Zhihu recently released its Q4 2024 and full-year financial report. The data shows that Zhihu's annual revenue reached 3.6 billion yuan, a 14.3% decrease compared to last year. However, in Q4, Zhihu achieved a significant breakthrough, with revenue reaching 860 million yuan. It also achieved a net profit of 97.1 million yuan and an operating profit of 23.1 million yuan after adjustments, marking its first ever profitable quarter since going public.
Zhihu also showed strong performance in user data. In Q4, its monthly active users (MAUs) reached 81.4 million, and the number of monthly paying subscribers climbed to 14.1 million. This growth reflects not only the continuous expansion of Zhihu's user base but also the increased activity and user stickiness of its community ecosystem.
In terms of revenue sources, paid membership services remain Zhihu's primary profit driver. Although paid membership revenue in 2024 decreased by 3.5% to 1.76 billion yuan compared to 1.83 billion yuan in 2023, it still accounts for a significant portion of Zhihu's overall revenue. This indicates that despite facing some market pressure, Zhihu's paid membership model remains highly attractive and profitable.
Regarding this performance, Zhou Yuan, founder, chairman, and CEO of Zhihu, stated: "2024 was a significant turning point for Zhihu. We executed our strategic plan for the year in an orderly manner and successfully achieved profitability in the fourth quarter. Our community ecosystem has been optimized, becoming more vibrant and trustworthy. User metrics have consistently improved throughout the year, and creator activity is also steadily increasing. Furthermore, leveraging high-quality content and a strong network of reliable experts, we continue to invest in AI applications, further integrating AI into diverse community scenarios, actively exploring new user interaction methods in the AI era, and rapidly enhancing our competitive advantage."
