How to Use an Industry Benchmark API for Web Development
Every product team debates which features to build. The debates are usually opinion-driven because there's no standard dataset showing what features are actually common in a given industry. BenchmarkHQ changes that with a free, open REST API covering 42 industries.
Three API Calls That Replace Hours of Research
1. List All Available Industries
curl https://api.benchmarkhq.site/industries
Returns 42+ industries — from e-commerce in 19 countries to 20 SaaS categories — with metadata on how many sites were analyzed and how many features are tracked.
2. Get the Feature Benchmark
curl https://api.benchmarkhq.site/benchmark/ecommerce_usa
Returns every feature with its adoption percentage and classification: CRITICAL (80%+), REQUIRED (50-79%), RECOMMENDED (25-49%), or OPTIONAL (<25%). This tells you which features are table stakes and which are differentiators.
3. Score Your Own Site
curl -X POST https://api.benchmarkhq.site/check \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"industry":"crm","features":["free_trial","api_docs","sso"]}'
Returns a score out of 100, a verdict, and lists of missing critical and required features. Use it in CI/CD to catch feature regressions on every deploy.
Real-World Applications
- Product prioritization — Data replaces debate in sprint planning
- Competitive analysis — See what percentage of competitors have each feature
- QA automation — GitHub Action posts benchmark reports on every PR
- Client audits — Agencies deliver data-backed recommendations
No signup. No API key. No rate limits. All data is CC BY-SA 4.0.