Rave
Rave Inc. is a Canadian consumer software company that operates a cross-platform watch-party app enabling synchronized co-viewing of streaming and personal video with text and voice chat, monetized via freemium ads and a Premium subscription, currently engaged in multi-jurisdictional antitrust litigation against Apple following an App Store removal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersKitchener, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Rave does
Rave Inc. is a privately held Canadian software company, incorporated in Ontario and headquartered in Hamilton, that operates a cross-platform synchronized video-watching application of the same name. The core product enables users to co-view streaming content (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Crunchyroll) and personal media (Google Drive, Google Photos) with friends in real time, accompanied by text and voice chat, on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android TV, Google TV, and Huawei AppGallery. Underlying the consumer experience is proprietary infrastructure including low-latency synchronized playback, an AI-powered content moderation system (hash matching and machine learning models for CSAM and harmful content detection, with disclosed metrics of 200M images analyzed and 120K accounts deleted), and an AI music-mixing sub-product called RaveDJ accessible via rave.dj and within the main app.
The business model is freemium with advertising: the app is free to download and use, revenue is generated through third-party ad networks (Freestar and Playwire) and an optional Premium subscription that removes ads. Distribution is digital via app stores and direct downloads, and marketing has historically been product-led and community-led, supplemented by earned media coverage in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times, BuzzFeed, TechRadar, and TNW. The company is small (11-50 employees) and led by founder/CEO Michael Pazaratz.
In August 2025, Apple removed Rave from the App Store citing content moderation deficiencies. In May 2026, Rave filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Russia, alleging the removal was an abuse of market dominance aimed at Apple's competing SharePlay feature. The app remains available on Android, Windows, Mac, and other platforms, but the platform dispute and the moderation-related public scrutiny constitute the dominant strategic question facing the company.
Rave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rave
- Legal name
- Rave Inc.
- Website
- https://rave.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rave Inc. is a Canadian consumer software company that operates a cross-platform watch-party app enabling synchronized co-viewing of streaming and personal video with text and voice chat, monetized via freemium ads and a Premium subscription, currently engaged in multi-jurisdictional antitrust litigation against Apple following an App Store removal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Video & Entertainment Apps
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interactive/Watch-Party & Social Video Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Social/UGC Music Platforms (Short-Form, Social Listening) (MPAIACAE)
Keywords
Where Rave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kitchener
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Freemium Model with Premium Upsell: Rave is free to download and use on all platforms. Users can optionally purchase Rave Premium for an ad-free experience. The free tier generates revenue through in-app advertising displayed to users.
- Advertising: Rave generates advertising revenue through third-party ad networks. On the personal computer app, Rave uses cookies for advertising. Third parties Freestar and Playwire LLC manage advertising and collect anonymized data for ad targeting.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free tier - core watch-together functionality with ads |
| Subscription | Monthly | Rave Premium - ad-free experience |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels3 records
Rave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rave is a cross-platform watch party application that enables users to watch streaming video content (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Crunchyroll) together in synchronized playback with real-time text and voice chat. Available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android TV, Google TV, and Huawei devices. The platform also includes RaveDJ, an AI-powered music mixing tool that creates mashups from existing songs.
Product overview
Rave is a cross-platform social video-watching application operated by Rave Inc. The core product is the Rave watch party platform, which enables synchronized video viewing with text and voice chat. Users can watch content together from integrated streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Crunchyroll) or personal video files (Google Drive, Google Photos). The platform is available across mobile (iOS, Android, Huawei), desktop (Windows, Mac), and TV (Chromebook, Android TV, Google TV) devices. The product portfolio includes the core Rave app for synchronized viewing experiences and RaveDJ, an AI-powered music mixing feature accessible via rave.dj or within the main app, which generates audio mashups from multiple songs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RaveDJ: AI-powered music mixing tool that can mix songs into mashups or longer mixes. Accessible via rave.dj or from within the Rave app.
Products and services
- Rave A cross-platform watch party application that enables users to watch videos together from streaming services (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Crunchyroll) and personal media (Google Drive, Google Photos) in synchronized playback with real-time text and voice chat. Available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android TV, Google TV, and Huawei devices.
- RaveDJ An AI-powered music mixing tool that automatically mixes songs together to create mashups. Users can mix two songs into a single mashup or combine multiple songs into a longer mix. Accessible as a standalone website at rave.dj or integrated within the Rave app.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 225 million downloads across platforms
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Rave
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
AI capability6 records
Feature4 records
Rave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- NetflixcoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch Netflix content together in synchronized sessions with friends. Users must have their own Netflix subscription to access content through Rave.
- YouTubecoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch YouTube videos together in synchronized sessions. Content is accessed through user's own YouTube account.
- Amazon PrimecoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch Amazon Prime content together. Note: rented/paid content from Amazon is not supported.
- Disney+coreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch Disney+ content together in synchronized sessions.
- HBO MaxcoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch HBO Max content together in synchronized sessions.
- TwitchcoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch Twitch streams together in synchronized sessions.
- CrunchyrollcoreIntegration allowing Rave users to watch Crunchyroll anime content together in synchronized sessions.
- Google DrivecoreUsers can upload personal video files to Google Drive and watch them together through Rave. Subtitles added on Google Drive are preserved in Rave.
- Google PhotoscoreUsers can upload personal video files to Google Photos and watch them together through Rave.
- Google (Sign-in Integration)coreUsers can sign in to Rave using their Google account. Rave uses industry-standard security procedures and encryption to protect Google user data both in transit and at rest.
- Facebook (Sign-in Integration)coreUsers can sign in to Rave using their Facebook account, authorizing Rave to access public profile and friend information.
- Apple (Sign-in Integration)coreUsers can sign in to Rave using their Apple ID.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Watch2gether: Synchronized-watch web app with rooms for YouTube, Netflix, Amazon and others plus text chat. Direct peer - same cross-service synchronous-viewing premise and same freemium-with-ads monetization DNA as Rave.
- TwoSeven: Browser extension enabling synchronized streaming with video chat across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu and YouTube. Direct peer - functionally comparable to Rave's watch-party stack and sold to the same remote-social consumer segment.
- Kast (formerly Rabbit): Watch-together and screen-share platform supporting up to 20 participants across Netflix, YouTube and personal media. Direct peer - overlapping cross-platform co-viewing product and same horizontal social-video consumer segment as Rave.
- Scener: Co-watching platform letting users host watch parties for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max with video chat. Direct peer in the synchronized-streaming-with-chat category; comparable user target and integration architecture to Rave.
- Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party): Browser-based co-viewing extension that synchronizes Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime for watch parties. Direct peer - same synchronized-streaming premise, same reliance on third-party streaming credentials, same freemium monetization thesis as Rave.
Broad incumbents
- Zoom: Video conferencing platform frequently used as a fallback co-viewing tool via screen-share and simultaneous-watch conventions. Broad incumbent - similar horizontal video-and-chat base layer, but optimized for meetings rather than synchronized third-party streaming.
- Discord: Voice, video and text social platform with built-in screen-share and streaming activities used by groups to co-view content. Broad incumbent - same synchronous group-video use case and social-discovery positioning, though not specialized in licensed-streamer integration.
- Twitch: Live-streaming platform with watch-party features (Raid, Squad Stream, Prime Watch Party) that synchronize viewers around content. Broad incumbent - comparable synchronous group-viewing behavior and chat-during-playback model, but anchored on live creators rather than SVOD integration.
- Apple SharePlay: Apple's native FaceTime co-experience for synchronized Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, TikTok and other apps. Broad incumbent - directly competes with Rave on iOS and is the specific competitor Rave alleges Apple is protecting in its antitrust suits.
Emerging players
- Bunch: Mobile group-video app for playing games together remotely with in-app video chat. Emerging peer - overlaps Rave's horizontal social-video consumer segment and shared-via-link distribution, but specializes in casual gaming rather than SVOD co-viewing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rave social profiles
Digital presenceRave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Rave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rave
What does Rave do?
Rave is a cross-platform watch party application that enables users to watch streaming video content (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Crunchyroll) together in synchronized playback with real-time text and voice chat. Available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android TV, Google TV, and Huawei devices. The platform also includes RaveDJ, an AI-powered music mixing tool that creates mashups from existing songs.
Is Rave a public or private company?
Rave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rave founded?
Rave was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rave based?
Rave is headquartered in Kitchener, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Rave make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Freemium Model with Premium Upsell is the primary driver. The others are advertising.
Who are Rave's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Watch2gether, TwoSeven, Kast (formerly Rabbit), Scener and Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party). Broad incumbents are Zoom, Discord, Twitch and Apple SharePlay. Bunch is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rave.
What industry is Rave in?
Rave's product category is Social Video & Entertainment Apps. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAAAM, Interactive/Watch-Party & Social Video Streaming Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIACAE, Social/UGC Music Platforms (Short-Form, Social Listening). Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7990.