> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.searchcompany.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Research Competitors

> Find top 5 competitors using Exa AI search

Uses Exa's AI-powered search to find the top 5 competitors for a business. The service performs a two-step analysis:

1. **Content Extraction** - Fetches and analyzes the business website using Exa's `/contents` endpoint
2. **Competitor Discovery** - Uses Exa's `/answer` endpoint to identify direct competitors based on the business context

<Note>
  This is a **public endpoint** - no authentication required. Fast response (\~2-5 seconds).
</Note>

## Query Parameters

<ParamField query="url" type="string" required>
  The business website URL to research competitors for (e.g., `https://stripe.com`)
</ParamField>

## Response

<ResponseField name="success" type="boolean">
  Whether the research completed successfully
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="data" type="object">
  Research results

  <Expandable title="data properties">
    <ResponseField name="competitors" type="array">
      List of top 5 competitors with detailed analysis

      <Expandable title="competitor properties">
        <ResponseField name="name" type="string">
          Company name
        </ResponseField>

        <ResponseField name="website" type="string">
          Company website URL
        </ResponseField>

        <ResponseField name="strengths" type="array">
          List of 3 key competitive strengths (3-5 words each)
        </ResponseField>

        <ResponseField name="favicon_url" type="string">
          URL to the competitor's favicon (via Google's favicon service)
        </ResponseField>
      </Expandable>
    </ResponseField>
  </Expandable>
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="error" type="string">
  Error message if research failed
</ResponseField>

<RequestExample>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST "https://searchcompany-main.up.railway.app/api/competitor-research?url=https://stripe.com"
  ```
</RequestExample>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json Response theme={null}
  {
    "success": true,
    "data": {
      "competitors": [
        {
          "name": "PayPal",
          "website": "https://paypal.com",
          "strengths": [
            "Global payments leader",
            "Extensive merchant services",
            "Strong consumer brand"
          ],
          "favicon_url": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=paypal.com&sz=64"
        },
        {
          "name": "Square",
          "website": "https://squareup.com",
          "strengths": [
            "SMB-focused payment processing",
            "Integrated POS systems",
            "Financial services ecosystem"
          ],
          "favicon_url": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=squareup.com&sz=64"
        },
        {
          "name": "Adyen",
          "website": "https://adyen.com",
          "strengths": [
            "Enterprise payment platform",
            "Unified commerce solutions",
            "Global merchant coverage"
          ],
          "favicon_url": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=adyen.com&sz=64"
        },
        {
          "name": "Braintree",
          "website": "https://braintreepayments.com",
          "strengths": [
            "PayPal-owned gateway",
            "Mobile payment focus",
            "Developer-friendly APIs"
          ],
          "favicon_url": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=braintreepayments.com&sz=64"
        },
        {
          "name": "Checkout.com",
          "website": "https://checkout.com",
          "strengths": [
            "Cloud-based platform",
            "Enterprise focus",
            "Global payment coverage"
          ],
          "favicon_url": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=checkout.com&sz=64"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>

## How It Works

1. **Exa `/contents`** - Extracts text content from the target business website to understand what they do
2. **Exa `/answer`** - Queries Exa's AI to identify direct competitors based on the business context, returning structured JSON with competitor names, websites, and competitive strengths

## Rate Limits

* **10 requests per minute** per IP address

## Timing

The request typically completes in **2-5 seconds** using Exa's search and answer APIs.