Swadeshi AppsHow the Swadeshi Meter works
The Swadeshi Meter scores each company we check from 0 to 100 on who owns it, where it is based and where it is built. This page shows how that number is worked out.
152 companies scored so far, 118 of them at 60 or more.
The seven factors
The weights add up to 100%.
| Factor | Weight | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Shareholding | 35% | How much of the company is owned by people and funds in India. |
| Incorporation Country | 20% | Where the company is legally registered, and whether a parent company abroad owns it. |
| Board Control | 15% | Whether people in India appoint most of its board. |
| Founders | 10% | Whether its founders are Indian, and whether they still run it. |
| HQ & Team Location | 10% | Where its head office and most of its team are. |
| Data Sovereignty | 5% | Whether it stores its users' data in India. |
| Revenue Origin | 5% | How much of its revenue comes from India. |
How the score is worked out
Each factor gets its own score from 0 to 100. The Swadeshi Meter is their weighted average: each factor's score times its weight, added up, then divided by the total weight of the factors we have facts for. The result is rounded to a whole number.
When we could not find facts for a factor, we leave it out instead of counting it as zero, because a missing fact is not proof of foreign ownership. The app page then says how many factors the score rests on, for example "Based on 5 of 7 factors".
For 16 of the 152 companies, the published score differs from this formula by more than a point, and for 5 of them the formula would put the company on the other side of the 60 line. We are re-checking those scores.
The five levels
One lotus petal for each level.
- Highly Swadeshi80 to 100
- Mostly Swadeshi60 to 79
- Mixed Ownership40 to 59
- Mostly Foreign20 to 39
- Foreign Controlled0 to 19
Where the facts come from
We research each company from public sources: its own website, company registers and filings, and investor and news reports. Each factor keeps a short note of what we found, and 660 of the 1041 factor notes name their source.
On each app page, the meter shows the score, its level, the date it was last verified and the sources it cites. "See the breakdown" opens every factor's score and note.
Spotted a mistake? Email support@swadeshiapps.com with a link to the source, and we will re-check that factor.
Questions
When does the site call a company Indian?
Only when it scores 60 or more (Highly Swadeshi or Mostly Swadeshi). Below 60, we describe it in neutral words: an alternative, not an Indian alternative.
What does "Not scored yet" mean?
We have not researched that company yet. It shows no petals, level or score until we do, and its listing stays as written. 12 listings are in that state today.
Is the score a review of the app?
No. It measures who owns and runs the company behind the app, not how good the app is. The app page's honest review and user complaints cover that.
Can a company pay for a better score?
No. A paid fast review only gets a submission looked at sooner. It never changes a company's score, its level or its position in any list.
Built an app in India? Submit it for review. Every submission is scored the same way, paid or free.