Key data
| Company | Preisvergleich Internet Services AG |
|---|---|
| Category | Price Comparison Sites |
| Headquarters | Vienna, Austria |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Austria (EU) |
| Data Location | not stated on the pages we read |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | No |
| Main Features | Price and product comparison, wish lists, deals, filters, editorial guides, forum, country sites for Austria, Germany and the EU |
| Pricing | No consumer price shown on the pages we read |
| Best For | Shoppers in Austria and Germany who want a comparison portal with a fully disclosed owner |
| Replaces | Google Shopping |
Review in detail
Preisvergleich Internet Services AG, Rothschildplatz 3, 1020 Vienna, is the Medieninhaber named in the Geizhals imprint. It is registered at the Handelsgericht Wien under Firmenbuchnummer 197241k, and the imprint names Mag. Markus Nigl as Vorstand.
The imprint is unusually open about ownership. It lists Heise Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG in Hannover (HRA 26650) as the topmost legal entity and Ansgar Heise as indirect beneficial owner with 61 percent.
Who stands behind Geizhals?
The company history in the imprint starts with a hobby project in 1997, a sole proprietorship in 1999 and the founding of the AG in June 2000, financed by e-matrix Online Business Development AG.
Today the supervisory board is chaired by Ansgar Heise. The imprint describes the medium as an independent price comparison and information platform.
What does the site offer shoppers?
The home page of geizhals.eu offers category navigation from hardware and phones to household, sports and toys, wish lists, a country switch between Austria, Germany and the EU site, and a deals section on the Austrian site.
The footer links an editorial blog, a forum, a list of the top 100 shops and a weekly newsletter.
How does it compare with Google Shopping?
The business terms (AGB, dated August 2020) name geizhals.at, geizhals.de, geizhals.eu, skinflint.co.uk and cenowarka.pl as sites of the same company, and say that purchase contracts are concluded only between user and shop.
Google Shopping reaches more merchants, but the Google pages we fetched named no operating entity. Geizhals names one and its owners.
Where it falls short
The pages we read show no consumer price, no price alert description and no data location. The AGB we read are the terms for shops, not for shoppers. Coverage rests on three country sites plus the UK and Poland names, and we confirm only the first three. For Swedish and Finnish shops compare with Prisjakt.
Who Geizhals fits
Shoppers in Austria or Germany who want to know exactly who owns the comparison site they use.
What works, what does not
Pros
- Imprint with register number, VAT ID and board
- Ownership disclosed up to the beneficial owner
- Wish lists and country switch
- Operating since 1997 according to the imprint
- Editorial blog and forum next to the prices
Cons
- No consumer price statement on the pages we read
- No price alert wording found
- Data location not stated
- Privacy text refers to Austrian law only in general terms
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Imprint with register number, VAT ID and board
- Ownership disclosed up to the beneficial owner
- Wish lists and a country switch
- Operating since 1997 according to the imprint
- Editorial guides and a forum next to the prices
Cons
- No consumer price statement on the pages we read
- No price alert wording found
- Data location not stated
- Privacy text refers to Austrian law only in general terms
Alternatives to Geizhals
More European price comparison sites you can weigh against it:
See all European price comparison sites or compare them directly against Google Shopping on our alternatives page.
Common questions
The imprint names Heise Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG in Hannover (HRA 26650) as the topmost legal entity, with Ansgar Heise as indirect beneficial owner holding 61 percent.
We read the Austrian and EU sites, and the home page offers a switch between Austria, Germany and the EU site. The business terms also name a UK site and a Polish site, which we did not read.
The pages we read show no consumer price and no paywall, but they contain no statement that use is free, so we make no claim.