Excel Basic Competitive Analysis Template: Quick Setup Guide
Open the Excel basic competitive analysis template, follow Start Here, rename competitor columns, fill company/market/product/SWOT rows, and save a dated workbook in under an hour.
You already decided a basic workbook beats building borders from scratch. Now you need the excel basic competitive analysis template open, competitor names in the headers, and rows filled before the strategy sync — not a tutorial about competitive intelligence theory.
This is the fast path: what ships in the file, how the three sheets work, and the fill order that keeps SWOT lines aligned. For why basic grids beat advanced 7P frameworks in small teams, see competitive analysis template excel types and use cases. For the full free-vs-paid selection framework, see our basic competitive analysis template excel guide. More spreadsheet tips: PlanoNest blog.
Key takeaway: Open Start Here, edit the Basic Competitive Analysis sheet with your business and two rival names in the header row, fill company → market → product → SWOT in parallel phrasing, write Key Takeaways, then save a dated .xlsx before you share.
What Ships in the Basic Workbook
The Basic Competitive Analysis Template Excel is a three-sheet .xlsx file delivered instantly after checkout — works in Excel, Google Sheets (upload), WPS Office, and LibreOffice Calc.
Three Sheets in the Basic Workbook
| Sheet | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start Here | Onboarding: how to rename columns, fill order, do-not-delete labels |
| Basic Competitive Analysis | Main grid — Your Business, Competitor 1, Competitor 2 columns |
| About | Product notes and support context |
Column contract: row labels locked in column A; columns B–D hold your business and two rivals. Row blocks include company highlights (tagline, financial resources, funding, investors), market information (target market, share, marketing strategies, channels), product information (pricing, features, reviews, quality), SWOT factors, and Key Takeaways.
Product highlight: PlanoNest Basic Competitive Analysis Template Excel: 3 sheets, side-by-side comparison layout, SWOT rows + Key Takeaways — one-time purchase, instant digital delivery.
That is the complete excel basic competitive analysis template package — no subscription, no account beyond checkout.
Step 1: Open Start Here (Two Minutes)
Download the file from your order confirmation or the product page. Open Start Here first — even if you are tempted to jump to the grid.
The sheet explains:
- Which tab to edit (Basic Competitive Analysis)
- How to replace "Competitor 1" and "Competitor 2" with real brand names
- That row labels in column A are structural — add notes in data cells, not over labels
- Recommended fill order (company → market → product → SWOT → takeaways)
Screenshot reference: the gallery on the product page shows the Start Here layout and the main grid before data entry.
If you share via Google Sheets, upload the .xlsx (File → Open → Upload). Layout survives when label rows stay unhidden.
First-time tip: resist adding rows above the SWOT block until you finish one full pass. Inserting rows early shifts print areas and breaks any pre-set freeze panes. If you need a custom factor row (for example "Partner ecosystem"), add it inside the product block and keep the same label style as existing rows — bold text in column A, data in B:D.
Who should edit which cells: one owner per column reduces contradictory phrasing. Marketing often owns market rows; product owns feature rows; the facilitator owns Key Takeaways so the file ends with decisions, not departmental essays pasted side by side.
Step 2: Rename Headers and Gather Sources (Ten Minutes)
On Basic Competitive Analysis, click cells B1, C1, D1:
- B1 — your company name as stakeholders know it.
- C1 — first direct rival (same buyer, overlapping price band).
- D1 — second direct rival.
Open a browser folder or doc with public links before you type:
- Pricing and packaging pages
- Feature or product tour pages
- About / press pages for funding and investors
- Review sites (G2, Capterra) for B2B software — summarized, not copy-pasted
- Internal win/loss themes — paraphrased, no confidential CRM exports
Two rivals stay readable on a laptop. A third competitor deserves a duplicated tab — copy the sheet, rename headers, keep row labels identical.
Time box the research pass: ten minutes per rival for public pricing and feature pages, five minutes for review themes, five minutes for company highlights. The excel basic competitive analysis template is designed for a single working session — not a multi-week CI project. If you need deeper sourcing, add a Sources tab manually and link URLs there instead of pasting paragraphs into comparison cells.
Detailed column and formatting rules live in build a competitive analysis spreadsheet in Excel.
Step 3: Fill Row Blocks in Order (Thirty to Forty Minutes)
Work horizontally across one row before moving down — especially in SWOT. Parallel phrasing makes gaps visible.
Company highlights
One sentence per cell: tagline, financial scale, funding stage, notable investors. If a figure is estimated, prefix with "approx."
Market information
Define the target market the same way for all three columns. Market share can be ordinal ("top three in SMB CRM") if exact percentages are unavailable. Note primary channels and whether the rival sells direct or through partners.
Product information
Pricing first — same structure in each column ("From $X/mo", "Custom quote", "Freemium + $Y pro tier"). Then headline features, review themes, and perceived quality or support reputation.
SWOT
Strengths row: fill B, C, D before Weaknesses. Keep each cell to one or two lines. Threats and Opportunities should reference market moves you can defend in the meeting — not generic "big tech could enter."
Key Takeaways
Three to five bullets your team will act on — pricing change, messaging shift, partnership hunt, roadmap reprioritization. If a takeaway repeats a SWOT cell verbatim, rewrite it as an action.
For a longer walkthrough with DIY alternatives, see how to do competitive analysis in Excel.
Step 4: Save, Share, and Refresh Quarterly
Save As with a date stamp: Competitive-Analysis-YourCo-2026-07-09.xlsx. Email the file or share cloud link with view/comment permissions as appropriate.
Before external sharing, remove hidden comments or scratch notes. Freeze panes should already be set — if you scrolled mid-edit, re-freeze row 1 and column A.
Quarterly refresh: duplicate the analysis tab, rename by quarter, update pricing and feature rows only where sources changed. The excel basic competitive analysis template structure stays constant — that is the point of buying labeled rows once.
When This Template Fits — and When to Extend
Fits:
- Two-competitor positioning reviews for marketing or product leadership
- Founder-led strategy offsites without dedicated CI software
- Repeatable quarterly updates with identical row labels
Extend elsewhere:
- Feature-level scoring for ten rivals → add a matrix tab or separate workbook
- Daily news monitoring → CI platform, not this spreadsheet
- 7P marketing-mix coursework → advanced free templates like ProjectManager's competitive analysis template
Free downloads work for discovery; this basic workbook optimizes recurring two-rival reviews. Compare signup-gated options in competitor analysis template excel free download.
Get the file: Basic Competitive Analysis Template Excel. Browse siblings: KPI dashboard templates.
Troubleshooting During Your First Fill
"I overwrote a row label." Undo immediately, or re-download from your order email. Labels in column A define the export layout — type data in B:D only.
"Competitor columns look cramped in Google Sheets." Widen columns B–D, enable Wrap Text, and zoom to 100% before presenting. Upload the original .xlsx rather than retyping the grid.
"SWOT rows feel misaligned." You likely moved to the next factor before finishing all three columns. Work row-complete: Strengths for you, Rival A, Rival B — then Weaknesses.
"Leadership wants a third competitor." Duplicate the Basic Competitive Analysis tab, rename headers, keep row labels identical. Do not insert a column E unless everyone tests readability on a laptop projector.
"We need a feature checklist too." Keep this workbook for narrative strategy; add a matrix tab or separate file for scored features. See competitive analysis template excel types for when to split artifacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open the template in Google Sheets?
Download the .xlsx, then in Google Sheets use File → Open → Upload. Edit the Basic Competitive Analysis tab; keep column A labels visible.
Can I add a third competitor column?
You can, but readability drops. Prefer duplicating the sheet with a new rival pair and the same row labels.
What if I do not know a rival's revenue?
Use public funding rounds, employee band estimates, or ordinal scale ("growth-stage private") and mark cells as approximate.
Is the template a one-time purchase?
Yes — one-time purchase with instant delivery, no subscription. Reuse and duplicate tabs each quarter. Check the product page for the current price.
Where does SWOT go in the file?
Below product rows, one factor per row (Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats, Opportunities), then Key Takeaways at the bottom of the grid.
