KeywordTool.io vs Seed Keywords (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Seed Keywords grades higher than KeywordTool.io: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
KeywordTool.io grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Seed Keywords grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
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
Seed Keywords
Free tool that collects keyword ideas by asking your contacts
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 Seed Keywords if
- Fits if you want to hear how customers would word a search, not how you would
- Works for building a seed list to check later in a keyword tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't have contacts willing to answer, as the list stays empty
- Not for you if you want volumes or difficulty, since it gives no data
- Too light for anything past the first brainstorm
- Watch out: there are no accounts, so a scenario is reached only through its URL, which you must bookmark
- Watch out: it's web only with no integrations, and results leave only as a CSV file
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAKeywordTool.ioFair | 2.6GPASeed KeywordsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree, with no account and nothing to buy. You make a scenario, share it and download the answers as CSV. |
| 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. | AEverything is free and there are no limits on record: anyone with the link can answer, as many times as they like. |
| 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. | DOne narrow job: collecting phrases from people you send the link to, then linking each to a Google search. No volumes, difficulty or other data, and the maker itself suggests checking the list in a main keyword tool. |
| 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. | CNo rating on record. Making a scenario takes a minute, but you're only productive once enough contacts answer, and with no accounts you have to bookmark the link to get back. |
| 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. The results leave as a CSV file. |
| Best for | long-tail ideas from Google and 16 other platforms | asking real people what they'd search for |
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 Seed Keywords. 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. Seed Keywords has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
KeywordTool.io scores higher, and starts $68 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other keyword research tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than KeywordTool.io for less, and none scores higher than Seed Keywords 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.
- Seed Keywords also covers surveys.
At a glance
| KeywordTool.io | Seed Keywords | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $68 per month, billed annually ($88 billed monthly) | Free |
| 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. | Free to use with no account: create a scenario, share its link and collect the answers. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Essential Apps LLC and Key Tools Limited | Red Evolution |
| Price read from | keywordtool.io | seedkeywords.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.
Seed Keywords
- Gives no search volumes, difficulty or other metrics; the maker suggests checking the list in a main keyword tool.
- The list stays empty until people answer, so it depends on sharing the link with enough contacts.
- There are no accounts: a scenario is reached only through its unique URL, which the tutorial says to bookmark.
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.
Seed Keywords
- Search scenarios
- Pose a problem in your own words and ask what people would type into a search engine to solve it; the tutorial advises keeping the wording neutral.
- Shareable answer link
- Each scenario gets a unique URL to send by email, forums or social media. Anyone who opens it can answer, as many times as they like.
- Results list and CSV download
- The scenario's results page lists every suggested phrase, lets you delete entries and downloads the list as a CSV file.
- Check phrases on Google
- Each phrase links to a plain, exact-match or intitle search on a Google country domain you pick, to see what already ranks for it.
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.
Seed Keywords
Free$0
Create a scenario, share its link and see the answers on a results page with CSV download.
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.
Seed Keywords
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, KeywordTool.io or Seed Keywords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Seed Keywords is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $68 a month for KeywordTool.io. KeywordTool.io starts at $68 per month, billed annually ($88 billed monthly), and Seed Keywords is free.
Which has a free plan, KeywordTool.io or Seed Keywords?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both KeywordTool.io and Seed Keywords have a free plan.
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.