Alternativas económicas

What Alternativas económicas does

Alternativas económicas is a Barcelona-based cooperative (SCCL) that publishes a monthly critical economics magazine in Spanish, operating since 2013. It is governed by approximately 100 member-owners, of whom 8 are worker-members, and runs with a small team of 1–10 employees. Its editorial positioning targets readers interested in alternative, solidarity, and critical-economics perspectives, distinguishing it from mainstream Spanish-language economic press.

The company's product surface centers on the flagship Revista (offered in print and digital formats at a €55/year subscription), supported by the Hemeroteca (digital archive), AlterEco Formación (training and education vertical), Cuidadoras en red (community initiative), the Tienda (store), and the El Oráculo Impertinente column, plus a newsletter. The publication is a member of the cooperative and solidarity-economy ecosystem in Catalonia and Spain, including REAS, COCETA, Cooperatives de Catalunya, Xarxa d'Economia Solidària, and COOP Media, and maintains a sister-publication relationship with Alternatives Economiques in France. The outlet has also obtained JTI (Journalism Trust Initiative) certification and has received EU funding support.

The business model is a multi-revenue cooperative: paid individual subscriptions (€55/year) form the core, supplemented by training revenue, store sales, member dues, and public grants. Pricing is deliberately accessible to maintain a broad subscriber base aligned with the cooperative's mission, and distribution leverages institutional partnerships with universities, cooperatives, and solidarity-economy networks. There is no disclosed revenue, no external VC funding, and no AI/ML product features referenced in the available material.

Name

Alternativas económicas

Legal name

Alternativas económicas SCCL

Website

https://alternativaseconomicas.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alternativas económicas is a Barcelona-based cooperative (SCCL) that publishes a monthly Spanish-language critical economics magazine, serving individual subscribers, cooperative members, and solidarity-economy networks through print, digital, training, and community products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic journalism and periodical publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional & Custom Publishing (Coursepacks, Campus/Corporate Training) (MPAJABAL)

Keywords

• Economic journalism
• Cooperative publishing
• Digital magazine subscription
• Social economy media
• Training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Primary revenue stream from reader subscriptions at €55/year, providing full digital access and monthly print magazine delivery
2. Merchandise Sales: Sales through the online store (Tienda) for merchandise and publications
3. University Access Program: Specialized institutional subscriptions for universities for academic access to content

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alternativas económicas publishes a monthly economic magazine in both print and digital formats, providing in-depth critical journalism on social economy, cooperative movement, housing, labor, AI ethics, and European affairs. The cooperative also offers training services (AlterEco Formación), a digital archive (Hemeroteca), a community initiative for caregivers (Cuidadoras en red), and an online store selling subscriptions, back issues, books, and merchandise. Content is primarily subscription-gated.

Product overview

Alternativas económicas is a cooperative-based monthly economic magazine offering both print and digital subscription formats. The publication operates as a platform centered on its core magazine product, supplemented by training services (AlterEco Formación), a digital archive (Hemeroteca), the Cuidadoras en red community initiative, and an online store. The magazine covers economic, social, political, and environmental topics through articles, interviews, dossiers, and regular columns including El Oráculo Impertinente. Content is primarily subscription-gated with most articles requiring a paid subscription for full access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revista Alternativas económicas
• AlterEco Formación
• University Access Program
• Tienda (Online Store) Online store selling subscriptions, back issues, books, and merchandise related to the magazine.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alternatives EconomiquescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister publication in France, sharing similar editorial mission of critical economic journalism. Part of the broader European alternative economics media ecosystem.
• REAS (Redes de Economía Alternativa y Solidaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of alternative and solidarity economy organizations, aligning with the magazine's editorial focus on social economy.
• COCETA (Confederación de Cooperativas de España)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish cooperative confederation, natural partner for a worker cooperative magazine focused on social economy.
• Cooperatives de CatalunyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalan cooperative federation, given the magazine's Barcelona base and regional cooperative ecosystem.
• Xarxa d'Economia SolidàriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalan solidary economy network, reinforcing local social economy community connections.
• COOP MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative media network in Catalonia for media sector collaboration.
• JTI CertifiedminorOthersJournalism Trust Initiative certification demonstrating adherence to journalism ethics standards.
• European UnionminorOthersEuropean funding received for specific projects or initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• El País: Spain's flagship general-interest newspaper, where founding editor Ariadna Trillas previously led economics coverage in Catalonia. Broad incumbent with overlapping economics coverage and a much larger paid-subscriber base, but very different ownership and funding model.
• El Economista: Major Spanish economics-focused digital newspaper. Broad incumbent that overlaps with Alternativas económicas on economic journalism for Spanish readers, but operates as a commercial advertiser-supported outlet rather than a reader-funded cooperative.

Direct peers

• Internazionale: Italian weekly magazine aggregating and translating the best of global independent journalism, with a strong subscriber base. Comparable in magazine format, subscription model, and curatorial role for international critical journalism.
• El Salto: Spanish cooperative-backed daily of alternative journalism, organized as a worker cooperative with subscriber funding. Directly comparable cooperative ownership, subscription model, and left/progressive editorial positioning in the Spanish market.
• La Marea: Spanish independent cooperative magazine covering politics, economics, culture, and human rights. Comparable in print+digital monthly format, subscriber-funding ethos, and cooperative editorial principles.
• ctxt: Spanish subscriber-funded critical journalism outlet covering politics, economics, and culture. Comparable in reader-funded model, Spanish-language audience, and editorial positioning as independent alternative to mainstream media.
• Alternatives Economiques: French sister publication and explicit strategic partner of Alternativas económicas, sharing the same editorial mission of critical economic journalism. Closest direct comparable given shared cooperative-adjacent model, sister-publication relationship, and overlapping content themes.
• Jacobin: International magazine and digital media platform offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. Comparable in subscription/membership funding model, magazine-plus-digital format, and editorial focus on critical economic analysis.
• Le Monde diplomatique (Edición Española): Spanish edition of the global critical-geopolitics monthly, offering subscription-based in-depth economics, politics, and international affairs journalism. Directly comparable in format (monthly magazine), subscription model, and independent editorial stance.
• New Left Review: Long-running English-language journal of critical economic and political theory with subscription-based access. Comparable in subscription model, scholarly/critical editorial positioning, and recurring publication cadence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/@atrillas
• Facebookfacebook.com/RevistaAlterEco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alternativas-economicas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Alternativas económicas