Business Model↕ | Revenue Source↕ | Example Company↕ | Scalability↕ | Margin Type↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SaaS Subscription | Monthly/annual subscriptions | Salesforce | Very High | High gross margin (70-90%) |
Marketplace | Transaction fees / commissions | Airbnb | Very High | High margin on take rate |
Freemium | Premium tier upgrades | Spotify | High | Low free tier, high premium |
Advertising | Ad impressions and clicks | Very High | Very high (60-80%) | |
E-commerce Direct | Product sales | Warby Parker | Medium | Medium (40-60%) |
Franchise | Franchise fees and royalties | McDonald's | High | Very high on royalties |
Razor and Blades | Consumable refills | Gillette | Medium | High on consumables |
Licensing | IP license fees | ARM Holdings | Very High | Very high (90%+) |
Hardware + Services | Device sales and services | Apple | High | High blended margin |
Peer-to-Peer Lending | Origination and service fees | LendingClub | High | Medium (30-50%) |
Affiliate | Referral commissions | Wirecutter | High | High (low overhead) |
Data as a Service | Data access subscriptions | Bloomberg | Very High | Very high (70-85%) |
On-Demand | Per-use service fees | Uber | High | Low to medium |
Crowdsourcing | Platform fees | Kickstarter | High | High (5-10% take rate, low cost) |
White Label | B2B product licensing | Foxconn | Medium | Low to medium |
Aggregator | Commission on aggregated supply | Booking.com | Very High | High margin on commissions |
Subscription Box | Recurring physical deliveries | Dollar Shave Club | Medium | Medium (30-50%) |
Open Source + Enterprise | Enterprise support and features | Red Hat | High | High on enterprise tier |
Pay-Per-Use (Cloud) | Metered usage fees | AWS | Very High | High (60-70%) |
Direct-to-Consumer | Online product sales | Glossier | Medium | Medium to high (50-70%) |
Insurance | Premiums minus claims | Lemonade | High | Variable (depends on loss ratio) |
Auction | Listing and final value fees | eBay | Very High | High (low marginal cost) |
Brokerage | Transaction commissions | Charles Schwab | High | High on volume |
API-as-a-Service | API call volume pricing | Twilio | Very High | High (50-65%) |
Consulting + Software | Project fees and licenses | Palantir | Medium | Medium to high |
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Business Models list ranked?
The Business Models list is ranked by community votes. Every visitor can pick one option over another in head-to-head matchups, and the running totals determine the order you see. No editors or algorithms — just real people voting.
How many entries are in this Business Models dataset?
This dataset contains 25 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Business Models data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 25-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
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