they are the same.

The words have identical meanings, but the word "competitor" is more academic, more dry and formal. The word "rival" is a little more earthy. For example, the two men were rivals for her affection. It sounds silly to me to say they were competitors for her affection.

Competition is competition with each other, beyond each other. Rival is the enemy. Competition with each other and the enemy you do

" Competitor " is benign, there can be between friends, or is a normal relationship, is relatively modest, but " dead head " refers to the hostility between the two, there is hatred, environmentalists, non - patient

“竞争者”是良性的，两者之间可以是朋友，也可以是普通的关系，关系相对很温和，但是“死对头”是指两者之间有敌意，有仇恨，势不两立，互不忍让