Of course Bitcoin has competitors, all the other cryptos compete against Bitcoin. Not very successful right now, but this can change any minute. Also Gold serves a different purpose, because most use it not as an investment to make money, but to diversify. If the stock market and Bitcoin go bonkers, then you still have some value not like people who lost it all.
None of the other altcoins have even one-hundredth of the user-base which Bitcoin is having right now. They can't rival Bitcoin in popularity, reach and technology. That is the main reason why their exchange rates are not rising right now.
Then tell me how one can start as an altcoin with as user base as big as Bitcoin or whatever you need to be satisfied. If you start there is no user base, but that does not mean it is a bad coin. The user base can grow quickly.