Free competitive analysis template
A competitive analysis template where every claim carries a source and a date: profiles, a comparison grid, messaging, AI answers, and your next moves.
How to use this template.
- Copy the template or download the Markdown file into the document or spreadsheet tool your team uses.
- Write the decision in section 1 before you research anything. It tells you which competitors and criteria matter.
- Pick three to five competitors, including one thing buyers do instead of buying from anyone.
- Fill each profile from sources you can link to, and date every cell. Old findings are how analyses go wrong.
- Finish with section 9. A competitive analysis is done when it names a move, an owner, and a date.
The competitive analysis template.
Competitive analysis: [Your brand] vs. [category]
Prepared by: [Name] · Date: [Date] · Next refresh: [Date]
1. The question
- Decision this analysis informs: [e.g. how to position the spring launch, whether to enter a new channel, how to price a new size]
- Market and region: [Where you compete]
- Customer you are analyzing for: [The buyer, in one sentence]
Write the decision first. An analysis with no decision attached turns into a folder nobody reopens.
2. Evidence rules
Every claim about a competitor gets a source and the date you checked it. Mark each cell as one of:
- Observed: you saw it yourself (their website, packaging, a purchase, an ad)
- Reported: a third party said it (press, reviews, a marketplace listing)
- Inferred: your interpretation. Keep these few, and label them.
3. The competitor set
Three to five is usually enough to act on. Include at least one alternative that isn't a direct competitor.
| Competitor | Type | Why they are on this list |
|---|---|---|
| [Name] | Direct: same product, same buyer | [Reason] |
| [Name] | Direct | [Reason] |
| [Name] | Indirect: different product, same job | [Reason] |
| [Name or habit] | Substitute: what buyers do instead of buying | [Reason] |
4. Competitor profiles
Copy this block once per competitor.
[Competitor name]
| Field | Finding | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Their positioning, in their own words | ["Quote their homepage headline"] | [URL, date] |
| Who they are for | [Audience] | [Source, date] |
| What they sell and how it is priced | [Range, price model, entry price] | [Source, date] |
| Where they sell | [Own site, retail, marketplaces, subscriptions] | [Source, date] |
| The proof they lean on | [Reviews, awards, founder story, certifications] | [Source, date] |
| Tone of voice | [Three words, plus one example line] | [Source, date] |
| What changed recently | [Launches, price moves, new messaging] | [Source, date] |
| What customers praise | [Review themes] | [Source, date] |
| What customers complain about | [Review themes] | [Source, date] |
5. Comparison grid
Rows are the things your buyer actually weighs. Write them in the buyer's words, not your internal ones.
| Buying criterion | [Your brand] | [Competitor A] | [Competitor B] | [Competitor C] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [e.g. Price per use] | [Finding, source] | [Finding, source] | [Finding, source] | [Finding, source] |
| [e.g. Ingredients or materials] | ||||
| [e.g. Convenience or delivery] | ||||
| [e.g. Trust signals] | ||||
| [e.g. Range or choice] |
6. Messaging side by side
| Headline | Main promise | Proof offered | Call to action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Your brand] | ||||
| [Competitor A] | ||||
| [Competitor B] |
If you can swap two brands' headlines and nobody would notice, the category has gone beige. That is your opening.
7. What AI engines say about the category
Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google's AI Overviews the questions your buyers ask. Record the answers word for word, with the date.
| Question asked | Engine | Brands named | How your brand is described | Accurate? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "What is the best [product] for [buyer]?" | [Engine] | [Names, in order] | [Quote, or "not mentioned"] | [Yes / No / Partly] |
| "What is [your brand]?" | [Engine] | |||
| "[Your brand] vs. [competitor]" | [Engine] |
8. Where you stand
| For you, relative to this set | |
|---|---|
| Strengths | [What you do better, with evidence] |
| Weaknesses | [Where a competitor is ahead, with evidence] |
| Gaps nobody fills | [Needs no one in the set serves well] |
| Threats | [Moves that would hurt you if a competitor made them] |
9. Moves
| Opportunity | Evidence | Move | Owner | By when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Gap or weakness] | [Section and row it came from] | [Specific action] | [Name] | [Date] |
10. Watch list
| Competitor | What to watch | How you will notice | Check again on |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [e.g. pricing page, new retail listings] | [e.g. monthly visit, alert, newsletter] | [Date] |
A worked example.
A filled comparison grid for Fernbrook Provisions, a demo brand invented for this page, against three invented competitors. Every cell carries its source type, so a reader can tell a fact from a hunch.
| Buying criterion | Fernbrook Provisions | Millhouse Basics | Prairie Table | Store brand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the grain comes from | Farm named on each bag (observed, packaging) | "Sourced from American farms" with no farm named (observed, website) | Single region named, no farm (observed, website) | Not stated (observed, packaging) |
| How fresh it is | Milled weekly, date printed (observed, packaging) | No mill date (observed, packaging) | Mill date on request (reported, customer service email) | No mill date (observed, packaging) |
| Where buyers find it | Own site and 40 independent grocers (observed, stockist page) | National grocery chains (observed, store locator) | Own site only (observed, website) | Every location of one chain (observed) |
| What reviewers mention most | Flavor, bag design (reported, review site) | Price, availability (reported, review site) | Shipping delays (reported, review site) | Price (reported, review site) |
The finding it led to: two of three competitors make sourcing claims without naming a farm. Fernbrook's farm-on-the-bag detail is the one difference nobody else can copy quickly, so the spring messaging leads with it.
The move: put the farm name in the product page headline, not just on the bag. Owner: marketing lead. Due: before the spring launch.
Questions about competitive analysis.
- What is a competitive analysis?
- A structured look at the brands your buyers compare you with: what they sell, how they position it, what customers say about them, and where that leaves you. Its job is to inform a decision, not to describe the market.
- How many competitors should I include?
- Three to five is usually enough to act on. Include direct competitors, one indirect competitor that solves the same problem differently, and the substitute: what buyers do when they buy nothing.
- Why does every cell need a source and a date?
- Competitors change prices, messaging, and products constantly. A finding with no date can be months out of date without anyone noticing, and a finding with no source can't be checked before it shapes a decision.
- Why check what AI engines say?
- Buyers ask assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity to compare brands before they visit a website. If an engine leaves your brand out or describes it wrongly, that is part of your competitive picture.
- How often should I update it?
- Set a refresh date when you finish, and revisit sooner after a competitor launch or price change. The watch list in section 10 tells you what to check.
Want the brief written with the sources attached?
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