We're changing the software world — here's what people are saying.

Buzz from partners


Building business relationships with great software advertisers. Say hello to OpenCandy.

Sebastian Brands, Dexpot
via Twitter

Through OpenCandy’s user and partner-friendly distribution platform, we’re able to drive new installs of Snagit eight times more efficiently than through download sites, display or search marketing.

Tim McCallion
TechSmith

Partnering with OpenCandy allows us to generate revenue while, more importantly, adding value for our users by providing a completely transparent and optional means of discovering other great software.

Gina O’Reilly, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, Nitro PDF Software
PrimoPDF

OpenCandy has not only helped us reach new users for Paltalk, but they’ve worked very hard to make sure to hit and beat our cost-per-acquisition goals. The OpenCandy team is metrics-driven, attentive to our needs and communicates with us regularly. We’re happy to work with them and their unique distribution channel.

Hannah Rothman, Senior Director of Marketing
Paltalk

Software bundling is usually a pain; the resources and effort required to strike individual deals and implement specific bundles is daunting. OpenCandy made it easy for us to immediately drive targeted and scalable distribution across their network in a user-friendly way; enabling new users to sync and share their media using doubleTwist.

Goetz Weber, COO
doubleTwist

Integrating the OpenCandy plug-in was the easiest task in our development sprint. Almost immediately, we were able to use OpenCandy to complement our revenues to further fund the continued innovation behind BitTorrent while recommending other useful applications and maintaining a great experience for our users.

Simon Morris, VP Product Management
Bittorrent

OpenCandy gives me the ability to scale the distribution of our browser software globally, in a performance-based, transparent way that eliminates the risk, friction and mystery found in most available channels.

Dan Burkhart, VP Marketing & Business Development
Flock

The basic idea behind OpenCandy is very simple, yet no one seems to have thought of it until now. The realization of the idea is perfect. I believe OpenCandy is the future for both open-source software monetization as well as software promotion. The OpenCandy team takes great care of the software developers using their service. Constant updates, stats and feedback is done in a very friendly yet professional manner.

Christofer Persson
Kantaris

I’d had other offers to include additional applications with IZArc’s installer but I didn’t think it was good for users and I didn’t think I’d actually make money. The idea behind OpenCandy is very innovative and I’m glad I decided to try it, because it actually works.

Ivan Zahariev
IZArc

Buzz from press


When you see “powered by OpenCandy”, you know you can trust the app.

Travis Reddell, Associated Content
“Want Great Apps? Think OpenCandy”

Figuratively speaking, it’s like offering a free download of peanut butter while you’re installing jelly.

Bruce Bigelow, Xconomy
“OpenCandy Builds Online Marketplace For Free Software Downloads”

One improvement I’m hoping for is for friendlier installations, where users will not have to opt-out of bloatware toolbars and search engine changes that they don’t want. OpenCandy is doing some interesting work in this area.

Seth Rosenblatt, CNET’s The Download Blog
“Best new Windows software of 2009″

OpenCandy has figured out a way for the most successful software developers to share the attention flow that comes their way with other developers whose work they admire. It’s a unique application of the implicit social graph in the software development community.

Tim O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media

OpenCandy is taking a proven Web 2.0 model — the ad network — and applying it to software installation. It’s very clever.

Rafe Needleman
WebWare

…I think OpenCandy may be a good compromise: developers will still get paid for including these ads in their installers, and users may just stumble across a new application they actually want.

Jason Kincaid
TechCrunch

The way OpenCandy handles additional software installations is actually pretty nifty.

Brad Linder
Download Squad

OpenCandy is building a network that allows software vendors to include advertising in their installers, just like the big boys do… The result is a community-based version of what companies like Sun and Apple are doing for their own products.

Neil McAllister
InfoWorld

The model is one of those ideas that seems so obvious when you see it, and it’s surprising that no one has thought of it before.

Matt Marshall
Venture Beat

OpenCandy brings innovation to the staid field of downloaded software.

Chris Zach
StartupSD

Media Coverage


OpenCandy Hails Success With TechSmith, socalTECH, Story by Benjamin F. Kuo, published 2/12/2010
Want Great Apps? Think OpenCandy, Associated Content, Story by Travis Reddell, published 1/23/2010
OpenCandy Shows Some Sweet Growth, Adds Joe Kraus To Board, TechCrunch, Story by Jason Kincaid, published 1/16/2010
OpenCandy Builds Online Marketplace for Free Software Downloads, Xconomy, Story by Bruce V Bigelow, published 1/14/2010
Down with Opt-Out, Opt-Tricky Software Distribution By Darrius Thompson, CEO of OpenCandy, published 11/18/2009
OpenCandy Suggests Apps You Might Actually Want During Installs, Lands Nitro PDF, TechCrunch, Story by Jason Kincaid, published 9/30/2009
OpenCandy Links With Software Publisher, socalTech.com, published 10/1/2009
(Yet Another) Interview with Darrius Thompson, CEO of OpenCandy, GeekDeck, Interview by Cbx33 published 6/13/2009
A Revolution Begins: OpenCandy Has A Board Meeting And No One Shakes Hands, Techcrunch, Story by Michael Arrington, published 5/13/2009
OpenCandy Has a Sweet Tooth for Recommendations, StartupSD, Story by Chris Zach, published 3/19/2009
This software brought to you by Ovaltine, InfoWorld, Story by Neil McAllister, published 11/27/2008
Interview with Darrius Thompson, CEO of OpenCandy, socalTECH.com, Story by Benjamin F. Kuo, published 11/18/2008
OpenCandy – Would you like fries with your software installation?, DownloadSquad, Story by Brad Linder, published 11/12/2008
OpenCandy Gets $3.5M to Spread Word About Software Apps, TheDeal, published 11/12/2008
OpenCandy brings ad market to software installs. What?, Webware, Story by Rafe Needleman, published 11/11/2008
OpenCandy inserts recommendations when you install software, VentureBeat, Story by Matt Marshall, published 11/10/2008

Press Releases


TechSmith Snags New Installs Eight Times More Cost Efficiently through OpenCandy’s Platform – February 11, 2010
OpenCandy Appoints Serial Entrepreneur Joe Kraus to Board of Directors – January 19, 2010
Nitro PDF Opts-In to OpenCandy to Monetize Downloads of PrimoPDF – September 30, 2009
OpenCandy Downloads $3.5 Million From Bessemer Venture Partners and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures – November 12, 2008