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Rival Radar vs. Manual Research

Ad-hoc competitive intelligence using Google searches, newsletters, industry blogs, and word of mouth. The default approach for most sales teams - until they realize how much it actually costs.

We've all been there - Googling competitors at 11pm before a big call, hoping to find something useful before you run out of coffee.

Rival Radar Price

$49/month

Manual Research Price

Free (but 10+ hrs/week in labor)

Rival Radar Setup

60 seconds

Manual Research Setup

N/A - it's just Googling

The Hidden Cost of "Free" Research

Manual research doesn't show up on any invoice - but it's one of the most expensive line items on your P&L.

10+ hrs

Per rep per week spent Googling competitors instead of selling

$3,000+

Monthly hidden labor cost per rep at loaded rates

40%

Of competitive deals lost when reps lack structured intel

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

FeatureRival RadarManual Research
AI-generated battle cards
Objection handlers
Talk tracks
Landmine questions
Competitor monitoringManual only
Win/Loss tracking
Sales coaching AI
PDF export
Team sharingCopy-paste
Self-serve signupN/A
No implementation required
Monthly billingN/A
Instant time to value
CRM integration

The Real Cost Comparison

Rival Radar

$49/month

Starts at $49/month (Recon) or $470/year. No demos or sales calls required.

  • AI generates battle cards - zero labor cost
  • Auto-updates - no maintenance burden
  • Reps get intel in seconds, not hours
  • $470/year with annual plan

Manual Research

"Free"

No software cost - but your reps spend 10+ hours per week Googling competitors, reading newsletters, and piecing together intel. At $75/hr loaded cost, that's $3,000+/month in hidden labor.

  • 10+ hours/week per rep in research time
  • Intel is outdated by the time it's shared
  • No consistency across the team
  • $3,000+/month in hidden labor costs

Time to Value

Rival Radar

60 seconds

Sign up, enter a competitor, and get a complete battle card with objection handlers, talk tracks, and landmine questions. Done.

Manual Research

10+ hrs/week

Open Google. Search. Read. Copy. Paste. Organize. Share. Repeat. Forever. And it's already stale by the time you're done.

Manual Research: Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

  • •Zero software cost - no budget approval needed
  • •No new tool to learn or onboard
  • •Flexible - search for anything, anytime
  • •Works in a pinch for one-off research
  • •Direct access to primary sources
  • •No vendor lock-in or contracts

Weaknesses

  • •No structure - every rep does it differently
  • •Intel goes stale within days or hours
  • •Not scalable - what works for 1 rep breaks at 10
  • •Inconsistent quality across the team
  • •Reps don't use it under deal pressure - they wing it instead
  • •No battle cards, objection handlers, or talk tracks
  • •Impossible to measure ROI or track what's working
  • •Knowledge walks out the door when reps leave

Why Teams Upgrade from Manual Research

1

Rival Radar generates structured battle cards in 60 seconds - manual research produces scattered notes across browser tabs

2

Rival Radar costs $49/month - manual research costs $3,000+/month in hidden labor and lost deals

3

Rival Radar keeps intel fresh automatically - manual research is stale by the time you share it

4

Rival Radar ensures every rep has the same intel - manual research means every rep has a different (incomplete) picture

5

Rival Radar includes AI sales coaching - manual research leaves reps to figure it out on their own

The Verdict

We've all been there - Googling competitors at 11pm before a big call, frantically copy-pasting into a doc that nobody else will ever see. Manual research feels free, but it's the most expensive option when you count the hours wasted and deals lost. Rival Radar gives your whole team structured, AI-generated competitive intelligence for less than the cost of one hour of manual research per month.

Manual research is acceptable for:

Solo founders or very early-stage teams (<3 people) who only compete against 1-2 known competitors and have time to spare. Everyone else outgrows it fast.

Stop Googling. Start Winning.

Generate your first AI-powered battle card in 60 seconds. Replace hours of manual research with instant competitive intelligence.

Try Rival Radar Free

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Enterprise CI platform vs. instant AI battle cards

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