Competitive Analysis Skill Skill

Competitive Analysis Skill

Performs deep competitive analysis for iOS/macOS app ideas. Goes beyond basic discovery to provide detailed competitor insights, feature matrices, and differentiation opportunities.

When to Use This Skill

Use this Skill when the user wants to:

Understand competitors in detail
Compare features across competitors
Analyze competitor pricing strategies
Identify competitive strengths/weaknesses
Find differentiation opportunities
Map market positioning
Deep-dive after initial problem discovery

This is a follow-up to product-agent discovery - use this when you need more competitive depth.

What This Skill Does

1. Competitor Identification

Identifies direct and indirect competitors
Categorizes by market position (leaders, challengers, niche)
Includes App Store rankings and ratings

2. Feature Comparison

Creates feature comparison matrix
Identifies unique features per competitor
Highlights feature gaps (opportunities)

3. Pricing Analysis

Compares pricing models (free, paid, subscription, freemium)
Analyzes price points
Identifies pricing strategies

4. SWOT Analysis

Strengths of each competitor
Weaknesses and limitations
Opportunities for differentiation
Threats to new entrants

5. Market Positioning

How competitors position themselves
Target audience differences
Brand messaging analysis

6. Differentiation Strategy

Key output: How to be different
Feature gaps in market
Underserved user segments
Unique value propositions

How to Use

Basic Usage

For competitive analysis, construct a detailed prompt and use product-agent's general capabilities combined with web research:

# The approach: Use product-agent discover for baseline,
# then enhance with web research
product-agent discover \
  --idea "IDEA_DESCRIPTION - focus on competitive landscape" \
  --output-format json

Then enhance with web research using WebSearch and WebFetch tools to:

Visit competitor websites
Check App Store listings
Analyze pricing pages
Review feature documentation

Workflow

Start with discovery to identify competitors:
```
product-agent discover --idea "YOUR_IDEA" --output-format json
```
Extract the current_solutions field for competitor list.
Research each competitor using WebSearch/WebFetch:
- Search for "[competitor name] app features"
- Search for "[competitor name] pricing"
- Fetch their App Store page
- Fetch their website
Create comparison matrix from gathered data
Identify differentiation opportunities based on gaps

Output Structure

When performing competitive analysis, create this structure:

{
  "competitors": [
    {
      "name": "Competitor Name",
      "category": "market_leader | challenger | niche",
      "app_store_rating": "4.5/5",
      "downloads": "estimated range",
      "pricing": {
        "model": "subscription | one-time | freemium",
        "price": "$X/month or $Y one-time",
        "tiers": ["free", "pro", "business"]
      },
      "key_features": [
        "Feature 1",
        "Feature 2"
      ],
      "unique_features": [
        "Feature only they have"
      ],
      "strengths": [
        "What they do well"
      ],
      "weaknesses": [
        "What they lack or do poorly"
      ],
      "target_audience": "Who they target",
      "positioning": "How they position themselves"
    }
  ],
  "feature_matrix": {
    "Feature A": {"Competitor1": true, "Competitor2": false, "Competitor3": true},
    "Feature B": {"Competitor1": false, "Competitor2": true, "Competitor3": true}
  },
  "feature_gaps": [
    "Feature nobody offers well",
    "Feature with poor implementation across board"
  ],
  "pricing_insights": {
    "average_price": "$X",
    "pricing_range": "$Y - $Z",
    "common_model": "subscription",
    "pricing_gaps": ["No good free tier", "No lifetime option"]
  },
  "differentiation_opportunities": [
    {
      "opportunity": "AI-powered feature X",
      "reasoning": "None of the competitors do this well",
      "potential_impact": "high | medium | low"
    }
  ],
  "market_positioning_map": {
    "axes": ["Price (low to high)", "Features (simple to complex)"],
    "competitors": [
      {"name": "Competitor1", "position": [3, 8]},
      {"name": "Competitor2", "position": [8, 9]}
    ],
    "opportunity_quadrant": "Low price, high features"
  },
  "recommendation": "Strategic positioning recommendation"
}

Best Practices

1. Start Broad, Then Focus

Step 1: Use product-agent discover to identify competitors
Step 2: Pick top 3-5 most relevant competitors
Step 3: Deep dive on each using web research
Step 4: Create comparison matrix

2. Look Beyond Direct Competitors

Include:

Direct competitors: Same problem, same solution
Indirect competitors: Same problem, different solution
Alternative solutions: How users solve this today without apps

3. Focus on Actionable Insights

Don't just list features. Answer:

What can we do better?
What gaps exist?
Where can we differentiate?

4. Verify with App Store Data

When analyzing iOS/macOS apps:

Check App Store ratings
Read recent reviews (last 3 months)
Note update frequency
Check developer responsiveness

5. Pricing Intelligence

Understand:

How competitors monetize
What features are behind paywall
Trial periods and refund policies
Upgrade paths

Example Analysis Flow

User asks: "Do competitive analysis for task management apps"

You do:

Initial Discovery

product-agent discover \
  --idea "Task management app with AI prioritization" \
  --output-format json

Result: Identifies Todoist, Things, OmniFocus, TickTick as main competitors

Deep Research Each Competitor

For Todoist:
- WebSearch: "Todoist features list 2026"
- WebFetch: https://todoist.com/features
- WebSearch: "Todoist pricing 2026"
- WebFetch: https://todoist.com/pricing
- WebSearch: "Todoist app store reviews"
Repeat for Things, OmniFocus, TickTick
Create Feature Matrix

| Feature | Todoist | Things | OmniFocus | TickTick | |---------|---------|--------|-----------|----------| | Subtasks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | AI Prioritization | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Natural Language Input | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Identify Gaps
- AI prioritization: Nobody does it well
- Smart scheduling: Limited implementations
- Context-aware suggestions: Missing entirely

Present Findings

Competitive Analysis: Task Management Apps

**Top 4 Competitors:**
1. Todoist (Market Leader) - $4/mo, strong features, weak AI
2. Things (Premium) - $50 one-time, beautiful UI, limited power features
3. OmniFocus (Power Users) - $100 one-time, complex, steep learning curve
4. TickTick (Budget) - $2/mo, feature-rich, less polished

**Feature Gaps (Opportunities):**
1. AI-powered prioritization - None do this well
2. Context-aware task suggestions - Missing
3. Smart deadline suggestions - Limited

**Differentiation Strategy:**
Position as "AI-first task manager" with:
- Automatic prioritization based on context
- Smart deadline suggestions
- Learning from user behavior

**Pricing Recommendation:**
$3-4/month (between TickTick and Todoist)
Free tier with core features to build user base

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Don't Just List Competitors

Bad: "Competitors are Todoist, Things, OmniFocus"
Good: "Todoist leads with 30% market share at $4/mo, strong in
      collaboration but weak in AI features..."

❌ Don't Ignore Indirect Competition

Bad: Only analyzing dedicated task apps
Good: Also include: Notion (general productivity), Apple Reminders
      (free built-in), pen and paper (no-tech solution)

❌ Don't Skip Pricing Analysis

Bad: "They have a subscription"
Good: "Freemium model with $4/mo premium. 70% on free tier,
      30% convert to paid. Premium unlocks collaboration and integrations."

❌ Don't Forget the "So What?"

Bad: "Competitor X has feature Y"
Good: "Competitor X has feature Y, but it's poorly implemented
      (3.2/5 rating in reviews). This is an opportunity to do it better."

Integration with Other Skills

This Skill works best after using the main product-agent Skill:

1. product-agent discover → Quick validation
2. competitive-analysis → Deep competitor insights
3. market-research → Market size and opportunity
4. MVP scoping → What to build based on competitive gaps

Tips for Effective Analysis

Recent Data Only: Focus on 2025-2026 data. Old reviews don't matter.
User Voice: Read actual user reviews. What do they complain about? What do they love?
Pricing Psychology: Don't just note prices. Understand the strategy:
- Freemium = land and expand
- One-time = premium positioning
- Subscription = recurring revenue focus
Feature vs. Benefit: Map features to benefits:
- "Subtasks" = Benefit: "Break big tasks into manageable steps"
Market Position: Understand where you fit:
- Cheaper? Position as "affordable alternative"
- Better? Position as "premium experience"
- Simpler? Position as "easy to use"
- Different? Position as "unique approach"

When to Run This Analysis

Perfect timing:

After initial discovery shows "MODERATE" or "STRONG" opportunity
Before starting development (validate differentiation strategy)
When planning features (fill competitive gaps)
Before pricing decisions (market rate analysis)
When pitching to investors (competitive landscape)

Too early:

Before basic discovery (use product-agent discover first)
If discovery said "DON'T BUILD" (no point analyzing dead market)

Too late:

After building MVP without checking competition (too late to differentiate)
After pricing decision (should inform pricing)

Deliverables

After running competitive analysis, you should have:

✅ List of 3-5 main competitors with details
✅ Feature comparison matrix
✅ Pricing comparison table
✅ SWOT for each competitor
✅ 3-5 differentiation opportunities identified
✅ Positioning recommendation
✅ Pricing strategy recommendation

Output File Location

Save competitive analysis results to one of these locations:

competitive-analysis.md (project root)
docs/competitive-analysis.md (if docs folder exists)

Format: Use the JSON structure in the Output Structure section, wrapped in a markdown code block.

Integration: The PRD generator skill will automatically look for this file and integrate the insights into the PRD's Competitive Context section.

Follow-up Actions

Based on competitive analysis, next steps:

If gaps found:

Proceed with MVP scoping
Design features that fill gaps
Position around differentiation

If no clear gaps:

Consider pivoting idea
Target different user segment
Explore adjacent market

If too competitive:

Find niche within market
Bundle with other features
Or abandon and try different idea

Remember: Competitive analysis should lead to action. The goal is not to document competitors, but to find your unique wedge into the market.

Agent Skills: Competitive Analysis Skill

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Skill Files