Comparison tables, including the ones about competitors#
A comparison table is read closely, sometimes by the competitor it names. That makes accuracy the design constraint: every row has to be checkable and current, because one out-of-date claim costs more trust than ten missing rows.
The comparison blocks#
- Comparison 1: an us-versus-alternatives table that becomes cards on mobile. Free.
- Comparison 2: a plan feature matrix with a lit column following the pointer, a billing switch, sticky plan headers and a mobile plan picker.
- Comparison 3: an in-app change-plan screen with drawn tier marks, offer captions and struck list prices above a matrix that upgrades and downgrades for real.
What a comparison table does on a phone#
Comparison 1 becomes a set of cards, one per option, rather than a table scrolled sideways. A horizontally scrolled comparison is technically responsive and practically unreadable, because comparing requires seeing two columns at once and a phone can show one.
Comparison 2 solves the same problem differently with a plan picker: choose two plans and compare those, instead of trying to render five columns nobody can read.
Plan feature matrices#
Comparison 2 is the matrix that belongs below a pricing table when the plan cards cannot hold the detail. Sticky plan headers matter more than they sound: a matrix forty rows long is useless if you have to scroll back up to remember which column you are reading.
Writing an honest competitor comparison#
- State the date the comparison was checked, and check it on a schedule
- Compare like for like, including price tiers, rather than your best plan against their cheapest
- Concede the rows where they are better; a table where you win everything is read as marketing and dismissed
- Use facts a reader can verify on the other site in one click
- Avoid vague criteria such as ease of use, which cannot be checked and look like padding
The in-app change-plan screen#
Comparison 3 is the same idea inside a product: a screen where somebody actually upgrades or downgrades, with struck list prices, offer captions and a matrix that changes as the selection changes. Downgrades deserve as much care as upgrades, since a customer who cannot find the smaller plan cancels instead of moving to it.
Where a comparison table sits#
Below pricing for the plan matrix, or on a page of its own for a competitor comparison, which is usually reached from search rather than from your navigation. An FAQ section underneath handles the objections a comparison raises but cannot answer in a cell.
