HookPop 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 2.4.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
HookPop grades higher on value for money. vidIQ grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HookPop
Auto-rewrites YouTube titles and descriptions and posts to socials
vidIQ
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
Which one is for you
Pick HookPop if
- Fits if you skip writing descriptions and social posts once a video is up
- Works for channels that announce every upload on X, Facebook, Threads or LinkedIn, in any of 16 languages
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you post to socials, since a full run with all four networks is about 49 credits and an X post alone is 25
- Tight if you're staying free, with 100 credits once, no refills and no Auto-Run
- Pricey if you run several channels, as Auto-Run beyond one channel, bulk runs and the audit need Pro at $29
- Watch out: credits aren't refunded except where the law says so, even ones Auto-Run spent
- Skip it if you want keyword research or analytics, as the listing shows neither
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
| 2.4GPAHookPopFair | 2.8GPAvidIQGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BCreator is $12 a month for 500 credits, about 18 full runs, which sits right at this category's cheaper quarter. Pro is $29 for 2,000 credits, and top-ups run from $1 per 100 to $40 per 5,000. | 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 | C100 credits on signup with no card, enough for about 2 full runs with all four social networks. They never refill, and Auto-Run isn't included. | 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 | CRewrites titles, descriptions with chapters and tags, posts to four social networks, logs and undoes every change, and on Pro runs a backlog and a channel audit. It does the after-upload packaging; the listing shows no keyword research or analytics. | 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 connect your channel and each social account, then switch on Auto-Run and keep an eye on credits, as an X post alone is 25. | 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, connected to YouTube, X, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn. No phone or desktop app, extension or API on record. | 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 | rewriting titles and posting socials after upload | 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: HookPop and vidIQ. How we grade
Price against what you get
HookPop starts at $12 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 $4.58 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than HookPop 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 and image generation.
At a glance
| HookPop | vidIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month for 500 credits | $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 | 100 free credits on signup, no card required; they do not refill | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | HookPop | vidIQ |
| Price read from | hookpop.app | vidiq.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HookPop
- The free account gets 100 credits once, without Auto-Run; more credits cost $1 per 100, $9 per 1,000 or $40 per 5,000.
- Credits go fast with social posting: a full run with all four networks is about 49 credits, and an X post alone is 25.
- Credits are non-refundable except where the law requires, including those spent by Auto-Run.
- Creator allows Auto-Run on a single channel; more channels, bulk optimization and the channel audit need Pro.
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
HookPop
- Video-aware rewrites
- Writes a title, a description with chapter timestamps and hashtags, and tags from what happens in the video, with the thumbnail taken into account.
- Auto-Run
- Off by default; once on, it handles each new public upload in 2 to 5 minutes, limited to title only, YouTube only or the full run as you choose.
- Social announcements
- Posts captions written for each network to X, Facebook, Threads and, on paid plans, LinkedIn, at once or after a delay of 1 to 24 hours.
- Run history and undo
- Keeps the original and rewritten title for every video and reverts a change in one click; titles can be regenerated or compared in variations.
- Bulk optimization and channel audit
- Pro runs the same settings across a backlog of older videos and finds a channel's weakest videos.
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
HookPop
Creator$12
per month for 500 credits
About 18 full runs. Auto-Run on 1 channel, LinkedIn and scheduled social posts, 16 languages and a weekly digest. Credits never expire.
Pro$29
per month for 2,000 credits
About 74 full runs. Auto-Run on unlimited channels, bulk optimization, a channel audit, per-channel settings and priority processing.
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
HookPop
No public discounts listed.
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, HookPop or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, HookPop is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $16.58 a month for vidIQ. HookPop starts at $12 per month for 500 credits, and vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, HookPop or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ has a free plan. HookPop does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do HookPop 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.