AnswerThePublic vs Seed Keywords (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Seed Keywords grades higher than AnswerThePublic: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
AnswerThePublic grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Seed Keywords grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AnswerThePublic
Question and search-suggestion research shown as keyword wheels
Seed Keywords
Free tool that collects keyword ideas by asking your contacts
Which one is for you
Pick AnswerThePublic if
- Fits if you plan blog posts, FAQs or videos around what people ask
- Works for showing a client how people search, as the wheels read at a glance
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you research a lot, since Starter allows 100 searches a month and they don't roll over
- Skip it if you need a difficulty score, as there isn't one on record
- Not for you if you might want your money back, as subscriptions are generally non-refundable
- Watch out: the 7-day trial needs a payment method and covers monthly plans only
- Pricey if more people need access: Starter has 1 user, and 3 users means Growth at $99 a month
Pick Seed Keywords if
- Fits if you want to hear how customers would word a search, not how you would
- Works for building a seed list to check later in a keyword tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't have contacts willing to answer, as the list stays empty
- Not for you if you want volumes or difficulty, since it gives no data
- Too light for anything past the first brainstorm
- Watch out: there are no accounts, so a scenario is reached only through its URL, which you must bookmark
- Watch out: it's web only with no integrations, and results leave only as a CSV file
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAnswerThePublicFair | 2.6GPASeed KeywordsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $20 a month, or $160 a year, which works out at about $13.33 a month, and until 8 November a year of Starter is $120. That's mid-table for this category, for 100 searches a month and 1 user. | AFree, with no account and nothing to buy. You make a scenario, share it and download the answers as CSV. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free account gets 3 searches a day, with volume and CPC on just two branches of each report and exports of 30 keywords. The 7-day trial needs a payment method and only covers monthly plans. | AEverything is free and there are no limits on record: anyone with the link can answer, as many times as they like. |
| Features | CQuestions, comparisons and related terms from Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Amazon, with volume and CPC, AI prompt ideas and alerts. It does question research fully, but that's a smaller job, and the volume is last month's Google data only. | DOne narrow job: collecting phrases from people you send the link to, then linking each to a Google search. No volumes, difficulty or other data, and the maker itself suggests checking the list in a main keyword tool. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up either. Type a word and the wheel appears, and anyone you show it to will get it straight away. | CNo rating on record. Making a scenario takes a minute, but you're only productive once enough contacts answer, and with no accounts you have to bookmark the link to get back. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. Content Studio publishes to WordPress and Webflow, and paid plans get an API, still in alpha, that draws on the same search allowance. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API. The results leave as a CSV file. |
| Best for | seeing the questions people ask about a topic | asking real people what they'd search for |
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: AnswerThePublic and Seed Keywords. How we grade
Price against what you get
AnswerThePublic starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Seed Keywords has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
AnswerThePublic scores higher, and starts $20 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than AnswerThePublic for less, and none scores higher than Seed Keywords 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
- AnswerThePublic also covers long-form writing.
- Seed Keywords also covers surveys.
At a glance
| AnswerThePublic | Seed Keywords | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed monthly ($160 a year billed annually) | Free |
| Free plan | Free account: 3 searches a day, volume and CPC on two branches per report, exports of up to 30 keywords and 30 AI prompt responses a month. No Content Studio credits. | Free to use with no account: create a scenario, share its link and collect the answers. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on monthly plans, once per account; a payment method is needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Answer the Public Ltd (NP Digital) | Red Evolution |
| Price read from | answerthepublic.com | seedkeywords.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AnswerThePublic
- Paid plans are capped at 100 to 300 searches a month, and unused searches and credits do not roll over.
- Subscriptions are generally non-refundable once billing starts, and annual plans have no free trial.
- Search volume reflects Google data from the previous month only.
- Starter allows 1 user, Growth 3 and Business 10, and all users share the plan's monthly limits.
Seed Keywords
- Gives no search volumes, difficulty or other metrics; the maker suggests checking the list in a main keyword tool.
- The list stays empty until people answer, so it depends on sharing the link with enough contacts.
- There are no accounts: a scenario is reached only through its unique URL, which the tutorial says to bookmark.
Key features
AnswerThePublic
- Keyword wheels and search modifiers
- Groups suggestions into questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabeticals and related terms, as a visual wheel or a list, with Google volume and CPC.
- Searches across platforms
- Reports draw on Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Amazon, plus People Also Ask results and Google Shopping product rankings.
- AI Models report
- Shows prompts people might give ChatGPT and Gemini about a topic, sorted by intent and sentiment, and generates sample AI answers from a monthly allowance.
- Search listening alerts
- Follow a keyword and get a weekly email of new suggestions: 1 alert on Starter, 5 on Growth and 20 on Business.
- Content Studio
- Writes articles from a project's keywords and publishes them to WordPress or Webflow. Each article uses 10 credits and each Deep Search 8.
- API in alpha
- Paid plans can create searches and pull reports through an API that draws on the same monthly search allowance. Not available on the free plan or during a trial.
Seed Keywords
- Search scenarios
- Pose a problem in your own words and ask what people would type into a search engine to solve it; the tutorial advises keeping the wording neutral.
- Shareable answer link
- Each scenario gets a unique URL to send by email, forums or social media. Anyone who opens it can answer, as many times as they like.
- Results list and CSV download
- The scenario's results page lists every suggested phrase, lets you delete entries and downloads the list as a CSV file.
- Check phrases on Google
- Each phrase links to a plain, exact-match or intitle search on a Google country domain you pick, to see what already ranks for it.
Plans
AnswerThePublic
Free$0
3 searches a day with some suggestions and data locked, and small exports.
Starter$20
per month, billed monthly ($160 a year billed annually)
1 user, 100 searches a month, 1,000 AI prompt suggestions, 30 AI responses, 2 projects and 60 Content Studio credits.
Growth$99
per month, billed monthly ($792 a year billed annually)
Up to 3 users, 200 searches a month, 2,000 prompt suggestions, 60 AI responses, 4 projects, 350 credits and report comparisons.
Business$199
per month, billed monthly ($1,592 a year billed annually)
Up to 10 users, 300 searches a month, 3,000 prompt suggestions, 100 AI responses, 8 projects and 800 credits.
CustomCustom
More users, domains or limits than Business, quoted on request.
Seed Keywords
Free$0
Create a scenario, share its link and see the answers on a results page with CSV download.
Ways to pay less
AnswerThePublic
- Annual discount
Annual billing at eight times the monthly price
AnswerThePublic's campaign terms put the standard annual price at 8 times the monthly price, such as $160 a year for Starter instead of $240 paid monthly.
- Annual discount
6 months free on annual plans until November 8, 2026
From October 13 to November 8, 2026, annual plans cost 6 times the monthly price ($120 a year for Starter) and renew at that price while active.
Seed Keywords
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AnswerThePublic or Seed Keywords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Seed Keywords is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $20 a month for AnswerThePublic. AnswerThePublic starts at $20 per month, billed monthly ($160 a year billed annually), and Seed Keywords is free.
Which has a free plan, AnswerThePublic or Seed Keywords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both AnswerThePublic and Seed Keywords have a free plan.
More comparisons
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.