What Clean Software Alliance does

Clean Software Alliance (CSA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 2015 and headquartered in the United States (with a listed San Francisco contact address and Yonkers mailing location), operating with 1-10 employees. The organization functions as a multi-stakeholder industry forum that develops and enforces voluntary, consumer-friendly guidelines for the software distribution ecosystem, working inclusively across online security vendors, software distribution and monetization firms, installer platform companies, browser providers, and computer platform developers. CSA does not develop proprietary technology products; its core deliverables are consensus-based guidelines (covering advertising, installation, program functionality, and uninstall requirements), published compliance reports (including AppEsteem 'deceptor' program reviews in 2018 and 2024), networking events, and dispute resolution assistance. The organization has expanded through partnerships with AMTSO, Virus Bulletin, AVAR, and Google to extend its convening reach.

CSA's revenue model is membership-driven, anchored by an annual tiered subscription program with four tiers — Basic ($5,000/year), Associate ($10,000/year), Activist ($15,000/year), and Voting ($75,000/year) — providing graduated access to guidelines, research, dispute resolution, government relations participation, and governance rights. In January 2024 the membership voted to expand the association into a new vertical via the Clean Search Alliance, which addresses self-regulation for search advertising (invalid traffic prevention, data sharing, and user experience) and is funded via one-time industry contributions of at least $5,000 from invited participants. The go-to-market is community-led: CSA engages constituents through industry conferences (Affiliate Summit West, Virus Bulletin), regional networking receptions (Las Vegas, New York, Dublin, London, Prague), research publications, LinkedIn/Twitter presence, and a monthly newsletter.

Operationally, CSA is governed by an Advisory Board and led by CEO Harold Colby, Co-Presidents Bjorn Andor and Melissa Burton, CFO Vince Taylor, COO-Software Eddy Willems, COO-Search Paola Sheth, Director of Legal & Operations Tilly Evans, and a small project management and marketing team. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no public revenue figures. Its strategic value proposition is preventing heavy-handed external regulation through credible self-regulation — a role that produces moderate structural moats but constrains the organization to nonprofit economics.

Name

Clean Software Alliance

Legal name

Clean Software Alliance

Website

https://cleansoftware.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clean Software Alliance is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association, founded in 2015, that develops voluntary consumer-friendly guidelines for the software distribution ecosystem and, since 2024, the search advertising industry, funded by tiered membership fees ($5K-$75K) and industry contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yonkers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with tiered pricing ($5,000-$75,000/year) providing access to guidelines, forums, voting rights, certification, and conference attendance.
2. Clean Search Alliance Contributions: One-time fixed contributions of at least $5,000 from invited industry participants who support the Search Alliance initiative, in lieu of traditional membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clean Software Alliance is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association that develops and promotes voluntary industry guidelines for sustainable software distribution and search ecosystems. It sells tiered membership to software companies and search providers and operates programs such as the Clean Search Alliance and the CSA Guidelines framework that codify acceptable industry practices.

Product overview

Clean Software Alliance is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association operating as a unified organization with a portfolio of programs and services. The core CSA focuses on championing sustainable, consumer-friendly practices within the software distribution ecosystem through industry guidelines, compliance reports, and membership programs. In 2024, CSA expanded its portfolio by launching the Clean Search Alliance as an additional track focused on the search industry's self-regulation. The organization offers comprehensive CSA Guidelines covering advertising, installation, program functionality, and uninstall requirements, alongside a tiered membership program (Basic through Voting) providing access to conferences, research, and industry participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clean Search Alliance: A program within CSA that advocates for self-regulation to ensure the sustainability and growth of the search industry by providing positive user experience while ensuring quality traffic for advertisers. Launched in 2024.

Products and services

• CSA Membership Program
• Clean Search Alliance Program
• CSA Guidelines

Quantifiable outcome

• Guidelines developed through industry consensus with input from 50+ respondents including AV companies commanding 63%+ market share

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• AMTSO (Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CSA is a member of AMTSO, an international non-profit association focused on improving objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware testing methodologies. CSA participates in AMTSO activities related to testing standards and industry collaboration.
• Virus BulletincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CSA is a member of Virus Bulletin and held its 2022 reception in conjunction with Virus Bulletin 2022 conference in Prague. Collaboration includes joint networking events and industry discussions.
• AVAR (Association of anti-Virus Asia Researchers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CSA is a member of AVAR, an organization dedicated to preventing the proliferation of malicious code and to achieving proper conduct among anti-virus product developers. CSA participates in AVAR activities and industry initiatives.
• Google Inc.strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CSA collaborated with Google Inc. on the 2021 Annual Summit - Mobile event. Google hosted and participated in discussions about mobile fraud, platform policies, and industry best practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): IAB is a larger advertising industry trade body that develops standards and policy positions across digital advertising. CSA operates in the adjacent software distribution and search ad ecosystems where IAB standards apply, making IAB the broader incumbent in similar trade-association territory.
• Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA): SIIA is a major trade association for the software and information industry, advocating on policy and developing codes of conduct. CSA operates in similar software industry self-regulation territory but with a narrower focus on consumer-friendly distribution practices.
• BSA | The Software Alliance: BSA is a global software industry trade association focused on policy advocacy, IP protection, and standards. Comparable as a larger software industry self-regulatory and advocacy body sitting one level above CSA's narrower software distribution remit.
• Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA): DAA operates self-regulatory principles for online behavioral advertising across multiple stakeholders. It operates CSA's same kind of multi-stakeholder self-regulation model but applied to ad-tech/advertising rather than software distribution or search.
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): NAI is a self-regulatory association of advertising technology companies focused on data usage and targeted advertising standards. Comparable to CSA's Clean Search Alliance as a self-regulatory body addressing ad-tech/search quality concerns among industry members.

Direct peers

• AppEsteem Corporation: AppEsteem is a certification body that certifies software distributors and developers as 'clean,' the same niche CSA organizes multi-stakeholder guidelines around. CSA's own 2018 and 2024 reports explicitly reviewed and challenged AppEsteem's deceptor program, making them direct competitors in shaping the software certification market.
• Media Rating Council (MRC): MRC is an independent industry body that audits and accredits measurement systems in advertising and media. It mirrors CSA's certification/auditing function for the search advertising ecosystem and operates on similar non-profit trade association mechanics.
• Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO): AMTSO is an international non-profit that develops standards for anti-malware testing methodologies. CSA is an AMTSO member and operates in the directly overlapping space of consumer protection from unwanted/malicious software, with the same coalition-building playbook.
• Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG): TAG is a cross-industry accountability program combating ad fraud, piracy, and malware in the digital advertising supply chain. It directly parallels CSA's Clean Search Alliance mission around invalid traffic (IVT), fraud prevention, and self-regulatory standards among search/ad tech players.

Emerging players

• TrustArc: TrustArc is a privacy compliance and certification provider for technology platforms. Adjacent to CSA's certification function in the consumer-protection standards space, though focused on privacy rather than software distribution behavior.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/softwareclean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clean-software-alliance-csa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clean Software Alliance