·4 min read
MVP Competitor Analysis: What to Learn From Others
Competitors are free research. Learn from their wins and mistakes before you build.
Finding Your Competitors
- •Direct competitors: Same problem, same solution
- •Indirect competitors: Same problem, different solution
- •Alternatives: What people do when no product exists
- •Check Product Hunt, G2, Capterra, and Google
What to Analyze
| Area | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Price points, billing models, free tiers |
| Features | Core vs nice-to-have, what is missing |
| Positioning | Who they target, how they describe value |
| Reviews | What users love, what they complain about |
| Growth | Traffic trends, funding, team size |
What to Copy
- •Proven user flows that work
- •Pricing structures that the market accepts
- •Features that appear in every competitor
- •Terminology users already understand
What to Avoid
- •Features with bad reviews
- •Complicated pricing that confuses users
- •UI patterns people complain about
- •Problems they have not solved yet
Finding Your Edge
- •Read negative reviews: what do people wish existed?
- •Find the underserved niche within the market
- •Be 10x better at one thing, not 10% better at everything
- •Speed, price, or specialization are valid edges
If you have no competitors, you probably have no market. Competition validates demand.