UOL (uol.com.br)
One of Brazil's oldest and most visited internet portals, covering news, entertainment and services.
UOL at a glance
UOL is a news & media website and one of the most visited sites in Brazil, currently ranked #3 in the country. It was founded in 1996 by Grupo Folha executives (launched by Folha de S.Paulo's parent group) and is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil. Today UOL is owned by Grupo Folha (Frias family). Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 280 million visits per month. The business earns money mainly through display and video advertising, uol pagseguro payments (affiliated entity), subscription services (uol assinatura). Its closest rivals include Globo, Terra, Folha de S.Paulo, R7.
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 280 million | +2% |
| Q2 | ≈ 280 million | -1% |
| Q3 | ≈ 280 million | +4% |
| Q4 | ≈ 280 million | +3% |
Traffic sources
- Direct42%
Brand loyalty and app usage
- Organic search32%
- Referral10%
- Social12%
- Paid & other4%
Audience & demographics
- Men52%
- Women48%
- Age 18-2420%
- Age 25-3428%
- Age 35-5432%
- Age 55+20%
The audience skews toward Brazil's large urban centres, with mobile-first usage patterns typical of the country's internet population.
Geographic reach
- Brazil88%
- Portugal3%
- United States2%
- Other Latin America4%
- Other3%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- ≈ hundreds of thousands to millions, depending on site scale
- Estimated organic traffic
- A large share of total monthly visits
- Strongest clusters
- Brand and category terms in Portuguese
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| uol | 1 | Very high | — |
| uol login | 1 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- ≈ hundreds of thousands
- Link profile
- Widely cited by Brazilian media and partner sites
Top referral sources
- Google Search40%
- Direct / app38%
- Social media14%
- Other8%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
Like most large Brazilian digital platforms, the site relies on major cloud providers and modern JavaScript frameworks, with heavy investment in mobile app performance given Brazil's mobile-first user base.
Mobile app statistics
- Cumulative downloads
- ≈ tens of millions
- Daily active users
- Millions
Company information
- Website
- uol.com.br
- Sector
- News & Media
- Owner
- Grupo Folha (Frias family)
- Owner type
- Private media and internet conglomerate
- Founders
- Grupo Folha executives (launched by Folha de S.Paulo's parent group)
- Founded
- 1996
- Headquarters
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Employees
- ≈ 3,000
- Ownership
- Privately held subsidiary of Grupo Folha
- Valuation
- Not publicly disclosed
- Revenue
- ≈ BRL 2+ billion annually (UOL group)
- Languages
- Portuguese (primary), with Spanish and English support in some regional operations
- Top traffic sources
- Direct navigation, organic search, UOL email login traffic
Ownership, investors & funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Founded | N/A | Grupo Folha executives (launched by Folha de S.Paulo's parent group) |
Financials
- Revenue
- ≈ BRL 2+ billion annually (UOL group)
- Ownership structure
- Privately held subsidiary of Grupo Folha
Business model & revenue
UOL operates a diversified internet portal combining news, email, entertainment and subscription bundles, alongside affiliated fintech (PagSeguro) and hosting businesses.
- Display and video advertising
- UOL PagSeguro payments (affiliated entity)
- Subscription services (UOL Assinatura)
- E-learning and cloud hosting (UOL Host, UOL EdTech)
Products & services
News vertical covering Brazil and world news.
Long-running free webmail service.
Streaming service for series and shows.
Web hosting and domain services.
Seller ecosystem
- Partners/advertisers
- Brazilian and international brands
International presence
- Primary market
- Brazil
- Secondary presence
- Selected Latin American markets
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Public API
- Limited or partner-only APIs depending on business line
Website rankings
- Brazil rank
- #3
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Globo | Comparable regional scale | — | Different business model |
| Terra | Comparable regional scale | — | Different business model |
Overview
UOL is one of Brazil's oldest and largest internet portals, combining news, webmail, entertainment and subscription services under Grupo Folha.
Traffic Statistics
The portal draws an estimated 280 million monthly visits, sustained by its long-running webmail service and broad news coverage.
Traffic Sources
Direct traffic remains strong due to email login habits, with organic search contributing significantly to news article visits.
Audience & Demographics
UOL's audience skews toward established internet users familiar with the brand since the early days of the Brazilian web, spanning a broad age range.
Geographic Reach
The overwhelming majority of visits come from within Brazil, with minor audiences among Portuguese-speaking communities abroad.
SEO Profile
UOL ranks well for Brazilian news and lifestyle queries, leveraging decades of indexed content and strong domain authority.
Technology Stack
The portal runs on a modern cloud-based content management system, supported by UOL Host's own hosting infrastructure.
Social Media Statistics
UOL Notícias and related verticals maintain sizeable followings on Instagram, Facebook and X, used for news distribution.
Mobile App Statistics
UOL's news and mail apps have seen tens of millions of downloads, with UOL Play a notable entertainment app in Brazil.
Company Information
Founded in 1996 by Grupo Folha, UOL is headquartered in São Paulo and remains one of Brazil's pioneering internet businesses.
Ownership & Investors
UOL is privately owned by Grupo Folha, controlled by the Frias family, with no public listing for the digital unit itself.
Financials
The UOL group generates over BRL 2 billion annually across advertising, subscriptions and adjacent businesses like UOL Host.
Business Model
Revenue is generated through advertising, subscription bundles (UOL Assinatura), and diversified digital services including hosting and e-learning.
Products & Services
Key products include UOL Notícias, UOL Mail webmail, UOL Play streaming and UOL Host web hosting services.
Competitors
Main competitors include Globo, Terra, Folha de S.Paulo and R7.
Company History & Milestones
Since launching in 1996, UOL has grown from an early Brazilian ISP and portal into a diversified media and technology group.
Latest News
UOL continues to expand its subscription bundle offerings and streaming catalogue to retain younger audiences.
User Reviews & Ratings
Long-time users trust UOL for reliability, though some younger audiences see the portal format as less modern than newer digital platforms.
Pros & Cons
Pros: trusted legacy brand, wide service range, strong email base. Cons: dated portal format, heavy advertising, rising competition.
Key Statistics
≈280 million monthly visits, #3 most visited portal in Brazil, roughly 3,000 employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns UOL? Grupo Folha, also owner of Folha de S.Paulo. Is it free? Yes, with optional paid subscription bundles.
Data Sources
Company reports and Similarweb estimates.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
Mercado Livre, Globo, UOL and other leading Brazilian digital platforms.
Company history & milestones
- 1996
Company founded
- 2026
Continues to expand digital operations in Brazil
Latest news
- uol.com.br reports continued growth in BrazilIndustry press · 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Long-established, trusted brand
- Wide range of bundled services
- Strong email user base
Cons
- Portal format seen as dated by some younger users
- Ad-heavy pages
- Facing intense competition from Globo and social platforms
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns UOL?
UOL is owned by Grupo Folha, the same group behind Folha de S.Paulo.
Is UOL free?
Most content and email are free; some premium content requires a UOL Assinatura subscription.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- Company reportsGrupo Folha (Frias family)
- Similarweb estimatesSimilarweb
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and company facts; traffic figures are third-party approximations.
- Last updated
- September 2026
Traffic and audience figures are modelled estimates (≈) based on public reports and third-party analytics tools.
Social media profiles & statistics