I know that the Dutch east india company was worth more, but which company had more manpower and military might, and which one had more free license from the government to do as they please?
The British east India company by 1800 ruled 90m Indians, controlling 70m acres (243,000 square kilometres) of land, issuing its own coins, complete with the Company crest, and supporting an army of 200,000 men.
At its peak, the VOC boasted 257 ships and 12,000 employees. It had an army of 10000 at the end of the 17th century. While local militia could supplement the army, there is no comparison in military might or rule. The VOC was earlier, had more shareholders and ships and its ships carrying 5 times the tonnage as the British company. But the wealth was inflated by the tulip bubble and inflation in converting to modern terms.
In 1669, the VOC was the richest private company the world had ever seen, with over 150 merchant ships, 40 warships, 50,000 employees, a private army of 10,000 soldiers,