37signals
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About 37signals

We make it easier to get work done

We care deeply about the products we build for our customers. Quality, clarity, attention to detail, ease-of-use, and usefulness are at the core of everything we do. We put this energy into building web-based apps that make it easier to collaborate, share, discuss, and get work done.

We make products for small groups

Our products are built for small groups. In some cases that means an entire small company, but in other cases it might mean a department in one of the world’s largest corporations. Every company is made of small groups. We make those groups work better.

We believe

  • Useful is forever. Bells and whistles wear off, but usefulness never does. We build useful software.
  • Our customers are our investors. They fund our daily operations by paying for our products. We answer to them, not outside investors or the stock market.
  • Clarity is king. Buzzwords, lingo, and sensationalized marketing-speak have no place at 37signals.
  • Great service matters. We’re known for fast, concise, and friendly customer service and support. We work hard to make sure we live up to that reputation every day.
  • Contracts suck. No one likes being locked into something for a year or two or more. We never lock anyone in. Our customers can cancel at any time, no questions asked (and we never charge a setup or termination fee).
  • Business software should be affordable. Some business software costs tens of thousands of dollars a year. That’s obscene. Our products start at $12/month and our most expensive plans are $149/month for unlimited users.
  • Software that requires training is failed software. Our products are intuitive. You’ll pick them up in seconds or minutes, not hours, days or weeks. We don’t sell you training because you don’t need it.
  • The basics are beautiful. We’ll never overlook what really matters: The basics. Great service, ease of use, honest pricing, and respect for our customer’s time, money, and trust.

Meet our executive team

Jason Fried

Jason Fried

Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of 37signals. Jason believes there’s real value and beauty in the basics. Jason co-wrote all of 37signals books, and is invited to speak around the world on entrepreneurship, design, management, and software.


David Heinemeier Hansson

David Heinemeier Hansson

David Heinemeier Hansson is a partner in 37signals. He has been working with the Net with varying levels of success since 1996 — in the fields of game journalism, marketing, project management, design, and development. In July 2004, he released the framework Rails (also known as Ruby on Rails). It’s the infrastructure software that is used to build all the applications at 37signals and thousands of other popular sites.

Meet our advisor

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, has always been interested in anything that can be revolutionized by computers. Intrigued by the amazing growth in use of the Internet, Jeff created a business model that leveraged the Internet’s unique ability to deliver huge amounts of information rapidly and efficiently. In 1994 he founded Amazon.com, Inc., the leading online retailer that offers services which traditional retailers cannot: lower prices, authoritative selection, and a wealth of product information. Jeff Bezos is the sole investor in 37signals.

Our ideas and philosophies

Getting Real

We wrote a book called Getting Real. In this bestseller we outline our unconventional Getting Real process to launch five successful web-based applications (Basecamp, Campfire, Backpack, Writeboard, Ta-da List), and Ruby on Rails, an open-source web application framework, in just two years with no funding, no debt, and only 7 people.

SVN

We frequently publish our thoughts on design, business, experience, simplicity, culture and more at our weblog: Signal vs. Noise.

You can also watch keynote presentations and interviews that the team at 37signals has given over the years.

You’ll also find daily tips, tricks, case studies, and press mentions regarding our products at our Product Blog.

Press/Media kits

Download logos and screenshots for our products. Get a quick product overview and in-depth detail for your story.

Basecamp®

Backpack®

Highrise®

Campfire

Getting Real 

 

Product Help/Support

Need help with Basecamp, Backpack, Highrise or Campfire? We’re here to help. Find FAQs, Knowledgebase, Customer Forums, and contact Support with your specific questions.

Basecamp

Basecamp Help

Backpack

Backpack Help

Highrise

Highrise Help

Campfire

Campfire Help

Or send an email to our Support team

Questions about billing, invoices, and credit card charges can be directed to Billing support.

Contact us

37signals, LLC
400 N. May St. #301
Chicago, IL 60642


We’ve been in business for 10 years. We started as a web design firm and transitioned into a web-based software company in 2005. Here are some major milestones along the way.
Shopping, auctions and stock trading gain popularity online.
1998
37signals Founders
1999
37signals is founded as a Web design firm by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura, and Ernest Kim in Chicago.
The MP3 file format emerges as the popular way to listen to music online.
2000
37signals SvN
2001
37signals launches the Signal vs. Noise blog as a medium to talk about design, business, experience, simplicity, the web, and culture.
Blogs become a popular medium for publishing on the Internet.
2002
David Heinemeier Hansson
2003
David Heinemeier Hansson is hired to develop a project management tool for managing Design projects.
Basecamp
Basecamp, a new kind of project management tool, is released. 37signals abandons Web design in favor of software development.
2004
2005
Apple introduces the iPod nano.
The internet site YouTube launches.
Backpack
Backpack, the best way to keep your business organized, launches.
2005
2006
The Blu-ray Disc format is released in the United States.
Getting Real
37signals publishes Getting Real, a book about the business of design & programming.
2006
Campfire
2006
Campfire, web-based collaborative group chat, launches.
The Nintendo Wii video game console is introduced in North America.
2006
Bezos Expeditions
2006
Bezos Expeditions invests in 37signals.
The final book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is released.
2007
Highrise
2007
Highrise, a better way to keep track of contacts and leads, is released.
SvN readers
Signal vs. Noise blog is read by over 90,000 people a day.
2007
Getting Real comes out in paperback
2007
Getting Real is released in paperback and continues to inspire entrepreneurs and business owners worldwide.
GPS becomes a ubiquitous technology working its way into cellphones and notebook computers.
2008
37signals Live
2008
37signals Live—a question & answer show featuring Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson—is first broadcast online.
Affiliate Program
The Affiliate Program launches, rewarding customers that recommend 37signals products.
2008
2009
Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States.
Basecamp turns 5
Basecamp turns 5-years-old. Over 3,000,000 people have Basecamp accounts and over 2,800,000 projects have been created.
2009
10 years
2009
37signals celebrates 10 years of being in business.
Sortfolio
Sortfolio, a new way for you to find a web designer for your next project, launches.
2009
2009
Oprah Winfrey sends out her first tweet on Twitter.
37signals ID
37signals ID—one username and password for all your Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire accounts—is introduced.
2009