Growati vs vidIQ (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick vidIQ: it is first in our ranking of YouTube SEO tools, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
vidIQ grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Growati
AI titles, thumbnails, descriptions and chapters for YouTube videos
vidIQ
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
Which one is for you
Pick Growati if
- Fits if you have years of old videos whose titles and thumbnails you want redone
- Works for small teams that want a person to sign off each change before it goes live
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial, only a 30-day refund
- Pricey if you want automation runs or frame extraction, which start on Creator at $49 a month
- Watch out: credit prices differ between pages, 10 a thumbnail on the pricing page and 3 on the MCP page
- Skip it if you need the API, which is on the custom-priced Enterprise plan only
- Watch out: it needs Google sign-in access to change your channel's titles, descriptions and thumbnails
Pick vidIQ if
- Fits if you want keyword scores and upload suggestions for one channel at under $20 a month
- Works for creators who turn the same ideas into YouTube videos and Instagram Reels
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you lean on the AI tools, since Free has 150 credits a month and every thumbnail, clip and MCP call spends them
- Watch out: bigger credit allowances on Boost and MAX, and the Chat Coaching plan, are offered with no price shown
- Skip it if you run more than 3 channels or share it with a team, as that means the custom-priced Enterprise plan
- Pricey if you want a coach: VIP Coaching is $3,830 a year, paid upfront, non-refundable and for one English-speaking channel
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAGrowatiWeak | 2.8GPAvidIQGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $19 a month, or $190 a year (about $15.83 a month), on this category's $19 middle, for 200 credits and 1 channel. Automation workflows and frame extraction start on Creator at $49 a month. | CBoost is $16.58 a month on yearly billing ($19 monthly) for one channel, just above the $15 that marks this category's cheaper quarter, so it sits in the ordinary middle. MAX is $39 a month yearly ($49 monthly). |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. New subscriptions get a 30-day money-back guarantee through Paddle, which isn't a trial. | CFree for good, with niche trends, content ideas, AI Coach tips and MCP. But the main tools are only partly open, and 150 AI credits a month won't go far once thumbnails, clips and MCP calls start spending them. |
| Features | CChannel diagnosis from YouTube Analytics, new titles, descriptions and chapters from the transcript, AI thumbnails, approve-and-revert and MCP. It's packaging work; the listing shows no keyword research or rank checks, and the API is Enterprise only. | BKeyword research with volume and competition scores, daily ideas and outliers, title, tag and description suggestions inside the upload page, AI thumbnails, Shorts clipping, an AI Coach and Instagram tools. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You sign in with Google and give it access to your channel, then every action spends credits, up to 20 for a full automation run. | A4.8 from about 20,000 App Store ratings for its phone app. The extension puts its scores straight onto YouTube's own pages. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with MCP for Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code and Cursor, which is free to connect. No phone or desktop app, and the API sits on Enterprise. | BWeb, a browser extension, iPhone and Android, with MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, plus Slack and Perplexity. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | redoing titles and thumbnails on old videos | YouTube keyword research and video ideas |
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: Growati and vidIQ. How we grade
Price against what you get
Growati starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. vidIQ starts at $16.58 a month and scores 3.3.
vidIQ scores higher and starts $2.42 a month lower. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Growati for less, and none scores higher than vidIQ 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
- vidIQ also covers keyword research.
At a glance
| Growati | vidIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month for 200 credits, billed monthly | $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 150 AI credits a month, niche trends, data-backed content ideas, growth tips from the AI Coach and vidIQ MCP, with limited access to the main tools. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Timemap Software Pvt. Ltd. | vidIQ |
| Price read from | growati.com | vidiq.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Growati
- There is no free plan or trial; new subscriptions have a 30-day money-back guarantee, handled through Paddle.
- Credit prices differ between pages: the pricing page charges 10 credits a thumbnail and 3 a title plus description, the MCP page 3 and 1.
- Starter has no automation workflows or best frame extraction, and API access is on Enterprise only.
- It needs Google sign-in access to your channel to read videos and change titles, descriptions and thumbnails.
vidIQ
- Prices are for one channel; more than 3 channels or several team members need the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
- AI tools and MCP calls spend credits: 150 a month on Free. Larger credit allowances can be chosen on Boost and MAX, but the page shows no price for them.
- Coaching covers one English-speaking channel, and annual coaching plans are paid upfront and non-refundable.
- The Chat Coaching plan's price is not shown in the coaching page's text; only VIP Coaching's is.
Key features
Growati
- Channel diagnosis
- Compares your recent videos that worked with those that did not, using YouTube Analytics, and shows the evidence behind each finding.
- Repackage any video
- Writes a new title, description and timestamped chapters from the transcript, for new uploads or videos published years ago.
- AI thumbnails
- Makes thumbnails built on frames picked from the video; best frame extraction and advanced thumbnails start on the Creator plan.
- Review and revert
- Nothing is published until you approve it, unless you let an automation publish, and every earlier version can be put back in one click.
- Full automation runs
- From Creator up, one run transcribes, titles, describes, makes a thumbnail and publishes, waiting for review if you choose. 20 credits a run.
- MCP for AI assistants
- Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code or Cursor to look up channels, generate options and publish changes from a chat. Connecting is free.
vidIQ
- Keyword research
- Look up YouTube keywords with search volume and competition scores, alongside AI-suggested keywords for a channel.
- Video ideas and outliers
- Daily ideas tuned to a channel and niche, trend alerts, and outlier videos that are doing far better than their channel's usual.
- Upload optimization
- Suggested titles, descriptions and tags, a video score, and a best time to post, shown inside the YouTube upload flow by the extension.
- Thumbnails and clipping
- An AI thumbnail maker, and a clipping tool that cuts long videos into Shorts and TikToks. Both draw on the plan's AI credits.
- AI Coach and vidIQ MCP
- An AI Coach reads a channel and suggests a growth plan; vidIQ MCP brings vidIQ data into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor on every plan, Free included.
- Instagram tools
- The same subscription covers Reel ideas, hook and hashtag analysis on any public Reel, and clips cut for Reels.
Plans
Growati
Starter$19
per month for 200 credits, billed monthly
1 channel and 1 team member, AI titles, descriptions and chapters, basic thumbnails. About 10 full automations. $190 billed yearly.
Creator$49
per month for 600 credits, billed monthly
Up to 3 channels and 5 team members, advanced thumbnails, best frame extraction, automation workflows and priority processing. $490 billed yearly.
Pro$99
per month for 1,500 credits, billed monthly
Up to 5 channels and 10 team members, bulk generation, A/B testing support, advanced team roles and an account manager. $990 billed yearly.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom credits and channels for studios and agencies, with API access, custom AI workflows and founder-led onboarding.
vidIQ
Free$0
150 AI credits a month, niche trends, content ideas, AI Coach tips and vidIQ MCP for Claude or ChatGPT.
Boost$16.58
per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
2,000 AI credits a month (2,500 or 3,000 can be chosen), AI thumbnails, unlimited trends research and subscriber insights, and masterclasses.
MAX$39
per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Everything in Boost with 6,000 AI credits a month (up to 10,000), up to 3x the AI Coach conversations and up to 11 hours of clipping.
VIP Coaching$319
per month, billed annually ($3,830 a year)
A dedicated 1-on-1 coach with recurring live calls and unlimited messaging, plus vidIQ Max and 6,000 AI credits a month, for one channel.
EnterpriseCustom
For brands, agencies and networks: every channel, roles and permissions, cross-channel reporting and priority onboarding. Sold after a demo.
Ways to pay less
Growati
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Growati's pricing page lists Starter at $190 a year, Creator at $490 and Pro at $990, which it describes as two months free on annual billing.
vidIQ
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with yearly billing
vidIQ lists Boost at $199 a year instead of $19 a month ($228), and MAX at $468 a year instead of $49 a month ($588).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Growati or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, vidIQ is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month, against $19 a month for Growati. Growati starts at $19 per month for 200 credits, billed monthly, and vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Growati or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ has a free plan. Growati does not.
Which platforms do Growati and vidIQ run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ lists iOS and Android apps and 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.