How Do I Research What My Competitors Are Doing Right?

A fitness app I worked on a few years back was struggling to get downloads despite having solid features and a decent marketing budget. The team was baffled—they'd built what they thought was a great product, but users weren't biting. When we finally sat down to properly analyse what their competitors were doing, we discovered something interesting; three of their main competitors had pivoted their messaging entirely away from "workout tracking" to "wellness community." Users weren't searching for another exercise logger, they wanted connection and support. That single insight from competitor research changed everything about how we positioned the app.

Here's the thing about competitor analysis—its not about copying what others are doing. I mean, sure, you'll spot features worth considering, but the real value is understanding the gaps in the market and seeing where your competitors are weak. After building apps across retail, healthcare, and fintech sectors, I can tell you that most teams either skip this research entirely (big mistake) or they do it once during planning and never look again. Both approaches leave money on the table.

The apps that succeed aren't always the best built—they're the ones that understand their competitive landscape and position themselves smartly within it.

What we're going to cover in this guide is how to actually do competitor research properly, not just download a few apps and poke around. You'll learn which metrics matter (and which ones are vanity nonsense), how to extract useful insights from app store listings, and most importantly, how to turn all that research into decisions that move the needle for your own app. Its a bit time-consuming, I won't lie, but the difference it makes to your chances of success? Worth every hour spent.

Understanding Why Competitor Research Matters for Your App

When someone contacts me about building an app, they're usually so focused on their own idea that they haven't properly looked at what's already out there. I get it—you're excited about your vision and you want to start building. But here's the thing; if you skip competitor research, you're basically walking into a room blindfolded. I've seen apps fail not because they were poorly built, but because the founders didn't understand who they were up against or what users already expected based on existing solutions.

The thing about mobile apps is that users have incredibly high standards now. They've already used dozens of apps in your category, whether its fitness tracking, food delivery, or project management. Those experiences shape what they think is "normal" and if your app doesn't meet those baseline expectations, they'll delete it within minutes. I'm talking about things like smooth onboarding flows, intuitive navigation patterns, and features they've come to rely on. You need to know what those standards are before you start designing your own solution.

Competitor research isn't about copying what others do—thats a fast track to building a mediocre app that offers nothing new. Its about understanding the playing field so you can find the gaps and opportunities. Where are users frustrated? What features do they keep asking for in reviews? What parts of the experience feel clunky or outdated? This is where the real gold is buried.

What Competitor Research Actually Tells You

When you properly analyse your competitors, you're gathering intelligence across multiple dimensions that will shape your entire product strategy. Sure, you can see what features they offer and how they've structured their pricing, but the deeper insights come from understanding user behaviour patterns and market expectations.

• Which features users consider must-haves versus nice-to-haves in your category
• Common pain points and frustrations that your app could solve better
• Pricing models that work and ones that don't resonate with users
• Design patterns and navigation structures users already understand
• Marketing messages and positioning strategies that attract your target audience
• App Store optimisation tactics that drive visibility and downloads
• User acquisition channels that deliver the best return on investment

I worked with a healthcare startup that wanted to build a medication reminder app. They were convinced their AI-powered dosage tracking would be a game-changer. After digging into competitor reviews, we discovered that users didn't care about fancy AI—they were frustrated that existing apps sent notifications at inconvenient times and didn't sync properly across devices. We shifted the entire product focus based on that research, and the app ended up with much better retention rates because it solved real problems users actually had.

The mobile app market is ridiculously competitive now, with acquisition costs that can easily hit £5-8 per install in crowded categories. You can't afford to build something that doesn't clearly differentiate itself or solve problems better than existing options. Competitor research gives you the roadmap to position your app where it actually has a chance of succeeding rather than just adding to the noise.

Finding and Identifying Your Real Competitors

Here's the thing about competitor research—most people get this bit completely wrong from the start. They look at the biggest apps in their category and think "right, these are my competitors" but that's not how it actually works in practice. When I built a fitness tracking app a few years back, the client insisted their main competitor was MyFitnessPal because it was the market leader. But you know what? Our target users were complete beginners who found MyFitnessPal too complex, so our real competitors were actually simpler apps with 50,000 downloads, not the giants with millions.

Your real competitors are the apps fighting for the same users you want, not just any app in your category. I mean, if you're building a meditation app for busy parents, you're not really competing with Headspace—you're competing with other parenting-focused wellness apps that solve the same specific problem. The way I find real competitors is by searching the exact phrases my target users would type into the App Store; things like "quick meditation for mums" rather than just "meditation app". This shows you whos actually ranking for the searches that matter to your business.

Three Types of Competitors You Need to Track

• Direct competitors—apps that do almost exactly what yours does for the same audience
• Feature competitors—apps that solve one specific problem your app solves, maybe better than you do
• Attention competitors—apps competing for your users time and money, even if they're in different categories

I usually create a spreadsheet (boring but effective) with about 10-15 apps split across these three categories. Don't try to track too many or you'll drive yourself mad with data overload. Focus on apps that have some traction but aren't so massive that comparing yourself to them becomes pointless—apps with 10,000 to 500,000 downloads are usually the sweet spot for meaningful comparison.

Search the App Store using 5-10 different keyword phrases your target users would actually type, then look at positions 3-15 in the results. These mid-ranking apps are often your true competitors, not the ones at the top.

Analysing Competitor App Store Listings and Keywords

Right, so you've found your competitors—now comes the interesting bit. Understanding how they position themselves in app stores is absolutely critical because their listings are basically their shop window. I spend way too much time scrolling through competitor app screenshots and reading their descriptions, but its taught me something valuable; most apps are terrible at this part. They either try to be too clever with their messaging or they're so generic that you can't tell what the app actually does.

Start with their app titles and subtitles because Apple gives you 30 characters for the title and 30 for the subtitle on iOS, whilst Google Play allows 30 for the title and 80 for the short description. Your competitors are (hopefully) using these character limits strategically to include high-value keywords. I worked on a meditation app where we noticed competitors were cramming keywords like "sleep", "anxiety", and "mindfulness" into their titles—not because it looked good, but because it works. App Store Optimisation isn't about being pretty; its about being found.

Look at their screenshots in order. The first three screenshots are what most users will see without scrolling, so thats where competitors put their strongest value propositions. When I analysed fintech apps for a client, I noticed the top performers always led with security features or how fast you could complete a transaction—not with boring login screens or generic brand messaging. That told us exactly what users cared about most in that space.

Pay attention to their keyword strategy by looking at what phrases appear repeatedly across their description, whats new section, and even their developer response to reviews. Tools like App Annie or Sensor Tower can show you which keywords they're likely ranking for, but honestly? Sometimes just reading their content carefully tells you everything. Are they saying "budget tracker" or "expense manager"? Those subtle differences matter because they reveal which search terms they think will convert best.

One thing I've noticed across different projects—healthcare apps, e-commerce platforms, you name it—is that the best app store listings tell a story in about five seconds. They dont make you work to understand the value. If I'm confused after looking at a competitor's listing, that's actually good news for you because it means there's space to be clearer and more compelling.

Studying User Reviews and Ratings Patterns

You know what's funny? Most people look at app reviews the wrong way—they see a 4.2 star rating and think "that's good" or "that's bad" and move on. But when I'm doing competitor research for clients, I spend hours reading through reviews because thats where users tell you exactly what they want. Its like getting free user research, except its about your competitors products.

Start by looking at the pattern of ratings over time, not just the overall score. I worked on a healthcare app where we noticed our main competitor had dropped from 4.8 to 4.1 stars over three months; turns out they'd pushed an update that broke their appointment booking system and users were furious. We made sure our booking flow was rock solid before launch and highlighted reliability in our messaging. That competitor took six weeks to fix the issue, and by then we'd captured a decent chunk of their frustrated users.

What Users Actually Complain About

Filter reviews by 1 and 2 stars first—these tell you where competitors are failing. Look for recurring themes, not one-off complaints. When I analysed reviews for a fintech client, I found their competitor had 47 reviews in two weeks mentioning slow verification processes. We built our KYC flow to complete in under 90 seconds and it became our biggest differentiator. If you're dealing with poor reviews yourself, there are ways to position your app strategically despite reputation challenges.

The best reviews to read aren't the 5-star ones praising your competitor, they're the 3-star reviews where users say "I like this app BUT..." because that BUT is your opportunity

Reading Between the Lines

Pay attention to what users praise too. If everyone loves a specific feature, you need it or something better. Sort reviews by "most helpful" to see what resonates with the broader user base, not just the vocal minority. I usually create a spreadsheet tracking complaint categories—crashes, UI issues, missing features, customer service problems, whatever—and tally them up. This gives you a clear picture of where competitors are vulnerable and where they're strong.

Tracking Competitor Features and User Experience

The best way to understand what your competitors are doing right is to actually use their apps—and I mean really use them, not just download and poke around for five minutes. When I'm researching competitors for clients, I'll spend at least a week using each major competitor app like a regular user would. I create accounts, go through their onboarding, attempt to complete key tasks, and even contact their support if they have it. Its honestly the only way to truly understand what makes their experience work or fall flat.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people making a spreadsheet of features and just ticking boxes. "They have push notifications, we need push notifications." But that misses the entire point, doesn't it? What matters is how those features work together to create an experience. I worked on a fitness app where the competitor had twice as many features as we were planning, but their app felt bloated and confusing. We focused on doing five things brilliantly instead of twenty things adequately, and users responded much better to our simpler approach.

What to Track When Testing Competitors

Here's what I actually document when I'm doing competitor research—this list comes from years of figuring out what signals actually matter versus what's just noise:

• Onboarding flow length and friction points (how many steps, what information they collect, where users might drop off)
• Core user journey completion time (can you actually achieve the main task quickly or do they make it unnecessarily complex?)
• Navigation patterns and information architecture (where everything lives and how easy it is to find)
• Loading times and performance on older devices (because not everyone has the latest iPhone)
• Accessibility features and inclusive design choices
• Personalisation and how they use data to improve the experience
• Monetisation touchpoints and how aggressively they push upgrades
• Error handling and what happens when things go wrong

I always test competitors on both iOS and Android because the experiences can be surprisingly different. I've seen apps that clearly prioritised one platform over the other, and you can tell—the animations are smoother, the interface feels more native, the features might even be different. That tells you something about where they're investing their resources and which users they value most. Understanding what data sources drive effective personalisation can help you spot how competitors are using user information to create better experiences.

Creating Your Feature Comparison Framework

Recording your findings in a structured way makes all the difference when you're trying to spot patterns across multiple competitors. I dont use fancy tools for this; honestly a simple spreadsheet works perfectly fine. But the key is documenting not just what features exist but how well they work and why users might care about them. When I was working on an e-commerce app, we noticed that three out of four major competitors had really poor search functionality—it was slow, the results were irrelevant, and there was no filtering. That became our opportunity to differentiate; we invested heavily in search and made it a core selling point.

Pay close attention to the small details that show thoughtfulness in design. Does the app remember your preferences? Does it handle poor connectivity gracefully? Are error messages actually helpful or just generic tech jargon? These tiny moments add up to create an overall impression of quality, and they're often what separates apps that users love from apps that users tolerate. Understanding how eye movement shapes better app layouts can help you spot what competitors get right or wrong about visual hierarchy.

Monitoring Competitor Marketing and User Acquisition

Here's where things get interesting—watching how your competitors spend their money to get users. I've seen apps with £50,000 marketing budgets fail completely whilst others succeed with practically nothing, and the difference usually comes down to understanding what channels actually work for their specific audience. You can learn from both their wins and mistakes without spending a penny yourself.

Start by tracking where your competitors ads appear. Install their apps and see what happens—do you get retargeting ads on Facebook or Instagram? What about YouTube pre-rolls? I use a simple spreadsheet to log every ad I see from competitors over a month, noting the platform, creative style, and messaging. Its tedious but bloody useful. You can also check their Facebook Ad Library (which is public) to see all their active social campaigns; this alone has saved clients thousands by showing them what messaging doesnt convert well. Social media analysis can reveal deeper insights into competitor marketing approaches beyond just their paid campaigns.

Key Channels to Monitor

• Social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter)
• Google App Campaigns and search ads
• Influencer partnerships and sponsored content
• Content marketing (blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts)
• Email marketing and referral programmes
• App Store Today features and promotional placements

Look at their organic social content too—what gets engagement and what falls flat? I worked on a fitness app where we noticed competitors getting massive engagement from transformation posts but almost nothing from workout tips. That insight shifted our entire content strategy. Check if they're running referral programmes (download their app and look for "invite friends" features) because if they are, it usually means its working for them. Track their app ranking positions weekly using tools like Sensor Tower or App Annie; sudden jumps often indicate paid campaigns or PR pushes. If you're planning your own launch, learning how to create effective email campaigns can give you an edge over competitors who neglect this channel.

Set up Google Alerts for your main competitors names plus words like "launch", "funding", or "partnership"—you'll catch their PR campaigns early and can learn from their positioning before they even finish their campaign rollout.

Measuring Performance Metrics That Actually Matter

Look, I'll be honest with you—most people get completely lost in vanity metrics when they're analysing competitors. They obsess over total downloads or social media followers, but these numbers don't tell you much about whether an app is actually succeeding. What you need to focus on are the metrics that reveal user behaviour and business health; things like retention rates, session length, and revenue per user.

The tricky bit is that you cant see most of these metrics directly for your competitors apps. But there are ways to get close. Tools like Sensor Tower and App Annie (now data.ai) will give you estimated revenue figures and download trends—not perfect, but good enough to spot patterns. I always look at review velocity too, which is basically how many reviews an app gets per day. If a competitor is getting 50 reviews daily while maintaining a 4.5 star rating, that tells me they've got serious active user numbers and decent retention. Its simple maths really.

What the Numbers Actually Tell You

When I was working on a fitness app project, we noticed a competitor had massive download spikes every January but their review rate would drop off dramatically by March. That pattern screamed poor retention—they were good at acquisition but terrible at keeping users engaged. We used that insight to focus our entire strategy on onboarding and habit formation, which meant we ended up with lower initial downloads but much better lifetime value per user. Sometimes what competitors are doing wrong is more valuable than what they're doing right? Understanding why some apps feel addictive while others don't can help you spot which competitors have cracked the retention code.

The Metrics I Actually Track

For competitive analysis, I focus on these specific indicators: chart position movement (are they climbing or falling), update frequency (active development usually means healthy revenue), review sentiment trends over time, and estimated revenue if its available. You can also gauge engagement by monitoring how quickly they respond to reviews—apps with dedicated teams tend to respond within 48 hours. If a competitor suddenly stops updating or their response time slows down, that's often a sign they're struggling, which might represent an opportunity for you to capture their dissatisfied users.

Turning Research Into Action for Your Own App

Right, so you've done all this research—you've analysed competitor keywords, tracked their features, studied their reviews—but now what? This is where most people actually struggle because its one thing to gather data and its a completely different thing to know what to do with it. I've seen clients come to me with spreadsheets full of competitor information but no clear plan, and honestly it can feel a bit overwhelming at first.

Start by prioritising just three insights from your research that you can act on immediately. Maybe you noticed that every successful competitor has a particular onboarding feature yours is missing? Or perhaps their ASO strategy focuses on keywords you hadn't even considered targeting. Pick the changes that will have the biggest impact with the least complexity—I mean, there's no point overhauling your entire app when small tweaks to your app store listing could double your organic installs. Remember that small design changes can be expensive if you implement them after launch, so prioritise getting core elements right from the start.

The apps that succeed aren't the ones that copy everything competitors do, they're the ones that identify gaps their competitors have missed and fill them brilliantly

Building Your Action Plan

Create a simple document (doesn't need to be fancy) with four columns: what you found, what it means for your app, difficulty to implement, and expected impact. This helps you see which opportunities are worth pursuing first. When I worked on a fintech app that was struggling against established competitors, we discovered through review analysis that users were frustrated with complex verification processes across the board. We simplified ours dramatically and made it a key part of our positioning—that single insight changed everything for user acquisition. If you're a startup facing established competitors, understanding how to position against established app brands can help you find your competitive angle.

Testing and Measuring Your Changes

Don't implement everything at once because then you won't know what actually worked. Change your keywords, wait two weeks, measure the results. Update your screenshots based on competitor best practices, track the conversion rate impact. I usually tell clients to give each major change at least a month before deciding if its working—app store optimisation isn't instant, and neither is building new features. Keep notes on what you tried and what happened; this becomes your own competitive advantage over time because you're learning what works specifically for your audience, not just copying what others do. Be prepared that apps need ongoing investment to stay competitive and implement improvements based on your research.

Conclusion

Looking at what your competitors are doing right isn't about copying their homework—it's about understanding the market you're entering and making smarter decisions with your limited time and budget. I mean, every pound you spend on building the wrong feature is a pound you cant spend on the right one. Over the years I've seen too many apps fail because they built in a vacuum, convinced their idea was so brilliant it didn't need validation. It never works out that way.

The thing about competitor research is that its never truly finished. Apps evolve, user expectations shift, and what worked six months ago might be completely irrelevant today. I check in on competitor apps regularly for ongoing projects—not obsessively, but enough to stay aware of whats happening in the space. When we built a healthcare booking app a while back, we noticed a competitor suddenly added virtual consultation features; that insight helped us prioritise our own telemedicine integration before we'd even launched.

But here's what really matters: research without action is just procrastination with extra steps. Take what you've learned about app store optimisation, user pain points from reviews, feature gaps in the market, and actually use it to build something better. Not different for the sake of being different, but genuinely better at solving the problem your users have. Start small with the most impactful changes—maybe thats improving your onboarding flow because you saw competitors losing users there, or focusing on one killer feature they're all missing.

Your competitors have already spent money learning what works and what doesnt. Use that knowledge, then go build something worth downloading.