How to Compare AI Companies
Make better decisions with side-by-side AI company analysis.
Access the Comparison Tool
Sector HQ offers multiple ways to compare companies:
Browse Pre-Generated Comparisons
Visit /compare to browse 2,500+ pre-generated company comparisons organized by category:
- • Industry Leaders (Top 10 companies)
- • Leader vs Challenger battles
- • Close Battles (neck-and-neck rankings)
- • Emerging Players
Direct Company Comparison
Compare any two companies using the URL format:
/compare/[company1]-vs-[company2]Example: /compare/openai-vs-anthropic
From Company Pages
Every company page includes a "Compare" section with suggested comparisons against similar companies and competitors.
Compare Core Metrics
Focus on these key metrics when comparing companies:
📊 Overall Score
Higher scores indicate more AI activity, better sentiment, and higher quality deliverables.
Interpretation: Score of 90+ = Top performer | 70-90 = Strong performer | 50-70 = Average | Below 50 = Low activity
🏆 Rank
Relative position among all tracked companies. Lower rank = better.
Note: Rank is relative; score is absolute. A company can have a good score but lower rank in a competitive week.
📈 Events (7-day & 30-day)
Number of AI-related events detected. More events = more activity.
Benchmark: 10+ events per week indicates active development. 30+ per week = very active.
😊 Sentiment
Community perception from Reddit, GitHub, and tech forums (0-100%).
Benchmark: 60%+ = positive community perception | 40-60% = mixed | Below 40% = negative
Analyze Hype Gaps
The Hype Gap is often the most revealing metric when comparing companies.
What to Look For:
- Lower is better: Company with gap of +5 is more honest than one with +18
- Negative gaps: Under-promises, over-delivers - excellent reliability signal
- Similar gaps: Both companies equally honest/dishonest in marketing
- Large difference: One company significantly more overhyped than the other
⚠️ Common Scenario
Company A: Score 85, Gap +3 (honest, high quality)
Company B: Score 88, Gap +22 (higher score, but mostly hype)
→ Company A is likely the better choice despite lower score. More substance, less spin.
Review Recent Activity
Check which company is currently more active versus historically strong.
✅ Active Company Signs
- • 10+ events in past 7 days
- • Increasing event count week-over-week
- • Recent product launches or releases
- • High-quality events (GitHub, arXiv)
- • Consistent weekly activity
❌ Stagnant Company Signs
- • Few events in past 7 days
- • Decreasing event count
- • Last event was weeks ago
- • Only press releases (no code/papers)
- • Sporadic activity with long gaps
Pro Tip: A company with lower overall score but higher recent activity (past 7 days) may have more momentum than a historically strong but now stagnant competitor.