Our vision

The truth is, people are used to a crappy web. Slow, inefficient, generic experiences cause frustration for users and lost revenue opportunities for businesses. The problem is, they don't even know what they're missing. We're here to change that.

Our engineers know that marketing B*** S*** is confusing. We publish our API source code so you can see how the integration works. Our data services are available by subscription.

We're actively involved in standards and debates concerning the future of digital services through our participation with Movement for an Open Web.

Collaboration. We can't fix all your problems on our own. But we can provide the tools to reward the open-minded. Start with Pipeline API and see what it can do for you.
Performance. The web is slowing down due to an over-reliance on client-side JavaScript. The best way to fix this is to move functionality server-side. But server-side logic can seem hard.
Simplicity. We've spent three years creating an open source, server-side and client-side data pipeline to aggregate many micro services: Pipeline API is the result. And it's not just the data services we provide, but those by other companies like location services – and your own.
Deployment. We offer cloud and on-premise services. Choose the deployment that fits your application, or add your own data service.
Access. From free trial periods, to legal T&Cs written for the layman (no Latin legalese) and source code on GitHub, we're open for your business.

Setting the standard

In the fifteen years since James Rosewell founded 51Degrees, we've set the standard in device detection. Here are just some of the milestones we're proudest of.

Q3 2025

First all-in-one on-premise solution for IP location, human/bot, and of course device intelligence.

Q2 2024

Added 51Degrees device data to Prebid modules.

Q2 2023

Improved our performance algorithm to better detect build versions of browsers and platforms.

2022

Released full User-Agent Client Hints support to our service.

2021

Launched Secure Web Addressibility Network (SWAN) with fellow tech-industry professionals.

Q4 2020

Founded Movement for an Open Web (MOW) to keep the web open for all.

Q2 2020

First extensible, open source, data pipeline supporting device detection, location, and many more services. Launched version 4 of our Device Detection.

Q1 2020

First device detection business to achieve ISO 9001 and 27001 accreditations.

2019

First company to achieve 98% verifiable TAC coverage.

2018

First device detection solution to contain more than 1,000,000 active device combinations.

2017

First sub-microsecond device detection solution patent applied for (granted 2019).

2016

First device detection patent granted and first native app support added.

2014

First device detection solution to add data about device price and chipsets.

2013

First device detection solution to break one million detections per second – without caching.

Meet the people

James Rosewell - CEO and Co-founder

Making the digital world a better place drives James every day. He’s an accomplished programmer, inventor and entrepreneur with 28 years in business. He founded 51Degrees to provide real time data services supported by a freemium business model. Device detection and location are just the beginning.

Ruth Rosewell - Director and Co-founder

Ruth held a number of management positions with Marks & Spencer before becoming head of the Business Studies and Economics department of a large UK college. She holds an MBA from Warwick University.

Huw Medcraft - Director

Huw has a nose for B*** S*** and tasty pizza. He’s spent over 20 years leading the launch and management of products in the global telecom arena. He unwinds running with his two dogs.