| | Oligopoly | Monopolistic competition | Monopoly | Perfect competition |
| Number of firms | Small number of large firms | Large number of small firms | One | Many |
| Freedom of entry | Difficult | Relatively easy | Very difficult | Easy |
| Nature of product | Differentiated/undifferentiated | Slight differentiation | Unique – No close substitutes | Homogenous (undifferentiated) |
| Product example | Automobiles | Travel agent | Airports | Coffee |
| Implications for demand curve | Downward sloping (relatively inelastic) | Negatively sloped (relatively elastic) | Negatively sloped (moreso than oligopoly, firm has considerable control over price) | Horizontal (price takers) |
| Average size of firms | Large | Medium | Large (economies of scale) | Small |
| Possible consumer demand | Medium/high | Low/medium | High | Low |
| Profit making possibility | Medium | Low/medium | High | Very low/none |
| Government intervention | Medium | Medium (occasionally) | High | None |
| Positive quality | Better quality of service as they strive for customer loyalty | Some control over price | High profits can lead to initiatives beneficial to society e.g. technological breakthroughs | Keeps the market competitive |
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