Is it OK to "copy" another product?
I'm in my second week of creating my product (doesn't even have a name)
While researching about the current state of the art I came across this app that does E-X-A-C-T-L-Y the same thing (almost, like 99%)
Now, I wouldn't really mind just keep going ; I have some wireframes and basic functional description for the MVP that I created before I discovered that app, but it will be very weird to release something that is almost the same thing.
What about those many other products that are "similar" (like 50% the same) , is it ok to "get inspiration" from them (landing page, on boarding process, ux / ui style?) I guess for those are okeyish as they are different at the end.
Q's:
- What do you do when you find your are (unintentionally) copying some other app?
- Does that mean at least your idea is validated?
- How much inspiration is ok to take from other (unrelated but cool) apps.
#ask-ih #inspiration
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Yes. The idea that a business or product idea "belongs" to whoever did it first is a common misconception that many novice founders have, because they think of businesses like inventions. A business is not an invention. Copying is allowed. It's important to know the rules of the game, otherwise it's like you're playing basketball without knowing you can dribble.
More specifically, you need to be aware that no matter what you build, if it's successful, people will clone your idea and compete with you. Getting mad about it won't do you any good. It is 100% predictable that this will happen, and you need to prepare for it in advance.
Note that copying isn't the same as plagiarizing. If someone plagiarizes your website design, text, images, logo, etc., then in all honesty, you probably don't need to fear that company, because they're incompetent and out of touch.
On point.
Just be careful like @joshtronic said below to not copy their Marketing assets (design, copy, message). That's a big no-no and will eventually get you sued.
Rule of thumb is that if you have an idea, 10 people are thinking about the exact thing. So it all comes down to execution, and that's much harder than one would think!
That's the real talk re: plagiarizing === incompetence. Where's the +100 button??
Nailed it! Thank you @csallen
No, it's fine. Just make sure you're different on some other level, otherwise you'll have a hard time selling though. So differentiate on:
Features can be almost the same.
How many bakers are there in your town? How many follow the same recipies even?
Well, you can't compare a bakery with a startup. Because you can't buy bread online or far so you need some local baker close to your home.
Whereas the situation with online service is different - when potential customers look for the solution of their problem they will have to choose from - and if there is already established business a new one may not be visible at all.
You can indeed buy bread online-- at Amazon and other sites. :)
Agreed, but how many shops sell clothes in your area? How many sell the same brands? Even though you can order the same clothes online?
Even if there is an established player, there are always people looking for a competitor.
ha, that's true.
Exactly ☝️
"Good artists copy, great artists steal". - Jobs. Don't know if this advice is of any value to you...
Ah, that is actually Pablo Picasso's quote in which Steve Jobs stole. Ha. The irony.
Haha makes sense
As somebody dealing with another IHer that's using my exact brand name, lifting my marketing (often times verbatim) and offering a cheaper product, I'd like to chime in.
First, let me drill into the word "cheaper". I purposefully didn't say "less expensive" because they aren't offering anything comparable for a better price. Even if they don't realize it, they are attempting to get me to run a race to the bottom, which I refuse to do.
All my angst aside, I think competition is good and existing products out there is definitely an indicator that there is probably at least some sort of market need. If you're leveraging an existing good idea and actually making it better, I think that's a great thing.
This is precisely the source of my question. I saw one of your post earlier and I was thinking "Oh, no am I going to do the same?" Of course is not my intention.
Obviously the more a look other sites the more I get "inspired" for instance someone did a remark on how Notion has that "start now with your email" and thought that's clever. Etc.
I think everyone here is right on point, competition is healthy and your enthusiasm is admirable despite someone copying your brand name!
Making the world better by building better products is always good stuff. IMHO, you have to make a conscious effort and= really have to go out of your way to flat out steal vs. iterating on existing ideas.
I know there's some book authors that consider ideas to be "currency" but it's still about all about execution.
As they say at YC... make things people want. And honestly, if you take a look at YC's portfolio as well as other investment firms, you'll see they aren't shy about investing in similar ideas. The teams executing usually make all the difference.
Like you, I definitely take inspiration from the world around me. At the same time, once you have some early adopters / super fans of your product, they will end up telling you exactly where other products are falling short, allowing you to capitalize on the things your competitors /haven't/ built.
Compliments for your attitude, i like it! Keep on doing good things !
Hi Oscar,
don't worry too much about this ,
the good thing: your idea is validated
do your analysis about the competition , try to see if there is feedback on review sites and further develop your idea on your own , don't go there too much . Even if you would make 100% the same product , when you evolve your product based on customer feedback you will start to drift apart again. As long as you don't start using anything that is copyrighted from their side you are safe.
Q's
Oh definitely won't use assets or anything like that. Yeah, this is a good point, that's exactly the beauty of the web, there's so much to learn from and that's how we made all this great innovations.
Yes it is OK. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Your biggest challenge will be getting your own customers.
Thanks everybody, your replies are encouraging. It's still a long road for me, but definitely having a community like this to vent this kind of topics make a difference.
You should do it better in some specific way, don't compete on the price. Better find something and improve it, do it better.
Yes, but you can't copy 100%, otherwise, you're going to have to compete on either price or customer service.
There's this book called Blue Ocean Strategy, it talks about how to create a market of your own with your product. Really helped us with Link Reminder
I feel like this can be a good thing, especially if unintentional. It's like bypassing the wireframe and prototyping stage. If you can learn from the other product then you can also improve on it - plus you can look at their users feedback and work from that.
Good points, Thanks!
I find ways to differentiate from others. The best way, IMO, is looking for their users' complainings and/or feature requests.
Yes, if there are a lot of competitors.
I believe UX is ok, especially if it comes from a big company (e.g.: Airbnb, Google, etc).
Dont feel guilty, you just have found another one person who actually builds and acts on something of the other 100s who had the idea years / months before you even knew the topic.
Find out everything about their business which is working for them (marketing channels, target groups, pricing, usp's, etc.) copy it and make it one inch better or even niche down even more. Look out for whats not working for them (wayback machine, Support Forums with complaints)
The idea maybe, but not if there is a business around it, if they are not at least 2-3 years in business. Might just be a start up balloon with is burning VC money...
As much as you possibly and legally can. Its just business. I'd even get in personal touch with them to exchange ideas and experiences. Probably its not even a winner-takes-all niche. So only upside chances for all of you.
Like everyone has said, you'll want to differentiate yourself for marketing reasons but as long as you aren't stealing their IP you're ok.
I have a similar question. What about doing the same thing on the same platform? My example would be a company that created an app (like App-store app) on Salesforce and me wanting to do the same thing on a smaller scale but also on Salesforce? The platform is just so amazing so I don't want to make my own when I know exactly what platform I want to use.
I assume there's nothing stopping me but IDK about same product on same platform but my audience is more niche than their's
This is what makes products good, competition in the market. You shouldn't be afraid to compete. Either your competitors create a better product or you end up taking their market share. The market is fierce, so don't focus on your competitors but on your users!
It's totally ok to solve the exactly same problem in similar ways. I don't think it's ethical to COPY a product (same buttons in the same place, same overall layout, too-similar brand and design, etc).
Don't steal their logo, colors, copy etc.
But there are a lot of car companies that make similar cars. You can do yours different or better, or reach a different audience. Good luck!