How it works

What happens when you scan an idea

No black boxes. Here's exactly how we read the market, calculate your Signal Score, and turn it into a build-ready brief.

Step 01

We parse your idea

Our AI identifies the specific product category and target customer segment. Precision matters — 'AI medical documentation for physiotherapists' not just 'healthcare software'.

Step 02

We search the web for competitors

We cast a reasonable net: direct competitors (same problem, same customer) plus close alternatives. For each, we verify funding status, review presence, year founded, and pricing model.

Step 03

We calculate the Signal Score

A 0-100 score weighing competitor count, funded players, review traction, big tech presence, and market maturity. Higher = more saturated.

Step 04

We deliver a verdict

One of: BUILD IT, BUILD IT DIFFERENTLY, AVOID (for ideas) or STRONG POSITION, REPOSITION NEEDED, EXPOSED (for products). With a data-backed rationale and confidence rating.

Step 05

On purchase: deep analysis

We crawl each competitor's site, pull review sentiment from G2/Reddit/Trustpilot, identify positioning gaps, and build a playbook of what to build first and what to skip.

Step 06

You get a build-ready prompt

A detailed prompt you can paste into Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, Claude Code, or any AI builder — fully informed by the competitive landscape we found.

The Signal Score

A 0-100 saturation score

We weigh five signals from the competitive landscape. Lower means less competition. Higher means you need a sharper wedge to win.

0-25
Open Market

Wide-open opportunity. Few players, limited funding, space to lead.

26-50
Emerging

Growing market with some activity but no clear winner yet.

51-75
Competitive

Established market with funded players. You need a sharp angle.

76-100
Highly Saturated

Crowded with well-funded incumbents. Proceed only with a strong wedge.

Competitor count

max 30 pts

How many direct competitors and close alternatives exist in the market.

10+
+30
crowded
6-9
+20-25
4-5
+15
1-3
+3-8
0
+0
wide open

Funded players

max 25 pts

Competitors that raised a named round (Seed, Series A+) from identifiable investors. Bootstrapped doesn't count.

5+
+25
well-capitalized
3-4
+18
2
+12
1
+6
0
+0

Review presence

max 20 pts

Competitors with 50+ reviews on G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot. A strong signal of traction and customer volume.

5+
+20
proven demand
3-4
+15
2
+10
1
+5
0
+0

Big tech presence

max 15 pts

Whether Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, Adobe, or SAP competes directly in this niche.

Yes
+15
tough moat
No
+0

Market maturity

max 10 pts

Age of the oldest direct competitor's product. Mature markets are harder to crack but have proven demand.

5+ years
+10
established
3-4 years
+5
< 3 years
+0
new

The Verdict

An opinion, not just data

Numbers only go so far. We back the Signal Score with a direct verdict — what you should actually do.

For ideas
BUILD IT — market is open
BUILD IT DIFFERENTLY — reposition needed
AVOID — too crowded
For products
STRONG POSITION — defensible
REPOSITION NEEDED — wedge is soft
EXPOSED — vulnerable
Confidence
High — rich data, 5+ reviewed competitors
Medium — moderate data, 3-5 competitors
Low — sparse data

What we don't pretend to be

This is a heuristic, not an oracle. The Signal Score is a compressed view of a messy landscape. A 72 doesn't mean “don't build it” any more than a 22 means “guaranteed success”.

AI research has limits. We use web search to gather competitor data. Results can vary slightly between runs because the live web changes and search results differ. We cache identical scans for 10 minutes so repeated scans of the same input return consistent results within that window.

We optimize for signal, not comfort. If your idea lands in a saturated market, we'll tell you. If there's a clear gap, we'll call it out. Either way — you'll know before you build.

Ready to see your score?

First scan is free. No account required.

Scan your idea