Yes—AOL was still operating when Bending Spoons agreed to buy it from Yahoo on October 29, 2025. The deal covered AOL’s surviving web portal and email business, not the dial-up internet service associated with the brand’s 1990s heyday. Bending Spoons completed the acquisition on January 2, 2026. The price was widely reported as approximately $1.5 billion, although Bending Spoons’ announcement did not disclose an exact purchase price.
What AOL is today
AOL did not vanish when dial-up internet access declined. The brand continued as a consumer internet operation centered on AOL Mail, AOL.com and related portal content and services.
That is different from the AOL many people remember. The former dial-up access business was being discontinued separately in 2025, according to contemporary reporting. The Bending Spoons transaction was described as the purchase of AOL’s “web portal and email provider” business, not the old dial-up network.
Corporate ownership also matters. AOL is a brand and operating business inside larger corporate structures, rather than the standalone public company that once merged with Time Warner.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute#1 Best Overall
- SPEED-OPTIMIZED, CROSS-PLATFORM PROTECTION: World-class antivirus security and cyber protection for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. Organize and keep your digital life safe from hackers.
- ADVANCED THREAT DEFENSE: Your software is always up-to-date to defend against the latest attacks, and includes: complete real-time data protection, multi-layer malware, ransomware, cryptomining, phishing, fraud, and spam protection, and more.
- SUPERIOR PRIVACY PROTECTION: including a dedicated safe online banking browser, microphone monitor, webcam protection, anti-tracker, file shredder, parental controls, privacy firewall, anti-theft protection, social network protection, and more.
- TOP-TIER PERFORMANCE: Bitdefender technology provides near-zero impact on your computer’s hardware, including: Autopilot security advisor, auto-adaptive performance technology, game/movie/work modes, OneClick Optimizer, battery mode, and more
The AOL acquisition at a glance
| Item | What is established |
|---|---|
| Buyer | Bending Spoons, a Milan-based technology company |
| Seller | Yahoo |
| Agreement announced | October 29, 2025 |
| Closing date | January 2, 2026 |
| Reported value | Approximately $1.5 billion; the buyer’s announcement did not state an exact purchase price |
| Business acquired | AOL’s web portal, email service and associated consumer internet operations |
Bending Spoons announced the agreement in its October 2025 release. Its 2026 prospectus records the completed transaction and identifies AOL Holdco I LLC as a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Bending Spoons: the prospectus.
How many people still use AOL?
Bending Spoons said its estimates put AOL at approximately 8 million daily active users and 30 million monthly active users. The company also said AOL ranked among the ten most-used email providers globally.
Those are buyer-provided estimates, not independently audited figures disclosed in the acquisition announcement. They nevertheless explain why AOL can be an operating business with material value even after its dial-up era ended.
Rank #2
- SPEED-OPTIMIZED, CROSS-PLATFORM PROTECTION: World-class antivirus security and cyber protection for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. Organize and keep your digital life safe from hackers.
- ADVANCED THREAT DEFENSE: Your software is always up-to-date to defend against the latest attacks, and includes: complete real-time data protection, multi-layer malware, ransomware, cryptomining, phishing, fraud, and spam protection, and more.
- SUPERIOR PRIVACY PROTECTION: including a dedicated safe online banking browser, microphone monitor, webcam protection, anti-tracker, file shredder, parental controls, privacy firewall, anti-theft protection, social network protection, and more.
- TOP-TIER PERFORMANCE: Bitdefender technology provides near-zero impact on your computer’s hardware, including: Autopilot security advisor, auto-adaptive performance technology, game/movie/work modes, OneClick Optimizer, battery mode, and more
Why would AOL be worth roughly $1.5 billion?
The reported price is best understood as a valuation of an established digital audience and operating platform, not a bet that AOL will return to its former cultural dominance.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
- Existing email usage: Long-standing accounts can generate recurring visits and retain valuable address books and contacts.
- Recognizable brand: AOL remains familiar to a large consumer audience, particularly people who created accounts years ago.
- Direct distribution: AOL.com and AOL Mail provide an existing channel for content, advertising and product changes.
- Infrastructure: An acquirer can improve a functioning service rather than build an email network and user base from zero.
- Monetization potential: Advertising, engagement and product improvements may increase the value of the installed audience, subject to privacy and data-protection rules.
These are analytical reasons the asset could command a large price; the parties did not publish a detailed valuation breakdown, revenue figure or profit forecast with the announcement.
Who is Bending Spoons?
Bending Spoons acquires established digital products and says it intends to operate them for the long term. Its portfolio has included Brightcove, Evernote, Vimeo, WeTransfer, Meetup, Remini, StreamYard and komoot. In its AOL announcement, the company said it had not sold an acquired business and expected to keep investing in AOL.
Rank #3
- ALL-IN-ONE SCAM DETECTION – Texts, emails, videos, and QR codes all get checked automatically. Sorting real from fake stops being your job.
- KEEP SCAMMERS OUT OF YOUR WALLET – Every click is no longer a gamble. Our scam detection spots suspicious texts, email scams, SMS phishing, and fake alerts before you click.
- QR CODE SCANNING – Point the app at any code and see where it actually leads before you scan it.
- DEEPFAKE DETECTION – When a video sounds like someone you know but isn't, you hear it from us first.
- ON-DEMAND CHECKS – Got a message you're unsure about? Run it through the app and know in seconds, wherever it came from.
Those statements describe Bending Spoons’ own strategy and claims, rather than a guarantee that every acquisition will succeed. The company’s stated model is to buy products with existing audiences and seek opportunities to improve their products, operations or monetization.
How AOL reached this ownership change
| Year | Ownership event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | AOL merged with Time Warner. |
| 2009 | AOL and Time Warner separated. |
| 2015 | Verizon acquired AOL. |
| 2017 | Verizon combined AOL and Yahoo under Oath. |
| 2021 | Apollo-backed ownership acquired Yahoo and related digital-media assets from Verizon. |
| 2025 | Yahoo agreed to sell AOL to Bending Spoons. |
| January 2, 2026 | Bending Spoons completed the acquisition. |
This timeline tracks the brand and operating assets through successive owners; it does not mean every product or legal entity remained unchanged at each step.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →What Bending Spoons has—and has not—promised
Confirmed by the announcement
- Bending Spoons said it planned significant investment in AOL.
- It described AOL as a healthy business with “unexpressed potential.”
- It said AOL was expected to remain under its ownership for the long term.
Not specified publicly in that announcement
- A date for an AOL Mail redesign
- New subscription tiers or pricing
- A particular artificial-intelligence feature
- A guarantee that every legacy feature, application or setting will remain available
Future product and account policies therefore need to be checked against current AOL support information rather than inferred from the acquisition announcement.
Rank #4
- THREAT DETECTION – Stay one step ahead. Suspicious links, risky sites, viruses, and scams, caught automatically before they reach you.
- PERSONAL INFO PROTECTION – Keep your personal info safer. Identity monitoring watches for your exposed info and tells you what to do about it.
- SECURE CONNECTIONS – Just a few easy clicks, and we'll automatically protect your info on public Wi‑Fi, every time you connect.
- GUIDED ACTION – Know what matters and what to do next. Clear alerts and simple guidance make it easy to take action.
- MORE THAN ANTIVIRUS – Scam protection, identity monitoring, VPN, web protection, and antivirus work together to protect you, all in one place.
Why the $2.8 billion financing figure is different
Bending Spoons separately announced a $2.8 billion debt-financing package comprising term-loan facilities and additional revolving-credit commitments. Banks named in the announcement included J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Wells Fargo, BNP Paribas, UniCredit and Société Générale.
That amount was financing capacity for the AOL acquisition and possible future mergers and acquisitions. It was not the reported purchase price of AOL and should not be treated as evidence that AOL itself was valued at $2.8 billion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the deal means for AOL Mail users
The ownership change did not automatically eliminate existing AOL Mail accounts or turn AOL Mail into Yahoo Mail. An existing address and login were not, solely because of the acquisition, replaced by a new service.
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
- SPEED-OPTIMIZED, CROSS-PLATFORM PROTECTION: World-class antivirus security and cyber protection for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. Organize and keep your digital life safe from hackers.
- ADVANCED THREAT DEFENSE: Your software is always up-to-date to defend against the latest attacks, and includes: complete real-time data protection, multi-layer malware, ransomware, cryptomining, phishing, fraud, and spam protection, and more.
- SUPERIOR PRIVACY PROTECTION: including a dedicated safe online banking browser, microphone monitor, webcam protection, anti-tracker, file shredder, parental controls, privacy firewall, anti-theft protection, social network protection, and more.
- TOP-TIER PERFORMANCE: Bitdefender technology provides near-zero impact on your computer’s hardware, including: Autopilot security advisor, auto-adaptive performance technology, game/movie/work modes, OneClick Optimizer, battery mode, and more
Users should continue to use AOL’s current sign-in and support channels for password recovery, security requirements, account inactivity rules, storage limits and any pricing or feature changes. The acquisition announcement did not promise unchanged functionality or pricing indefinitely.
The larger lesson about “legacy” internet brands
AOL shows why a brand can be culturally outdated without being commercially worthless. A smaller, mature service may still have habitual users, direct traffic, operational infrastructure and a known name. For an acquirer such as Bending Spoons, those assets can be more attractive than launching a new email or portal product from scratch.
The strategy also carries trade-offs. A large legacy audience can be valuable but slow-growing, and attempts to improve monetization or reduce costs can affect products that users have relied on for years. The AOL deal is therefore a test of whether modern ownership can develop a mature audience without treating familiarity as a substitute for product investment.
Bottom line
AOL is no longer the dial-up giant of the 1990s, but it is not merely a dead brand. Bending Spoons bought its surviving email-and-portal operation from Yahoo in a transaction widely reported at about $1.5 billion, announced October 29, 2025 and completed January 2, 2026. The value rests on AOL’s established audience and operating platform—and on the new owner’s belief that those assets can be modernized and monetized.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
