AFP, Christian Science Monitor, The Nation, The New Republic, and The Washington Times serves as a content moat unavailable to academic databases.
The customer base spans K-12 schools and districts (with notable U.S. institutions including NYC Public Schools, multiple BOCES in New York, Anchorage School District, and prep schools like Tabor Academy and Milton Academy), higher education (Princeton University), individual educators and librarians, and since December 2025, U.S. homeschoolers. The company is small (5 employees), bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, and has earned three industry awards (AASL 2025 Best Digital Tool for Teaching and Learning, Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence Best of 2024 in Secondary Education, District Administration Top EdTech Product Finalist 2024). Geographic reach includes the United States as the primary market, with international school presence in Thailand (International School Bangkok), Hong Kong (Hong Kong International School), and Korea (Seoul International School).
Sooth.fyi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sooth.fyi
- Legal name
- Sooth Inc.
- Website
- https://sooth.fyi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sooth.fyi is an ad-free, student-focused internet search platform that integrates NewsGuard reliability and AllSides bias ratings into search results, offers paywall-free premium news, and sells subscriptions to K-12 schools, districts, higher education, and individual learners worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sooth.fyi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Search Platform
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Academic Application Support (EDALAMAC), UGC Moderation, Trust & Safety Platforms (MPACABAL)
Keywords
Where Sooth.fyi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wichita
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sooth.fyi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Subscriptions: Individual subscriptions that renew automatically on a monthly or annual basis. Users receive renewal reminders approximately 10 days before renewal, and payment is processed automatically. Group/school subscriptions do not renew automatically - account administrators receive renewal reminders approximately 90 days before renewal date.
- Group/School Subscriptions: School and district group subscriptions sold through enterprise agreements with Student Data Privacy Agreements. These do not renew automatically; account administrators receive renewal reminders 90 days before renewal date. School Agreements govern data security, indemnification, and other commercial terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual subscription with monthly billing |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual subscription with annual billing |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Group/School subscription with multi-year terms |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Sooth.fyi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sooth.fyi operates an ad-free, student-focused internet search platform that delivers curated results from credible and diverse sources, integrated with NewsGuard reliability ratings and AllSides media bias ratings, without generative AI summarization. The platform layers on end-to-end research workflow tools including bookmarking, note-taking, collaborative research collections, citation generation, and Works Cited pages, plus a misinformation toolkit and information diet monitoring. It is sold through individual subscriptions (monthly and annual with a 30-day free trial) and group or school and district multi-year subscriptions governed by Student Data Privacy Agreements.
Product overview
Sooth.fyi is a unified internet search platform designed for students featuring a curated, ad-free search experience built around source credibility and information literacy. The core Sooth.fyi platform connects to a search index built by the SoothBot crawler and displays content with NewsGuard Reliability Ratings and AllSides Media Bias Ratings. Key features include the Misinformation Toolkit for critical thinking, the Info Diet monitor for balanced content engagement, and Research Collections for collaborative note-taking, citation generation, and Works Cited creation. The platform provides paywall-free access to premium news from partnered publishers including The Washington Post, The Economist, Business Insider, MIT Technology Review, and others. Supporting resources include a library of educator Lesson Plans covering diverse academic topics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SoothBot: The crawler that builds Sooth's search index - a search engine for students with no generative AI, just links back to source pages. It reads and indexes publicly accessible web pages to build the search index for students.
Products and services
- Sooth.fyi Student Search Platform Ad-free, AI-summarization-free internet search platform for students delivering curated results from credible and diverse sources, with NewsGuard reliability ratings, AllSides media bias ratings, a misinformation toolkit, research collections, citation generation, and paywall-free premium news access. Sold to individual consumers via self-serve subscriptions and to schools and districts via enterprise agreements with Student Data Privacy Agreements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students who use Sooth reportedly complete research projects faster and with higher quality sources than using traditional databases
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sooth.fyi
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sooth.fyi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature8 records
Sooth.fyi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Business InsidercoreBusiness Insider is one of Sooth's premium news partners, providing paywall-free access to students. Two of the most important institutions are effective schools and a free press producing high quality journalism, and Sooth is helping connect students with both.
- NoodleToolscoreIntegration partnership allowing Sooth users to seamlessly export their citations directly from Sooth into their NoodleTools accounts, streamlining the research and citation workflow for students.
- The Christian Science MonitorcorePremium news partner providing paywall-free access to students. Starting July 1, 2025, Sooth users can access all premium content published by The Christian Science Monitor.
- The NationcorePremium news partner providing paywall-free access to students. Starting July 1, 2025, Sooth users can access all premium content published by The Nation.
- The New RepubliccorePremium news partner providing paywall-free access to students. Starting July 1, 2025, Sooth users can access all premium content published by The New Republic.
- The EconomistflagshipLandmark partnership with one of the world's most respected publications, unlocking world-class journalism for students through paywall-free access.
- ClassLinkcoreClassLink Partner Spotlight webinar hosted with Sooth, providing single sign-on integration for schools using the ClassLink platform.
- The Washington PostflagshipPartnership with the award-winning The Washington Post enabling students and educators to freely access premium content through the Sooth platform.
- AFP NewscorePremium news partner providing access to AFP News content, the world's oldest news agency, starting August 1, 2024.
- A4L Community (Access 4 Learning)coreSooth became a vendor-member of the A4L community, the largest nationwide consortium of school districts committed to student data privacy. Member of Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) and supports SDPC's national data privacy agreement forms.
- Foreign Policy MagazinecorePremium news partner starting June 1, 2024. Foreign Policy magazine is the only independent magazine to have won multiple National Magazine Awards for general excellence.
- Project SyndicatecorePremium content partner starting August 1, 2023. Project Syndicate is known as the 'World's Opinion Page' and provides access to expert commentary and analysis.
- TIPS Purchasing CooperativecoreSooth is an Awarded Vendor to TIPS, one of the largest national purchasing cooperatives for school districts and colleges, facilitating easier procurement for educational institutions.
- MIT Technology ReviewcorePremium content partner starting June 1, 2023. Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, providing students access to technology and science journalism.
- ECISminorEuropean Council of International Schools membership, shown as a logo badge on the website footer.
- Microsoft for StartupsminorMicrosoft for Founders badge displayed on website, indicating participation in Microsoft startup programs.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sooth.fyi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ProQuest: Major provider of academic and K-12 research databases and ebooks used by school and public libraries. Competes with Sooth for the same library budget, particularly in secondary and higher education.
- JSTOR: Scholarly research database widely licensed by high schools and universities. Targets the upper end of Sooth's user base (advanced high school and higher-ed research papers).
- EBSCO: Large incumbent provider of research databases (including Explora) sold to school and academic libraries. Overlaps with Sooth in K-12 research use cases but competes from a broad content bundle rather than a credibility-rated web search.
- Gale: Cengage-owned provider of school library research databases and reference content. Targets the same school librarian buyer as Sooth and competes for the same research-and-information-literacy use cases.
- Britannica School: Editorially curated K-12 reference and research product from Encyclopædia Britannica. Sells into the same school librarian constituency and addresses the 'credible content for student research' need that Sooth targets.
Direct peers
- SweetSearch: A student-focused web search engine curated by educators and librarians to surface credible sources. Most direct functional overlap with Sooth.fyi, including school-targeted credibility filtering, though without paywall-free premium publisher partnerships.
- iSeek Education: Safe search engine for educators and students that filters results to teacher-approved resources. Highly comparable to Sooth's credibility-rated, distraction-free search proposition.
- Infotopia: Educational search portal indexing curated academic resources for students and teachers. Competes in the same 'student-only discovery' category as Sooth, with an explicit mission to filter out unreliable content.
Regional players
- Sora / OverDrive Education: Leading K-12 ebook and audiobook platform deeply embedded in school libraries via ClassLink-style SSO. Competes for the same librarian technology budget and student-engagement minutes that Sooth targets, though in reading rather than research search.
Others
- NoodleTools: School-focused citation and research organizer widely used by students and librarians. Now integrated with Sooth (citation export), making it an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor in the search category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sooth.fyi social profiles
Digital presenceSooth.fyi compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Sooth.fyi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sooth.fyi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sooth.fyi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sooth.fyi 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 Sooth.fyi
What does Sooth.fyi do?
Sooth.fyi operates an ad-free, student-focused internet search platform that delivers curated results from credible and diverse sources, integrated with NewsGuard reliability ratings and AllSides media bias ratings, without generative AI summarization. The platform layers on end-to-end research workflow tools including bookmarking, note-taking, collaborative research collections, citation generation, and Works Cited pages, plus a misinformation toolkit and information diet monitoring. It is sold through individual subscriptions (monthly and annual with a 30-day free trial) and group or school and district multi-year subscriptions governed by Student Data Privacy Agreements.
Is Sooth.fyi a public or private company?
Sooth.fyi is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sooth.fyi founded?
Sooth.fyi was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sooth.fyi based?
Sooth.fyi is headquartered in Wichita, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sooth.fyi make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Individual Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are group/School Subscriptions.
Who are Sooth.fyi's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ProQuest, JSTOR, EBSCO, Gale and Britannica School. Direct peers are SweetSearch, iSeek Education and Infotopia. Sora / OverDrive Education is listed as a regional player. NoodleTools is listed as an others.
Does Sooth.fyi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sooth.fyi.
What industry is Sooth.fyi in?
Sooth.fyi's product category is Educational Search Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAL, OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services, with a secondary code of EDALAMAC, Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Academic Application Support. Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7372.