TubeMagic 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 1.8.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
vidIQ grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
TubeMagic
AI YouTube script writer with research, titles, tags and thumbnails
vidIQ
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
Which one is for you
Pick TubeMagic if
- Fits if you want AI to draft scripts from videos or articles you already have
- Works for channels that need titles, descriptions and tags written for every upload
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it free, as there's no free plan and trials are paused
- Tight if you make lots of thumbnails, at 20 credits each and $9 per 100 extra
- Watch out: standard models stop at 100 generations a day per tool
- Watch out: annual plans get 6,000 credits up front, and the balance resets at renewal
- Skip it if you want channel analytics or rank tracking, 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
| 1.8GPATubeMagicWeak | 2.8GPAvidIQGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | COne plan, Premium, at $41 a month billed yearly as $497 ($47 monthly). That's above this category's dearer quarter ($24.92) but short of its dearest tenth ($49.99), and extra credits are $9 per 100. | 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 | FNothing free. There's no free plan and trials are paused; a 30-day money-back guarantee is the only way in, and that isn't a trial. | 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 | CScripts up to 3,000 words with ten frameworks, outlier and keyword research, title, description and tag generators, thumbnails and MCP. It's a writing tool first; the listing shows no channel analytics or rank tracking. | 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. Type a topic and a script comes back, but there are frameworks, model choices and a credit balance to learn. | 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 into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf. No app or extension. | 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 | AI-drafted YouTube scripts | 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: TubeMagic and vidIQ. How we grade
Price against what you get
TubeMagic starts at $41 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 $24.42 a month lower. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than TubeMagic 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
- TubeMagic also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| TubeMagic | vidIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $41 per month, billed yearly at $497 ($47 billed monthly) | $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 | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Tube Magic LLC | vidIQ |
| Price read from | tubemagic.com | vidiq.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
TubeMagic
- There is no free plan, and free trials are paused; every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
- Premium models, chat replies and thumbnails spend credits; extra credits cost $9 per 100.
- Standard models are capped at 100 generations a day per tool.
- Annual plans get 6,000 credits up front, and the balance resets when the plan renews.
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
TubeMagic
- Script Writer
- Writes scripts from 100 words to 3,000 words (about 20 minutes) using ten switchable frameworks, offers three hooks and rewrites single paragraphs on request.
- Inspiration sources
- Add up to three YouTube videos (up to 30 minutes), articles or PDFs (up to 30 pages) for context, and it writes a new script from them.
- Video and keyword research
- Video results carry an outlier score, views divided by the channel average, with filters for upload date and length; keyword research sits alongside.
- Titles, descriptions and tags
- Generators for titles, descriptions, tags and community posts, which answer in the language you write in, plus a tags editor.
- Thumbnail Generator
- Describe a thumbnail and refine it in the same project, in video or Shorts sizes, with optional face and channel references. Each costs 20 credits.
- TubeMagic MCP
- Run research, titles, scripts and thumbnails from ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf or another MCP client, with results saved to the account.
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
TubeMagic
Premium$41
per month, billed yearly at $497 ($47 billed monthly)
Every tool, 100 generations a day per tool on standard models, 6,000 credits a year up front (500 a month if paid monthly), MCP access and a course.
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
TubeMagic
- Annual discount
Save 12% with annual billing
TubeMagic's pricing page lists Premium at $497 a year, or $41 a month, against $47 a month billed monthly.
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, TubeMagic or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, vidIQ is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month, against $41 a month for TubeMagic. TubeMagic starts at $41 per month, billed yearly at $497 ($47 billed monthly), and vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, TubeMagic or vidIQ?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ has a free plan. TubeMagic does not.
Which platforms do TubeMagic 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.