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Competitive landscape analysis example

Here’s a complete, actionable competitive landscape analysis you can execute this week, using a concrete example (SaaS project management space) and copy-paste templates.

The Framework: "Battle Ground + Positioning Map"

Don’t just list features. Analyze power dynamics and white space.

Phase 1: The Competitive Set (Categorize Everyone)

TierWho They AreWhy They MatterYour Action
DirectSame solution, same audienceStealing your current customersWin-head-to-head comparison
IndirectDifferent solution, same job-to-be-doneSolving the pain alternativelyShow why your way is better
PotentialAdjacent markets/expansionCould enter your spaceWatch for M&A or feature launches
AspirationalWhere you want to be in 3 yearsSets price/feature ceilingBenchmark against them

Concrete Example: TaskFlow (Mid-Market PM Tool)

Your Product: TaskFlow – Project management for 50-500 employee professional services firms (consulting, agencies) with heavy client collaboration needs.

Step 1: The Feature/Function Matrix

Map tangible capabilities to reveal gaps.

CapabilityTaskFlow (You)AsanaMonday.comTrello (Indirect)Notion (Indirect)
Client Portals✅ Native, branded⚠️ Limited sharing⚠️ Guest access only❌ No❌ No
Time Tracking✅ Built-in⚠️ Integration✅ Built-in❌ Add-on❌ No
Resource Mgmt✅ forecasting✅ Advanced✅ Advanced❌ No❌ No
Ease of Setup⭐⭐⭐ Moderate⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ easiest⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ easiest⭐⭐⭐ Moderate
Price/User$15/mo$14/mo$17/mo$1/mo$10/mo
API/Openness⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Insight: You win on "Client Collaboration" and "Professional Servicesdepth" but lose on "Ease of Adoption."

Step 2: The Strategic Positioning Map

Plot competitors on 2 axes that matter to YOUR buyers.

High Complexity/Enterprise ↑ (Wrike) (Planview) Legacy/Heavy ←──────────────────────→ Modern/Flexible (Jira) (Monday) ↓ Low Complexity/Team (Trello) (Asana) [YOUR SPOT: TaskFlow] → Quadrant: "Structured but Client-Facing" - Between Monday (too generic) and Wrike (too complex) - Above Asana (not client-friendly enough)

Step 3: The "Moat vs. Threat" Scorecard

Rate 1-5. Total >15 = Dangerous competitor.

CompetitorBrand PowerFeature VelocityPricing PressureSwitching CostsThreat Score
Asana543 (similar)2 (easy export)14
Monday554 (aggressive)216 🔴
Notion455 (cheaper)4 (hard to migrate wiki)18 🔴🔴
ClickUp355 (undercuts)215 🔴

Action: Monday and Notion are existential threats. Asana is parity competition.

The Battle Card Template (Copy This)

Create one-page "battle cards" for sales and product teams:

Competitor: Monday.com

The Pitch They Use: "Work OS that anyone can use" Their Kryptonite: Generic (not industry-specific), client collaboration is clunky Our Landmine Question: "How do you currently share project timelines with external clients without giving them access to your internal chaos?" Kill Shot: "Monday is great for internal teams, but TaskFlow is built specifically for client work—here’s how our client portals prevent the 'reply-all' email nightmares..." When We Lose: Prospect wants cheapest option or needs heavy marketing asset management (Monday’s strong suit)

Your 5-Day Action Plan

Day 1: Intelligence Gathering

  • Sign up for competitors’ free trials (use fake company email)
  • Download their pricing PDFs (check Wayback Machine for historical changes)
  • Set Google Alerts for "CompetitorName alternative" and "CompetitorName pricing"

Day 2: The Voice of Customer Audit

  • Read G2/Capterra reviews of competitors. Tag reviews by:
    • "Switching from" (who they left)
    • "Wish it had" (feature gaps)
    • "Pain point" (your opportunity)
  • Join 3 Reddit threads or Slack communities where users complain about competitors

Day 3: The Feature Gap Analysis

  • Use the matrix above. Assign a "Gap Priority":
    • Fill: Must build (table stakes)
    • Frame: Position around it (we don’t do that because...)
    • ** Ignore:** Not your ICP’s priority

Day 4: Messaging War Games

  • Write "Why TaskFlow vs. [Competitor]" landing page copy (3 bullets max)
  • Create sales email templates addressing specific competitive objections

Day 5: Distribution

  • Share battle cards with sales (role-play objections)
  • Add competitive comparison page to website (SEO gold: "[Competitor] alternative")
  • Schedule quarterly review to update (landscapes shift fast)

Pro Tips for Accuracy

  1. Don't trust their websites – Check job postings to see what they’re building next (e.g., "Hiring: AI Engineer" = they're adding generative features)
  2. Pricing archaeology – Use PricingPage.Teardowns or Wayback Machine to see if they’re racing to the bottom
  3. The "Switching Cost" test – Actually try to export your data from their trial. If it’s hard, that’s your retention weapon.

Questions to tailor this for you:

  1. What industry/category are you analyzing? (B2B SaaS, retail, local service, etc.)
  2. Who is your primary villain right now? (The competitor you lose most deals to)
  3. Is this for internal strategy, investor deck, or sales enablement? (The depth/format changes based on audience)

Ready to build yours? Tell me your product/industry and I’ll help you populate the specific matrix and positioning map for your exact situation.

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