Cited competitor price scan prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when customers say someone else is cheaper and you want to know whether it is true. It asks Claude Research to look in a named place, find published prices, put them in a table and give a source link for every number.
Turn Research on first (the plus button, then Research on paid Claude plans). Research takes a few minutes. When it finishes, open the sources yourself: the date on the page and who published the price matter as much as the number.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are a market researcher helping the office manager at [BUSINESS]. Context: Customers sometimes say another company is cheaper. We are in [AREA]. Our own prices are: [OUR PRICES]. Task: Find the published prices for [SERVICES] at [NUMBER] competitors within [DISTANCE]. Use each company's own website where you can. For every price, give the source link and the date on the page. If a price is missing, old, or comes from a review or another second-hand source, say so instead of guessing. Format: A table with one row per company and a column for each service, then a short list of anything you could not confirm. Finish with a comparison to our prices. No recommendations until I have checked the sources.
Fill in the blanks
[BUSINESS]- Your business name.
[AREA]- The town or region.
[OUR PRICES]- Your own prices for the same services, so Claude can compare.
[SERVICES]- Two to four services, separated by commas.
[NUMBER]- How many competitors, such as four.
[DISTANCE]- How far to look, such as 15 miles.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It. Bright Path Landscaping is the made-up lawn care company in the Claude Research lesson. The prices and distance below are an illustration of how the office manager might fill the prompt in, not the lesson's exact data.
Role: You are a market researcher helping the office manager at Bright Path Landscaping. Context: Customers sometimes say another company is cheaper. We are in Pinecrest Valley, a made-up town. Our own prices are: weekly mowing $49 a visit, spring cleanup $180, mulch $60 a yard. Task: Find the published prices for weekly mowing, spring cleanup and mulch at four competitors within 15 miles. Use each company's own website where you can. For every price, give the source link and the date on the page. If a price is missing, old, or comes from a review or another second-hand source, say so instead of guessing. Format: A table with one row per company and a column for each service, then a short list of anything you could not confirm. Finish with a comparison to our prices. No recommendations until I have checked the sources.
What a good answer looks like
- Every price carries a source link and a date, so you can check it in seconds.
- Missing, old and second-hand prices are named, not filled in.
- It asks for no recommendation until you have opened the sources.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Open at least the sources behind the numbers you plan to act on, and look at the date on the page.
- Check what each price covers: lawn size, extras and contract length.
- Confirm any price you will quote to customers on the company's website or by phone.
- Keep your own prices accurate, since the comparison is only as good as the numbers you gave.
Why this prompt works
A research report looks finished, which is the risk. In the lesson, Claude quoted a competitor's price correctly and still missed that the page was from 2024. Asking for the date up front, and for gaps to be admitted, turns the report into a well-organized starting point for your own checking.
Practice it in the free lesson
Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It: Turn on Research, have Claude check what nearby competitors charge, read the cited report, check a source and ask a follow-up. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Claude, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Research a Prospect's Market with Claude Research Before a Pitch (Consultants & Agencies)
Terms used here
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Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a paid Claude plan?
- Research is available on paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise) as of October 2026, and it needs web search. Plans change, so check your account.
- Can I use this in ChatGPT or Gemini?
- The wording works in any assistant with a web research mode. The plus-button steps in the lesson are specific to Claude.