Research toolkit
Free market research sources for founders
You don't need a $5,000 industry report to size a market. These free sources cover most of what an early-stage validation needs — and they're the same sources Marketproof's evaluations cite.
US Census Bureau — population and business counts
The Census Bureau publishes free data on population, household income, and — most useful for founders — the number of businesses by industry and region (County Business Patterns). Sizing a service for US hair salons? You can look up exactly how many exist, state by state, at census.gov. This is the backbone of any honest top-down market size.
Bureau of Labor Statistics — spending and employment
The BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shows what American households actually spend on categories like pets, childcare, or eating out. If your idea sells to consumers, this tells you the real budget you're competing for. bls.gov is free and updated regularly.
Google Trends — demand over time
Google Trends shows whether interest in a topic is growing, shrinking, or seasonal, and lets you compare search terms side by side. It won't give you absolute numbers, but a steadily rising curve is real demand evidence — and a declining one is a warning.
Free industry reports and trade associations
Many research firms publish free summary pages with headline market sizes and growth rates, and trade associations often release free annual statistics for their industry. Treat single numbers with care — check who published them and when — but they're useful for cross-checking your bottom-up estimates.
Competitor pricing pages and public pitch decks
Competitor pricing pages tell you what the market already pays. Public startup pitch decks (shared by founders and funds) reveal how similar companies sized their market and positioned themselves. Both are free and surprisingly underused.
Reviews and communities — the qualitative layer
G2, Capterra, app store reviews, Reddit, and niche forums show what customers love and hate about existing solutions. Repeated complaints are your differentiation map. This is free evidence no report can give you.
Putting it together
Combine these sources: census counts for the top-down number, BLS spending for the budget, Google Trends for momentum, competitor pricing for the willingness-to-pay corridor, and reviews for positioning. Our market sizing guide and TAM, SAM, SOM walkthrough show how to turn these sources into defensible numbers. Or let Marketproof do the research for you — every evaluation cites the sources behind its claims.