Competitor analysis template.
Evidence into action.
Use this competitor analysis template to compare your business with real alternatives. Keep observations separate from assumptions, then choose one difference to test with customers.
Download a competitor comparison spreadsheet
Download the blank competitor analysis template (.csv) to use in Excel or Google Sheets. It compares your business with three alternatives across customer, offer, pricing, delivery and evidence. No sign-up is needed.
Prefer guided questions? Fill in the online worksheet and download your notes. Keep each source and date alongside the claim it supports.
Choose a useful comparison
Pick competitors that serve the same customer need. Include the current workaround: a spreadsheet, an agency, an internal process or doing nothing. Three well-researched alternatives are a useful starting point, not a claim that the market contains only three competitors.
Compare the same package, customer group, currency and date. A low advertised price may exclude onboarding, usage or support. If a figure is unavailable, write “unknown” rather than treating it as zero.
Your competitor analysis worksheet
Enter up to three alternatives in each comparison field, or repeat the worksheet for another group. Notes remain in this tab. Download them before leaving.
Example: a fictional local design studio
| Alternative | Observed offer in this example | Question to test |
|---|---|---|
| Studio A (fictional) | Fixed-scope identity package, limited revisions | Do buyers prefer a clear scope over a lower starting price? |
| Freelancer B (fictional) | Hourly design help with flexible scope | Does flexibility matter more than predictable total cost? |
| DIY tool (generic workaround) | Customer creates and edits their own designs | Which customers will pay to avoid doing the work themselves? |
This illustrates a comparison structure. It is not market research, real competitor data or evidence of demand.
A worked decision: predictable cost or flexible scope?
In the fictional studio comparison above, imagine five target buyers describe uncertainty about the final bill. Record the number interviewed, how they were recruited and their exact concerns. This is a small signal to investigate, not proof that every buyer wants a fixed-price package.
A bounded test could offer the same defined package to the next ten suitable prospects for two weeks, recording accepted quotes, objections and delivery time. Choose your success threshold and spending limit before starting. If buyers accept but the work takes too long, the issue may be scope or economics rather than demand.
Put the proposed offer, cost assumptions and test into the free business plan template. Then use the monthly review worksheet to compare the outcome with your original expectation.
Competitor analysis questions
What should a competitor analysis include?
Compare the customer, problem, offer, total price, terms, delivery, strengths and trade-offs. Add the source, date and confidence for each observation. Include your own business and the customer’s current workaround.
How is it different from a SWOT analysis?
A competitor comparison examines alternatives side by side. A SWOT analysis organises strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Use the comparison as evidence for your assessment; a missing feature alone is not a proven opportunity.
Can Treleto research competitors for me?
Your Startup Desk includes AI-assisted competitor research and source links as part of a research brief and working business plan. For an existing business, explore the fictional Business Desk demo. The free worksheet does not fetch or verify competitor data.
Turn a difference into a decision
A missing competitor feature is not automatically an opportunity. Customers may not want it, may not pay for it or may find it elsewhere. Describe the customer problem first, then test the smallest useful change.
Do not infer market share from website traffic, review counts or social followers. When comparing company accounts, check entity, period and reporting basis using the company accounts guide. For your next monthly check, keep the original source date and record what changed.
Prepared by Treleto · Reviewed 11 November 2026
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