Subscribr 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 2.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
vidIQ grades higher on value for money, 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.
Subscribr
AI YouTube production: ideas, scripts, thumbnails and finished videos
vidIQ
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
Which one is for you
Pick Subscribr if
- Fits if you run a faceless channel and want finished videos without hiring an editor
- Works for agencies running several channels from one workspace
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're one creator, as generating anything starts at $83 a month on yearly billing
- Watch out: all purchases are final, with no refunds, though plans can be cancelled at any time
- Tight if you make long videos, as finished video is charged by the minute from credits that don't roll over
- Too light for anyone on the free plan who wants output, as it only plans and researches
- Skip it if you need keyword research or tags, as none is on record
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
| 2.0GPASubscribrFair | 2.8GPAvidIQGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DGrowth is $83 a month on yearly billing ($99 monthly), where this category's dearest tenth starts, and it's what one person pays to generate anything. It does bring 3 users, 3 channels and up to 8 videos 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 | CA free plan with 1 channel, the Projects board, 3 idea batches and 10 intel searches a month. It only plans and researches: scripts, thumbnails and videos all need a paid plan. | 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 | COutlier-based ideas, a 12-step script pipeline, a thumbnail studio and rendered videos, faceless, with an avatar or from your recording. It's production rather than search: the listing shows no keyword research, tags or rank checks. | 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. There's a channel setup, a voice profile and a 12-step script pipeline to get through, with credits to track. | 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, Codex and Cursor, and an API and CLI on paid plans. No phone or desktop app. | 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 | turning a script into a finished faceless video | 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: Subscribr and vidIQ. How we grade
Price against what you get
Subscribr starts at $83 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 $66.42 a month lower. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Subscribr 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
- Subscribr also covers long-form writing and video generation.
- vidIQ also covers keyword research.
At a glance
| Subscribr | vidIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $83 per month for 3 channels, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly) | $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 1 channel and user, the Projects board, 3 idea batches of up to 10 ideas and 10 intel searches a month, and an AI agent connection. No scripts, thumbnails or videos. | 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 | Subscribr LLC | vidIQ |
| Price read from | subscribr.ai | vidiq.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Subscribr
- All purchases are final: Subscribr's refund policy offers no refunds, though plans can be cancelled at any time.
- Finished video is charged by the minute from plan credits: $1.50 a minute on Growth monthly, down to $1.00 on Max yearly. Top-ups start at $20.
- The free plan only plans and researches; scripts, thumbnails and videos all need a paid plan.
- Plan credits reset each billing cycle and do not roll over; 5 script credits make about one ten-minute script.
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
Subscribr
- Ideas from outlier data
- An Ideation Bot mines a database of 35M+ videos for ones beating their own channel by 5x to 10x and turns them into fresh idea batches for a niche.
- Script Agent
- A 12-step pipeline that researches, writes hooks and plans retention in the channel's voice, plus an editor that critiques pacing and hooks.
- AI Thumbnail Studio
- Generate thumbnails from 157 proven formats, edit your own or copy the style of one already working in the niche; 150 to 1,000 a month by plan.
- Video generator
- Turns a script into a finished video with voiceover, B-roll, motion graphics and captions, faceless in 14 styles, with an AI avatar or from your recording.
- Projects board
- Tracks every video from idea to upload for you, your team and your AI agent, on every plan including Free.
- AI agent access
- Every plan connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and other MCP clients, and paid plans list full API and CLI access.
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
Subscribr
Free$0
1 channel and 1 user, the Projects board, 3 idea batches and 10 intel searches a month. Generating anything needs a paid plan.
Growth$83
per month for 3 channels, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly)
Up to 8 finished videos a month:66 video credits, 60 script credits, 150 thumbnails and 3 users. $990 a year.
Pro$208
per month for 5 channels, billed yearly ($249 billed monthly)
Up to 23 videos a month: 185 video credits, 180 script credits, 500 thumbnails, 10 users, 1080p export and priority support.
Max$416
per month, unlimited channels, billed yearly ($499 billed monthly)
Up to 52 videos a month: 415 video credits, 300 script credits, 1,000 thumbnails, unlimited users and a private Slack channel.
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
Subscribr
- Annual discount
2 months free with annual billing
Subscribr's pricing page lists Growth at $990 a year ($83 a month) against $99 a month billed monthly, with lower per-minute video rates too.
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, Subscribr or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, vidIQ is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month, against $83 a month for Subscribr. Subscribr starts at $83 per month for 3 channels, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly), and vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Subscribr or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Subscribr and vidIQ have a free plan.
Which platforms do Subscribr 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.