Cheetah Mobile Inc. CMCM

Competitive advantage analysis · communication-services

Software & SaaS Specialized
Overall moat score
43/100
Developing

About Cheetah Mobile Inc.

Cheetah Mobile Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides internet services, artificial intelligence (AI), and other services in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and internationally. The company offers internet products that include Duba Anti-virus applications, such as anti-virus and anti-malware, K+ defense, system protection, online shopping protection, vulnerability fixing, and membership services; Yuanqi Wallpaper, including desktop beautification, wallpaper … Full CMCM analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Innovation Converts to Outcomes Innovation payoff is strong (score 0.65), supported by Rule of 40 and revenue compounding.
  • Returns Hold Over Time Return durability is healthy (score 0.71), indicating durable capital efficiency.

Key risks

  • Weak Cash Conversion Cash conversion is weak (score 0.16), limiting evidence of scalable cash generation.
  • Lumpy Revenue Trajectory Revenue consistency is weak (score 0.29), suggesting demand may be less recurring than peers.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.

Premium access

Unlock full defense analysis

Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.

Upgrade to Premium Unlock all moat defenses and evidence.

Pricing Power

Developing
47

Where CMCM ranks in Internet Content & Information

Cheetah Mobile Inc. ranks #51 of 78 scored companies in Internet Content & Information by moat score — the top 65%. The widest moat in the group is Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) at 75/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near CMCM in Internet Content & Information
# Company Moat score Rating
47 Baidu, Inc. BIDU 44/100 Developing
48 Bumble Inc. BMBL 44/100 Developing
49 Cheche Group Inc. CCG 44/100 Developing
50 Cheche Group Inc. Warrant CCGWW 44/100 Developing
51 Cheetah Mobile Inc. CMCM 43/100 Developing
52 Onfolio Holdings Inc. ONFO 42/100 Developing
53 IZEA Worldwide, Inc. IZEA 42/100 Developing
54 Onfolio Holdings Inc. Warrant ONFOW 42/100 Developing
55 Perion Network Ltd PERI 42/100 Developing

See every Software & SaaS company ranked by moat score →

How CMCM scores on the Software & SaaS Specialized defenses

Pricing Power

Score 47 · 20% of the moat score

In software, pricing power is visible in gross margin: a vendor that has to discount in order to renew gives it up first.

Recurring Revenue Stickiness

Score 44 · 18% of the moat score

Recurring revenue is the model's central claim, and it is a moat only when customers renew and expand without being re-sold each year.

Innovation Engine

Score 59 · 16% of the moat score

Software is competed away rather than depreciated, so a vendor that stops investing loses its category.

Cash Scalability

Score 18 · 18% of the moat score

The test of a software business is whether growth eventually stops consuming cash.

Capital Efficiency

Score 48 · 16% of the moat score

A software platform employs very little capital, so a genuine franchise should produce high returns on it without leverage.

Balance Sheet Resilience

Score 45 · 12% of the moat score

Software companies fund years of customer acquisition before those customers pay back, which makes access to capital a strategic variable rather than a treasury detail.

How each Software & SaaS Specialized defense is measured, in full →

Understanding CMCM's moat

What is Cheetah Mobile Inc.'s moat score?

Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) scores 43 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #51 of 78 scored companies in Internet Content & Information, the top 65%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 77 companies in Internet Content & Information. Its strongest defense is Innovation Engine (59/100) and its weakest is Cash Scalability (18/100).

How does Cheetah Mobile Inc. compare with other Internet Content & Information companies?

Cheetah Mobile Inc. ranks #51 of 78 scored companies in Internet Content & Information by moat score. The widest moat in Internet Content & Information is Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) at 75/100. The companies ranked closest are Cheche Group Inc. Warrant (CCGWW) at 44 just above it and Onfolio Holdings Inc. (ONFO) at 42 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Software & SaaS Specialized in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 77 companies in Internet Content & Information. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Cheetah Mobile Inc. scored with the Software & SaaS Specialized template?

Software costs almost nothing to reproduce, so the entire economic question is whether customers keep paying. Revenue is a subscription rather than a sale, the cost of winning a customer is paid years before that customer becomes profitable, and margins arrive only if renewals hold. The Software & SaaS template scores retention, reinvestment, and the point at which growth turns into cash.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Cheetah Mobile Inc.?

The Software & SaaS Specialized template measures 6 defenses, and CMCM scores: Pricing Power (47), Recurring Revenue Stickiness (44), Innovation Engine (59), Cash Scalability (18), Capital Efficiency (48), Balance Sheet Resilience (45). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

Send Feedback
Please select a category.
0/1000