Here are three ready-to-use competitor analysis templates you can implement immediately, ranging from quick tactical checks to deep strategic analysis.

Template 1: The One-Page Battle Card (Quick Tactical)

Best for: Sales teams, quick positioning, immediate messaging fixes

How to use: Fill this in 30 minutes. Use the "Your Counter-Position" row to create sales enablement talking points immediately.

Template 2: The 4-Box Strategic Matrix (Comprehensive)

Best for: Strategic planning, market positioning, product roadmap

Box 1: Market Position & Pricing

• Market Share Estimation: (Use SimilarWeb traffic vs. yours as proxy)
• Pricing Strategy: Freemium, Enterprise-only, Usage-based?
• Discount Patterns: (Check their "Pricing" page monthly for changes)
• Positioning Map: Plot on X-axis: Price (Low→High), Y-axis: Features (Basic→Complex)

Box 2: Digital Presence & Acquisition

Box 3: Product & Experience

• Feature Comparison Matrix: (Use checkmarks for table format)
• UX Friction Points: (Sign up for their free trial and document every step)
• Customer Journey: Map their onboarding email sequence (screenshot each)
• Tech Stack: (BuiltWith.com - free version)

Box 4: Sentiment & Voice

• Review Mining: (Copy/paste 10 recent G2/TrustPilot reviews into a doc, highlight repeated phrases)
• Support Quality: (Send a pre-sale question, time their response)
• Employee Sentiment: (Glassdoor - "Cons" section reveals operational weaknesses)

Template 3: The SWOT-Action Hybrid (Decision-Focused)

Best for: Leadership presentations, resource allocation

Competitor: [Name]

Analyzed by: [Your name] | Date: [Today] | Next Review: [90 days]

1. Their Strengths (Don't fight here)

• Sustainable advantage: ___
• Resource moat: ___ (funding, team size, partnerships)
• Network effects: ___

2. Their Vulnerabilities (Attack here)

• Churn Risk: (Look for "alternative to X" search volume)
• Feature Gap: (What do customers complain about in reviews?)
• Operational: (Slow support, bad mobile experience, etc.)

3. Market Shifts (Opportunity window)

• Regulatory changes affecting them
• Platform changes (Google algorithm, iOS privacy)
• Economic sensitivity (are they luxury positioned in a downturn?)

4. Your Immediate Actions (80/20 Rule)

1. This Week: ___ (Example: Rewrite homepage headline to counter their positioning)
2. This Month: ___ (Example: Create comparison landing page "You vs. Them")
3. This Quarter: ___ (Example: Build the feature they lack that's mentioned in reviews)

Free Tools to Populate These Templates

For Template 1 (Quick Data):

• SimilarWeb Extension: Traffic estimates (free tier)
• Wayback Machine: See how their messaging evolved
• Facebook Ad Library: See their active ads (facebook.com/ads/library)

For Template 2 (Deep Data):

• Google Alerts: Monitor their brand mentions
• AnswerThePublic: Find questions they rank for
• BuiltWith: Their technology stack
• SEMrush Free Version: 10 searches/day for keyword gaps

For Template 3 (Strategic Intel):

• G2/TrustPilot: Review mining (export to CSV if possible)
• LinkedIn Premium (1 month free): See their hiring patterns (indicates new directions)
• Owler: Funding and revenue estimates

Pro Tip: The "Secret Shopper" Protocol

Don't just research from the outside. Every quarter:

1. Sign up for their free trial with a personal email
2. Go through sales process (mention you're "evaluating options")
3. Try to cancel (document their retention offers)
4. Screenshot everything into a "Competitor Swipe File" folder

This gives you intel no database can provide.

Which template fits your current needs?

• If you need quick sales battle cards, I can help you script the "counter-positioning" messaging.
• If you're doing strategic product planning, I can walk you through the "Feature Gap Analysis" using specific criteria.
• If you need to track 5+ competitors systematically, I can show you how to set up a free Notion or Airtable dashboard.

What's your primary goal—positioning against one main rival, or mapping the entire competitive landscape?

Free Competitor Analysis Template: Get Started in Minutes

Competitor analysis helps you identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) from rivals, so you can refine your strategy, pricing, marketing, and positioning. Here's a practical, step-by-step guide to perform one using free templates—no sign-up hassles where possible.

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors (5-10 Minutes)

• Direct competitors: Offer similar products/services to the same audience (e.g., Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi).
• Indirect competitors: Solve the same problem differently (e.g., Uber vs. public transit).
• Action: List 3-5 top ones. Use Google: "[your product] alternatives" or tools like SimilarWeb (free tier).

Step 2: Gather Data (30-60 Minutes)

Research each competitor across these categories:

• Company basics (size, location, founding year).
• Products/services (features, pricing).
• Marketing (website traffic, social followers, SEO keywords—use free tools like Google Trends or Ahrefs free webmaster tools).
• Customer feedback (reviews on G2, Trustpilot, Reddit).
• SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities (for you), Threats.

Sources: Their websites, LinkedIn, Google search, SimilarWeb.com (free estimates).

Step 3: Use a Free Template to Analyze

Pick one below or use my DIY Markdown Template (copy-paste into Google Sheets/Excel/Notion).

Top Free Downloadable Templates (No Cost, Instant Access)

These are verified free as of 2026—no payment required.

Step 4: Fill the Template & Draw Insights (15-30 Minutes)

• Rate each competitor (e.g., 1-5 stars or High/Med/Low).
• Add your company as the first column for comparison.
• Key Insights: Where do rivals win? Gaps you can exploit? (E.g., "They charge $10/mo but lack mobile app—opportunity!")

Step 5: Act on It

• Update pricing/marketing based on gaps.
• Track quarterly—markets change fast.
• Share with team via Google Drive.

DIY Free Template (Copy-Paste Ready)

Copy this into Google Sheets (File > New > Spreadsheet > Paste) or Excel. Add rows/columns as needed.

Pro Tip: Color-code: Green=strong rival, Red=your edge, Yellow=gap.

Next Steps for Success

Save time by starting with HubSpot's Excel—it's pre-built for quick wins.

What industry or business type are you analyzing (e.g., SaaS, e-commerce)? Who are your top 2-3 competitors? Share details, and I'll customize this further or suggest industry-specific tweaks!