How to Find Competitors: 8 Ways, 4 Types and a Real Example
To find competitors, type what you sell into Google, Google Maps, marketplaces and review sites, in the words a customer would use. Note who shows up, including who runs ads. Then ask your customers what else they considered. If you have a website, run it through a search-competitor tool. Sort the names into direct, indirect, substitute and new-entrant competitors.
Already have a website? Find your competitors with our tool.
Who counts as a competitor: 4 types
A competitor is any business that could take a sale you want. Sort every name into one of four types.
| Type | Who they are | Dance-studio example | Where you find them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | Same offer, same customer, same market | Another studio with competition teams in the Columbus suburbs | Google Maps, search ads, review sites |
| Indirect | A different offer for the same customer and budget | A cheer gym or gymnastics program that fills the same families’ weeknights | Customer answers, shared search phrases |
| Substitute | Another way to meet the need | Recreational classes at a community center, a school dance team, online tutorials | Customer answers, AI prompts |
| New entrant | A business about to open or enter your area | A studio that just signed a lease nearby | Local news, alerts, trade shows |
A direct competitor sells a similar offer to your customer in your market. Before you search, know who your customer is, and write every search in that person’s words.
How to find competitors: 8 ways
| Way | What it finds | Cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Google and Google Maps | Direct and local rivals | Free | Always, first |
| 2. Search-competitor tools | Sites that rank for your keywords | Paid, some free views | You have a website |
| 3. Ad libraries | Who pays to reach your customer | Free | You plan to advertise |
| 4. Review sites and marketplaces | Rivals in your category, with complaints | Free | Local services, software, products |
| 5. Customers and sales team | Rivals and substitutes buyers weighed | Free | You have customers or leads |
| 6. Industry sources | Established players, new entrants | Mostly free | B2B and trade-driven markets |
| 7. Social media and communities | Names people recommend | Free | Consumer products |
| 8. AI chatbots | A long list to verify | Free plans | You start from zero |
Ways 1 and 3 to 8 work before you have a website.
1. Search Google and Google Maps like a customer
Type the phrases a buyer would use. Four patterns cover most markets:
- “[service] near me” and “[service] [city]”
- “best [product] for [use case]”
- “[product] vs”, then let autocomplete finish it
- “[known competitor] alternative”
Write down each business in the map pack and each ad. Names from “People also ask” go on the list too. Open each Google Maps listing to read its reviews.
Here the top demand phrase was “dance team tuition”ex. A parent would search “dance team tuition Columbus”.
Google removed the related: operator from its documentation in 2023, and it no longer returns similar sites1. Google Alerts emails you when new results appear for a name or phrase you set2. Set one per direct competitor and one for your category plus city.
2. Use a search-competitor tool if you have a website
These tools compare your site’s keywords with other sites’. Semrush counts a keyword as common when both domains rank in Google’s top 203 for it, then lists the domains with the most overlap. Ahrefs and Similarweb sell reports of the same kind. Similarweb’s free browser extension shows a site’s estimated traffic4.
Overlap finds search competitors, and a site that shares your keywords may sell nothing you sell. A dance studio can share “competition dance costumes” with a costume shop and a parenting blog, and neither teaches a class.
Add a second signal: the sites your visitors also visit. Keep the names that pass the three-part test and file the rest as content rivals. For a sorted list in one step, use our competitor analysis tool.
3. Check who advertises on your searches
- Search your phrases on Google and note every advertiser: a business paying for your words wants your customer.
- Look up each advertiser in Google’s Ads Transparency Center by name or website, and filter by date and location5.
- Search Meta’s Ad Library by keyword or advertiser name. Basic search is free and needs no Facebook login6.
- For B2B offers, search LinkedIn’s Ad Library by advertiser or keyword7.
4. Read review sites and marketplaces
Category pages on Yelp, Amazon, Etsy, G2 and Capterra list the rivals buyers compare. Note each one’s review count, then read the one- and two-star reviews to see where each falls short.
5. Ask your customers and your sales team
Customers name rivals no search shows. Ask three questions:
- “What else did you look at before you chose us?”
- “What would you use if we did not exist?”
- “Who almost got your business, and why?”
Ask at sign-up, after a lost deal and at cancellation, and ask your sales team which names prospects mention. More in customer interview questions.
6. Read industry sources
Trade-association directories, trade-show exhibitor lists, industry reports and trade press list the established players. Startup databases and launch sites such as Product Hunt show new entrants. For the wider market, see how to do a market analysis.
7. Search social media and communities
Search Reddit and Quora for “[competitor] alternative” and “[product] recommendations [city]”, and note the names in the replies. Expect more content rivals than direct ones.
8. Ask an AI chatbot, then check every name
As of 2026, Microsoft Copilot can search the live web and cite its sources, as can ChatGPT and Gemini8. Three prompts to copy:
- Direct: “List 10 businesses that sell [offer] to [customer] in [city or market]. Give each one’s website.”
- Substitutes: “What do [customers] use instead of [offer] to get [result]? Name specific products or businesses.”
- With links: “Give the source page for each competitor. Leave out any you cannot link.”
A name counts only once you open its site or listing and see that it still trades.
Example: finding a Columbus dance studio’s competitors
Example by our method. Our October 15, 2026 check tested this idea: “Dance studio business plan for a competitive team studio in a leased warehouse in suburban Columbus, Ohio: dance families paying tuition, team fees and competition travel”ex. It counted 8ex direct competitors. Three parts, read together: who customers see, who families would stay with, where to compete.
Who customers see
The five competitors with a visibility share (see step 4 below), example by our method:
Who families would stay with
Revere Dance Studio is missing from that table, yet the check named it the closest rival: it already offers most of the same package, so families may stay thereex. The most visible competitor and the closest one came from different searches. Run both.
Where to compete
In our example, 4ex review complaints were about price. Quality drew 1ex, and 1ex was on another topic. Price is the open pain, and price complaints can also push families toward cheaper options and shrink marginsex. To read complaints like these, see customer pain points.
Our check returned “Possible, with caveats”ex. Check your idea free to get the same list for yours.
How our check finds competitors
- It turns the idea into the phrases a customer would search. In the example by our method, the check ran 17ex queries.
- It reads the results and the businesses’ sites. In the example, it used 28ex sources.
- It labels a business direct when it sells the same kind of offer to the same customer.
- It gives each competitor a visibility share, %: its share of what searchers see for the niche’s phrases.
- It groups review complaints by theme and counts them.
- It lists the risks competitors create and rates each by likelihood and impact.
To run it on your idea, check your idea free.
What to do with your list
Keep two short lists, “most visible” and “closest offer”, since the example’s closest rival was absent from the visibility table. Then run a competitor analysis on both, do a SWOT analysis, position yourself against them and size the market.
FAQ
What is an AI competitor finder?
It is a tool that takes a website or a description and returns similar businesses, matched by keyword overlap or company profile. Open every name before you count it, or run a competitor analysis with our tool.
Can you find competitors for free?
Yes. Every way in this guide except the paid search-competitor tools costs nothing.
How do I find competitors for a business idea with no website yet?
Use ways 1 and 3 to 8, since search-competitor tools need a site to compare. You can also check your idea free from its description.
How do I find indirect competitors?
Ask customers what they would use if you did not exist, and run the substitutes prompt from way 8.
How do I find local competitors?
Search “[service] near me” and “[service] [city]”, note the map pack, then read each Google Maps listing’s reviews.
Sources
- techdows.com, 09/17/2026
- support.google.com, 10/02/2026
- semrush.com, 10/13/2026
- similarweb.com, 02/22/2021
- support.google.com, 10/18/2026
- shopify.com, 05/21/2026
- linkedin.com, 09/15/2026
- geodocs.dev, 05/04/2026
Check your idea for free
Describe your idea and the check collects demand, competitors, complaints and prices, with sources.
