Spotify
Swedish-founded audio streaming platform with 760M+ monthly users. Founded in Stockholm in 2006, legally registered in Luxembourg, operationally based in Stockholm, and listed on the NYSE.
Quick facts
Why does it score 53?
Spotify is legally registered in Luxembourg and listed on the NYSE.
Spotify remains significantly influenced by founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, who hold large beneficiary certificates, though the company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Spotify runs on Google Cloud Platform, hosted in the US.
Spotify isn't open source and hasn't published independent third-party audits.
See how they compare
SpotifyWhat does it replace?
Apple Music More European Music streaming alternatives
French audiophile music streaming platform founded in Paris in 2007. Offers lossless CD-quality and Hi-Res 24-bit/192kHz audio. 1.2M+ monthly active users, fastest-growing music platform in 2025. Pays artists nearly $19 per 1,000 streams, among the highest in the industry.
French music streaming platform founded in Paris in 2007. Available in 180+ countries with 120M+ tracks, lossless HiFi audio, and Flow AI recommendations. Listed on Euronext Paris. Independent of US tech giants.
A Berlin-based streaming service designed for classical music, with lossless audio and a catalogue organised the way classical listeners actually search - by work, composer, conductor, and ensemble rather than just track title.
Berlin-founded audio streaming platform built around independent and emerging artists, with a huge catalogue of tracks you won't find anywhere else. Headquartered in Berlin, though its investor base is international.
Hi-fi music streaming service launched in 2014 by Norwegian company Aspiro, still headquartered in Oslo. Known for lossless and hi-res audio, though it is now majority-owned by the US company Block.