another keyword tool vs Google Keyword Planner (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Google Keyword Planner: it is third in our ranking of keyword research tools, though another keyword tool grades higher (3.0 against 2.8) on the free plan and ease of use.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Keyword Planner grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
another keyword tool
Free keyword generator with live Google Keyword Planner data
Free
Google Keyword Planner
Free keyword ideas, search volumes and bid estimates inside Google Ads
Free
Which one is for you
Pick another keyword tool if
- Fits if you want Google volumes and CPC for keyword ideas without paying
- Works for a side project that needs a quick keyword list and no subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: it's a beta, and the FAQ says it will become a paid tool, with no future prices published
- Skip it if you research beyond Google, as its data comes from Google Keyword Planner and Google's suggestions only
- Not for you if you want the data in other tools, as there's no API yet
- Too light for judging how hard a keyword is to rank for, as there's no difficulty score on record
Pick Google Keyword Planner if
- Fits if you're planning Google search ads and need a budget
- Works for getting volumes for a list of keywords without paying, if you have an Ads account
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want SEO difficulty or a rival's rankings, as it shows neither
- Not for you if you'd rather not enter billing details just to research keywords
- Tight if your niche is tiny or in health or finance, as those keywords may return nothing
- Watch out: volumes are rounded 12-month averages, and each keyword is capped at 80 characters and 10 words
- Watch out: the Ads account must be in Expert Mode, and the screens are made for ad campaigns
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAanother keyword toolVery good | 2.8GPAGoogle Keyword PlannerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree during the beta, with volume, trends, CPC, competition, filters and exports all at $0. The FAQ says it will become a paid tool, and no future prices are published. | AFree, from Google itself, with keyword ideas, monthly volumes, bid ranges and forecasts, and an API for developers. Nothing in it costs money; the catch is the Ads account it needs. |
| Free plan and trial | ASearching needs no account and nothing is capped on record; a free account adds CSV, Excel and PDF exports. That lasts only while the beta does. | BFree with no cap, but you need a Google Ads account with billing details entered and setup finished before ideas show, and Smart Mode accounts have to switch to Expert Mode. |
| Features | CLong-tail and similar ideas from Google's suggestions, Keyword Planner volume, trends, CPC and competition, country and language filters, exports and volume alerts. That's the basics, for Google only, with no difficulty score or look at who ranks on record. | CIdeas from words or a site, volumes for your own list, top-of-page bid ranges and budget forecasts. It's built for ads, though: no organic difficulty, no competitor rankings, and low-volume or sensitive keywords may show nothing. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: type a keyword, pick a location and language, and read the list. No account is needed to search. | CNo rating on record. The tool itself is simple, but getting to it means a Google Ads account, billing details and Expert Mode, and the screens are made for ad campaigns. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no desktop or phone app, no integrations, and no API yet. | BWeb only, inside Google Ads, with keyword ideas, historical volumes and forecasts also available through the Google Ads API. No desktop or phone version on record. |
| Best for | free keyword ideas with Google volumes | free search volumes and ad cost estimates |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: another keyword tool and Google Keyword Planner. How we grade
Price against what you get
another keyword tool has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Google Keyword Planner has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, none scores higher than another keyword tool for less, and none scores higher than Google Keyword Planner for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- another keyword tool also covers reports.
In commonFree planWebKeyword research
At a glance
| another keyword tool | Google Keyword Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Everything is free during the beta, with no account needed for searches; a free account adds exports and other extras. | Free with a Google Ads account. Billing details must be entered and account setup finished before keyword ideas can be used. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | another keyword tool | |
| Price read from | anotherkeywordtool.com | business.google.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
another keyword tool
- It is a beta, and the FAQ says it will become a paid tool; no future prices are published.
- There is no API yet.
- Data covers Google search only, from Google Keyword Planner and Google's suggestions.
Google Keyword Planner
- Needs a Google Ads account with billing details entered and setup complete, and accounts in Smart Mode must switch to Expert Mode.
- Built for ad planning: it shows bid estimates and ad forecasts, not organic difficulty scores or competitor rankings.
- Keywords with very low volume or in sensitive areas such as health or finance may return no results.
- Each keyword is limited to 80 characters and 10 words.
Key features
another keyword tool
- Keyword ideas
- Expands a seed keyword into long-tail and semantically similar terms, using Google's search suggestions.
- Keyword Planner metrics
- Shows search volume, trends, ad bid costs and competition for each keyword, fetched live from Google Keyword Planner on each request.
- Location and language filters
- Narrows results to a chosen country or region and language.
- Exports
- With a free account, results export to CSV, Excel or PDF.
- Alerts and reports
- The FAQ lists cohorts of keywords to analyze, reminders when search volume changes sharply, and customizable reports and charts.
Google Keyword Planner
- Keyword ideas from words or a site
- Enter phrases about a product or service, or any website, and get a list of related keyword ideas to filter, group by theme and save to a plan.
- Average monthly searches
- Shows how often a keyword and its close variants are searched, averaged over 12 months by default, by location and network. Volumes are rounded and exact-match only.
- Top-of-page bid ranges
- Low and high bid estimates, roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid for a top-of-page ad over the last 30 days.
- Forecasts by budget
- A saved plan forecasts clicks, impressions, cost and conversions for a chosen budget and bid strategy, refreshed daily from the last 7 to 10 days of data.
- Volumes for your own list
- Paste or upload a CSV of keywords to get search volumes and forecasts for them, then turn the plan into a Search campaign.
- Google Ads API access
- Developers can request keyword ideas, historical metrics and forecasts through KeywordPlanIdeaService in the Google Ads API.
Plans
another keyword tool
Beta$0
Every feature free while the tool is in beta. The FAQ says it will later become a paid tool.
Google Keyword Planner
Free$0
Keyword ideas, monthly search volumes, top-of-page bid ranges and forecasts, for anyone with a Google Ads account.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, another keyword tool or Google Keyword Planner?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both another keyword tool and Google Keyword Planner are free to use.
Which has a free plan, another keyword tool or Google Keyword Planner?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both another keyword tool and Google Keyword Planner have a free plan.
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How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.