Software Comparison Service CatchFree Acquires KISSinsights, Shifts Focus To Real-Time Customer Feedback

Web analytics company KISSmetrics is today announcing the sale of its web-based survey tool, KISSinsights to CatchFree, a former TechCrunch Disrupt participant and the maker of a socially-infused comparison service for finding free web and mobile software solutions. Launched in 2010, and backed by $5.5 million in funding from Index Ventures, First Round Capital, True Ventures, Polaris and 500 Startups, CatchFree previously collected feedback from users across the web, compiles the results and presents orderly comparison charts rating the software’s various features. KISSinsights, meanwhile, offers tools for acquiring customer feedback directly from a business’s website through a small pop-up that appears at the bottom right-hand corner of a web page.

Through the development of its service, CatchFree found that customers were getting more value out of the insights it provided versus the traffic it drove to the software companies. For this reason, post-acquisition, CatchFree will be evolving its business to revolve around KISSinsights‘ technology.

KISSinsights was launched in November 2010 as a part of KISSmetrics, and has customers that have ranged from Starbucks to Airbnb. “It’s been a growing Software as a Service product,” says KISSmetrics founder Hiten Shah, “but not our main product, KISSmetrics.” He explains that the deal is part of his company’s continual efforts to focus on its core product, which he says is seeing “tremendous traction.” However, Shah would not disclose the number of current KISSinsights customers. Terms of the deal were not provided, either.

Since its launch at Disrupt in May 2011, CatchFree has reached 1,830,760 people and has over 1,013 application publishers signed up, including Dropbox, LogMeIn, Lookout, Billguard, Live Nation, Soluto, Bu.mp, SignNow, and SoundCloud. Of those publishers, over 40% signed up specifically to get insights from their customer base, which is the service KISSinsights provides.

CatchFree’s acquisition involves all the assets of KISSinsights, and Shah will be joining as an advisor. The company will announce the details on its blog and send out an email to all KISSinsights users later on today.