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Porter's Five Forces Analysis Generator

A Porter's Five Forces analysis generator is a free tool that scores the five competitive pressures on an industry (rivalry, new entrants, substitutes, supplier power, and buyer power) and turns them into an industry-attractiveness rating. Answer 20 plain-language questions about your market to get per-force scores, prioritized risks and opportunities, and practical next steps for validating your idea.

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Rate the five forces

For each statement, choose how true it is for your market today.

0 of 20 answered

Be specific, for example “meal kits for busy parents in the UK” rather than “food”.

1. Competitive rivalry

How hard do existing competitors fight for the same customers?

Many competitors already sell something similar to the same customers.
Competing products look alike, so customers mostly compare on price.
The market is growing slowly, so winning means taking customers from someone else.
Competitors cut prices, run heavy promotions, or copy features quickly.

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2. Threat of new entrants

How easily can new competitors show up?

A small team could launch a credible competing product within a few months.
Little money, licensing, or special expertise is needed to get started.
Customers are happy to try unknown brands and do not need a track record.
Bigger players get no real advantage from size, data, or network effects.

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3. Threat of substitutes

Can customers solve the problem another way?

Customers can solve the problem another way, such as spreadsheets, an agency, hiring someone, or doing nothing.
Those alternatives are cheaper or good enough for most customers.
It is easy for customers to try or switch to an alternative.
New technology, such as AI or a large platform, is making alternatives better quickly.

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4. Supplier power

How much leverage do your key suppliers, platforms, and talent have?

You depend on a few key suppliers, platforms, APIs, or distribution channels.
Switching away from a key supplier would be costly or slow.
Key suppliers could raise prices or change terms and squeeze your margins.
A supplier or platform you rely on could compete with you directly.

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5. Buyer power

How much leverage do customers have over price and terms?

A small number of large customers would make up most of your revenue.
Customers can easily compare options and negotiate on price.
Your product would be a large or very visible cost for customers, so they shop around.
Customers could build it themselves or simply go without it.

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Everything runs in your browser. Your industry, answers, and notes are never sent to a server.

Your five forces summary

Answer the questions to generate your summary

Name your market, rate all 20 statements, and select Generate analysis. Or load the worked example for a dental scheduling software startup to see a finished summary.

Framework explained

The five forces in plain language

Each force is something that can push your prices down or your costs up. The stronger the forces, the harder it is for anyone in the industry to earn good margins.

Competitive rivalry
How hard do existing competitors fight for the same customers?
Threat of new entrants
How easily can new competitors show up?
Threat of substitutes
Can customers solve the problem another way?
Supplier power
How much leverage do your key suppliers, platforms, and talent have?
Buyer power
How much leverage do customers have over price and terms?

How to use this generator

  1. Name your market

    Describe the industry or market you plan to enter, as specifically as you can, such as a customer type, region, or use case.

  2. Rate each force

    Answer four plain-language statements for each of the five forces, from Not true to Very true. Add evidence notes where you have them.

  3. Generate the summary

    Get a 0 to 100 pressure score for every force, an overall industry-attractiveness rating, and prioritized risks and opportunities.

  4. Act on the next steps

    Copy or export the summary, test the biggest risks with customers and competitor research, then re-score as you learn.

Scoring: each force's four answers are averaged and converted to 0 to 100 pressure. Under 35 is low, 35 to 64 is moderate, and 65 or more is high. Attractiveness is 100 minus the average pressure: 65+ attractive, 50 to 64 moderately attractive, 35 to 49 challenging, and under 35 unattractive.

Common questions

Porter's Five Forces FAQ

What is Porter's Five Forces?

It is a framework from Harvard professor Michael Porter for judging how attractive an industry is. It looks at five pressures on profit: rivalry among competitors, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, supplier power, and buyer power.

How does this generator score each force?

Each force has four statements rated from 1 (Not true) to 5 (Very true). The average is converted to a 0 to 100 pressure score: under 35 is low, 35 to 64 is moderate, and 65 or more is high. Industry attractiveness is 100 minus the average pressure across all five forces.

Is a high attractiveness score a guarantee my startup will succeed?

No. Five Forces is a structured planning aid, not a prediction. It describes the industry, not your team, product, or timing. Use it to spot structural risks early, then validate them with real customers and competitor research.

Should I analyze a broad industry or a specific niche?

Start specific. Forces can look very different for a niche than for the whole industry, such as scheduling software for dental clinics versus all scheduling software. Run the analysis for each segment you are considering and compare the results.

Is my analysis saved or sent anywhere?

No. Everything runs in your browser. Your industry, answers, and notes are never sent to a server or stored, so copy or download the summary before you leave the page.

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