Comparisons / diy-spreadsheet
Denzify vs DIY: Researching a Business Location with Free Data Yourself
We publish our data sources, so the do-it-yourself version of a Denzify report is not a secret: it is a workflow. This page lays it out honestly, including where it is genuinely good enough, because a founder who runs the free version well is exactly the customer who understands what the paid version automates. Judge the difference against the unedited sample report.
The DIY workflow, step by step
Supply. Search your category on a map around the candidate area, then verify each result by hand: open it, read its categories and reviews, decide whether it truly competes with your concept. Count only inside your category’s real trade radius (a short walk for coffee, a short drive for a gym; our benchmark pages list the radii we use per category). Demand. Pull the Census ACS 5-year tables for the tracts inside that radius: population, median household income, age structure. Add the free LEHD/LODES data for daytime workers if your concept lives on weekday traffic. Context. Anchors from OpenStreetMap (transit stops, schools, offices) approximate foot traffic. Then repeat everything for each city you are comparing. The full method, with links to every table, is in our saturation analysis guide and competitor counting guide.
Where DIY breaks down
| Step | DIY with free data | Denzify report |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor verification | Manual, hours, error-prone at 100+ candidates | Every candidate read (name, categories, reviews) |
| Trade radius | Eyeballed on the map | Per-category calibrated radii |
| Demand data | Free ACS/LEHD tables, joined by hand | Same sources, joined per tract automatically |
| Benchmark | None: is 12 competitors a lot? | Graded vs measured peer-city rates |
| Cost per market | $0 + hours to days | $149, minutes |
When DIY is the right call
One market you know personally, a category with unambiguous names, and time to spend: run the free version and keep your money, sincerely. The math flips when you are comparing several markets (the repeat work compounds), when the category hides its competitors under other labels (most food and wellness concepts), or when you need a number you can defend to a partner, lender or franchisor. That last case is what a graded report is for: not secret data, but a consistent, published method applied without fatigue.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do market research for a business location for free?
Yes. Competitor counts come from map searches, demographics from the Census Bureau’s free ACS tables (population, median income, age), daytime workers from the free LEHD/LODES commuting data, and foot-traffic anchors from OpenStreetMap. Everything a paid report measures exists in a free public source; what you are paying for is the hours, the method and the verification.
How long does the DIY version actually take?
For one market done honestly: hours to a couple of days. Counting competitors is fast; verifying them is not (each map result needs a look at its categories and reviews to decide whether it truly competes). Pulling ACS tables for the right tracts, joining them to your trade radius, and repeating all of it for each city you are comparing is where the time goes.
What is the most common DIY mistake?
Counting keyword results as competitors. A map search for your category both overcounts (results that merely mention the word) and undercounts (real competitors filed under other labels). The second most common: using citywide averages when saturation is decided inside the category’s trade radius, block by block.
Is the paid report just the DIY method automated?
Largely yes, and we document that openly: same public data sources, plus live competitor data and an AI read of every candidate’s name, categories and reviews that would take a human hours per market. The report also grades the result against measured benchmarks, which the DIY route has no reference point for.