Comparison post template (X vs Y)
The comparison post is the highest-intent format on a commercial site: the reader is choosing, and the page that helps them choose earns the click and the trust. Its discipline is criteria first — a comparison without stated criteria is an opinion column.
What it is best for
Evaluative queries: 'X vs Y', 'alternatives to', 'which one for…'.
The structure, section by section
Title that names both options
Both names and the context of the choice: 'X vs Y for a small team', not just 'X vs Y'.
The criteria, stated up front
The three to five things this decision actually depends on — price, workflow, integration, support, limits.
A fact table
The same rows for both options. If a fact is not comparable, the table says so instead of guessing.
One section per criterion
Judgement after facts: how each option behaves on that criterion, with the table as the scoreboard.
'Choose X if' for both sides
The honest exit: the reader profile each option genuinely suits. Both sides must be real.
Three things that make it work
- Only compare what you can verify; a wrong fact is worse for a comparison page than for any other format.
- Disclose the relationship when the page is about your own product — as Blogotter's alternatives pages do.
- A comparison that ends 'it depends, here is how' earns more trust than one that picks a winner no matter the reader.