Methodology
How we decide what is Swiss
Who qualifies for the directory, how products are classified, what every badge means and how facts are verified.
Summary
We list software and digital services from organisations headquartered and legally incorporated in Switzerland. Being a Swiss company is the entry ticket — it says nothing yet about where data is stored. That is why every entry answers five questions separately: headquarters, ownership, development, hosting and infrastructure.
A Swiss SaaS company running on a hyperscaler in Frankfurt is listed as a Swiss company, but does not get a “Hosted in Switzerland” badge. A foreign company that merely operates a data centre in Zurich is not a Swiss software provider.
Who qualifies
A product is listed when one of the following is true:
- Swiss operating company. The organisation that develops and operates the product is headquartered in Switzerland and registered in the Swiss commercial register (or is a Swiss foundation, association, cooperative or public institution).
- Swiss-developed open source. The product is open source and primarily developed in Switzerland, even without a Swiss operating company.
- Swiss-hosted foreign service. A foreign company hosts core customer data in Switzerland by default. Such entries are clearly labelled and never described as Swiss companies.
In addition, the product must be actively offered and available to customers in Switzerland.
Parent companies and subsidiaries
- A Swiss company that is acquired by a foreign group stays listed as long as it remains headquartered in Switzerland and operates the product from there. It is classified as Swiss company · foreign parent and does not receive the “Swiss Owned” badge.
- A Swiss subsidiary of a foreign corporation that sells its parent’s products (for example a local sales office) does not qualify — the product is not developed or operated by a Swiss organisation.
- Resellers of foreign software do not qualify. Swiss providers that build their own service on foreign cloud infrastructure do qualify — the infrastructure is shown openly.
These rules are enforced by the build: an entry that fits none of the tiers fails validation and is not published.
Classification
Every listed product receives exactly one classification, derived automatically from its data.
| Classification | Meaning | Rule | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss native | Swiss-headquartered, Swiss-owned company; product developed (wholly or largely) in Switzerland. | Swiss headquarters and incorporation · Swiss ultimate owner (yes) · developed in Switzerland (yes or partly) | 53 |
| Swiss company | Swiss-headquartered company. Ownership is mixed or not fully verified, or development happens mainly abroad. | Swiss headquarters and incorporation · ownership mixed or unverified, or development mainly abroad | 53 |
| Swiss company · foreign parent | Headquartered in Switzerland, but ultimately controlled by a company outside Switzerland. | Swiss headquarters and incorporation · ultimate owner outside Switzerland | 16 |
| Swiss-developed open source | Open-source project developed primarily in Switzerland, without a Swiss-headquartered operating company. | No Swiss operating company · open-source licence · primarily developed in Switzerland | 0 |
| Swiss-hosted · foreign company | Foreign company whose service is hosted in Switzerland. Listed for data residency only — not a Swiss company. | Foreign company · core customer data hosted in Switzerland by default | 0 |
Swiss footprint
The footprint is shown as five squares on every card. Each square is one independent question, answered with yes, partly, no or unknown:
- Headquarters — Is the operating company headquartered in Switzerland?
- Ownership — Is the company ultimately Swiss-owned?
- Development — Is the product developed in Switzerland?
- Hosting — Is customer data hosted in Switzerland?
- Infrastructure — Is the hosting infrastructure operated by a Swiss-owned provider?
Partly is used for hosting when only part of the data, or only some customers, are served from Switzerland, or when Swiss hosting is an option rather than the default. Infrastructure counts the operator of the servers — the company itself, a Swiss provider, or a foreign cloud — not the building it sits in.
The optional sort order “Swiss footprint” adds one point per yes and half a point per partly. It is a transparent count, not a quality rating.
Badges
Badges are computed from the data. Cards show at most three; the product page shows all that apply.
| Badge | Meaning | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Company | The operating company is headquartered and legally incorporated in Switzerland. | Company headquarters = CH and legal jurisdiction = CH |
| Swiss Owned | The ultimate controlling owner is Swiss (Swiss persons, companies, foundations or public bodies). | Company ownership.swissOwned = yes |
| Swiss Developed | The product is primarily developed by a team operating from Switzerland. | Product swiss.developed = yes |
| Hosted in Switzerland | Core customer data and workloads are hosted in Switzerland by default. | Product swiss.hosted = yes |
| Swiss Data Option | Swiss hosting is available as an option or for part of the service, but is not the default for everything. | Product swiss.hosted = optional or partial |
| Swiss Infrastructure | Hosted in Switzerland on infrastructure operated by a Swiss-owned provider (or the company itself) — not a foreign hyperscaler. | swiss.hosted = yes and infrastructure operator Swiss-owned = yes |
| Open Source | The product’s source code is published under an open-source licence (client and server). | openSource = yes (client and server) |
| Self-hostable | Can be installed on your own servers or on-premises. | Deployment includes self-hosted or on-premises |
| Free Plan | A permanently free plan is available (not just a trial). | pricing.freePlan = yes |
Verification
Every statement about ownership, development, hosting and infrastructure carries a basis:
- Verified — confirmed by an independent or official source such as the commercial register.
- Vendor claim — stated by the vendor in its own documentation, website or legal terms.
- Inferred — derived by the editors from indirect evidence; the note explains how.
Typical sources are the Swiss commercial register (Zefix) and UID register, vendors’ legal notices, privacy policies, sub-processor lists, data-centre documentation and press releases about acquisitions. Each entry links its sources and shows the date it was last verified. We aim to re-verify every entry at least once a year and whenever a significant change (such as an acquisition) becomes known.
Missing information is shown as Unknown / not verified. It is never converted into “No” — especially not for statements about data location or ownership.
Ordering & independence
- Lists are sorted alphabetically by default. Other sort orders are labelled and explained.
- There is no editorial score, no “best” label and no paid placement.
- If affiliate links or sponsorships are ever introduced, they will be marked on the entry and will not influence inclusion, classification or ordering.
- “Alternative to” means overlapping functionality, not a one-to-one replacement. Differences are noted where known.
Limitations
- Swiss jurisdiction is not a privacy guarantee. Swiss providers are subject to Swiss law, including the surveillance act (BÜPF/LSCPT) and court orders, and may be subject to foreign law where they operate abroad.
- Hosting arrangements change. Always confirm current details in the vendor’s contract or data processing agreement.
- The directory is not exhaustive. Absence from the list says nothing about a product’s quality.
Corrections
Every product page has a Report an error link. Vendors are welcome to submit corrections with sources; we update entries when the evidence supports it. See Suggest a product for how to propose new entries.