Keyword Research Tools

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
4. 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
5. 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
6. 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Keyword Research Tools page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

See how many people search for a phrase, how hard it is to rank for, and what to write about next.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about keyword research tools, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 52 keyword research tools

   33 of them are free or have a free plan, and 12 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $18 a month in the middle

   From $5.50 (eRank) to $99 (SERP Gap Analyzer), going by what each one's paid plans start at.

3. 3

   Best value: Alura, Yandex Wordstat, Pinterest Trends and Google Trends

   Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.

4. 4

   0 of 52 have iPhone and Android apps

   50 run in a web browser and 1 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

5. 5

   The middle GPA is 2.4

   4 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is another keyword tool, at 3.0.

6. 6

   Best free option: another keyword tool

   another keyword tool has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.0. Free keyword generator with live Google Keyword Planner data.

7. 7

   52 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 52 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three keyword research tools we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   2.4GPA

   Keyword Revealer

   Free plan · from $12.50/mo

   For: Most people researching keywords for a site

   Keyword Revealer shows monthly search volume, CPC and a difficulty score with related ideas as a keyword tree, and adds Google rank tracking, backlink rows and checks of whether Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini cite your site. The free plan allows 7 keyword evaluations a day, and Basic is $12.50 a month billed annually ($19.97 monthly), with a 7-day trial and no card. Know the limits: every plan caps searches, evaluations and AI audits by the day, Basic tracks 25 keywords, extra AI queries cost $4.99 per 10, and it runs only in a browser.

   The Keyword Revealer Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   2.2GPA

   KeySearch

   Free trial · from $20/mo

   For: Bloggers who research all day and want site audits too

   KeySearch shows volume, CPC and a difficulty score by country, a rival site's keywords, backlinks, YouTube ideas, rank tracking and site audits. Starter is $20 a month billed annually ($24 monthly) for 200 keyword searches a day, 80 tracked keywords and 2,000 audited pages. It allows more searches a day than Keyword Revealer's Basic, but sits second because it costs more to start, has no free plan after the 7-day trial, has no API or integrations, and Foresight and team sharing need Pro at $40 a month.

   The KeySearch Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.8GPA

   Google Keyword Planner

   Free

   For: Anyone who wants to pay nothing

   Google Keyword Planner is Google's own keyword tool, free inside Google Ads: ideas from a phrase or a website, average monthly searches by place, top-of-page bid ranges, budget forecasts and access through the Google Ads API. It is third because it is built for planning ads: there is no difficulty score or look at who ranks, volumes are rounded 12-month averages, low-volume and sensitive keywords may show nothing, and you must enter billing details and switch to Expert Mode before ideas appear.

   The Google Keyword Planner Insider’s Guide

Going by our grades, Alura, Yandex Wordstat, Pinterest Trends, Google Trends and 2 more give the most for the money among keyword research tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $18 a month across the 36 that charge, from $5.50 (eRank) to $99 (SERP Gap Analyzer). 8 more cost nothing at all.

7 of the 44 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 10 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded keyword research tools, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
another keyword tool	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Google Trends	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Pinterest Trends	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Yandex Wordstat	A	A	C	C	B	3.0
Alura	B	C	A	C	B	2.8
Google Keyword Planner	A	B	C	C	B	2.8
Keyword.io	A	A	D	B	C	2.8
Treendly	B	B	C	B	B	2.8
AlsoAsked	B	C	C	B	B	2.6
eRank	A	C	C	C	B	2.6
KeywordClustering.net	A	A	D	C	C	2.6
Rakko Keyword	A	C	C	C	B	2.6

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where keyword research tools land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 52

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every keyword research tool we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1another keyword toolFree3.0
2. 2Google TrendsFree3.0
3. 3Pinterest TrendsFree3.0
4. 4Yandex WordstatFree3.0
5. 5AluraFree plan · from $7.99/mo2.8
6. 6Google Keyword PlannerFree2.8
7. 7Keyword.ioFree2.8
8. 8TreendlyFree plan · from $99/yr2.8
9. 9AlsoAskedFree plan · from $12/mo2.6
10. 10eRankFree plan · from $5.50/mo2.6
11. 11KeywordClustering.netFree2.6
12. 12Rakko KeywordFree plan2.6
13. 13RankHeroFree plan · from $5.99/mo2.6
14. 14Seed KeywordsFree2.6
15. 15AllintitleFree plan · from $30 one-time2.4
16. 16Answer SocratesFree plan · from $15.83/mo2.4
17. 17AnswerThePublicFree plan · from $20/mo2.4
18. 18EHuntFree plan · from $7.99/mo2.4
19. 19EverBeeFree plan · from $24.99/mo2.4
20. 20GlimpseFree plan2.4
21. 21Keyword RevealerFree plan · from $12.50/mo2.4
22. 22Keyword Tool DominatorFree plan · from $9 one-time2.4
23. 23KeywordsPeopleUseFree trial · from $12/mo2.4
24. 24KeywordTool.ioFree plan · from $68/mo2.4
25. 25kwrds.aiFree plan · from $39/mo2.4
26. 26QuestionDBFree plan · from $9.99/mo2.4
27. 27SearchVolume.ioFree plan · from $29/mo2.4
28. 28Twinword IdeasFree plan · from $12/mo2.4
29. 29WriterZenFree trial · from $135 one-time2.4
30. 30Exploding TopicsFree plan · from $39/mo2.2
31. 31HaloscanFree plan · from €49.20/mo2.2
32. 32HyperSuggestFree plan · from $19/mo2.2
33. 33KDSPYFrom $79 one-time2.2
34. 34KeySearchFree trial · from $20/mo2.2
35. 35Keyword CatcherFree trial · from $15/mo2.2
36. 36Keyword ChefFree trial · from $29/mo2.2
37. 37Keyword HeroFree plan · from $8/mo2.2
38. 38Keyword MagicFree plan · from $15/mo2.2
39. 39Publisher RocketFrom $199 one-time2.2
40. 40WordtrackerFrom $17/mo2.2
41. 41KeyClustersFrom $19 one-time2.0
42. 42Keyword CupidFree trial · from $9.99/mo2.0
43. 43Keyword InsightsFree trial · from $58/mo2.0
44. 44MerchantWordsFrom $35/mo2.0
45. 45SECockpitFree trial · from $25/mo2.0
46. 46SERP Gap AnalyzerFree trial · from $99/mo2.0
47. 47Serp MinerFree plan · from $29.99/mo2.0
48. 48Topical Map AIFrom $56/mo2.0
49. 49GSCdaddyFree trial · from $15/mo1.8
50. 50MarmaleadFrom $15.83/mo1.8
51. 51PinClicksFree trial · from $29/mo1.8
52. 52SpateFree trial1.8

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 3,189

  tools graded

• 94

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries