How to Analyze App Competitors (And Use What You Learn)

TL;DR

Knowing your competitors helps you differentiate. The goal isn't to copy — it's to find gaps they're leaving open.

Identify 3 types of competitors — Direct, indirect, and emerging
Analyze what matters — Pricing, positioning, features, reviews
Find the gaps — What are users complaining about?
Monitor ongoing — Competitors change, so should your strategy
Use reviews as intelligence — Theirs and yours

Why Competitor Analysis Matters

Building an app without knowing your competition is like entering a market blindfolded. You might get lucky, but you're more likely to:

Solve problems that are already solved
Miss obvious opportunities
Price yourself wrong
Compete on features instead of differentiation

The goal: Understand what exists so you can build something better — or different.

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Not all competitors are equal. Sort them into three categories:

Direct Competitors

Apps that solve the same problem for the same audience.

Example: If you're building a meditation app, direct competitors include Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer.

How to find them:

Search your primary keywords in App Store / Google Play
Check "Similar Apps" sections
Ask your target users what they currently use

Indirect Competitors

Apps that solve the same underlying need differently.

Example: For a meditation app, indirect competitors include:

YouTube (free guided meditation videos)
Spotify (meditation playlists)
Fitness apps with meditation features (Nike Training Club)

These matter because they compete for the same user intent, even if the solution differs.

Emerging Competitors

New apps or features that could disrupt your category.

How to spot them:

Monitor Product Hunt and TechCrunch
Track App Store "New Apps We Love"
Follow venture funding in your space

Step 2: Research What They Do

For each direct competitor, document:

Positioning

What they say they are:

Read their App Store description
Visit their website
Check their social media

Questions to answer:

Who is their target user?
What's their main value proposition?
How do they differentiate from others?

Features

What they actually do:

Download and use the app
Go through onboarding
Try core features

Create a feature matrix:

| Feature | Competitor A | Competitor B | Your App | |---------|-------------|-------------|----------| | Free tier | Yes | No | ? | | Offline mode | Yes | Yes | ? | | Social features | No | Yes | ? | | Personalization | Basic | Advanced | ? |

Pricing

How they charge:

Free with ads?
Freemium (free + premium)?
Subscription only?
One-time purchase?

Document the specifics:

Free tier limits
Subscription price (monthly/annual)
What premium unlocks

Marketing

How they acquire users:

App Store presence (screenshots, keywords)
Social media activity
Content marketing (blog, YouTube)
Paid advertising (if visible)
Influencer partnerships

Step 3: Read Their Reviews

Competitor reviews are a goldmine. Users literally tell you what's working and what's broken.

What to look for:

Praise (what they do well)

Features users love
Experiences that create loyalty
Differentiators that matter

Complaints (opportunities for you)

Bugs and technical issues
Missing features
Pricing objections
Support problems

How to do this efficiently:

Sort reviews by "Most Recent" to see current sentiment
Filter by 1-3 stars to find complaints
Look for patterns, not individual opinions
Track sentiment over time (especially after updates)

Example findings:

"Love the content but the app crashes constantly on Android" Opportunity: Build a more stable Android experience

"Great app but too expensive at $15/month" Opportunity: Position at lower price point or better value

"Wish it had a feature to track my progress over time" Opportunity: Build progress tracking as a differentiator

Pro tip: Use AppReviewBot to monitor competitor reviews automatically. Set up alerts for keywords like "wish," "missing," "bug," or "cancel" to catch patterns early.

Step 4: Identify Your Opportunity

With research complete, look for gaps:

Underserved segments

Is there a user group that existing apps ignore?

Different age group
Different use case
Different skill level
Different price sensitivity

Feature gaps

What do users consistently request that nobody builds?

Quality gaps

Where are competitors cutting corners?

Poor mobile experience
Bad customer support
Outdated design
Technical debt (crashes, slow performance)

Positioning gaps

Is everyone saying the same thing? Can you stand for something different?

Step 5: Create Your Competitive Advantage

Based on your analysis, define your differentiation:

Option 1: Do one thing better

Pick the feature that matters most and execute it better than anyone.

Example: Superhuman charges $30/month for email by being significantly faster than Gmail.

Option 2: Serve a niche

Go narrower than competitors and own a specific segment.

Example: Strava focused on cyclists and runners instead of general fitness.

Option 3: Compete on price

If you can deliver similar value cheaper, price matters.

Warning: This is hard to sustain unless you have structural cost advantages.

Option 4: Different distribution

Reach users where competitors don't.

Example: Build for a platform competitors ignore (Android when everyone focuses on iOS, or vice versa).

Step 6: Monitor Ongoing

Competitor analysis isn't one-time. Markets change, competitors evolve, new players emerge.

Set up ongoing monitoring:

Weekly

Check competitor app updates (release notes)
Scan their reviews for new patterns
Monitor their social media

Monthly

Revisit competitor pricing
Check for new competitors in search results
Review your feature matrix

Quarterly

Full competitive audit
Reassess your positioning
Update your differentiation strategy

Tools that help:

| Tool | What It Does | |------|-------------| | AppReviewBot | Monitor competitor reviews and sentiment | | Sensor Tower | Track competitor rankings and downloads | | SimilarWeb | Website traffic and marketing analysis | | Google Alerts | News mentions and content |

Case Study: Food Delivery Apps

Let's apply this framework to the food delivery space:

Direct competitors

Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub

| Aspect | Uber Eats | DoorDash | Grubhub | |--------|-----------|----------|---------| | Positioning | "Your food, delivered" | "Local favorites" | "Restaurants you love" | | Pricing | Subscription ($9.99/mo) | DashPass ($9.99/mo) | Grubhub+ ($9.99/mo) | | Strength | Restaurant selection | Local restaurants | Loyalty rewards | | Weakness | Higher fees | Limited in some areas | Older app design |

Review analysis patterns

Uber Eats complaints: High fees, driver communication issues DoorDash complaints: Order accuracy, restaurant availability Grubhub complaints: Delivery times, app UX

Opportunities identified

A new entrant could differentiate by:

Niche focus: Healthy food only, or local restaurants only
Price: Lower fees, no subscription required
Experience: Better driver tracking, more accurate ETAs
Quality: Curated restaurant selection vs. everything available

Key Takeaways

Know who you're competing with — Direct, indirect, and emerging
Research systematically — Positioning, features, pricing, reviews
Reviews are intelligence — Both complaints and praise teach you
Find gaps, not copies — Differentiate, don't duplicate
Monitor continuously — Markets change, stay updated

Next Steps

Ready to understand your competitive landscape?

List your top 5 competitors — Direct and indirect
Download and use each app — Experience them as a user
Read 50 reviews per competitor — Look for patterns
Create a feature matrix — Visualize where you can win
Set up monitoring — Use AppReviewBot to track competitor reviews automatically

Understanding your competition isn't about copying them. It's about finding the space where you can be genuinely better — and then owning it.