# Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It

> Use Claude Research to compare competitor prices with a source for every number: turn it on, read the cited report, open a source and ask a follow-up.

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-research-tutorial · Updated 2026-10-10 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

## Practice it step by step

[Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research)

You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Claude. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 7 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research)

Free · Live now · [Claude for Everyday Work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/claude-for-everyday-work) · [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/claude) · ~7 min · 18 steps · Beginner

Updated October 10, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check)

[Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/claude) can do more than one quick web search. Turn on Research and it plans the job, runs many searches that build on each other, reads the pages it finds and writes you a report with a citation for every claim. In this free, interactive [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude) Research tutorial you use it the way a small business would: to find out what nearby competitors charge. You turn Research on, write a request that is easy to check, watch Claude work, read the cited report, open one of the sources yourself, and ask a follow-up for talking points you can use with customers.

## At a glance

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| What you build | Turn on Research, have Claude check what nearby competitors charge, read the cited report, check a source and ask a follow-up. |
| Tools | Claude |
| Time | About 7 minutes, 18 steps in 4 parts |
| Level | Beginner, no coding needed |
| Cost | Free |
| Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research) |

### The 4 parts, in short

1. Turn on Research: Open the + menu, Choose Research, Click the message box, Ask for a competitor price scan, and 1 more step.
2. Watch it work: See what Claude is doing, Let it finish, Look at the sources.
3. Read the cited report: Open the report, Check a citation, Open the source, Spot the date, and 1 more step.
4. Ask a follow-up: Turn Research off, Click the reply box, Ask a follow-up, Send it, and 1 more step.

**Start here first:** [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial) (module 1 of Claude for Everyday Work)

**In the course:** [Part 4 · Claude for Everyday Work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/part-4-claude-for-everyday-work) (Module 23 of the [full course](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course))

## What you will do

You are the office manager at Bright Path Landscaping, a made-up lawn care and landscaping company in a made-up town, Pinecrest Valley. Customers sometimes say another company is cheaper, and the owner wants to know if that is true. Instead of spending an afternoon clicking through competitors' websites, you ask Claude to research it: find the published prices for weekly mowing, spring cleanup and mulch, put them in a table with a source for every price, and compare them with Bright Path's own prices of $55 a mowing visit, $285 for a spring cleanup and $95 a cubic yard of mulch.

Claude's report finds four competitors. It shows that Bright Path's mowing price is in the upper middle, its spring cleanup is the highest published price, and one competitor's price comes only from a customer review. Then you open one of the sources and find something the report missed: that company's price list is from March 2024. You tell Claude, it marks the row as out of date, and it writes three talking points for customers. Every company, website and price in the module is made up.

## Who this Claude tutorial is for

This module is for owners, office managers and anyone at a small business who has to look things up and compare options: competitor prices, suppliers, software, insurance, a venue or a new market. You do not need to know anything about AI.

## How to write a good research request

Research works best on questions that need many sources: comparing competitors or vendors, a market scan, planning a project, or a briefing before a meeting. For a single quick fact, a normal chat with web search is faster. Because a research run takes minutes, it pays to write the request carefully.

Say where: a town, an area or a distance. Say exactly what to find. Say how to lay it out: a table with one row per company works well for prices. Ask for a source link for every number, and ask Claude to say when a price is missing, old or second-hand, such as a price from a review instead of the company's own site. And give Claude your own numbers so it can compare them for you.

## Check the sources before you act

Citations are there so you can check the report quickly. For anything you are going to act on, like changing your prices, open the sources. Look at the date on the page, what the price actually covers (lawn size, extras, contract length), and whether it comes from the company or from someone else. In the lesson, the report quoted a competitor's prices correctly but missed that they were from 2024. That is the kind of thing only a quick look at the source catches.

Prices change, pages can be misread, and some businesses do not publish prices at all. Treat a research report as a well-organized starting point, then confirm the important numbers on the company's website or with a phone call.

## Plans, web search and the new Claude experience

Research is available on paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise) on the web, the desktop app and mobile. It needs web search. On Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner first turns web search on for the organization in Organization settings > Capabilities; then members can use it. If your + menu shows a Web search item, keep it checked.

[Anthropic](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/anthropic) began rolling out a new Claude experience on September 16, 2026, which merges chat and Cowork into one conversation. In it there is no web search switch, because Claude searches the web when it helps, and you start Research from the + menu or by typing /deep-research. Longer tasks keep running even if you leave the page. Research uses your plan's usage limits faster than a normal chat, because it reads many sources. If you have connected [Gmail](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/gmail), Google Calendar or Google Drive, Research can pull from them too.

## How the interactive lesson works

Each step shows you what to do on the left and lets you do it yourself on the right, in a practice copy of Claude.ai. Nothing connects to a real Claude account and nothing is searched or sent anywhere, so you can click around safely. The requests go in with one Paste button, and the research finishes instantly instead of taking minutes. When you finish, you can run the same kind of price scan for your own business at claude.ai.

## Try it yourself, free

Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of Claude, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts.

[Start “Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research)

## Step by step: Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It

All 18 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work.

### 1. Turn on Research

1. **Open the + menu.** For a quick fact, Claude can just search the web. For a bigger question, like what your competitors charge, use **Research**: Claude runs many searches, reads the pages, and hands you a report with a source for every claim. Research is on paid plans (Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise). Click the **+** at the bottom left of the message box.
   Bright Path wants to know what other lawn care companies nearby charge. That's a job for Research. Claude runs many searches, reads the pages, and gives you a report with a source for every claim. Research comes with paid plans.
2. **Choose Research.** Click **Research**. A blue **magnifier** icon lights up next to the **+** while it’s on. Research searches the web by itself, so there’s no separate web search switch to turn on.
   A blue magnifier lights up next to the plus, so you know it's on. Research searches the web by itself, so there's nothing else to switch on.
3. **Click the message box.** Click the **message box**.
4. **Ask for a competitor price scan.** A good research request says **where**, **what to find**, **how to lay it out**, and **what to compare**. Asking for a source link for every price, and to flag old or second-hand prices, makes the report easy to check. Paste in the request.
   A good research request says where to look, what to find, how to lay it out, and what to compare it with. Here you ask for a source link for every price, and for a warning when a price is missing, old, or not from the company itself.
   ```text
   Research lawn care companies that serve Pinecrest Valley and towns within 15 miles. For each one, find their published prices for weekly mowing, spring cleanup and mulch installation, plus any minimums or contracts. Put it in a table with a source link for every price, and say when a price is missing, old, or not from the company itself. Then compare them with our prices: mowing $55 a visit (up to 1/4 acre), spring cleanup $285, mulch $95 per cubic yard.
   ```
5. **Send it.** Click the **send** arrow.

### 2. Watch it work

6. **See what Claude is doing.** Claude plans first, then searches, reads pages and searches again based on what it finds. The count shows how many sources it has looked at so far. Click the **progress card** to see the steps.
   Claude plans its approach first, then searches, reads pages, and searches again based on what it finds. The number shows how many sources it has checked so far.
7. **Let it finish.** Research takes a few minutes, sometimes longer. You don’t have to watch: in the new Claude experience it keeps running even if you leave the page, and the result waits in the chat. Here it finishes right away. Close the steps (in Claude, the **X** at the top of the steps panel).
   Research takes a few minutes, sometimes more. You don't have to sit and watch. Go do something else, and come back when it's done. In this practice copy, it finishes right away.
8. **Look at the sources.** It’s done, with the number of sources and how long it took. Click **Research complete** to see the sources Claude used.
   Research complete. You can see how many sources Claude used and how long it took.

### 3. Read the cited report

9. **Open the report.** Claude put the findings in a report, with a short summary in the chat. Click the **report** to open it beside the chat. (In Claude it may already be open.)
   Claude wrote the findings up as a report, with a short summary in the chat.
10. **Check a citation.** Every price has a **citation**, a small tag with the source. Read the table and the notes: the report already warns that one price comes from a review. Now check a source yourself. Click the **hollisyardworks** citation.
    Every price has a citation: a small tag that shows where it came from. Notice the report already warns that one price comes from a customer review. Now check a source yourself.
11. **Open the source.** The preview shows the page’s title and site. Click it to open the page in a new tab.
    The preview shows the page title and the site it came from.
12. **Spot the date.** The prices match the report, but look at the small print at the bottom. Click the line under the prices.
    The prices match the report. But read the small print under them.
13. **Go back to Claude.** These prices are from **March 2024**, and the report didn’t say so. That’s why you open the sources for anything you’ll act on. Click the **Claude** tab.
    These prices are from March 2024, and the report didn't mention it. Claude read the page correctly, but missed the date. That's why you open the sources for anything you'll act on.

### 4. Ask a follow-up

14. **Turn Research off.** For a quick follow-up you don’t want a whole new research run. Research usually switches itself off when the report is done; if the blue **magnifier** next to the **+** is still lit, click it to turn Research off.
    You just need a quick follow-up, not a whole new research run. Research usually switches itself off when the report is done. If the blue magnifier next to the plus is still lit, click it to turn Research off.
15. **Click the reply box.** Click the **reply box**.
16. **Ask a follow-up.** Tell Claude what you found, and ask for something you can use with customers. Paste in the follow-up.
    Tell Claude what you found, and ask for something you can use with customers: a few talking points for when someone says a competitor is cheaper.
    ```text
    Hollis Yard Works' price page says the prices are from March 2024, so mark that row as out of date. Then give me 3 short, friendly talking points for when a customer says someone else is cheaper. Don't suggest changing our prices yet.
    ```
17. **Send it.** Click the **send** arrow.
18. **Check, then copy.** Claude marked the old row and wrote three talking points, and it reminds you to check prices before you use them. Prices change, and pages can be misread, so call or check each site before you change your own prices. Click the **copy** button under the reply.
    Claude marked the old row in the report and wrote three talking points. It also reminds you to check the prices before you rely on them. Prices change, and pages get misread, so call or check each site before you change your own prices.

## Frequently asked questions

**How do I turn on Research in Claude?**

Click the + button under the message box and choose Research. A blue Research indicator appears in the message box. Click it again to turn Research off. In the new Claude experience you can also type /deep-research.

**What is the difference between web search and Research?**

Web search looks something up and answers in the chat, which is best for a quick fact. Research plans the job, runs many searches that build on each other, reads the pages and writes a longer report with citations. It takes a few minutes instead of seconds.

**Which Claude plans include Research?**

Research is available on the paid plans: Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, on the web, desktop and mobile. Web search must be available for it to work; on Team and Enterprise an Owner turns web search on in Organization settings > Capabilities.

**How long does Claude Research take?**

Usually a few minutes, sometimes longer for big questions. You do not have to watch it. In the new Claude experience, longer tasks keep running even if you close the page, and the result waits in the conversation.

**Can I trust the prices in a research report?**

Use them as a starting point. Every claim has a citation, so open the sources for anything you will act on and check the date, what the price covers and who published it. Then confirm important numbers on the company's site or by phone.

**Is this course really free?**

Yes. Stepthrough is completely free, and the practice copy needs no accounts. To use Research for real you need your own Claude account on a paid plan.

[Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research)

- Previous in Claude for Everyday Work: [Claude Artifacts: Build a Price Calculator You Can Try, Change and Share](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-artifacts-tutorial)
- Next in Claude for Everyday Work: [Connect Claude to Google Drive, Gmail and Google Calendar](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-google-drive-gmail-calendar-connectors)

## More in Claude for Everyday Work

- [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial): Pick a model, attach a customer's complaint email with the + menu, write a four-part prompt, read Claude's reply, ask a follow-up, then star and rename the chat.
- [Claude Projects for Your Business: Instructions, Knowledge and Quotes](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-projects-tutorial): Create a project for your business, give it instructions for tone and policies, add your price sheet and warranty as project knowledge, and get a customer quote that…
- [Check a Contract for Red Flags with Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/check-a-contract-for-red-flags-with-claude): Upload a vendor contract, get it in plain English, find the risky clauses with the exact words quoted, draft questions for the vendor, and save the review as a project…

[All 6 modules in Claude for Everyday Work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/claude-for-everyday-work)

## More Claude tutorials

- [What Are Claude Skills? Turn One On and Watch It Work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/what-are-claude-skills): Learn what a Claude skill is, switch on the setting skills need, turn on an example skill in Customize, and watch Claude use its Excel and Word skills on its own.
- [A Claude Project for Your Accounting Firm: Fee Schedule, Engagement Terms and Tone](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-project-accounting-firm-fee-schedule): Create a Claude project for your accounting firm, give it your tone and client policies, add your fee schedule and engagement letter terms as project knowledge, and get…
- [Research a Prospect's Market with Claude Research Before a Pitch (Consultants & Agencies)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-research-prospect-competitor-scan-agency): Turn on Research before a pitch, have Claude check what a prospect's competitors offer online, read the cited report, check a source and turn it into talking points for…
- [Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task): Give one real office task to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, check each answer on the facts, and pick the one to use at work.

## Terms in this lesson

Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson.

[Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude) · [Anthropic](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/anthropic)

[The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

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