eRank vs MerchantWords (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, eRank grades higher than MerchantWords: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
eRank grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. MerchantWords grades higher on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
eRank
Etsy SEO tool for keywords, listing audits and competitor tracking
MerchantWords
Amazon keyword research from searches made on Amazon marketplaces
Which one is for you
Pick eRank if
- Fits if you sell on Etsy and want help choosing titles and tags
- Works for sellers who check listings for missing tags and watch what rival shops sell
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't sell on Etsy, as shop audits and competitor tracking are Etsy only
- Tight if you're staying free, with 5 lookups a day, 1 shop of 50 listings and no keyword ideas
- Not for you if you need real sales figures for rivals, as these are eRank's estimates
- Watch out: the app isn't endorsed by Etsy, and there's no phone or desktop app, only web and Chrome
Pick MerchantWords if
- Fits if you write Amazon listings and want the phrases shoppers type there
- Works for checking which keywords put a rival's product on Amazon's first page
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial
- Skip it if you sell on Walmart, eBay or Etsy too, as that data is only a custom report on request
- Tight if you sell in several countries, as Silver covers one; regional data needs Gold at $79
- Watch out: the whole database refreshes every 3 to 4 weeks, so figures can lag
- Pricey if you need every marketplace, at $149 a month for Platinum, or $749 for a team of up to 20
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAeRankGood | 2.0GPAMerchantWordsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABasic is $5.50 a month on yearly billing, $5.99 monthly, under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter. Even Pro, with 50 competitors and 4,000 listings, is $7.92 on yearly billing. Cancel and you drop back to Free. | CSilver is $35 a month for 500 searches, billed monthly, a little above this category's dearer quarter. It covers one country, and Keyword Multiplier and Emerging Trends need Gold at $79. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good, with no card: 5 keyword lookups and 5 audits a day, 1 shop with 50 listings and 1 competitor. You'll hit those caps, and keyword ideas only start on Basic. | FNothing free. There's no free plan, and MerchantWords' own help center says there's no free trial either. |
| Features | CEtsy keyword volume, clicks and competition, trends from more than a dozen marketplaces, listing audits, an AI Listing Helper, competitor sales estimates and a rank checker. It does Etsy research fully, but that's a smaller job than keyword research in general. | BAmazon search estimates with seasonality, a keyword multiplier, reverse ASIN lookup, page-one products, emerging trends, bulk search and daily product tracking. It covers Amazon keyword research fully, though the whole database refreshes every 3 to 4 weeks. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Looking up a keyword is quick, but audits, traffic stats and the rank checker need your Etsy shop connected first. | BNo rating on record, but the main tool is a search box: type a phrase and read what Amazon shoppers search. Collections and ASIN lookups sit beside it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a Chrome extension, with no desktop or phone app. It connects to Etsy and adds keyword stats on Printify and Shopify pages. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record. Walmart, eBay or Etsy data is only a custom report on request. |
| Best for | Etsy keyword research and listing checks | Amazon keyword research from Amazon searches |
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: eRank and MerchantWords. How we grade
Price against what you get
eRank starts at $5.50 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MerchantWords starts at $35 a month and scores 2.7.
MerchantWords scores higher, and starts $29.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, none scores higher than eRank for less, and 1 scores higher than MerchantWords 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
- eRank also covers rank tracking.
- MerchantWords also covers amazon selling.
At a glance
| eRank | MerchantWords | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $5.50 per month, billed annually ($5.99 billed monthly) | $35 per month for 500 searches, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free plan with no time limit: 5 keyword lookups a day, 1 shop with 50 listings, 5 listing audits a day, 1 AI Listing Helper use a day and 1 competitor. No card needed. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | ERANK LTD | MerchantWords, Inc. |
| Price read from | erank.com | merchantwords.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
eRank
- Shop connection, audits and competitor sales estimates are built for Etsy shops only.
- The free plan has 5 keyword lookups a day and no keyword ideas, which start on Basic.
- Competitor sales are eRank's estimates, not figures from Etsy, and the app is not endorsed by Etsy.
- Cancelling a paid plan moves the account to the Free plan at the end of the billing period.
MerchantWords
- There is no free plan, and the help center says there is no free trial.
- Silver covers one country only; regional and global data need Gold or Platinum.
- The data is from Amazon only; Walmart, eBay or Etsy data is offered as a custom report on request.
- Search data is collected daily but the whole database is refreshed every 3 to 4 weeks.
Key features
eRank
- Keyword tool and ideas
- Shows search volume, clicks, click-through rate and competition for Etsy keywords, with trend data for more than a dozen marketplaces including Amazon and eBay.
- Listing audits and AI Listing Helper
- Checks a connected shop's listings against Etsy's guidelines and generates titles, tags and descriptions with competition and volume data.
- Competitor tracking
- Follows the estimated daily sales of any Etsy shop: 1 competitor on Free, up to 200 on Expert, plus rankings of Etsy's top-selling shops.
- Rank Checker and traffic stats
- Shows where your listings rank in Etsy search, and which keywords and platforms send traffic to your shop.
- Trend Buzz
- Lists what people are searching for on Etsy, Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces, and what buyers search in your main Etsy category.
- Chrome extension
- Adds keyword stats, sales estimates and trends to Etsy pages, and keyword insights on Printify and Shopify.
MerchantWords
- Classic Search
- Look up a keyword to see phrases that contain it, with estimated Amazon search volume and seasonality, and save them to collections.
- Keyword Multiplier and Explorer
- Keyword Multiplier generates related and complementary keywords from a search; Keyword Explorer is where research is reviewed and edited.
- ASIN Plus
- A reverse ASIN lookup that shows which keywords put your product, or a competitor's, on the first page of Amazon results.
- Page 1 Products
- Shows the top-ranking products for any keyword on the first page of Amazon search, with figures on how crowded the market is.
- Emerging Trends and history
- Emerging Trends lists searches that are new on Amazon, and a history panel charts when a keyword's searches rise and fall.
- Bulk Search and Product Tracker
- Search many keywords or ASINs at once, and track a product's keyword rankings every day.
Plans
eRank
Free$0
5 keyword lookups and 5 listing audits a day, 1 shop with 50 listings, and no keyword ideas.
Basic$5.50
per month, billed annually at $65.99 ($5.99 billed monthly)
100 keyword lookups a day, keyword ideas, 5 competitors, up to 5 shops with 200 listings, and 50 audits a day.
Pro$7.92
per month, billed annually at $94.99 ($9.99 billed monthly)
200 lookups a day, 50 competitors, up to 10 shops with 4,000 listings, 200 audits a day and unlimited traffic stats.
Expert$22.50
per month, billed annually at $269.99 ($29.99 billed monthly)
For multi-shop sellers: 500 lookups a day, 200 competitors, up to 100 shops with 5,000 listings and 500 audits a day.
MerchantWords
Silver$35
per month for 500 searches, billed monthly
One country's Amazon data and 10 keyword collections, for new sellers. Keyword Multiplier and Emerging Trends are not included.
Gold$79
per month for 1,000 searches, billed monthly
Data for one region, such as North America, 100 keyword collections, and Keyword Multiplier and Emerging Trends.
Platinum$149
per month for unlimited searches, billed monthly
Global data across every marketplace covered and 1,000 keyword collections, for brands, investors and teams.
Enterprise$749
per month for unlimited searches, billed monthly
Up to 20 users, 10,000 collections and every feature, for large teams and agencies. Set up by contacting sales.
Ways to pay less
eRank
- Annual discount
Save up to $90 a year with annual billing
eRank's plans page lists annual billing at $65.99, $94.99 and $269.99 a year, which it says saves $6, $25 and $90 against paying monthly.
MerchantWords
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
MerchantWords' help center says an annual subscription gives two months free, for example $790 a year for Gold and $1,490 for Platinum.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, eRank or MerchantWords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, eRank is cheaper to start with: $5.50 a month, against $35 a month for MerchantWords. eRank starts at $5.50 per month, billed annually ($5.99 billed monthly), and MerchantWords starts at $35 per month for 500 searches, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, eRank or MerchantWords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only eRank has a free plan. MerchantWords does not.
Which platforms do eRank and MerchantWords run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only eRank lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.