By Priya Shankar
You want to know: "Where are we vs. competitors?"
But there's a problem. You can't see your own code. You don't know what features you've actually shipped. You don't know your integrations or architecture.
How can you compare yourself to competitors if you don't understand your own product?
You can't.
The Real Problem
Without understanding your own codebase:
- You don't know what you've built
- You compare marketing claims, not reality
- You miss what you already have
- Your positioning is guesses
- You can't explain gaps
The Solution
Understand your own product first. Use Glue to map:
- Feature inventory (what you've actually built)
- Integrations (what you're connected to)
- Architecture (how it's structured)
- Capabilities (what you're technically capable of)
Now you have a baseline. Now you can compare.
How to Analyze Competitors
Analyze public APIs. What capabilities do they expose? How mature is the API?
Use their product. What features do they have? What's polished? What's missing?
Analyze job postings. When they hire, they reveal what they're building.
Track announcements. Blog posts, press releases, Product Hunt. What are they shipping?
Read customer reviews. G2 reviews tell you what users actually think.
Talk to customers. "Why did you choose them over us?" gives you concrete gaps.
Creating a Competitive Matrix
| Capability | You | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integration: Stripe | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real-time updates | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
This gives you a snapshot of competitive position.
Prioritizing Gaps
High priority: Gap that multiple competitors have. Customers want it.
Medium priority: Gap one competitor has. Maybe differentiation opportunity.
Low priority: Gap misaligned with your strategy. Ignore it.
The Continuous Process
- Understand yourself (Month 1)
- Research competitors (Month 1-2)
- Compare (Month 2)
- Build or decide not to build (Ongoing)
- Re-baseline (Quarterly)
Competitive analysis isn't one-time. It's continuous.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should we do competitive analysis?
Monthly touch-base. Quarterly deep dive. Annual strategic review.
Q: What if competitors are private?
Use public APIs, user interviews, job postings, announcements. You won't have perfect information, but you'll have 80%.