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Zhihu Valuation Multiples

Discover revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples for Zhihu and similar public comparables like m-up holdings, Value Line, Lee Enterprises, wallstreet:online and more.

Zhihu Overview

About Zhihu

Zhihu Inc is predominantly engaged in the operation of one online content community and monetizes through paid membership services, advertising services, content-commerce solutions services, and vocational training in China. It generates revenues from Advertising services, Paid membership services, Content-commerce solutions, and Others. It derives all its revenues within China.


Founded

2011

HQ

China

Employees

1.9K

Website

zhihu.com

Financials (LTM)

Revenue: $386M
EBITDA: ($54M)

Market Cap

$273M

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Zhihu Financials

Zhihu reported last 12-month revenue of $386M and negative EBITDA of ($54M).

In the same LTM period, Zhihu generated $233M in gross profit, ($54M) in EBITDA losses, and had net loss of ($15M).

Revenue (LTM)


Zhihu P&L

In the most recent fiscal year, Zhihu reported revenue of $406M and EBITDA of ($53M).

Zhihu is unprofitable as of last fiscal year, with gross margin of 60%, EBITDA margin of (13%), and net margin of (7%).

See analyst estimates for Zhihu
LTMLast FY202320242025202620272028
Revenue$386M$406M$621M$532M$406M
Gross Profit$233M$244M$339M$322M$244M
Gross Margin60%60%55%61%60%
EBITDA($54M)($53M)($155M)($68M)($53M)
EBITDA Margin(14%)(13%)(25%)(13%)(13%)
EBIT Margin(13%)(12%)(26%)(13%)(14%)
Net Profit($15M)($28M)($125M)($25M)($29M)
Net Margin(4%)(7%)(20%)(5%)(7%)

Financial data powered by Morningstar, Inc.

Zhihu Stock Performance

Zhihu has current market cap of $273M.

Market Cap Evolution


Zhihu's stock price is $3.15.

Zhihu share price increased by 7.7% in the last 30 days, and decreased by 20.7% in the last year.

Zhihu has an EPS (earnings per share) of $-0.32.

See more trading valuation data for Zhihu
Market CapPrice 1DPrice 1MPrice 3MPrice 12MEPS
$273M8.0%7.7%15.6%-20.7%$-0.32

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Zhihu Valuation Multiples

Zhihu trades at (0.9x) EV/Revenue multiple, and 6.3x EV/EBITDA.

See NTM and 2027E valuation multiples for Zhihu

EV / Revenue (LTM)


Zhihu Financial Valuation Multiples

As of June 3, 2026, Zhihu has market cap of $273M.

Zhihu has a P/E ratio of (18.0x).

LTMLast FY202320242025202620272028
EV/Revenue(0.9x)(0.8x)(0.6x)(0.6x)(0.8x)
EV/EBITDA6.3x6.5x2.2x5.1x6.5x
EV/EBIT7.0x7.1x2.2x4.8x6.1x
EV/Gross Profit(1.5x)(1.4x)(1.0x)(1.1x)(1.4x)
P/E(18.0x)(9.8x)(2.2x)(10.8x)(9.6x)
EV/FCF42.9x-5.5x8.2x5.5x

Multiples above and below 250x are considered non-meaningful (n/m). Valuation data powered by FactSet, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.

Verified Zhihu Valuation Multiples

Access all public comps and forward-looking valuation multiples like EV/Revenue in 2027, based on consensus analyst estimates. Powered by FactSet and Morningstar.

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Zhihu Margins & Growth Rates

Zhihu decreased revenue by 9% but EBITDA grew by 1% in the last fiscal year.

In the most recent fiscal year, Zhihu reported gross margin of 60%, EBITDA margin of (13%), and net margin of (7%).

See estimated margins and future growth rates for Zhihu

Zhihu Margins

Last FY202420252026202720282029
Gross Margin60%61%60%61%
EBITDA Margin(13%)(13%)(13%)(14%)
EBIT Margin(12%)(13%)(14%)(14%)
Net Margin(7%)(5%)(7%)1%
FCF Margin0%(8%)(15%)(5%)

Zhihu Growth Rates

FY+1/FY23/2424/2525/2626/2727/2828/29
Revenue Growth(9%)(14%)(24%)(9%)
Gross Profit Growth(7%)(5%)(24%)(7%)
EBITDA Growth1%(56%)(22%)1%
EBIT Growth5%(55%)(21%)(10%)
Net Profit Growth(108%)(80%)12%(108%)
FCF Growth-(33%)50%(70%)

Data powered by FactSet, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.

Zhihu Operational KPIs

Zhihu's revenue per employee in the last FY averaged $0.2M, while opex per employee averaged $0.2M for the same period.

Zhihu's Rule of 40 is (24%) (metric relevant for SaaS companies only, counted as combined revenue growth rate and EBITDA margin).

Zhihu's Rule of X is (38%) (created by Bessemer, Rule of X is another metric to measure SaaS companies, ~1.5x stronger vs. the traditional Rule of 40, counted as revenue growth rate multiplied by 2.5 plus EBITDA margin).

Access forward-looking KPIs for Zhihu
LTMLast FY202320242025202620272028
Rule of 40(17%)(24%)---
Bessemer Rule of X(22%)(38%)---
Revenue per Employee-$0.2M---
Opex per Employee-$0.2M---
S&M Expenses to Revenue43%46%49%44%46%
G&A Expenses to Revenue9%9%10%9%9%
R&D Expenses to Revenue20%19%21%20%19%
Opex to Revenue-74%80%74%74%

Data powered by FactSet, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.

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Zhihu Competitors

Zhihu competitors include m-up holdings, Value Line, Lee Enterprises, wallstreet:online, Carta Holdings, Reach, Sunfun Info, Cairo Communication, So-Young and Grupo Clarín.

Most Zhihu public comparables operate across Online Content & News and Social Networks.

EV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
Last FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
m-up holdings1.1x0.9x6.2x-
Value Line6.4x-30.9x-
Lee Enterprises1.2x1.2x14.6x14.6x
wallstreet:online3.3x2.8x20.7x449.8x
Carta Holdings----
Reach0.4x0.5x1.9x1.9x
Sunfun Info0.7x-3.4x-
Cairo Communication0.4x0.4x2.2x2.2x

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Zhihu VC Funding History

Before going public, Zhihu raised $884M in total equity funding, across 5 rounds.

Last private valuation of Zhihu was $4B, after raising $434M in August 2019 from Baidu, Capital Today, Kuaishou, and 1 other investor.


Zhihu Funding Rounds

DateStageRaised FromRaisedValuationRev. MultipleDeal Summary
Aug-19Series FBaidu; Capital Today; Kuaishou; Tencent$434M$4BZhihu, China's leading question-and-answer platform often compared to Quora, completed its Series F funding round in August 2019, raising $434 million led by Kuaishou with participation from new investors Baidu and returning investors Tencent and Capital Today. The round valued the company at $3.5 billion, marking its largest fundraising to date and one of the biggest in China's internet culture and entertainment sector over the prior two years. This followed a $270 million E-round in August 2018 at a $2.4-2.5 billion valuation. Zhihu, founded in 2011, has raised over $450 million across seven rounds from backers including Qiming Venture Partners and Sinovation Ventures. The funds are earmarked for technology and product development, content ecosystem building, and expansion amid shifting user demands from entertainment to practical knowledge solutions. Strategic partnerships emerged, with Baidu integrating over 100 million Zhihu posts into its app using AI for personalized distribution, and Kuaishou collaborating on high-quality content dissemination to address information silos and rising content costs. Zhihu differentiates through premium features like Zhihu Live, restricted to experts and organizations, setting it apart from apps like Douyin. Commercialization efforts focus on ads, paid courses, digital publications, and expert monetization, with verified creators earning from answers. In H1 2018, revenue grew 340% year-over-year, though specific 2019 figures are unavailable. By 2018, Zhihu reported over 160 million registered users and 26 million daily actives. The 'knowledge buyer' market in China reached 292 million in 2018, projected to hit 387 million in 2019. CEO Zhou Yuan emphasized adapting to media changes and operational rigor post-funding.
Jul-18Series EAdvantech Capital; Capital Today; Goldman Sachs; Lighthouse Capital Group; Sunshine Insurance Group; Tencent$270M$3BZhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to Quora, raised $270m in its 2018 Series E funding round. The round featured investors including Tencent, Sunshine Insurance Group, Capital Today, Advantech Capital, and Oceanpine Capital, with Advantech Capital as the lead. This valued the company at a reported $2.5bn, following prior rounds such as a $100m Series D in 2017 from Tencent, Sogou, Qiming Venture Partners, Capital Today, and Sinovation Ventures, and an earlier $55m Series C in 2015 led by Tencent valuing it at $300m. The Series E came ahead of a $434m Series F in August 2019 led by Kuaishou with participation from Tencent, Baidu, and Capital Today, which valued Zhihu at nearly $3.5bn. By 2021, Zhihu pursued a $523m IPO on the NYSE, offering 55 million ADSs priced at $9.50 each alongside a $250m private placement from Tencent, Alibaba, JD.com, and Lilith Games, bringing total prior funding to about $890m.
Jan-17Series DCapital Today; Qiming Venture Partners; Sinovation Ventures; Sogou; Tencent$103M$1BZhihu operates as a leading Chinese online Q&A and content community, generating revenues from advertising, paid memberships, content-commerce, and other services, all within China.
Nov-15Series CQiming Venture Partners; SAIF Partners; Sinovation Ventures; Sogou; Tencent$55M$300MZhihu is a Chinese question-and-answer platform founded in 2011, often compared to Quora, that facilitates knowledge sharing among registered users and experts. The company claimed 65 million registered users with over 18.5 million combined page visits and daily user visits as of 2017. In its Series C funding round in November 2015, Zhihu raised $55 million led by Tencent, with participation from other investors including Sogou, Capital Today, Qiming Venture Partners, and Sinovation Ventures (the venture capital firm co-founded by former Google and Microsoft executive Lee Kai-Fu). The round valued Zhihu at $300 million post-money. Founder Victor Zhou Yuan indicated the funds would support expansion of the platform's reach to connect more experts and users, with plans to eventually enable experts to charge users for dispensing advice or knowledge. Zhihu went on to raise additional rounds including a $270 million Series E in August 2018 at a $2.5 billion valuation and a $450 million Series F in August 2019 led by Kuaishou and Baidu, before its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2021.
Jun-14Series BQiming Venture Partners; SAIF Partners; Sinovation Ventures$22M-Zhihu, a Chinese Quora-like question-and-answer platform founded in 2010, raised $22 million in Series B funding on June 16, 2014, led by SAIF Partners, following Series A from Qiming Venture Partners and angel investment from Innovation Works (Sinovation Ventures). The platform, meaning 'Do you know?' in classical Chinese, operated initially as an invitation-only site for technical and entrepreneurial users before opening registration in 2013 to broaden its audience to topics like movies, culture, IT, and education. It emphasized knowledge delivery through voting mechanisms, periodic books, and offline expert roundtables. At the end of May 2014, just before the round, Zhihu reported over 6 million registered users, answers to more than 2 million questions across 150,000 topics, 2.5 million average daily unique visitors, 6 million average daily pageviews, and over 6 million aggregate mobile app downloads on iOS and Android. Later rounds provided valuation context: November 2015 Series C at $300 million, January 2017 Series D $100 million at $1 billion unicorn status, and subsequent Series E rounds reaching $2.5 billion valuations with funding from Tencent, Capital Today, and others, totaling over $487 million by 2018.

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About Zhihu

When was Zhihu founded?Zhihu was founded in 2011.
Where is Zhihu headquartered?Zhihu is headquartered in China.
How many employees does Zhihu have?As of today, Zhihu has over 1K employees.
Who is the CEO of Zhihu?Zhihu's CEO is Yuan Johannes Zhou.
Is Zhihu publicly listed?Yes, Zhihu is a public company listed on NYSE.
What is the stock symbol of Zhihu?Zhihu trades under ZH ticker.
When did Zhihu go public?Zhihu went public in 2021.
Who are competitors of Zhihu?Zhihu main competitors include m-up holdings, Value Line, Lee Enterprises, wallstreet:online, Carta Holdings, Reach, Sunfun Info, Cairo Communication, So-Young, Grupo Clarín.
What is the current market cap of Zhihu?Zhihu's current market cap is $273M.
What is the current revenue of Zhihu?Zhihu's last 12 months revenue is $386M.
What is the current revenue growth of Zhihu?Zhihu revenue growth (NTM/LTM) is (3%).
What is the current EV/Revenue multiple of Zhihu?Current revenue multiple of Zhihu is (0.9x).
Is Zhihu profitable?No, Zhihu is not profitable.
What is the current EBITDA of Zhihu?Zhihu has negative EBITDA and is not profitable.
What is Zhihu's EBITDA margin?Zhihu's last 12 months EBITDA margin is (14%).
What is the current EV/EBITDA multiple of Zhihu?Current EBITDA multiple of Zhihu is 6.3x.
What is the current FCF of Zhihu?Zhihu's last 12 months FCF is ($8M).
What is Zhihu's FCF margin?Zhihu's last 12 months FCF margin is (2%).
What is the current EV/FCF multiple of Zhihu?Current FCF multiple of Zhihu is 42.9x.
How many companies Zhihu has acquired to date?Zhihu hasn't acquired any companies yet (or none have been disclosed publicly).
In how many companies Zhihu has invested to date?Zhihu hasn't invested in any companies yet (or none have been disclosed publicly).

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