The 18 Best Competitor Analysis Tools I Tried in 2025

Are you looking for competitor analysis tools in 2025? Learn more about my 10 top picks plus 8 special mentions in 2025 with pros, cons, pricing, and tips.
September 5, 2025

I tested the top competitor analysis tools in 2025 to see which ones gave me helpful insights and which ones fell flat. I was able to find 10 awesome picks, plus 8 special mentions worth looking into.

Expert take:

My best results came from a stack of options. For example, Bestever showed me which ad creatives worked, Semrush covered SEO, SpyFu revealed spend, and Similarweb tracked traffic. Together, they gave me a full view without wasting hours.

The top 18 competitor analysis tools: TL;DR

Each tool I tried shines in different areas like creative analysis, SEO, PPC, or social tracking. Here’s the quick breakdown:

Tool

Best For

Starting Price

Key Strength

Bestever

Creative analysis

$39/month

Breaks down ad hooks and visuals

Semrush

SEO and PPC research

$139.95/month

Keyword depth and traffic data

Ahrefs

Backlink and keyword tracking

$129/month

Strong backlink database

Moz

SEO basics

$49/month

Beginner-friendly SEO platform

Adbeat

Display and programmatic ads

$249/month

Detailed display ad spend tracking

SpyFu

Competitor PPC insights

$39/month

Reveals ad spend and hidden keywords

AdPlexity

Affiliate and native ad spying

$149/month

Focus on affiliate and native ads

Similarweb

Traffic benchmarking

$199/month

Website traffic and market share data

Brandwatch

Social listening

Custom

Tracks online mentions and sentiment

BuzzSumo

Content and influencer research

$199/month

Finds viral content and influencers

TapClicks

Marketing analytics and reporting

Build a plan from $298/month

Competitor ad copy and keyword alerts

Owler

Company intel

$39/month

Tracks funding, press, and competitors

Serpstat

All-in-one SEO

$69/month

Affordable multi-use SEO toolkit

Sprout Social

Social media analytics

$199/month

Social scheduling and competitor tracking

Talkwalker

Brand monitoring

Custom

Global sentiment and media coverage

Majestic

Backlink analysis

$49.99/month

Large historical link index

Rival IQ

Social competitor tracking

$249/month

Side-by-side social benchmarks

LowFruits

Niche keyword discovery

$29.9/month

Finds low-competition SEO keywords

1. Bestever: Best for creative performance analysis

  • What it does: Bestever analyzes ad creatives and shows which elements drive engagement. It also generates new variants based on that data.
  • Who it’s for: Media buyers, agencies, and growth marketers who want to understand why competitor ads perform (and how to improve their own).

We designed Bestever to make competitor research easier for people managing ads every day. The tool pulls competitor creatives into one dashboard where you can see them side by side. The focus is on showing which ads are live, how long they’ve been running, and whether they’re starting to lose effectiveness.

One feature we put a lot of work into was fatigue detection. Ads can stay up for months, but that doesn’t mean they keep performing. Bestever highlights when a creative starts to drop off, so you know it’s time to refresh. I’ve seen this matter most with carousels and videos. 

For example, the tool flagged a carousel that had been active too long, while newer videos were still pulling strong engagement. That kind of signal helps you decide when to rotate your own ads.

We also built Bestever to dig deeper than raw numbers. It breaks down ads by hooks, CTAs, and visuals to show why something connects with an audience. The goal is to give insights you can apply directly, whether that means tweaking copy, updating images, or doubling down on a format that’s working.

Bestever isn’t meant to replace SEO or keyword platforms, but it fills the creative gap. If your priority is ad performance, this is the tool we designed to help you see what drives competitor results and apply those lessons to your own campaigns.

Key features 

  • Creative analysis dashboard: Scores visuals, hooks, and CTAs to show what drives clicks.
  • Competitor tracking: Monitors rival campaigns in real time with audience type and spend timing.
  • AI recommendations: Suggests changes like refreshing fatigued creatives or scaling top performers.

Buy if

  • You want to know why competitor ads convert, not just what they look like.
  • You manage several brands and need clear reports to share with your team.
  • You want action items that cut analysis time.

Don’t buy if

  • You only care about SEO or backlinks.
  • You prefer raw data exports without creative analysis.

Pricing

Bestever offers a 14-day free trial, then pricing starts at $39 per month for 300 monthly credits.

Bottom line

I use Bestever regularly, and it stands out if you care about creative performance and want to understand why competitor ads work. If your focus is only on SEO or backlink tracking, another tool will serve you better.

2. Semrush: Best for SEO and PPC research

  • What it does: Semrush tracks keywords, backlinks, and paid search campaigns so you can see where competitors are ranking and spending.
  • Who it’s for: Marketers and agencies that need detailed search data for SEO planning or PPC competitive research.

When I started testing Semrush, I wanted to see how well it handled both SEO and paid search research. I added a few competitor domains, and within a short time, the dashboard showed me their top keywords, backlinks, and PPC campaigns. The amount of data available is huge and I needed to narrow things down with filters before I could get value out of it.

The keyword gap tool was the feature I returned to most often. It showed me the phrases my competitors ranked for that I didn’t, which gave me a clear list of opportunities. From there, I could check difficulty scores and search volumes to decide which ones were worth pursuing. 

I also used the backlink tracker to map where competitors were getting authority. Seeing high-quality industry links gave me ideas for outreach targets that I hadn’t considered before.

On the PPC side, I was able to review competitor ad copy and the keywords they were bidding on. This helped me spot when rivals leaned heavily on branded keywords versus generic ones. In one case, I noticed a competitor dropping spend on a set of keywords I had been ignoring, which pushed me to test them myself.

Semrush has a learning curve, but the depth of data makes it a solid choice when SEO and PPC both matter. I use it when I want a detailed view of search competitors, though I still pair it with other tools when I need creative or social insights.

Key features 

  • Keyword gap analysis: Shows phrases competitors rank for that you don’t.
  • Backlink tracking: Maps competitor link sources and domain strength.
  • PPC insights: Displays competitor keywords, ad copy, and spending trends.

Buy if

  • You need a deep keyword and backlink database.
  • You want to see what competitors spend on search ads.
  • You run SEO and PPC campaigns at the same time.

Don’t buy if

  • You only care about ad creative or social tracking.
  • You want a lightweight tool without a steep learning curve.

Pricing

Semrush has a free trial, then paid plans start at $139.95 per month for up to 5 projects.

Bottom line

I’ve used Semrush to track both organic and paid competitors, and it gave me more search data than other tools. It’s worth it as an SEO and PPC tool, but it can feel heavy if you just want quick insights.

3. ​Ahrefs: Best for backlink and keyword tracking

  • What it does: Ahrefs focuses on backlinks and keyword data to help you understand how competitors build authority and attract traffic.
  • Who it’s for: SEO specialists and content marketers who need backlink insights alongside keyword research.

backlink sources, and estimated traffic. The layout felt cleaner than some other tools, which made it easier to focus on the data that mattered most.

Backlink research was where Ahrefs stood out for me. I found links from industry blogs and niche sites that hadn’t appeared in other platforms. Seeing exactly which pages earned those links gave me ideas for outreach and content partnerships. The tool also showed me when competitors had recently gained or lost links, which made it easier to spot shifts in authority.

The Keyword Explorer was another feature I relied on. It gave me search volume, clicks, and difficulty scores that helped me gauge whether a keyword was worth targeting. I liked that it didn’t just give raw volume, but also an idea of how many clicks I could expect. This made the data more practical for planning content.

While Ahrefs is strong for SEO and backlinks, I found it lighter on PPC insights. It didn’t give me the same depth of paid search data I got from Semrush. Still, for content and organic strategy, it became one of the tools I used most often.

Key features 

  • Site Explorer: Breaks down competitor pages, backlinks, and traffic.
  • Content Explorer: Finds top-performing articles by shares and links.
  • Keywords Explorer: Provides keyword volume, clicks, and difficulty scores.

Buy if

  • You want one of the largest backlink databases.
  • You focus heavily on content and SEO.
  • You prefer a simpler interface than Semrush.

Don’t buy if

  • You need deep PPC research.
  • You want broad coverage across social and creative analysis.

Pricing

Ahrefs does not have a free trial, though they have free webmaster tools you can use. The Lite plan starts at $129 per month.

Bottom line

I use Ahrefs when backlink research is the priority. It’s reliable for SEO and content planning, but it’s not the right pick if paid ads are your main focus.

4. Moz: Best for SEO basics

  • What it does: Moz provides keyword research, site audits, and rank tracking with a focus on ease of use.
  • Who it’s for: Marketers and small teams that want SEO tools without a steep learning curve.

I used Moz to test how well it handled basic SEO jobs like keyword research, site audits, and rank tracking. After setting up a project, I ran a site crawl and searched a few target keywords. The crawl flagged missing title tags, duplicate content, and broken links, which gave me a straightforward checklist of fixes.

What stood out for me was the simplicity. The interface felt less overwhelming than other SEO platforms, which made it easy to get to the data I needed. Reports were clear and quick to generate, so I didn’t feel like I had to dig through filters to find insights. That’s why I think that for someone new to SEO, this approach would be easier to pick up than a tool that throws every metric at you at once.

The Keyword Explorer was useful, though not as deep as what I saw in Semrush or Ahrefs. It gave me search volume and difficulty scores, which were enough for basic planning. Rank Tracker also helped me keep tabs on how my site performed for chosen keywords over time. For smaller projects, that level of detail was usually enough.

Moz doesn’t offer the same breadth of PPC or advanced competitor research, so I wouldn’t rely on it for cross-channel campaigns. Still, for SEO basics, it worked well enough. I used it most often when I wanted a quick health check on a site or a simple keyword report without a steep learning curve.

Key features 

  • Keyword Explorer: Basic keyword volume and difficulty scores.
  • Site Crawl: Finds technical issues on your site.
  • Rank Tracker: Monitors positions for selected keywords over time.

Buy if

  • You want an easy SEO tool with clear reports.
  • You’re new to SEO and need simple workflows.
  • You need rank tracking across multiple keywords.

Don’t buy if

  • You want deep PPC or paid ad data.
  • You need advanced competitor insights beyond SEO.

Pricing

Moz Pro gives you a 30-day free trial, then plans start at $49 per month, which includes 1 user and 1 tracked site.

Bottom line

I use Moz when I want fast, simple SEO checks. It’s beginner-friendly, but it lacks the depth of Semrush and Ahrefs for more advanced research.

5. Adbeat: Best for display and programmatic ads

  • What it does: Adbeat tracks display and programmatic ads so you can see where competitors are buying placements and how long their ads run.
  • Who it’s for: Media buyers and advertisers focused on display networks who want visibility into competitor spend and placements.

When I tried Adbeat, I entered a few competitor domains, and the tool gave me a breakdown of their display activity, including which publishers carried their ads and how long campaigns had been live. That kind of placement view was something I hadn’t found in many other platforms.

What I found most useful was the ability to review creative history. Adbeat showed me older banners alongside current ones, which helped me spot when competitors shifted messaging or swapped formats. In one case, I noticed a rival moving from static images to video placements across a set of publishers, which gave me a cue to rethink my own creative mix.

The spend estimates were helpful for seeing budget priorities, though I treated them more as directional signals than hard numbers. They showed which campaigns likely had more backing, even if the dollar amounts weren’t exact. 

I use Adbeat when I want a clearer picture of where competitors are spending on display. It’s strongest for publisher insights and creative history, and that makes it useful when I’m planning campaigns outside of search and social. For SEO or keyword research, I still lean on other tools, but for display ads, Adbeat gave me a level of visibility I couldn’t get elsewhere.

Key features 

  • Publisher insights: Shows where competitors place display ads.
  • Creative history: Tracks which display creatives ran and for how long.
  • Spend estimates: Provides rough benchmarks for competitor budgets.

Buy if

  • You run display or programmatic campaigns and want competitor benchmarks.
  • You care about publisher-level insights.
  • You want creative history for display ads.

Don’t buy if

  • You focus only on search, SEO, or social.
  • You want modern dashboards and reporting features.

Pricing

Adbeat offers its Basic plan instead of a free trial. The standard plan starts at $249 per month and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom line

I use Adbeat when I need display ad intelligence. It helps see where competitors place ads, but I’d look elsewhere if search or social tracking is the priority.

6. SpyFu: Best for competitor PPC insights

  • What it does: SpyFu uncovers competitor PPC keywords, ad copy, and spending patterns so you can see what rivals pay for in search.
  • Who it’s for: Paid search marketers and small businesses that want affordable visibility into competitor ad strategies.

To try SpyFu out, I entered a domain. It showed me the keywords a competitor was bidding on, the estimated spend, and examples of their ad copy. The layout was simple, which made it quick to get straight to the PPC data.

The ad history feature became the part I explored most. I could scroll back through older campaigns to see how a competitor’s messaging had changed over time. In one case, I noticed a seasonal campaign that repeated every year with only slight copy updates, which gave me an idea of how I might plan ahead for my own ads. 

The historical view also helped me see which keywords they had tested and dropped, which gave me a list of terms I didn’t need to chase.

I liked that SpyFu made domain comparisons easy. Running my site against a competitor showed overlap and gaps in keyword coverage, and the reports were simple to understand without extra setup. While the spend numbers weren’t exact, the trends were useful enough for me to gauge where rivals put most of their budget.

SpyFu isn’t as deep as an all-in-one SEO suite, but I found it valuable as a focused PPC competitor checker. It’s the tool I reach for when I want a quick look at ad copy or bidding patterns without digging through heavier platforms.

Key features 

  • Keyword research: Finds competitor PPC keywords with spend estimates.
  • Ad history: Shows past ad copy and when it ran.
  • Domain comparisons: Lets you see how your keyword profile stacks up against competitors.

Buy if

  • You want quick PPC competitor insights at a lower price.
  • You need historical keyword and ad copy data.
  • You’re running smaller campaigns and don’t need all-in-one SEO suites.

Don’t buy if

  • You want detailed SEO and backlink analysis.
  • You prefer polished dashboards and advanced integrations.

Pricing

SpyFu doesn’t have a free trial. The basic plan starts at $39 per month and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Here’s our full SpyFu pricing guide if you want to dig into the costs and any hidden fees.

Bottom line

I use SpyFu when I want fast visibility into competitor PPC. It’s affordable and strong for ad copy research, though it lacks the depth of full SEO suites.

7. AdPlexity: Best for affiliate and native ad spying

  • What it does: AdPlexity tracks affiliate, push, mobile, and native ads across multiple networks to help you see what’s running and where.
  • Who it’s for: Affiliate marketers and performance advertisers who want visibility into competitor funnels and landing pages.

I tested AdPlexity to see how well it handled affiliate and native ad tracking. After entering a few verticals, the tool returned a large library of competitor ads across mobile, push, and native networks. The range of coverage was broad, which gave me a clearer view of campaigns running outside the usual search and social platforms.

The feature that stood out most for me was the landing page download. Being able to capture and review a competitor’s funnel in detail saved me hours compared to piecing together redirects on my own. 

To try it out, I downloaded a mobile campaign funnel that revealed three different pre-sell pages leading to the same offer. Seeing how they structured those flows gave me ideas for testing similar approaches in my own campaigns.

Filters also made the search process manageable. I could narrow results by country, device, or ad network, which helped me zero in on the placements that matched my target markets. 

The interface felt dated at times and took a little practice to navigate, but once I got used to it, I was able to find the campaigns I needed.

I use AdPlexity when I want to study funnels and see how affiliates structure offers. It’s helpful for mobile and push ads where transparency is harder to come by. The price point is higher than many other tools, but if you’re running performance campaigns, the depth of coverage makes it worth a look.

Key features 

  • Ad database: Searches across mobile, push, and native networks.
  • Landing page downloads: Lets you save competitor funnels for study.
  • Filter options: Sorts by country, device, and ad network.

Buy if

  • You’re running affiliate campaigns and want working funnel examples.
  • You need access to push and mobile ad data.
  • You value competitor funnel analysis.

Don’t buy if

  • You only need SEO or PPC data.
  • You want a modern interface with smooth reporting.

Pricing

AdPlexity doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can book a personalized demo call before you commit. Prices start at $149 per month for the YouTube plan. The highest cost is $249 per month for the Native plan. For a full breakdown of features and pricing, check out our AdPlexity Review for 2025.

Bottom line

I turn to AdPlexity for affiliate and native ad intel. It’s strong on funnels and ad coverage, though the high price and dated design can put off casual users.

8. Similarweb: Best for traffic benchmarking

  • What it does: Similarweb estimates site traffic, audience behavior, and market share across industries.
  • Who it’s for: Marketers and analysts who need a quick view of competitor traffic and referral sources.

Similarweb seemed like a good idea to help me get a better sense of competitor traffic and market benchmarks. I tried it by entering a domain, and the tool showed me estimated monthly visits, top countries, and referral sources. The data wasn’t exact, but it gave me a quick way to size up competitors and compare them to my own site.

What I found most useful was the industry comparison view. I could look at several competitors side-by-side and see who was leading in overall visits and where the traffic was coming from. In one case, I noticed a competitor getting a large share of traffic from referral sites I hadn’t considered. That pushed me to reach out to a few of those publishers for potential partnerships.

The audience geography breakdown also helped me. When I tested my own site against competitors, I realized I was underperforming in a market where others were gaining traction. That insight led me to shift some budget toward campaigns in that region.

I treated the numbers as directional rather than precise, but the trends were consistent enough to make decisions

For larger, well-established sites, the estimates lined up closely with the analytics I already had. For smaller sites, the data was less reliable, which was expected.

I use Similarweb when I want a quick snapshot of traffic patterns and referral sources. I often pair it with other tools when I need keyword or creative-level detail.

Key features 

  • Traffic estimates: Shows monthly visits, bounce rates, and time on site.
  • Referral sources: Breaks down where competitor traffic comes from.
  • Industry analysis: Compares multiple competitors within one vertical.

Buy if

  • You want quick traffic benchmarks without a complex setup.
  • You manage several brands and need side-by-side comparisons.
  • You’re looking for referral site ideas to target.

Don’t buy if

  • You need highly accurate data on small websites.

  • You want deep SEO or ad creative analysis.

Pricing

Similarweb allows you to try for free, then plans start at $199 per month for 1 user and 1000 keywords per table.

Bottom line

I use Similarweb when I want a fast traffic snapshot. It’s great for big-picture benchmarks, but I wouldn’t rely on it for precise numbers on niche sites.

9. Brandwatch: Best for social listening

  • What it does: Brandwatch monitors online mentions, sentiment, and trends across social platforms and the web.
  • Who it’s for: Brands and agencies that need to track reputation and conversations at scale.

Brandwatch gave me a different angle on competitor research by focusing on conversations rather than keywords or ads. I set up a query with a competitor’s brand name and watched as mentions rolled in from social platforms, news sites, and forums. The broad coverage made it easier to see how often the brand came up and where people were talking about it.

The sentiment analysis was the feature I kept checking. Mentions were grouped as positive, neutral, or negative, and I could see how those shifted over time. During one product launch, a competitor’s positive mentions spiked, only to drop when rollout problems surfaced. Seeing that curve helped me think about how I might plan responses around my own launches.

I also found the trend monitoring useful. When conversation volume jumped, I could drill down into the posts and figure out what triggered it. That gave me more context than just knowing how many mentions appeared.

The platform took more setup than some others, but once I learned the workflow, the insights felt detailed and reliable.

I reach for Brandwatch when I want to understand how competitors are perceived. It’s best for sentiment and trend tracking, but I still look to other tools to cover SEO, PPC, and creative performance.

Key features 

  • Sentiment analysis: Tracks positive, negative, and neutral mentions.
  • Trend monitoring: Shows spikes in conversation over time.
  • Cross-platform coverage: Pulls data from social, forums, and news sites.

Buy if

  • You need to monitor brand reputation at scale.
  • You care about tracking public sentiment over time.
  • You want a broad view of conversations across platforms.

Don’t buy if

  • You only need SEO or PPC competitor data.
  • You don’t have time to manage complex dashboards.

Pricing

Brandwatch does not offer a free plan, and pricing is custom.

Bottom line

I use Brandwatch when I want a wide-angle view of brand reputation. It’s powerful for tracking sentiment, though it’s more than most teams need if ads or SEO are the focus.

10. ​BuzzSumo: Best for content and influencer research

  • What it does: BuzzSumo finds high-performing content and identifies influencers who drive engagement.
  • Who it’s for: Content marketers and social teams who want to spot viral trends and outreach opportunities.

BuzzSumo was one of the easiest ways I found to explore competitor content. Typing in a keyword brought up the most-shared articles, videos, and posts in that niche. Seeing which formats and headlines got traction gave me quick clues about what audiences wanted to engage with.

The influencer feature added another layer I didn’t expect to use as much as I did. It highlighted people who consistently promoted the content I was researching. In one case, I discovered a small group of influencers who helped push a competitor’s blog posts to wider reach, and that gave me a shortlist of people worth contacting for my own campaigns.

Alerts were another helpful feature. Setting them up around topics or competitor names meant I didn’t have to check the dashboard constantly. When a new piece of content started gaining attention, I was notified, which kept me from falling behind on trends.

BuzzSumo’s focus is more on content and social engagement than SEO or ads, but that’s what made it useful in my stack. When I wanted to understand which hooks worked, which formats spread, and who was amplifying them, this tool gave me clear answers.

I use BuzzSumo when I want to learn what content connects with an audience and which influencers drive that reach. For content and outreach strategy, it’s become one of the most practical options I’ve tested, even if I rely on other platforms for SEO, PPC, or creative analysis.

Key features 

  • Content analysis: Shows top-performing posts by shares and engagement.
  • Influencer search: Finds people boosting content in your niche.
  • Alerts: Notifies you when topics or brands trend.

Buy if

  • You need to see what content performs in your niche.
  • You want influencer leads for outreach.
  • You care about tracking engagement signals.

Don’t buy if

  • You only need SEO or PPC data.
  • You want in-depth ad or traffic analysis.

Pricing

BuzzSumo has a free trial, then plans start at $199 per month for 1 user and unlimited searches.

Bottom line

I use BuzzSumo when I want to see what content hooks an audience. It’s strong for content and influencer research, though it doesn’t cover ads or search.

Special mentions

Some tools didn’t land in my top 10, but I still keep them in my back pocket. They’re not full replacements for the main picks, yet they come through when I need something more specific. Here are the ones worth knowing:

  • TapClicks: A reporting and analytics platform that consolidates data from SEO, PPC, and social tools. Agencies often use it for client dashboards, and I’ve found it saves time pulling cross-channel reports.
  • Owler: A competitor intelligence platform that tracks company news, funding, and leadership changes. I use it for high-level business context rather than marketing insights.
  • Serpstat: An affordable all-in-one SEO tool with keyword tracking, rank monitoring, and site audits. It works well for small teams that can’t justify Semrush or Ahrefs pricing.
  • Sprout Social: A social media management platform that also tracks competitor engagement. I’ve used it to benchmark how often competitors post and how their audiences respond.
  • Talkwalker by Hootsuite: A social listening and analytics tool with deep coverage of brand mentions and sentiment. It’s a solid alternative to Brandwatch for large brands monitoring their reputation.
  • Majestic: A backlink-focused SEO tool that shines with its Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics. It’s handy when I want backlink data without the overhead of a full SEO suite.
  • Rival IQ: A social media analytics platform that compares engagement rates across competitors. I’ve used it to spot which posts or formats get more traction in my niche.
  • LowFruits: A keyword research tool that surfaces low-competition phrases. It’s useful for finding long-tail opportunities that competitors often overlook.

How I tested the best competitor analysis tools

I tested each tool by running competitor domains and checking the accuracy of the results. For SEO platforms, I compared keyword data with what I already track in Google Search Console. For ad tools, I looked for active campaigns, creative history, and spend ranges that matched my own accounts.

I also weighed speed, pricing, and ease of use. Some platforms were powerful but harder to navigate, while others traded depth for simplicity.

In the end, I judged each tool on whether it saved time and delivered insights I could trust.

How to choose the right tool for you

It’s a good idea to figure out what you need before choosing your website and competitive analysis tools. 

Bestever helps explain why competitor ads perform, while Semrush covers keywords and backlinks. Similarweb works for traffic benchmarks, Brandwatch tracks sentiment, SpyFu is a budget-friendly competitor checker for PPC, and BuzzSumo highlights content and influencers.

No single platform does everything. I get the best results by pairing an ad or creative tool with a search or social tool to cover both campaign details and the bigger market picture.

My final verdict

After testing these competitor analysis tools, I found that no single platform gives the full picture. Bestever stood out for ad creative insights, while Semrush and Ahrefs delivered the most depth for SEO and PPC. Tools like Similarweb, Brandwatch, and BuzzSumo filled in gaps with traffic, sentiment, and content data.

If I had to choose one, I’d start with Bestever for creative analysis and pair it with either Semrush or Ahrefs for search coverage. That combination gave me the clearest view of what competitors were doing and why it worked. Still, if your focus is more on traffic trends, reputation, or content, the other tools in this list can make more sense.

Bonus: How I use competitor analysis tools in my workflow (and you can too)

I rely on these tools regularly to keep track of what competitors are doing and to guide my own campaigns. Here’s how each one fits into my process (and how they could fit into yours):

  • Spotting competitor ads: I use Bestever to see which competitor ads are live, how they perform, and when it’s time to refresh my own. I’ll often browse platforms like the Meta Ad Library for inspiration, then run those ads through Bestever to understand why they work and where they fall short. The feedback helps me adjust my own creatives with more confidence.

  • Tracking keywords: Semrush shows me which keywords competitors rank for and highlights gaps in my own coverage. I use the keyword gap report to spot phrases I should target and plan new content around them.

  • Checking backlinks: Ahrefs reveals which sites link to my competitors. When I see valuable industry blogs or resource pages, I add them to my outreach list and pitch my own content as an alternative.

  • Benchmarking traffic: Similarweb gives me a snapshot of competitor visits, top referral sources, and audience geography. I use this to judge whether I’m keeping pace with competitors in my industry and to uncover potential referral partners.

  • Monitoring sentiment: Brandwatch tracks online conversations about my competitors. When mentions spike after a product launch or crisis, I use that context to adjust my own messaging or time my campaigns more strategically.

  • Finding content hooks: BuzzSumo shows me which competitor content gets the most shares and who’s amplifying it. I use those insights to shape my own content calendar and to reach out to influencers who already drive engagement in my space.

How Bestever can help your digital campaigns succeed

Using a competitor analysis tool helps me understand what drives a rival’s campaign and how I should adjust mine. The challenge is tracking ads over time and turning that data into actionable insights. I use Bestever for this work, and since I’m part of the team here, I’ll share exactly how it helps.

At Bestever, we focus on ad insights. The platform can pull in competitor ads, show me which ones perform, and give me recommendations I can apply directly to my own campaigns.

Here’s how Bestever can help you:

  • Analyze your ads' effectiveness: Bestever’s Ad Analysis Dashboard gives you instant feedback on an ad's Visual Impact, Brand Alignment, Sales Orientation, and Audience Engagement. It’ll even break down each element in detail. 
  • Get suggestions to improve every frame: If an ad isn’t hitting the mark, ask Bestever to tell you what’s wrong and get instant, actionable suggestions on what to do to fix it. No more guessing or wasting time, your team can start fixing those issues asap. 
  • Understand your audience: Bestever’s audience analysis tools go beyond sharing standard demographics, helping refine both targeting and messaging. You can share your website URL or integrate it with your ad manager, and it’ll quickly let you know who wants to hear more from you. 
  • Rapid asset generation: Fetch AI-generated images, stock photos, and video clips that all fit your brand voice. Then you can share the creatives with your team to make multiple ad variations faster.
  • Instant feedback loop: Know immediately why an ad variant underperforms, then pivot before wasting your budget.

Want to see how your competitors’ ads are really performing? Let our team show you how Bestever can analyze your creatives, highlight engagement drivers, and improve your campaigns.

Schedule a free demo of Bestever now.

Frequently asked questions

How do competitor analysis tools work?

Competitor analysis tools work by crawling websites, tracking search rankings, and monitoring ad libraries to gather data that shows how rivals are performing online. Some focus on keywords and backlinks, and others capture ad creatives and traffic. They highlight trends like which keywords drive traffic, which ads perform, and where competitors get referrals.

Are there free competitor analysis tools worth using?

Yes, there are free competitor analysis tools like Semrush and Similarweb worth trying, but they usually come with limits. Free tools are fine for quick checks, but if you want reliable data on ads, SEO, and backlinks, you’ll eventually need a paid plan.

Can competitor analysis tools track both SEO and PPC performance?

Competitor analysis tools can track both SEO and PPC performance, but the coverage varies by platform. Semrush and SpyFu give strong PPC insights. Ahrefs and Moz lean more toward SEO. You can combine one tool for search and another for ads to get the full picture.

How often should I run competitor analysis?

It’s a good idea to run competitor analysis at least once a month, but you can check more often during active campaigns. Monthly reviews help you spot new keywords, backlinks, or ad creatives, while weekly checks can catch sudden changes in spend or messaging. The more competitive your space, the more often it’s worth running.

Are competitor analysis tools accurate?

Competitor analysis tools are accurate enough to show trends, but the spend numbers are only estimates. Traffic and spend data are estimates, so it’s best to use them to compare who is growing or shrinking rather than to track precise figures. The value comes from spotting patterns in what works for competitors, not from treating the numbers as exact.

What is the difference between a competitor analysis tool and a general analytics tool?

A competitor analysis tool focuses on tracking other brands’ campaigns, while a general analytics tool measures and reports on your own website’s performance. Competitor platforms highlight keywords, backlinks, ads, or social engagement from rivals. Analytics tools like Google Analytics, on the other hand, show traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion data for your site. 

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