KeywordTool.io vs MerchantWords (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, KeywordTool.io grades higher than MerchantWords: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
KeywordTool.io grades higher on the free plan and platforms. MerchantWords grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
KeywordTool.io
Autocomplete keyword ideas from Google and 16 other search platforms
MerchantWords
Amazon keyword research from searches made on Amazon marketplaces
Which one is for you
Pick KeywordTool.io if
- Fits if you want long-tail ideas from YouTube, Amazon or TikTok and can do without the numbers
- Works for pulling keyword data into Claude or ChatGPT through the MCP server on a paid plan
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only want search volumes, at $68 a month on yearly billing and $88 monthly
- Skip it if you need a difficulty score to judge which keywords you can win
- Not for you if you want to try the paid data first, as there's no trial, only a 30-day refund
- Watch out: only Google and Bing volumes come from the ad planners; the rest are modeled estimates
- Tight if you run lots of lookups, as Starter allows 50 requests a day across web, API and MCP
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
| 2.4GPAKeywordTool.ioFair | 2.0GPAMerchantWordsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $68 a month on yearly billing, $88 monthly, which is in this category's dearest tenth. Every paid plan does include the API, an MCP server and volume for 50,000 keywords a day. There's no trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee. | 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 | BThe free version needs no account and no card, and gives up to 750+ suggestions a search with no limit on record. One person could live on that for ideas. What you don't get is volume, CPC or competition: those are all paid. | FNothing free. There's no free plan, and MerchantWords' own help center says there's no free trial either. |
| Features | CIdeas from 17 platforms, plus volume, CPC, trend history and bulk lookups on paid plans. But there's no difficulty score or competitor lookup on record, and only Google and Bing volumes come from the ad planners. | 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 | BNo rating on record, and nothing to set up: the free version runs without an account, so you type a word, pick a platform and read the list. | 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 only, with no desktop or phone app. Every paid plan has a REST API and an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, all drawing on the same daily request pool. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record. Walmart, eBay or Etsy data is only a custom report on request. |
| Best for | long-tail ideas from Google and 16 other platforms | 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: KeywordTool.io and MerchantWords. How we grade
Price against what you get
KeywordTool.io starts at $68 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MerchantWords starts at $35 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and MerchantWords starts $33 a month lower. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than KeywordTool.io 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
- KeywordTool.io also covers app store optimization and youTube SEO.
- MerchantWords also covers amazon selling.
At a glance
| KeywordTool.io | MerchantWords | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $68 per month, billed annually ($88 billed monthly) | $35 per month for 500 searches, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free version, no account needed: up to 750+ autocomplete suggestions per search term. Search volume, cost per click and competition data come with Keyword Tool Pro. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Essential Apps LLC and Key Tools Limited | MerchantWords, Inc. |
| Price read from | keywordtool.io | merchantwords.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
KeywordTool.io
- The free version shows suggestions only; volume, CPC and competition need a paid plan starting at $68 a month billed annually.
- There is no free trial; paid plans instead carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Only Google and Bing volumes come from the ad planners; other platforms' volumes are modeled estimates.
- Paid plans are capped by daily requests, from 50 on Starter to 400 on Agency, shared across the web app, API and MCP.
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
KeywordTool.io
- Autocomplete keyword ideas
- Adds letters and numbers around a seed term to pull hundreds of long-tail suggestions, across 190+ Google domains and many languages.
- 17 search platforms
- Research Google, YouTube, Bing, Copilot, Perplexity, Amazon, eBay, the App Store, Google Play, Instagram, X, Reddit, Pinterest, Etsy, TikTok and Naver.
- Search volume and cost per click
- Pro plans show volume, CPC and competition. Google and Bing figures come from their keyword planners; the other platforms are estimates.
- Trend history
- Monthly search volume history covers 12 months on Starter, 24 on Growth and up to 48 on Scale and Agency.
- Bulk search volume
- Upload an existing keyword list and get volume, CPC and trend data for it, up to 1,000 keywords per request.
- API and MCP server
- Every paid plan includes a REST API and an MCP server for assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, drawing on the same daily request pool.
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
KeywordTool.io
Free$0
Autocomplete keyword suggestions for any term, up to 750+ per search, without signing up.
Starter$68
per month for 50 requests a day, billed annually ($88 monthly)
Search volume for 50,000 keywords a day, 12 months of trend history, all 17 platforms, web app, API and MCP.
Growth$148
per month for 100 requests a day, billed annually ($188 monthly)
Search volume for 100,000 keywords a day and 24 months of trend history.
Scale$308
per month for 200 requests a day, billed annually ($388 monthly)
Search volume for 200,000 keywords a day and 48 months of trend history, for in-house teams.
Agency$628
per month for 400 requests a day, billed annually ($788 monthly)
Search volume for 400,000 keywords a day and 48 months of trend history.
Enterprise & CustomCustom
Higher daily limits, custom API and MCP usage, procurement paperwork and bank-transfer payment. Quoted after a demo.
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
KeywordTool.io
- Annual discount
Save over 20% with annual billing
Keyword Tool's pricing lists annual billing at over 20% less: Starter is $68 a month billed annually instead of $88 billed 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, KeywordTool.io or MerchantWords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, MerchantWords is cheaper to start with: $35 a month, against $68 a month for KeywordTool.io. KeywordTool.io starts at $68 per month, billed annually ($88 billed monthly), and MerchantWords starts at $35 per month for 500 searches, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, KeywordTool.io or MerchantWords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only KeywordTool.io has a free plan. MerchantWords does not.
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.