Competing with dominant players in the digital platform (DP) economy is an increasingly complex and expensive endeavor for alternative digital platform (ADP) providers trying to disrupt established platform ecosystems. Nevertheless, ADPs position themselves deliberately in the competitive space of large competitors, targeting customer groups whose values and mindsets differ from mainstream DPs. Although there are many examples to find in practice, the variety of ADPs across different DP ecosystems and industries, especially in regards of strategic objectives, directions and characteristics, has not been researched in-depth yet. Based on a systematic, practice-based artifact review, this paper analyses and compares 105 ADPs in the competitive space of dominant DP ecosystem players. The study utilizes the theory of Corporate Aikido as an analytical framework, mapping the strategic elements of overthrowing established value propositions and turning a competitors’ strengths into weaknesses. Our findings indicate that privacy- and security-awareness, empowerment and inclusivity, premium quality and curation, open source and free access, uncensored, transparent and decentralized platforms as well as ecological and climate-friendly offers shape the landscape of alternative approaches in today’s DP economy. The results are subsequently discussed, yielding managerial implications and future opportunities for DP research.

对于试图破坏已建立平台生态系统的替代数字平台 （ADP） 提供商来说，与数字平台 （DP） 经济中的主导者竞争是一项日益复杂且昂贵的工作。尽管如此，ADP 有意识地将自己定位在大型竞争对手的竞争空间中，针对价值观和心态与主流 DP 不同的客户群。尽管在实践中可以找到许多例子，但不同 DP 生态系统和行业的 ADP 的多样性，尤其是在战略目标、方向和特征方面，尚未得到深入研究。基于系统的、基于实践的工件审查，本文分析和比较了占主导地位的 DP 生态系统参与者竞争空间中的 105 个 ADP。该研究利用企业合气道理论作为分析框架，绘制了推翻既定价值主张和将竞争对手的优势转化为劣势的战略要素。我们的研究结果表明，隐私和安全意识、赋权和包容性、优质和策展、开源和免费访问、未经审查、透明和去中心化的平台以及生态和气候友好型产品塑造了当今 DP 经济中替代方法的格局。随后对结果进行了讨论，产生了 DP 研究的管理意义和未来机会。