How to find your competitors
Your competitors are whoever your buyers compare you with. These are the places those comparisons get written down.
Find competitors where buyers compare products: "alternatives" and "vs" pages, the App Store's similar apps, Reddit threads, YouTube comparison videos, review sites and the results for your category's searches. Keep the names that come up in two or more places; those are the ones buyers weigh you against.
Where do I look?
In six places, in this order.
- "Alternatives" and "vs" pagesSearch "[your product] alternatives" and "[product] vs". Rivals write these about each other.
- Store listingsAn App Store listing shows similar apps; a Google Play listing shows the developer's other apps and similar ones.
- RedditSearch "[category] recommendation" and your product's name. Threads list what real users switched from.
- YouTube comparisonsReviewers line up three or four products side by side: that's the buyer's shortlist.
- Review sitesG2, Capterra and Product Hunt group products by category.
- Search resultsWho ranks and who runs ads for your category's main search.
What does the result look like?
For Cal AI, our AI found 10 competitors (9 direct) from 32 links, led by SnapCalorie, MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor and Cronometer.
| 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… |
See the full list on Cal AI's competitors, and the same for ElevenLabs.
Direct or indirect?
Direct competitors do the same job for the same buyer; indirect ones solve the same problem another way.
For a photo calorie counter, another photo calorie counter is direct; a classic food diary like MyFitnessPal does the same job by typing. Watch both: indirect ones set the price people expect.
What next, once I have the list?
Break each one down: where its users come from tells you which channel you can take from it.
See how to find a competitor's marketing strategy, or find competitors for any site or app in a few minutes.
Questions
How do I find my competitors for free?
Search "[your product] alternatives" and "vs", read Reddit threads in your category, open the App Store's similar apps and watch YouTube comparison videos.
How many competitors should I track?
Five to ten: the direct ones buyers compare you with, plus one or two indirect ones that set price expectations.
How do I find an app's competitors?
Start with its App Store listing's similar apps and the store search for its main keyword, then Reddit and YouTube comparisons.
What is a competitor finder?
A tool that reads those sources for you. Ours lists 5 to 10 competitors with the links that show each one.
Sources
- Cal AI's stored Find competitors run, read 2026-10-29