The short answer
The four largest software and IT companies headquartered in Bulgaria, ranked by reported number of employees, are Chaos, SiteGround, Haemimont Games and Ontotext (Graphwise). Chaos is the largest, with about 950 employees (2022). We could verify four companies meeting our criteria, so this list is shorter than ten rather than padded with unverified names.
The four companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chaos | Sofia (and Karlsruhe) | 1997 | 950 (2022) |
| 2 | SiteGround | Sofia | 2004 | 600+ |
| 3 | Haemimont Games | Sofia | 1997 | about 60 (2018) |
| 4 | Ontotext (Graphwise) | Sofia | 2000 | Not stated |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1Chaos
Sofia (and Karlsruhe)Builds 3D rendering and simulation software, best known for V-Ray, used in architecture, film and design.
- Headquarters
- Sofia (and Karlsruhe)
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- 950 (2022)
- Ownership
- Private
2SiteGround
SofiaA web hosting company serving more than three million domains, with shared, cloud and enterprise hosting.
- Headquarters
- Sofia
- Founded
- 2004
- Employees
- 600+
- Ownership
- Private
3Haemimont Games
SofiaA studio known for city-building and strategy games such as Tropico and Surviving Mars.
- Headquarters
- Sofia
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- about 60 (2018)
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Paradox Interactive (since 2025)
4Ontotext (Graphwise)
SofiaBuilds knowledge graph and semantic data software, including the GraphDB database.
- Headquarters
- Sofia
- Founded
- 2000
- Employees
- Not stated
- Ownership
- Merged into Graphwise (2024)
What this list tells us about Bulgaria’s software industry
- Sofia is the main hub. 3 of the four companies on this list are headquartered there, with others in Sofia (and Karlsruhe).
- A long track record. The oldest company here, Chaos, was founded in 1997; the youngest, SiteGround, in 2004.
- Founding wave. More companies on this list were founded in the 1990s (2) than in any other decade.
- Ownership mix. 0 of the four are publicly listed and 1 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
Bulgaria at a glance
- Capital
- Sofia
- Official languages
- Bulgarian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Population
- 6.4 million (2025 est.)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $23,848 (2026 est.)
Economy. Services are the largest part of the economy, followed by manufacturing, mining and agriculture.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on Bulgaria, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in Bulgaria
- Time zone. Bulgaria uses UTC+02:00 in winter and UTC+03:00 in summer (daylight saving time). Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. The country is part of the European Union or the European Economic Area, so the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies and personal data is handled under the same rules as across the EU and EEA.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of Bulgaria, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in Bulgaria. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in Bulgaria but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in Bulgaria?
By reported number of employees, Chaos is the largest software and IT company headquartered in Bulgaria, with about 950 employees (2022). It builds 3D rendering and simulation software, best known for V-Ray, used in architecture, film and design.
Which city is the main software hub in Bulgaria?
Among the companies on this list, Sofia is home to the most: 3 of the four are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in Bulgaria on this list?
Chaos, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Sofia (and Karlsruhe).
How did you choose the software companies in Bulgaria?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in Bulgaria whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
Why are there fewer than 10 companies for Bulgaria?
We only list companies we could verify. Rather than pad the list with names we cannot confirm, we show four verified companies and suggest nearby markets.
What is the economy of Bulgaria based on?
Services are the largest part of the economy, followed by manufacturing, mining and agriculture.
What languages and currency are used for business in Bulgaria?
The official language is Bulgarian, and the currency is the Euro (EUR).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in Bulgaria?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of Bulgaria
- Chaos: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_(company)
- SiteGround: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SiteGround
- Haemimont Games: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemimont_Games
- Ontotext (Graphwise): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontotext
- Wikipedia: Bulgaria (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.