A competitor analysis example, start to finish
Most examples are made up. This one is a real run of our tools on a real app, Cal AI, with every step shown.
A competitor analysis answers three questions: who you compete with, where each of them gets customers, and where you can win. For Cal AI that meant 10 competitors found from 32 links, a channel breakdown of Cal AI itself, and a table comparing them. The template below works for any product.
Step 1: who does Cal AI compete with?
10 apps, 9 of them direct, found from comparison pages, App Store similar apps, Reddit and YouTube.
| Competitor | Kind | Store rating | Links | Why it competes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SnapCaloriesnapcalorie.com | direct | 4.7★ | 6 | Photo-based AI calorie counter that targets the same snap-a-meal logging job. It is the most frequent… |
| MyFitnessPalmyfitnesspal.com | direct | – | 6 | Established calorie tracker with a large food database and Premium photo logging. It acquired Cal AI in March… |
| MacroFactormacrofactorapp.com | direct | 4.8★ | 6 | Macro tracker with AI photo logging that adjusts calorie and macro targets from weight trends. It is the… |
| Cronometercronometer.com | direct | 4.8★ | 5 | Nutrition tracker with a free tier that includes barcode scanning, plus photo logging on Gold. It suits users… |
| Welling AIwelling.ai | direct | – | 2 | AI calorie tracker pitched as a deeper, more accurate alternative with guidance on what to eat next. It is… |
| Nutrolanutrola.app | direct | – | 1 | Photo calorie tracker marketed as a more accurate Cal AI alternative, citing portion errors and database… |
| PlateLensplatelens.app | direct | – | 2 | Ranked as the top Cal AI alternative on accuracy-focused review sites, which score it ahead of Cal AI on… |
| Lose It!loseit.com | direct | – | 2 | Mainstream calorie counter whose Premium tier includes photo logging and barcode scanning. It appears in… |
| Appedietappediet.com | direct | – | 1 | AI calorie counter with photo logging that was tested against Cal AI and MyFitnessPal. It is also listed as a… |
| Empirical Healthempirical.health | indirect | – | 1 | Pitches itself as a Cal AI alternative that tracks nutrients beyond calories, such as fiber, sodium and… |
Step 2: where does Cal AI get its users?
Paid creators and Meta video ads, by our AI's read of 19 channels.
| Report | App Store | Google Play | TikTok | YouTube | Meta ads | Google Ads | Influencers | Affiliates | Google / SEO | Referral program | Directories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | ||||||||||||
| Cal AI | ||||||||||||
| Opal |
The breakdown names the main channels and the supporting ones; the full report has each channel's numbers and sources. Read it on how Cal AI grew.
Step 3: put them side by side
One row per competitor, the same columns for each.
| Competitor | Direct? | Main channel | Store rating | Price point | Where you can win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal AI | — | Creators, Meta ads | From the listing | From the paywall | — |
| Rival 1 | Yes | ||||
| Rival 2 | Yes | ||||
| Rival 3 | Indirect |
Step 4: decide where to compete
Pick the channel the leader under-uses that fits your budget.
If the leader wins on paid creators, a smaller rival can win on App Store search or SEO comparison pages, where the leader's money matters less.
Questions
What should a competitor analysis include?
Who the competitors are, where each gets customers, their product and price, and where you can win. A table with one row per competitor keeps it comparable.
What is a good competitor analysis template?
Columns for direct or indirect, main channel, rating, price point and where you can win, one row per competitor.
How many competitors should a competitor analysis cover?
Five to ten. Cal AI's run found 10, 9 of them direct.
Sources
- Cal AI's stored Find competitors run, read 2026-10-29
- Cal AI's growth breakdown, read 2026-10-29