Competitor Analysis

---
description: Generate a competitive analysis comparing your product to a competitor
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, WebFetch, WebSearch
---

# Competitor Analysis

Analyze your product's codebase and a competitor to generate a structured competitive comparison with actionable positioning insights.

The competitor to analyze: $ARGUMENTS (name, URL, or both)

## Steps

1. **Understand your own product** by reading the codebase:
   - Read `README.md` for product overview, features, and positioning.
   - Read `package.json` or equivalent for metadata and dependency list.
   - Grep for feature flags, pricing tiers, or plan names to understand offering structure.
   - Glob for `**/docs/**`, `**/features/**`, or `**/api/**` to catalog capabilities.
   - Grep for integration names (Stripe, Slack, GitHub, etc.) to map the integration ecosystem.

2. **Research the competitor**:
   - If a URL is provided, fetch the competitor's homepage and key pages (features, pricing, docs).
   - If only a name is provided, search the web for "$ARGUMENTS features", "$ARGUMENTS pricing", "$ARGUMENTS vs alternatives".
   - Search for "$ARGUMENTS reviews" and "$ARGUMENTS complaints" to find market sentiment.
   - Search for "$ARGUMENTS changelog" or "$ARGUMENTS blog" to understand recent direction.

3. **Build the Feature Matrix**:
   Create a comparison table with these columns: Feature | Your Product | Competitor | Notes

   Categories to compare:
   - Core functionality
   - Integrations and ecosystem
   - Pricing and plans
   - Developer experience (API, SDK, docs)
   - Deployment options (cloud, self-hosted, hybrid)
   - Security and compliance
   - Support and community

   Use checkmarks, X marks, or brief descriptions. Mark "Unknown" rather than guessing.

4. **Identify Positioning Gaps**:
   - Features the competitor has that you lack (threats).
   - Features you have that the competitor lacks (advantages).
   - Segments the competitor targets that you do not (opportunities).
   - Areas where both products are weak (whitespace).

5. **Generate SWOT Analysis**:
   - **Strengths**: What your product does better, based on actual code capabilities.
   - **Weaknesses**: Where the competitor has an edge.
   - **Opportunities**: Market gaps neither product fully addresses.
   - **Threats**: Competitor moves that could erode your position.

6. **Develop Messaging Angles**:
   For each key differentiator, generate:
   - A headline that positions your product against the competitor.
   - A one-paragraph explanation of why your approach is better.
   - A proof point from the codebase (specific feature or architecture choice).

7. **Recommend Strategic Actions**:
   - Short-term (< 1 month): Quick positioning wins.
   - Medium-term (1-3 months): Feature gaps to close.
   - Long-term (3-12 months): Strategic moves to differentiate further.

## Output Format

Structure the analysis as a strategy document with clear sections, tables, and bullet points. Use markdown formatting for readability.

## Rules

- Clearly distinguish between facts (observed in code or competitor site) and inferences.
- Mark anything you could not verify as "Unverified" or "Unknown."
- Be honest about weaknesses — a useful competitive analysis is not a cheerleading document.
- If web search or fetch fails for the competitor, work with whatever information is available and note the gaps.
- Focus on actionable insights, not just observations.