A competitive analysis template is a fixed set of fields that you fill in for each competitor, so that every rival is compared on the same points: who they sell to, what they charge, what they claim, what they ship and what they hire for. Copy the template below into a doc or a spreadsheet, fill one column per competitor, and write the source and the date next to each answer.
You need no download and no email address. The template is on this page. Each field says where to find the evidence, and one column is filled in from a real company’s website so you can see the level of detail. At the end, there is a schedule to keep it current, because a competitive analysis is out of date the month a competitor changes its pricing page.
If you want one competitor filled in for you, the free competitor analysis tool reads your website and a competitor’s website and writes a snapshot, a SWOT and a battlecard. You need no account.
The template
Copy each table. Add one column for each competitor, and one for your own company.
1. Company snapshot
| Field | Where to find it | Competitor A |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Their homepage | |
| One-line description, in their words | Homepage headline and the meta description | |
| Target buyer (role and company size) | Homepage, case studies, pricing page plan names | |
| Category they claim | Homepage, review site category | |
| Size and funding | Their About page, funding announcements, LinkedIn company page | |
| Date checked |
2. Pricing and packaging
| Field | Where to find it | Competitor A |
|---|---|---|
| Public price? (yes, partly, “contact sales”) | Pricing page | |
| Entry plan and price | Pricing page | |
| Pricing model (per seat, usage, flat, tiers) | Pricing page footnotes, plan table | |
| Free plan or trial, and card needed? | Pricing page, sign-up page | |
| Price changes in the last 12 months | Archived copies in the Wayback Machine | |
| Quotes from deals | Your CRM, win-loss notes |
For more sources, read how to find competitor pricing.
3. Positioning and messaging
| Field | Where to find it | Competitor A |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage headline, word for word | Homepage | |
| Main call to action | Homepage button text | |
| Three main claims | Homepage, product pages | |
| Proof they show (customer counts, logos, awards) | Homepage, case studies | |
| Who they compare themselves to | Their “vs” and “alternatives” pages |
4. Product and launches
| Field | Where to find it | Competitor A |
|---|---|---|
| Core features | Product pages, docs | |
| Integrations | Integrations page, app marketplaces | |
| Launches in the last 90 days | Changelog, release notes, blog, Product Hunt | |
| AI features | Product pages, changelog |
5. Hiring and team
| Field | Where to find it | Competitor A |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles by team | Careers page or job board | |
| Roles that suggest a new bet (a new market, a new product line) | Job descriptions | |
| Leadership changes | Their About page, press releases |
6. SWOT and what to do
| Field | Competitor A |
|---|---|
| Strengths (what buyers praise, with a source) | |
| Weaknesses (what buyers complain about, with a source) | |
| Opportunities for us | |
| Threats to us | |
| Where we win against them | |
| Where we lose against them | |
| One line for sales: “If the buyer says X, say Y” |
The last row turns the analysis into a battlecard line. For the full format, see our battlecard template and examples. For how to run the SWOT part, see SWOT analysis.
A filled example: Visualping
We filled the snapshot, pricing and positioning sections for Visualping, a website change monitoring tool, from its own website on November 12, 2026. We picked it because its pricing page is public. Every value has a source.
| Field | Visualping | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage headline | “We monitor website changes so you don’t have to!” | visualping.io |
| Main call to action | “Get started it’s free” | visualping.io |
| Proof shown | “Trusted by 2 million users and teams at 85% of the Fortune 500” (its own claim) | visualping.io |
| Public price? | Yes | visualping.io/pricing |
| Free plan | 5 pages and 150 checks a month, “with no credit card” | visualping.io/pricing |
| Entry paid plan | Personal 1K: $14 a month billed monthly, or $120 a year, for 10 pages and 1,000 checks a month | visualping.io/pricing |
| Top self-serve plan | Business 50K: $350 a month billed monthly, or $3,000 a year, for 500 pages | visualping.io/pricing |
| Pricing model | Tiers by number of pages and checks a month, plus a custom-quote Solutions plan | visualping.io/pricing |
What a reader takes from this: Visualping sells on page count and check volume, starts free with no card, and makes its biggest proof claim on the homepage. A competitor that charges per seat and hides its price competes with it on a different axis. Write that down in the SWOT section.
How to fill it in fast
- Start with three competitors. Take the three that appear most in your lost deals. Our guide on how to find competitors of a company helps if you do not have a list.
- Fill the public sections first. Snapshot, pricing, positioning and product come from public pages, so you can fill them before you talk to anyone.
- Add deal data second. Quotes, win and loss reasons, and objections come from your CRM and your sales team.
- Write the source and date in every cell. A cell with no date cannot be trusted next quarter.
- End with the SWOT and the sales line. Each analysis should change at least one sales line or one roadmap decision.
How to keep the template current
A competitive analysis is a snapshot. Competitors change prices, ship features and hire for new teams each month. Three ways to keep the template current:
- Recheck by hand each quarter. Reread each public source and update the dates.
- Use the free tools for one-off updates. The pricing history tool shows a SaaS company’s price changes over 36 months. The launch tracker lists what a competitor shipped in the last 90 days. The hiring tracker shows open roles by team. The messaging comparison puts up to four homepages side by side. None of them needs an account.
- Let a monitoring tool do it. Debriefing watches the competitors you pick. It reads their pricing, changelog, careers, homepage and integrations pages, plus job boards, release notes, news and app store listings. It records each change as a signal with its source, keeps a dossier and battlecards on each competitor, and sends a written brief with a TLDR and recommended actions. Starter is $80 a month for 3 competitors, Growth is $160 for 5 and Portfolio is $320 for 8. Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial with a card and has a 14-day money-back guarantee (pricing, checked November 12, 2026).
For the method behind the template, read our competitor analysis guide. To present the results to leadership, use the competitive intelligence report template.
FAQs
What should a competitive analysis template include?
A company snapshot, pricing and packaging, positioning and messaging, product and launches, hiring, and a SWOT that ends in actions. Each field needs a source and the date you checked it.
Is there a free competitive analysis template?
Yes. Copy the tables on this page into a doc or spreadsheet. You need no download and no email address. To have one competitor filled in for you, use the free competitor analysis tool.
How many competitors should a competitive analysis cover?
Start with the three that appear most in your lost deals. Add more only when you can keep each column current.
What is the difference between a competitive analysis template and a competitive landscape template?
A competitive analysis template goes deep on each competitor, field by field. A competitive landscape template maps many competitors on one page, often on two axes such as price and target company size. Fill the analysis first, then use it to place each competitor on the landscape.
How often should I update a competitive analysis?
Each quarter for the full template. Check pricing pages and changelogs monthly, because those change first.