How do you do a competitor analysis?

Start by listing your direct and indirect competitors, usually five to ten. Gather each one's pricing, features, strengths, and weaknesses. Then plot them on a positioning grid, often price against quality, so you can see the landscape at a glance. Read the gaps and clusters: empty space is opportunity, a crowded corner is a fight. Update it as the market shifts.

What should a competitor analysis include?

A solid competitor analysis includes the competitors themselves, direct and indirect, each one's pricing and key features, their strengths and weaknesses, and where they sit relative to you. A positioning map turns that into one picture by plotting rivals on two axes that matter to buyers, like price and quality. The goal is a clear read on gaps and threats.

What is a competitive positioning map?

A competitive positioning map, also called a perceptual map, plots competitors on a 2x2 grid using two factors customers care about, such as price and quality. Each rival becomes a card, so clusters and empty space are visible at once. It answers one question fast: where does every player sit, and where is the gap nobody has taken yet?

How many competitors should you include?

Usually five to ten. Too few and you miss the shape of the market; too many and the map turns into noise. Include your closest direct competitors and a couple of indirect ones that solve the same problem differently. If a quadrant comes out empty, note that too: an unserved position can matter as much as a crowded one.

TemplatesStrategy & canvasesCompetitor Analysis

Competitor Analysis Template

A competitor analysis maps how rival products compare on the things customers care about, so you can see where you win, where you lose, and where the market has a gap. This template is a positioning matrix: a price-versus-quality grid where you plot each competitor as a card with its real strengths and weaknesses. Product marketers and founders use it to find white space and sharpen their own positioning.

Use this template

A price-versus-quality grid with competitors plotted as cards, revealing clusters and market gaps.

What's included

A price-versus-quality grid. A 2x2 with axes for lower-to-higher price and lower-to-higher quality and features.
Competitor cards. Sticky notes you plot in the quadrants, each holding a rival's price, features, and gaps.
Worked example notes. Sample competitors already placed, like one at '$20, no iOS support' and one at 'same price, 97% SLA'.
Four quadrants. Premium, value, budget, and overpriced zones that fall out of the two axes.
Editable axes and cards. Swap price and quality for any two factors that decide buyers in your market.

Why do a competitor analysis?

Spot the market gap. Empty space on the grid is where no rival sits, and often where you should.
Sharpen your positioning. Seeing everyone plotted shows what claim is still available to own.
Back up pricing. A price-versus-quality view shows whether you're priced in line with what you deliver.
Brief the team. One board tells sales and product where each competitor really stands.
Catch threats early. A rival creeping toward your quadrant is obvious on the map before it's obvious in the pipeline.

How to use this template

Open the template. It lands as a price-versus-quality grid with a few competitors already plotted.
List your competitors. Gather your direct and indirect rivals; five to ten is usually enough.
Set your axes. Keep price and quality, or swap in the two factors customers actually decide on.
Plot each competitor. Place a card in the quadrant that matches its price and quality, with notes on features and gaps.
Find the white space. Look for empty areas and clusters; the gaps are your opportunities.
Share and revisit. Invite the team, and re-plot as competitors change pricing or ship features.

Map your competitors

Competitor analysis vs SWOT analysis

A competitor analysis looks outward at the market: it maps how specific rivals are positioned on the factors buyers care about, like price, features, and quality. A SWOT analysis looks inward at a single organization, auditing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The two work together, competitor positioning is a strong input to a SWOT's opportunities and threats, but they answer different questions. Use a competitor analysis to read the landscape, a SWOT to assess yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Start by listing your direct and indirect competitors, usually five to ten. Gather each one's pricing, features, strengths, and weaknesses. Then plot them on a positioning grid, often price against quality, so you can see the landscape at a glance. Read the gaps and clusters: empty space is opportunity, a crowded corner is a fight. Update it as the market shifts.
A solid competitor analysis includes the competitors themselves, direct and indirect, each one's pricing and key features, their strengths and weaknesses, and where they sit relative to you. A positioning map turns that into one picture by plotting rivals on two axes that matter to buyers, like price and quality. The goal is a clear read on gaps and threats.
A competitive positioning map, also called a perceptual map, plots competitors on a 2x2 grid using two factors customers care about, such as price and quality. Each rival becomes a card, so clusters and empty space are visible at once. It answers one question fast: where does every player sit, and where is the gap nobody has taken yet?

A competitor analysis looks outward at the market: it maps how specific rivals are positioned on price, features, and quality. A SWOT analysis looks inward at one organization, auditing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They feed each other, competitor positioning is a useful input to a SWOT, but they answer different questions and aren't interchangeable.
Usually five to ten. Too few and you miss the shape of the market; too many and the map turns into noise. Include your closest direct competitors and a couple of indirect ones that solve the same problem differently. If a quadrant comes out empty, note that too: an unserved position can matter as much as a crowded one.