# Competitive Analysis: [Market/Product Area]

**Date:** [Date]
**Analyst(s):** [Names]
**Scope:** [What job or product category is being analyzed]

---

## 1. Competitor Inventory

### Direct Competitors

| # | Name | URL | Founded | Funding | Revenue Model | Est. Users/Traffic |
|---|------|-----|---------|---------|--------------|-------------------|
| 1 | [Name] | [URL] | [Year] | [Amount] | [Subscription/Freemium/etc.] | [Estimate] |
| 2 | [Name] | [URL] | [Year] | [Amount] | [Model] | [Estimate] |
| 3 | [Name] | [URL] | [Year] | [Amount] | [Model] | [Estimate] |

### Indirect Competitors

| # | Name | Type | How They Overlap |
|---|------|------|-----------------|
| 1 | [Name] | Same segment / Same value | [Description of overlap] |
| 2 | [Name] | [Type] | [Description] |

### JTBD Competitors

| # | Alternative | Category | How It Gets the Job Done |
|---|-----------|----------|-------------------------|
| 1 | [Name/Description] | [Product/Manual/Workaround] | [How customers use it for this job] |
| 2 | [Name/Description] | [Category] | [Description] |

---

## 2. Feature Comparison Matrix

| Feature/Attribute | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | [Comp 4] | [Our Product] |
|-------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|---------------|
| **Core Features** | | | | | |
| [Feature 1] | [✓/✗/Partial] | | | | |
| [Feature 2] | | | | | |
| [Feature 3] | | | | | |
| **UX Quality** | | | | | |
| Onboarding ease | [1-5] | | | | |
| Core workflow efficiency | [1-5] | | | | |
| Visual polish | [1-5] | | | | |
| Mobile experience | [1-5] | | | | |
| **Business** | | | | | |
| Free tier available | [✓/✗] | | | | |
| Price (comparable plan) | [$] | | | | |
| Integrations | [Count/key ones] | | | | |
| **Customer Signals** | | | | | |
| App store rating | [X.X] | | | | |
| G2/Capterra rating | [X.X] | | | | |
| Top praise theme | [Theme] | | | | |
| Top complaint theme | [Theme] | | | | |

Color-code: Green = strong, Yellow = adequate, Red = weak, Gray = N/A

---

## 3. Job Performance Comparison

Rate each competitor on how well they perform each stage of the main job (1-5 scale):

**Main job:** [Statement]

| Job Stage | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | [Our Product] |
|-----------|----------|----------|----------|---------------|
| Define | | | | |
| Locate | | | | |
| Prepare | | | | |
| Confirm | | | | |
| Execute | | | | |
| Monitor | | | | |
| Modify | | | | |
| Conclude | | | | |

---

## 4. Positioning Map

### Dimensions
- **X-axis:** [Most differentiating attribute — e.g., "Ease of use"]
- **Y-axis:** [Second most differentiating attribute — e.g., "Feature depth"]

### Map

```
High [Y] │
          │    [Comp 1]
          │                    [Comp 3]
          │         ★ TARGET
          │
          │  [Comp 2]
          │              [Comp 4]
Low  [Y]  │
          └────────────────────────────
         Low [X]              High [X]

★ = Desired position for our product
```

### Empty Quadrants
[Are there unoccupied positions? Why might they be empty — opportunity or dead zone?]

---

## 5. Analysis

### Table Stakes
[Features/attributes every competitor has. Customers expect these as baseline.]

1. [Attribute]
2. [Attribute]
3. [Attribute]

### Differentiators
[Features/attributes only 1-2 competitors have that receive positive reception.]

1. [Competitor] — [Differentiator] — [Customer reception]
2. [Competitor] — [Differentiator] — [Customer reception]

### Gaps
[Customer needs no competitor addresses well. Sourced from reviews, interviews, support data.]

1. [Gap] — Evidence: [Source]
2. [Gap] — Evidence: [Source]
3. [Gap] — Evidence: [Source]

### Over-Served Areas
[Attributes heavily invested in across the market but rated low-importance by customers.]

1. [Attribute] — [Why it's over-served]

---

## 6. Value Innovation Opportunity

### Four Actions

| Action | Attributes | Rationale |
|--------|-----------|-----------|
| **Eliminate** | [What to drop] | [Why this doesn't serve the job] |
| **Reduce** | [What to do less of] | [Why the market over-invests here] |
| **Raise** | [What to do better] | [Why this matters more than competitors realize] |
| **Create** | [What to introduce] | [Why no one has done this and why customers need it] |

---

## 7. Competitive Findings Brief

### Market Landscape Summary
[2-3 sentences: what is the overall state of competition? Blue/red/purple ocean?]

### Key Findings

1. [Finding with strategic implication]
2. [Finding with strategic implication]
3. [Finding with strategic implication]

### Threats to Monitor

| Threat | Competitor | Signal to Watch | Timeframe |
|--------|-----------|----------------|-----------|
| [Description] | [Who] | [What would indicate this is happening] | [When to re-evaluate] |

### Strategic Recommendation
[Take a clear stand. What should we do based on this analysis? 2-3 sentences.]

---

## 8. Appendix

### Individual Competitor Profiles

#### [Competitor 1 Name]
- **Overview:** [2-3 sentences]
- **Target segment:** [Who they serve]
- **Key experience:** [What makes them notable]
- **Strengths:** [Bulleted list]
- **Weaknesses:** [Bulleted list]
- **Recent moves:** [Launches, pivots, funding, acquisitions]

[Repeat for each competitor]

### Sources
- [Source 1]
- [Source 2]
- [Source 3]
