Exploding Topics vs PinClicks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Exploding Topics grades higher than PinClicks: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Exploding Topics grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Exploding Topics
Database of rising topics, products and startups, by search growth
PinClicks
Pinterest keyword research, pin stats and search rank tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Exploding Topics if
- Fits if you pick content topics and want ones whose searches are still climbing
- Works for sellers and investors looking for products, markets and startups that are starting to rise
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want forecasts, trending startups or CSV export, which start at $99 a month
- Skip it if you need keyword volumes and difficulty for pages you're writing now
- Not for you if you'd rather not have a Semrush account, as Pro runs through one
- Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say how prices are billed, and a vendor blog says $39 is the yearly rate
- Watch out: TikTok Insights is a separate add-on with no price shown
Pick PinClicks if
- Fits if Pinterest sends a large share of your blog's or shop's traffic
- Works for writing pin titles and descriptions from the words people search on Pinterest
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if Pinterest isn't where your traffic comes from, as it covers nothing else
- Tight if you're on Pin Pro: 25 tracked rankings, and no exports, custom lists or account following
- Not for you if you need more than 5 days to decide, as the trial is 5 days and one per person
- Watch out: the terms say fees are non-refundable, while the pricing FAQ says you can ask for a refund
- Watch out: its data is scraped from public Pinterest pages, and it isn't affiliated with Pinterest
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAExploding TopicsFair | 1.8GPAPinClicksWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEntrepreneur is $39 a month for 100 tracked trends, at the dearer end of this category, and the page doesn't say how it's billed. Forecasts, trending startups and CSV export need Investor at $99. Treendly's Pro is $99 a year. | CPin Pro is $29 a month, at the dearer end of this category, or $249 a year, about $20.75 a month. It tracks only 25 rankings and has no exports; Pin Plus, with 5,000 rankings, is $49 a month or $399 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CYou can browse trending topics, startups and websites on the public site with part of each trend's data, no account needed. Every Pro plan has a 7-day trial, and the listing doesn't say whether a card is needed. | DNo free plan. The trial gives full Pin Plus with no card, but it's 5 days, shorter than a week, and it's one per person or business. |
| Features | CA database it puts at 1.1 million+ topics with growth over up to 15 years, tracking with alerts, deep-dive analyses and Meta Trends. It does trend spotting fully, but that's a smaller job than keyword research, and forecasting starts at $99. | CPinterest keyword volumes, top pins with a Pin Score, any account's rankings, rank tracking and annotation keywords. It does Pinterest research fully, but that's a smaller job, and the data is scraped from public Pinterest pages. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Pro runs as an app inside Semrush, so signing in and starting a trial go through a Semrush account before you see the full data. | CNo rating on record. A keyword search works straight away, but the plans are built around tracking rankings, so there are keywords and pins to set up before the main part pays off. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. There's an API, a Zapier integration with six actions, and routes through n8n and Make. | CWeb plus a Chrome extension for customers, with no desktop or phone app and no API. It covers Pinterest only. |
| Best for | spotting rising topics before they get crowded | Pinterest keyword research and pin rankings |
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: Exploding Topics and PinClicks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Exploding Topics starts at $39 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PinClicks starts at $29 a month and scores 2.0.
Exploding Topics scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, 10 score higher than Exploding Topics for less, and 24 score higher than PinClicks 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
- PinClicks also covers rank tracking.
At a glance
| Exploding Topics | PinClicks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $39 per month for 100 tracked trends (billing basis not shown) | $29 per month |
| Free plan | Trending topics, startups and websites can be browsed on the site without an account, with part of each trend's data; the full data needs Pro. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of every Pro plan | 5-day free trial with full Pin Plus access, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Semrush Inc. | PinClicks |
| Price read from | explodingtopics.com | pinclicks.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Exploding Topics
- The pricing page shows monthly figures without saying how they are billed; a vendor blog post says $39 is the annual-billing rate.
- Trend forecasting, trending startups and CSV export start at the $99 Investor plan.
- Pro runs as an app inside Semrush: signing in and starting a trial go through a Semrush account.
- TikTok Insights is a separate add-on, and its price is not shown on the pricing page.
PinClicks
- It covers Pinterest only, using data scraped from public Pinterest pages, and is not affiliated with Pinterest.
- Pin Pro tracks just 25 keyword rankings and has no exports, custom lists or account following; those need Pin Plus.
- The terms say fees are non-refundable, while the pricing FAQ says a refund can be requested.
- Each person or business gets one free trial.
Key features
Exploding Topics
- Trends database
- Pro opens a database the vendor puts at 1.1 million+ markets, products and topics, each with search volume and growth over windows of 3 months to 15 years.
- Trend tracking and analyses
- Track 100, 500 or 2,000 trends by plan and get alerts, and run 10 to 500 deep-dive analyses with search metrics and channel-level data.
- Meta Trends
- Groups related topics into larger shifts in areas such as tech, DTC, marketing, SaaS, healthcare, fitness and fashion.
- Trend forecasting
- Investor and Business plans show a machine-learning forecast of where a trend's interest is likely to go over the next year.
- Trending products and startups
- Lists consumer products on the rise on every Pro plan, and fast-growing startups from Investor up. A TikTok Insights add-on tracks products gaining views on TikTok.
- API and automations
- An Exploding Topics API feeds trend data into other tools, with a Zapier integration offering six actions and an n8n workflow route.
PinClicks
- Keyword Explorer
- Search more than 20 million keywords with Pinterest search volume, including Pinterest's official interest keywords; Pin Plus adds keywords by category.
- Top Pins and Pin Score
- See the top pins and their stats for any keyword search, each with a Pin Score showing how popular it is, and save pins for reference.
- Account Explorer
- View the keyword rankings and pin and board stats of any Pinterest account; Pin Plus can follow accounts and alert you when their pins start trending.
- Pinterest rank tracking
- Track where pins rank in Pinterest search for 25 keywords on Pin Pro or 5,000 on Pin Plus, along with changes to Pinterest's search suggestions.
- Annotations and flag alerts
- See the annotation keywords Pinterest assigns to pins, in bulk, and on Pin Plus get an email when a pin is labeled AI modified or loses its link.
- Pin Trends extension
- A Chrome extension for customers shows your recent pin, board and link performance on Pinterest, and search volume numbers on Pinterest Trends.
Plans
Exploding Topics
Free$0
Browse trending topics, startups and top websites on the public site, plus a set of free SEO tools.
Entrepreneur$39
per month for 100 tracked trends, billing basis not shown
10 trend analyses, the trends database, trending products, Meta Trends and channel breakdowns.
Investor$99
per month for 500 tracked trends, billing basis not shown
100 trend analyses, plus trending startups, trend forecasting and CSV export.
Business$249
per month for 2,000 tracked trends, billing basis not shown
500 trend analyses, everything in Investor, and trend reports.
PinClicks
Pin Pro$29
per month for 25 tracked keyword rankings
Keyword Explorer, Account Explorer, Top Pins, Pin Stats, saved pins, and 50 tracked search suggestion changes. $249 billed yearly.
Pin Plus$49
per month for 5,000 tracked keyword rankings
Adds keywords by category, 5,000 suggestion changes, custom lists, exports, account following and alerts on flagged pins. $399 billed yearly.
Ways to pay less
Exploding Topics
No public discounts listed.
PinClicks
- Annual discount
Save 28% with annual billing
PinClicks's pricing FAQ says annual billing saves 28%: Pin Pro is $249 a year and Pin Plus $399 a year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Exploding Topics or PinClicks?
As of Oct 23, 2026, PinClicks is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $39 a month for Exploding Topics. Exploding Topics starts at $39 per month for 100 tracked trends (billing basis not shown), and PinClicks starts at $29 per month.
Which has a free plan, Exploding Topics or PinClicks?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Exploding Topics has a free plan. PinClicks does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Exploding Topics and PinClicks run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only PinClicks 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.