SaaS competitor research from public review and launch data
Build a competitor matrix that makes public evidence easy to trace and review. This playbook is for product marketers using review and launch signals to decide which products deserve closer research.
Start with public product listings, categories, ratings and launch signals from review and product-discovery sites. Keep the evidence dated and check source terms, since review sites restrict automated collection.
Build a comparison you can trace
- Define the category relevant to your research before choosing which products to include.
- Keep source links with the evidence so readers can check the original context.
- Keep evidence dated and distinguish an earlier launch signal from a current product listing.
- Separate what a source states from your interpretation of its significance.
- Use gaps or conflicting evidence to identify the next research task.
What to verify before you contact
- Confirm that the listing refers to the intended product and that its category is relevant to your comparison.
- Recheck the source before quoting a rating or referring to a launch.
- Review source terms before reusing material in outreach or published comparisons.
- When contacting a vendor, ask about a specific unresolved point and include the source context.
Where this breaks
- If products share a broad category but serve different needs, the matrix may group weak comparisons together.
- If evidence lacks dates or source links, readers cannot readily assess its currency or context.
- If launch attention or ratings are treated as proof of customer fit, the conclusions exceed the evidence.
- If source restrictions prevent the intended use, the research scope needs to change.
Questions
What belongs in the competitor matrix?
Include the public category, rating and launch evidence relevant to your research, with source links. Keep evidence dated so readers can distinguish current checks from older observations.
Can ratings determine which competitor matters most?
Use ratings as a signal to investigate within the relevant category. Assess whether the product addresses the same customer need before assigning it priority.
How should launch signals be interpreted?
Use a launch signal as evidence of a public launch event in its source context. Verify the current product separately before drawing conclusions about its present position.
What should we do when sources disagree?
Keep the conflicting evidence visible with its source links and dates. Mark the conclusion as unresolved until further research explains the difference.
Run this
G2 Software Reviews, Product Info & Competitor Extractor returns star ratings, review counts. $0.99 per 1,000 + $0.10/GB start, plus Apify platform usage.
- Open G2 Software Reviews, Product Info & Competitor Extractor on the Apify Store and sign in or create a free account.
- Set Maximum items per product to the number of rows you want.
- Start it, then download the results as CSV or Excel from the run's Output tab.