--- source_url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealo?utm_source=openai" title: Idealo - Wikipedia mirrored_at: 2026-08-22T03:03:05.737Z host: en.wikipedia.org cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealo__q__utm_source_openai" --- > **Original source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealo?utm_source=openai From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia idealo Type of site [GmbH](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4nkter_Haftung "Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung") Available in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish Headquarters [Berlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin "Berlin"), Germany Owner idealo internet GmbH [Founder(s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_founder "Organizational founder") Martin Sinner, Dr. Albrecht von Sonntag, Christian Habermehl & others CEO Dr. Albrecht von Sonntag Jörn Rehse [Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_\(economics\) "Service (economics)") [Price comparison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_shopping_website "Comparison shopping website") [Operating income](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earnings_before_interest_and_taxes "Earnings before interest and taxes") €52,612,705.01 (2012) Employees 1100 (2022)[\[1\]](#cite_note-1) [Parent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holding_company "Holding company") [Axel Springer SE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer_SE "Axel Springer SE") (74,9%) URL [idealo.co.uk](http://idealo.co.uk/) Registration Not required Current status Online **idealo internet GmbH** is a German [price comparison service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_comparison_service "Price comparison service") launched in [Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany "Germany") in 2000, and since bought by the [Axel Springer AG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer_AG "Axel Springer AG") publishing company. The headquarters are in [Berlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin "Berlin"), [Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany "Germany"). The idealo website allows users to compare prices on a range of products from hundreds of shops.[\[2\]](#cite_note-2) idealo is Europe's largest price comparison service[\[3\]](#cite_note-3) present in [Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany "Germany"), [Austria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria "Austria"), [France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France "France"), Spain, Italy and the UK. The company was founded by Martin Sinner, Albrecht von Sonntag, Christian Habermehl and others in 2000, using €500,000 in [venture capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capital "Venture capital") (of which €350,000 from [KfW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KfW "KfW")).[\[4\]](#cite_note-4) In July 2006, [Axel Springer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Springer_SE "Axel Springer SE") bought a 74.9% majority interest in idealo internet GmbH for an undisclosed sum.[\[5\]](#cite_note-5) Its 2012 revenues were €52,612,705.01.[\[6\]](#cite_note-6) The idealo sites use CSV files and API\_integration supplied by the retailers themselves to create a unique database of product offers that is filtered by real people. These prices are matched against a bespoke backend database of products and this matching process is carried out by using a [fuzzy logic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzzy_logic "Fuzzy logic") and AI automated matching system as well as large teams of people also acting as a quality control filter. idealo is a consumer review and price comparison website that is similar to other price comparison services in that it is financed by advertisers on traffic quantities as well as quality. Companies advertising their products on idealo track user traffic and clicks through [tracking pixels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracking_pixels "Tracking pixels").[\[7\]](#cite_note-7) Product offers displayed on the idealo website are normally ordered by price where the lowest is shown at the top of any listing, however on product listing pages the products are ordered by price, popularity, user rating or test results. Some other [comparison shopping website](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_shopping_website "Comparison shopping website") such as [Kelkoo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelkoo "Kelkoo"), [pricerunner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PriceRunner "PriceRunner"), pricespy and [Google Shopping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Shopping "Google Shopping") may feature only paying retailers and allow them to bid for position in the rankings.[\[8\]](#cite_note-8) Each idealo product page also features a place for product reviews and shows a trend graph of each product costs over time. In April 2019, Idealo Internet GmbH filed a lawsuit for damages amounting to 500 million euros against Google LLC before the Regional Court of Berlin. Idealo accuses Google of severely abusing its dominant position as a search engine operator. The amount of damages claimed could increase significantly over the course of the years-long proceedings. The lawsuit is based on a 2007 antitrust case by the European Union concerning the Google Shopping service. This antitrust proceeding resulted in a record fine of 2.4 billion euros against Google, which, as of February 2024, is still not legally binding. The judges upheld the accusation that Google unlawfully promoted its own price comparison service in the market to the detriment of competitors. Former Idealo CEO Philipp Peitsch expressed confidence at the OMKB Conference in August 2021 that the long-awaited ruling would be clear and in Idealo’s favor.[\[9\]](#cite_note-9) In November 2025, a Berlin court ruled that Google must pay Idealo 465 million euros for market abuse.[\[10\]](#cite_note-10) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-1) ["Home – idealo careers"](https://jobs.idealo.com/l/en/). _idealo internet GmbH_. 2. [↑](#cite_ref-2) ["Aiven Supports idealo, one of Europe's Leading Price Comparison Sites, as it Strives to Secure the Top Position"](https://aiven.io/case-studies/aiven-supports-idealo). _Aiven_. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250614203059/https://aiven.io/case-studies/aiven-supports-idealo) from the original on 2025-06-14. Retrieved 2025-07-31. 3. [↑](#cite_ref-3) ["How Europe's biggest price comparison site scaled with MongoDB Atlas"](https://www.thestack.technology/idealo-pulls-in-billions-of-data-points-on-offers-from-amazon-ebay-and-beyond-heres-how-it-scaled/). _The Stack_. 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-08-16. 4. [↑](#cite_ref-4) ["Unsere 15 Besten"](http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/biz/article108682654/Unsere-15-Besten.html). _Berliner Morgenpost_. 19 August 2012. 5. [↑](#cite_ref-5) ["Springer kauft Preissuchmaschine idealo"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070228150941/http://www.handelsblatt.com/news/Unternehmen/IT-Medien/_pv/grid_id/1215915/_p/201197/_t/ft/_b/1112267/default.aspx/springer-kauft-preissuchmaschine-idealo.html). _[Handelsblatt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handelsblatt "Handelsblatt")_. 25 July 2006. Archived from [the original](https://www.handelsblatt.com/news/Unternehmen/IT-Medien/_pv/grid_id/1215915/_p/201197/_t/ft/_b/1112267/default.aspx/springer-kauft-preissuchmaschine-idealo.html) on 28 February 2007. 6. [↑](#cite_ref-6) ["Bundesanzeiger"](https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/ebanzwww/wexsservlet?genericsearch_param.fulltext=idealo&genericsearch_param.part_id=&%28page.navid%3Dto_quicksearchlist%29=Suchen). Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz. Retrieved 2 February 2015. 7. [↑](#cite_ref-7) ["Case Study: idealo"](https://www.ingenioustechnologies.com/project/idealo/). _Ingenious Technologies AG_. Retrieved 2019-01-30. 8. [↑](#cite_ref-8) ["Google's $2.7 bn fine highlights the importance of 'search neutrality' and preventing gatekeeping"](https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/googles-2-7-bn-fine-highlights-the-importance-of-search-neutrality-and-preventing-gatekeeping-3835197.html). _Firstpost_. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2025-08-16. 9. [↑](#cite_ref-9) Foo Yun Chee (2019-11-28). ["Axel Springer unit, others say Google still playing unfairly, want EU to act"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191128131239/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-eu-alphabet-antitrust-idUKKBN1Y20W4). _Reuters_. Archived from [the original](https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-eu-alphabet-antitrust-idUKKBN1Y20W4) on November 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-28. 10. [↑](#cite_ref-10) ["Google must pay German price comparison platform 465 mln euros in damages, court says"](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-must-pay-german-price-comparison-platform-465-mln-euros-damages-court-2025-11-14/). _Reuters_. 14 November 2025. - [idealo UK site](https://www.idealo.co.uk/)