🌐 Categories of Online Services

1. Social & Email

Facebook — Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard; now the largest social network.
Twitter (X) — Launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey; popular for microblogging and real‑time news.
Instagram — Created in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger; photo and video sharing.
LinkedIn — Founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman; professional networking platform.
Viber — Founded in 2010 in Israel; a free messaging and VoIP app offering text, voice calls, video calls, and multimedia sharing. It later became part of Rakuten (Japan) in 2014.
WeChat — Released in 2011 by Tencent; China’s super‑app combining messaging, social media, and payments.
WhatsApp — Launched in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton in the US; one of the world’s most popular messaging apps. Acquired by Facebook (now Meta) in 2014, it provides encrypted messaging, voice, and video calling.
TikTok (Douyin internationally)— Launched in 2016 by ByteDance; short‑video platform with global popularity.
Gmail — Released by Google in 2004; one of the most widely used free email services.
Outlook.com — Microsoft’s webmail service, launched in 2012 (successor to Hotmail).
Yahoo Mail — Yahoo founded in 1994, Yahoo Mail launched in 1997; one of the earliest free web‑based email services, very popular in the late 1990s and 2000s.

Amazon — Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos; started as an online bookstore, now a global marketplace.
Alibaba — Established in 1999 by Jack Ma in China; major B2B and consumer e‑commerce platform.
Taobao — Founded in 2003 by Alibaba Group; one of China’s largest consumer‑to‑consumer (C2C) marketplaces, similar to eBay, where individuals and small businesses sell products directly to consumers.
Tmall — Launched in 2008 by Alibaba Group as a spin‑off from Taobao; a business‑to‑consumer (B2C) platform where official brands and retailers sell products, known for higher quality and authenticity compared to Taobao.
JD.com— Founded in 1998, moved online in 2004; major Chinese e‑commerce company.
eBay — Launched in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar; online auction and shopping site.
Shopee — Founded in 2015 by Sea Group in Singapore; leading Southeast Asian e‑commerce app.
Lazada — Founded in 2012 in Singapore by Rocket Internet; one of Southeast Asia’s leading e‑commerce platforms. Acquired by Alibaba Group in 2016, it now operates across countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Google Search — Launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; dominant global search engine.
Bing — Microsoft’s search engine, introduced in 2009.
Baidu — Founded in 2000 in China; leading Chinese search engine.
Yandex — Founded in 1997 in Russia; the country’s largest search engine and technology company. It offers web search, email, maps, cloud storage, and browser services, often called the “Google of Russia.”
Chrome Browser — Released in 2008 by Google; now the most widely used browser.
Firefox — Developed by Mozilla, launched in 2002.
Safari — Apple’s browser, introduced in 2003.

PayPal — Founded in 1998; pioneer in online payments and digital wallets.
Alipay — Launched in 2004 by Alibaba Group; dominant payment platform in China.
WeChat Pay — Introduced in 2013 by Tencent; integrated into WeChat super‑app.
Apple Pay — Released in 2014; mobile payment system for iOS devices.
GCash — Launched in 2004 in the Philippines by Globe Telecom; a leading mobile wallet and digital payment platform. It allows users to pay bills, transfer money, shop online, and even invest or save, making it one of the most widely used fintech services in the country.
Maya — Founded in 2015 in the Philippines by Voyager Innovations. Originally known as PayMaya, it rebranded to Maya in 2022. It is one of the country’s leading digital financial services platforms, offering mobile wallet payments, bill payments, money transfers, and now expanded into banking services such as savings and credit

YouTube — Founded in 2005; acquired by Google in 2006; world’s largest video platform.
Netflix — Started in 1997 as DVD rental; streaming launched in 2007.
Spotify — Founded in 2006 in Sweden; leading music streaming service.
Disney+ — Launched in 2019, streaming platform for Disney content.
Bilibili — Founded in 2009 in China; originally focused on anime, comics, and gaming (ACG) content. It has since expanded into a comprehensive video‑sharing platform with live streaming, e‑sports, and professional content, often called the “YouTube of China” for younger audiences.
QQ Music — Launched in 2005 by Tencent; one of China’s largest music streaming platforms. It offers licensed music, playlists, karaoke features, and is integrated with Tencent’s ecosystem

Steam — Released in 2003 by Valve; digital distribution for PC games.
PlayStation Network — Launched in 2006 by Sony; online gaming and media service.
Xbox Live — Introduced in 2002 by Microsoft; online gaming service for Xbox.
Epic Games Store — Opened in 2018; PC game distribution platform.

Google Maps — Launched in 2005 after Google acquired Keyhole Inc..
Apple Maps — Released in 2012 as Apple’s native navigation app.
Waze — Founded in 2006 in Israel; acquired by Google in 2013.
Amap — Founded in 2002 in China; acquired by Alibaba Group in 2014. One of the most widely used navigation apps in China, offering maps, traffic updates, ride‑hailing integration, and public transport information.
Baidu Map — Launched in 2005 by Baidu; China’s leading map and navigation service, integrated with Baidu’s search ecosystem. Provides maps, real‑time traffic, and location‑based services.
Petal Maps — Launched in 2020 by Huawei; a global navigation app available on Huawei and other Android devices. Provides maps, real‑time traffic, navigation, and location services as an alternative to Google Maps.

Uber — Founded in 2009; ride‑hailing and food delivery (Uber Eats).
Airbnb — Established in 2008; online marketplace for lodging and travel experiences.
Booking.com — Started in 1996 in the Netherlands; global travel booking site.
Grab — Founded in 2012 in Malaysia (originally as MyTeksi); now headquartered in Singapore. It has grown into a super‑app offering ride‑hailing, food delivery (GrabFood), digital payments, and financial services across Southeast Asia.
Food panda — Launched in 2012 in Berlin, Germany by Delivery Hero; operates food delivery and quick commerce services in Asia and Europe. It connects restaurants and customers through its mobile app.
Lalamove — Founded in 2013 in Hong Kong; on‑demand logistics and delivery platform. It specializes in same‑day delivery for goods, partnering with drivers and businesses across Asia and Latin America.
Meituan — Founded in 2010 in China by Wang Xing; one of the largest lifestyle service platforms. It started with group buying and has expanded into food delivery, hotel booking, travel, movie tickets, and other local services. Today, Meituan is a dominant player in China’s on‑demand service industry, often compared to Grab or DoorDash in function but with a broader ecosystem.