Frontiers

The company operates a Gold open-access publishing model built around managing the full lifecycle of scholarly articles: submission, peer review, editorial decision, production and online dissemination. Value is created by providing a scalable digital editorial office with built‑in quality controls, journal branding, hosting and global access to content under open licences. The publisher aggregates a large portfolio of discipline-specific journals and outreach titles to attract article submissions and readership at scale.

Economically, it shifts costs from reader subscriptions to publication-side fees. Research institutions, funders and authors pay article processing charges (APCs) when articles are accepted, often under institutional or national agreements that centralise billing. The company also offers a researcher network layer that surfaces profiles and article metrics, reinforcing usage of its journals and platform. Free educational products for young readers expand reach and reputation but are not direct revenue drivers.

Frontiers is a Switzerland-based open-access scholarly publisher operating a large portfolio of peer‑reviewed, subject-specific journals plus related research communication products. It provides an online editorial and peer‑review platform, article hosting and dissemination services, and outreach formats such as kid‑facing science articles and a researcher networking layer.

The company generates revenue primarily through article processing charges (APCs) paid on accepted articles, typically funded by authors’ institutions or funders, and through institutional publishing agreements and memberships that cover or simplify APC payments. Its direct customers are research institutions, libraries, funding bodies and individual researchers who need open-access publication and associated editorial infrastructure; it also serves educators and young readers with free educational content as part of its outreach mission.