What pinside does

Pinside is a privately held online community platform founded in 2001 and headquartered in the Netherlands that operates the world's largest dedicated pinball enthusiast community (self-described). The platform serves pinball collectors, players, technicians, and restorers through an integrated ecosystem that includes a machine database covering 3,199+ games from the 1930s to present, a location map indexing 12,870+ public pinball venues worldwide, discussion forums, a marketplace for buying and selling machines and parts, a business directory, an events calendar, a shop system for third-party vendors, and a video content aggregator (Pinside TV). The site was developed in-house and uses imgproxy for image processing, operating as a web-only platform with no disclosed mobile app presence.

The platform operates on a community-led growth model with free registration and monetizes through the tiered Pinside+ subscription program (Frequent at $3.50/month, Addict at $5/month, Pro at $10/month) and one-time Red Heart donations at $15, $20, or $25. Premium subscribers receive marketplace listing fee discounts of up to 50%, increased private messaging capacity, verification badges, private forum thread access, and digest notifications. The business directory and shop system allow pinball vendors, distributors, restorers, and mod-makers to maintain branded presences on the platform, opening an additional commercial surface beyond consumer subscriptions.

Pinside maintains 134,217+ registered members, with the weekly Top 100 ranking compiled from 191,322+ approved user ratings submitted by the community. The company remains independently operated with no disclosed venture capital, institutional shareholders, parent company, or external funding, and shows no mobile app distribution presence, operating exclusively as a web-based platform accessible globally.

Name

pinside

Legal name

Pinside.com

Website

https://pinside.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pinside is a privately held Netherlands-based online community platform founded in 2001 that operates the world's largest dedicated pinball community. It serves collectors, players, technicians, and restorers with an integrated machine database, location map, forums, marketplace, business directory, and video content aggregator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pinball Community Platform

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (71312)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Coin-Operated Entertainment (Pinball, Crane/Claw, Jukebox, Darts/Billiards) (MPAEAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB)

Keywords

• Pinball community platform
• Machine database
• Online discussion forum
• Marketplace listings
• Membership subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pinside+ Membership Subscriptions: Subscription-based premium memberships offering enhanced platform features including increased PM limits, marketplace fee discounts, verification badges, and other perks. Three tiers: Frequent ($3.50/mo), Addict ($5.00/mo), and Pro ($10.00/mo).
2. One-time Donations: Red Heart donations of $15, $20, or $25 that provide basic supporter verification and features for one year, without full Pinside+ membership benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pinside operates a unified online pinball community platform that combines a database of 3,199+ pinball machines, a weekly Top 100 player ratings ranking, discussion forums, a classified marketplace for buying/selling machines, an interactive map of 12,870+ public pinball locations, a video aggregator, an events calendar, and a business directory. The platform is monetized primarily through tiered Pinside+ premium membership subscriptions and marketplace listing fees, with free registration as the entry point.

Product overview

Pinside is a comprehensive online pinball community platform that operates as a unified ecosystem of interconnected features. The core offering consists of the Game Archive (database of over 3,000 pinball machines from 1930s to present), Pinside Top 100 (weekly community ratings ranking), Community features (user profiles, stories, scores), Pinside TV (video aggregator from YouTube/Twitch), Pin Map (12,870 location directory), Forum (discussion boards), Market (buying/selling), Events (tournament calendar), Biz directory, and Shop system. Pinside+ is a premium subscription add-on offering enhanced features like unlimited messaging, marketplace fee discounts, and private threads. The platform is headquartered in the Netherlands and serves as the world's largest pinball community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pinside+: A premium membership program offering extra features such as notifications, private threads, marketplace fee discounts, and PM perks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 191,322+ approved ratings on the Top 100
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 pinside