TubeBuddy vs YTCockpit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, TubeBuddy grades higher than YTCockpit: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
TubeBuddy grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. YTCockpit grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
TubeBuddy
YouTube browser extension for keyword research, SEO and A/B tests
YTCockpit
YouTube keyword research with competition data and rank tracking
Which one is for you
Pick TubeBuddy if
- Fits if you want title and tag scores while you upload in YouTube Studio on Chrome or Edge
- Works for creators testing two thumbnails or titles against each other on the same live video
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: no US price could be read, as the pricing page fills it in by script and showed regional prices
- Skip it if you use Firefox or Safari, as the extension no longer supports Firefox and never supported Safari
- Not for you if you have 50k+ subscribers, several channels or 3+ managers, which TubeBuddy steers to Enterprise
- Tight if you share the work, since Pro has one user and Legend two seats, on one channel each
- Tight if you're staying free, as Starter opens a limited set of tools and bulk editing waits on Legend
Pick YTCockpit if
- Fits if you plan videos around keywords people already search for and want to see the top 20 first
- Works for marketers who want keyword research and daily YouTube rank checks in one account
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
- Watch out: monthly search figures come from Google's Keyword Planner, since YouTube doesn't publish search counts
- Tight if you stay on Personal, which has 10 searches a day, no rank tracker and no Google Suggest ideas
- Pricey if you want branded PDF reports, which are on Agency only at $99 a month or $799 a year
- Watch out: VAT is added for billing addresses in Switzerland and the EU unless an EU company gives a VAT ID
How we grade them
| 2.0GPATubeBuddyFair | 1.6GPAYTCockpitWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo US price is on record. The pricing page fills its prices in by script, and the copy served to us showed regional prices, so it can't be placed against this category's $19 middle. A license covers one channel. | CPersonal is $19 a month, or $199 a year (about $16.58 a month), right on this category's $19 middle, for 10 searches a day. Rank tracking needs Pro at $39 a month or $299 a year, and branded reports need Agency at $99. |
| Free plan and trial | CEvery channel added gets a free Starter license, but it opens a limited set of tools, and the rest wait on Pro or Legend. No trial is listed. | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. New accounts get a 30-day money-back guarantee instead, which isn't a trial. |
| Features | BKeyword Explorer with search volume, SEO Studio scoring as you write, thumbnail and title A/B tests on live videos, channel analytics with competitor scorecards, bulk editing and next-video ideas. That covers the whole job, though bulk editing sits on Legend. | CKeyword ideas from YouTube Suggest and Google's ad data, top-20 competition numbers, a keyword score and a daily rank tracker on Pro. It does keyword research fully, but that's a smaller job, with no title writing, upload help or channel analytics on record. |
| Ease of use | F2.9 from 434 App Store ratings for its phone app, under the 3.0 line. Most of the work happens in the extension, which you install and link to your channel first. | CNo rating on record. It runs in the browser with nothing to install, but each search comes back as sortable tables of views, likes, durations and scores to read through. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, an extension for Chrome, Edge and Opera, iPhone and Android. It connects to YouTube and YouTube Studio only, with no desktop app or API on record. | CWeb only, with no integrations, app, extension or API on record. The tracker checks rankings by country and language. |
| Best for | SEO help inside YouTube Studio | YouTube keyword research with competition scores |
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: TubeBuddy and YTCockpit. How we grade
Where they differ
- TubeBuddy also covers a/B testing.
- YTCockpit also covers reports and rank tracking.
At a glance
| TubeBuddy | YTCockpit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $19 per month for 10 keyword searches a day, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Every channel added gets a free Starter license with a limited set of tools; paid Pro and Legend licenses unlock the rest. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | TubeBuddy (GameSquare) | SwissMadeMarketing GmbH |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | ytcockpit.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
TubeBuddy
- Prices are filled in by a script that could not be read for US visitors, and the page shown in India lists regional prices, so none are given here.
- Pro and Legend are for individual creators; channels with 50k+ subscribers, several channels, 3+ managers or 50+ staff are steered to Enterprise.
- A license covers one YouTube channel. Pro has one user and Legend two seats; more needs Enterprise.
- The extension supports Chrome, Edge and Opera; the help center says it no longer supports Firefox and never supported Safari.
YTCockpit
- There is no free plan or trial; new accounts get a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
- Monthly search figures come from Google's AdWords Keyword Planner, as its help center says YouTube does not publish search counts.
- The Personal plan has no rank tracker and no Google Suggest ideas; branded PDF reports are on Agency only.
- VAT is added for billing addresses in Switzerland and the EU, unless an EU company gives a valid VAT ID.
Key features
TubeBuddy
- Keyword Explorer
- Researches YouTube search terms with search volume data and suggests related keywords to target in a title and tags.
- SEO Studio
- Scores a video's title, tags and description as you write them and lists what to change, with a tag generator and Insta-Suggest.
- Thumbnail and title A/B tests
- Rotates thumbnail or title variants on a live video, measures click-through rate and picks the winner.
- Channel analytics
- Channelytics, a channel health report, competitor scorecards and upload alerts, and a niche leaderboard.
- Bulk editing
- Bulk processing tools for end screens, cards, descriptions and thumbnail overlays, listed as part of the Legend license.
- Next Video Ideas
- Suggests topics for the next upload; Pro has limited access, Legend more, and Enterprise unlimited.
YTCockpit
- Keyword ideas from several sources
- Expands a seed keyword through YouTube Suggest by adding letters and numbers, and on higher plans through Google AdWords, Google Suggest and related searches.
- Top 20 competition data
- For every idea it collects the top 20 ranking videos with their views, duration, likes and comments, and how many are in HD.
- Keyword score
- Sorts ideas by a score that weighs monthly searches against how strong the ranking videos are, with every column open to sorting and filtering.
- Compare your own video
- Enter a video URL to set it beside the top results for each keyword found.
- YTCockpitTracker
- Pro and Agency include a tracker that checks your videos' YouTube positions for chosen keywords daily, by country and language: 50 keywords on Pro, 100 on Agency.
Plans
TubeBuddy
Pricing could not be confirmed. See tubebuddy.com.
YTCockpit
Personal$19
per month for 10 keyword searches a day, billed monthly
100 results per search, ideas from YouTube Suggest and Google AdWords. No rank tracker. $199 billed yearly.
Pro$39
per month for 50 keyword searches a day, billed monthly
1,000 results per search, adds Google Suggest and related searches, and YTCockpitTracker for 50 keywords daily. $299 billed yearly.
Agency$99
per month for unlimited keyword searches, billed monthly
10,000 results per search, branded PDF reports and 100 tracked keywords daily. $799 billed yearly.
Ways to pay less
TubeBuddy
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
TubeBuddy's pricing page offers a per-year option on Pro and Legend marked as saving 20% against monthly billing.
- Nonprofit
Special discount for US nonprofits
The pricing page says 501(c)(3) nonprofits qualify for a special discount; the amount is not stated.
YTCockpit
- Annual discount
Save up to 40% with yearly billing
YTCockpit's pricing table lists Personal at $199 a year instead of $228, Pro at $299 instead of $468 and Agency at $799 instead of $1,188.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, TubeBuddy or YTCockpit?
As of Oct 23, 2026, TubeBuddy has no price we could confirm, and YTCockpit starts at $19 per month for 10 keyword searches a day, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, TubeBuddy or YTCockpit?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only TubeBuddy has a free plan. YTCockpit does not.
Which platforms do TubeBuddy and YTCockpit run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only TubeBuddy 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.