Competitive Analysis

You are guiding a structured competitive product analysis. The goal is to help indie developers and small teams understand the competitive landscape before they invest time building something — because with modern AI-assisted coding, the hard part isn't building, it's knowing what to build and how to differentiate.

This skill encodes the methodology a senior product manager would use when evaluating a new product opportunity. The value isn't just "find competitors" — it's knowing what to search for, what dimensions matter, and how to spot the gaps that represent real opportunities.

Respond in whatever language the user writes in. Search in both English and the user's language to get comprehensive coverage (many products are documented only in English, but local competitors may only appear in local-language searches).

Two Modes

This skill has two modes. Pick the right one based on what the user needs:

Quick Scan — Use when the user wants a fast overview, says things like "quick look", "快速看看", "just a rough idea", or is in the very early brainstorming stage. Also default to this if the idea is extremely vague and the user doesn't seem ready for a deep dive. Takes 3-5 searches, produces a concise ~1500 word report. See "Quick Scan Template" at the end of this skill.

Deep Analysis — Use for everything else. This is the default. The user has a specific idea and wants to understand the market thoroughly before investing time building. Follows the full Step 1-4 workflow below.

If you're not sure which mode fits, default to Deep Analysis. If you ran a Quick Scan, always offer at the end: "Want me to go deeper on any of these competitors or run the full analysis with Strategy Canvas and ERRC framework?"

---

Deep Analysis

Step 1: Understand the Idea

Before searching for anything, make sure you understand what the user wants to build. Extract these dimensions from their input:

• Problem: What pain point does this solve?
• Target users: Who specifically would use this?
• Key features: What does it do? (even if vague)
• Category: What product category does this fall into? (e.g., "project management", "health tracking", "developer tooling")
• Platform: Web app, mobile, desktop, CLI, API, browser extension?
• The Job: What "job" is the user hiring this product to do? (Think beyond the product category — a meal planning app isn't just competing with other meal planners, it's competing with anything people "hire" to answer "what should I eat tonight?" — grocery delivery, recipe blogs, takeout apps, or even asking a partner.) This Jobs-to-Be-Done framing will guide your competitor search in Step 2.

If the user gave a detailed spec, summarize your understanding and proceed. If the description is vague (e.g., "I want to build a todo app"), ask 1-2 focused questions to narrow down what makes their idea specific — don't ask a long list. The most useful clarifying questions are about who it's for and what's different about their approach.

Present your understanding in a brief summary and get a quick confirmation before moving on. Don't belabor this step.

Step 2: Research the Competitive Landscape

This is where the real work happens. Use WebSearch extensively — the quality of your analysis depends on the quality of your research. Run multiple searches from different angles to build a comprehensive picture.

Search strategy

Run searches in roughly this order. Adapt the specific queries to the product category, but cover all these angles:

Landscape searches (find the category):

• best [category] tools/apps [year]
• [category] software comparison
• top [category] for [target users]

Problem searches (find how people currently solve this):

• how to [solve the problem] [target users]
• [problem] solution for [target users]
• Reddit/forum searches: [problem] recommendation reddit

Product discovery sources — search these specifically because they surface products that generic searches miss:

• site:producthunt.com [category or problem]
• site:alternativeto.net [category or known competitor]
• [category] app on app store search terms (if mobile)
• [category] github (if developer tool or open-source relevant)

JTBD-driven searches — this is often the most insightful part. Think about the job the user is hiring a product to do, not just the product category. Users always have a current solution, even if it's a spreadsheet, email, or doing nothing. Search for all the ways people currently "get the job done":

• how do [target users] currently [manage/track/handle the problem]
• [target users] workflow for [problem]
• [the job to be done] without [product category] (e.g., "manage client projects without project management software")

Aim to identify 8-15 products across three categories:

1. Direct competitors (3-5): Products solving the same problem for the same users
2. Indirect competitors (2-4): Current workarounds — the things users will switch from
3. Adjacent products (2-4): Similar space but different angle (different user segment, different problem, or different platform)

Understanding indirect competitors is just as important as direct ones. If your user's current alternative is "a shared Google Sheet", that tells you a lot about their pain tolerance, budget expectations, and what the minimum viable improvement looks like.

When you find competitors

For each product you find, do a follow-up search to get specifics:

• [product name] pricing
• [product name] review
• [product name] vs (autocomplete reveals what people compare it to)

Don't try to research every product equally. Focus your deep dives on the 5-8 most relevant competitors.

Step 3: Analyze Each Competitor

For each significant competitor (top 5-8), research and document:

Dimension	What to look for
Core offering	What it does, key features, positioning (from their landing page/docs)
Pricing	Free tier? Pricing model (subscription/one-time/usage)? Price range?
Target market	Who they say it's for vs who actually uses it
User sentiment	What users love, what they complain about (Product Hunt comments, app store reviews, Reddit threads)
Traction signals	Team size, funding, user base estimates, social proof on their site
Tech approach	Stack, integrations, API availability (if relevant to the product category)
Moat / Durability	What makes this competitor's advantage hard to replicate? Look for: network effects (more users = more value), switching costs (data lock-in, workflow integration), data advantages (proprietary dataset that improves the product), brand strength, scale economies. A competitor with no moat is vulnerable regardless of current market share. A small competitor with strong network effects is more dangerous than a big one with none.

Where user sentiment hides

User reviews are gold — the gap between what a product promises and what users experience is exactly where your differentiation opportunity lives. Search specifically for:

• [product name] review site:reddit.com
• [product name] problems
• [product name] alternative (people searching for alternatives are unhappy)
• Product Hunt launch comments (makers often respond to criticism, revealing known limitations)
• App store reviews sorted by recent/negative

Pay special attention to repeated complaints. A single negative review is noise. The same complaint from 5 different users is a signal.

Step 4: Synthesize and Report

After completing your research, generate a structured report. The structure matters because it makes the analysis scannable and actionable — a wall of text is the enemy of good decision-making.

Use this template:

# Competitive Analysis: [Product Idea Name]

## Product Summary
| Dimension | Detail |
|-----------|--------|
| Problem | [what pain point this solves] |
| Target users | [who specifically] |
| Key features | [core capabilities] |
| Category | [product category] |
| Platform | [web/mobile/desktop/CLI] |

## Competitor Landscape Overview

[2-3 sentence summary of the competitive landscape: is it crowded? emerging?
dominated by a few players? underserved?]

### Direct Competitors
| Product | What it does | Pricing | Target Users | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---------|-------------|---------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Indirect Competitors / Current Workarounds
| Solution | How people use it | Why it's limited |
|----------|------------------|-----------------|
| ... | ... | ... |

### Adjacent Products
| Product | Similarity | Key Difference |
|---------|-----------|----------------|
| ... | ... | ... |

## Feature Comparison

| Feature | Your Idea | [Comp A] | [Comp B] | [Comp C] | [Comp D] |
|---------|-----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
| [feature 1] | ✅/🔲 | ✅/🔲 | ✅/🔲 | ✅/🔲 | ✅/🔲 |
| ... | | | | | |

## Pricing Landscape

[Summary of how competitors price: what's the typical range?
freemium common? what's included in free tiers?]

| Product | Free Tier | Paid Starting At | Model |
|---------|-----------|-----------------|-------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Market Gaps & Opportunities

These are the underserved areas where competitors are weak or absent:

1. **[Gap 1]**: [description — why this matters and who it affects]
2. **[Gap 2]**: [description]
3. **[Gap 3]**: [description]

## Strategy Canvas

Identify the 6-8 key factors that competitors in this space compete on (e.g., price, ease of use, feature depth, integrations, customization, support quality, community, AI capabilities). Then rate each major competitor on each factor (High/Medium/Low). This reveals where competitors cluster (crowded space = red ocean) and where white space exists (blue ocean).

| Factor | [Comp A] | [Comp B] | [Comp C] | [Comp D] | Opportunity? |
|--------|----------|----------|----------|----------|-------------|
| [factor 1] | High | High | High | Med | Crowded |
| [factor 2] | Low | Low | Med | Low | White space |
| ... | | | | | |

## Differentiation Strategy (ERRC)

Based on the Strategy Canvas, recommend a differentiation strategy using the ERRC framework — this is more actionable than generic advice because it tells the user exactly which trade-offs to make:

- **Eliminate**: Which factors that competitors all invest in can you drop entirely? (Reduces complexity and cost)
- **Reduce**: Which factors can you deliberately offer below industry standard? (Acceptable trade-offs)
- **Raise**: Which factors should you invest in far above competitors? (Your key differentiators)
- **Create**: What entirely new factors can you introduce that no one offers? (Your blue ocean)

## Threat Assessment

Rank the top 3-5 competitors by threat level, considering not just current feature overlap but their **moat strength** and **ability to respond**:

| Competitor | Threat Level | Why |
|-----------|-------------|-----|
| [name] | High/Med/Low | [funding + moat + feature overlap + iteration speed] |

A well-funded competitor with strong network effects who could easily copy your differentiator = High threat. A similar product with no moat and negative user sentiment = Low threat (and a sign of opportunity).

## Risk Factors

[Honest assessment: what makes this market hard? Are incumbents well-funded?
Is the switching cost high? Is the market too small? Do competitors have strong moats
(network effects, data advantages, switching costs) that make displacement difficult?]

## Verdict

[Clear, honest 2-3 sentence assessment: is this worth building?
If yes, with what positioning? If risky, what would need to be true?]

Saving the report

Save the full report as a markdown file (e.g., competitive-analysis-[product-name].md) in the current working directory so the user has a persistent artifact. Also present a concise summary in the conversation.

Adapting by Product Type

The core methodology is the same, but emphasis shifts:

SaaS / Web apps: Focus on pricing models, integrations ecosystem, and switching costs. B2B SaaS lives and dies by integrations and pricing.

Mobile apps: App store rankings, ratings, and review volume matter a lot. Check both iOS and Android. Download estimates (from app store intelligence or review counts) signal traction.

Developer tools: GitHub stars, npm/PyPI downloads, documentation quality, and community activity are primary signals. Check if there's a popular open-source alternative — developers strongly prefer free tools.

Consumer products: Network effects and user acquisition channels matter more than features. Check social media presence and word-of-mouth signals.

Enhanced Data Sources

This skill bundles scripts in scripts/ that pull richer data than WebSearch alone. Use them when relevant to the product type — they provide real ratings, reviews, and download data that WebSearch often misses.

App Store & Play Store (zero config, works immediately)

For mobile app ideas, run these scripts to get real competitor data:

# Search iOS App Store
node scripts/search-appstore.mjs search "diet tracker" us

# Search Google Play Store
node scripts/search-playstore.mjs search "diet tracker" us

# Get detailed app info (Play Store)
node scripts/search-playstore.mjs details "com.myfitnesspal.android"

# Get user reviews (Play Store only — App Store reviews are currently broken)
node scripts/search-playstore.mjs reviews "com.myfitnesspal.android"

# Get App Store ratings breakdown
node scripts/search-appstore.mjs ratings 341232718

First run cd scripts && npm install if dependencies aren't installed yet.

Reddit (needs free OAuth setup)

For user sentiment and product discussions. Requires REDDIT_CLIENT_ID and REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET env vars. The user can get these for free at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps (create a "script" type app).

node scripts/search-reddit.mjs "best project management freelancer"
node scripts/search-reddit.mjs "calorie tracker recommendation" --subreddit=fitness

If Reddit env vars aren't set, fall back to WebSearch with site:reddit.com queries.

小红书 / Product Hunt (via WebSearch)

These don't have practical free APIs, so use targeted WebSearch queries:

• Product Hunt: site:producthunt.com [product keyword]
• 小红书: Do NOT use site:xiaohongshu.com — most content is behind JS rendering and login walls, so search engines can't index it well. Instead, search for what people say ABOUT 小红书 discussions elsewhere:
  • 小红书 [产品关键词] 推荐 测评 (finds blog posts and articles that reference 小红书 discussions)
  • [产品关键词] 竞品分析 site:woshipm.com (人人都是产品经理 — excellent Chinese PM analysis site)
  • [产品关键词] 测评 site:zhihu.com (知乎 discussions are well-indexed and often reference 小红书 trends)

When to use which source

Product Type	Use These Sources
Mobile app (iOS)	App Store search + Play Store search + reviews
Mobile app (Android)	Play Store search + reviews
SaaS / Web app	WebSearch + Reddit + Product Hunt (via WebSearch)
Chinese market	WebSearch + 小红书 (via WebSearch)
Developer tool	WebSearch + GitHub (via WebSearch) + Reddit

Always combine script data with WebSearch — scripts give structured data (ratings, reviews, download counts), while WebSearch gives articles, comparisons, and discussions that scripts can't reach.

What This Skill Does NOT Cover

This skill focuses on competitive landscape analysis. It does not cover:

• Market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM) — that's a separate exercise
• Financial projections or business planning
• Technical feasibility assessment
• Go-to-market strategy (though differentiation recommendations inform it)

If the user asks for these, help them separately or note them as follow-up items.

---

Quick Scan Template

For Quick Scan mode, use 3-5 web searches to get a fast picture, then output this concise format (~1500 words):

# Quick Competitive Scan: [Product Idea]

## Your Idea in One Line
[Problem] for [target users] via [key approach/platform]

## Top 5-8 Competitors
| Product | What it does | Pricing | Moat |
|---------|-------------|---------|------|
| ... | ... | ... | [network effects / data / brand / none] |

## The Job & Who Else Does It
[What "job" is the user hiring this product to do? List 2-3 non-obvious alternatives people currently use to get this job done — spreadsheets, manual processes, a different category of product, etc.]

## 3 Key Gaps
1. **[Gap]**: [why it matters]
2. **[Gap]**: [why it matters]
3. **[Gap]**: [why it matters]

## First Feature to Ship
[Based on the gaps above, what single feature or positioning angle would give you the strongest entry point? Be specific.]

## Quick Verdict
[2-3 sentences: crowded or open? worth building? what positioning?]

After delivering the Quick Scan, always offer: "Want me to go deeper with the full analysis (Strategy Canvas, ERRC framework, detailed threat assessment)?"