vidIQ vs VidSeeds.ai (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 2.4.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
vidIQ grades higher on features and ease of use. VidSeeds.ai grades higher on value for money. 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.
vidIQ
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
VidSeeds.ai
Pre-upload video review with timecoded notes, titles and thumbnails
Which one is for you
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
Pick VidSeeds.ai if
- Fits if you want notes on a cut before you publish it
- Works for editors in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro who want notes as timeline markers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you make long videos, as a full analysis is about 8 seeds up to 30 minutes and about 35 for 3 hours
- Tight if you're staying free, with a one-time 100 seeds for eligible accounts and no refill
- Watch out: unused seeds carry over only while you're subscribed, and MCP access ends 7 days after first use without a plan
- Watch out: seeds spent on a successful run aren't refunded; plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee
- Skip it if you want keyword research or rank checks, as the listing shows neither
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAvidIQGood | 2.4GPAVidSeeds.aiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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). | BSprout is $8 a month for 100 seeds, about 12 full video packages, inside this category's cheaper quarter at $12. Growth is $19 for 320 seeds, and yearly billing takes 15% off. |
| Free plan and 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. | C100 free seeds for eligible new accounts with no card, about as much as Sprout's 12 full packages. They're a one-off grant and don't refill. |
| Features | 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. | CTimecoded pre-upload notes, markers for Resolve, Premiere and Final Cut, titles, descriptions, chapters and thumbnail ideas, post-publish checkpoints, clips and MCP. The listing shows no keyword research or rank checks. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 20,000 App Store ratings for its phone app. The extension puts its scores straight onto YouTube's own pages. | CNo rating on record. The review works from an uploaded file with no channel link, but checkpoints need YouTube Analytics access, and seed costs change with the action and the video's length. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, with MCP for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Codex, timeline exports for three video editors and captions adapted for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | YouTube keyword research and video ideas | notes on a video before you upload it |
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: vidIQ and VidSeeds.ai. How we grade
Price against what you get
vidIQ starts at $16.58 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. VidSeeds.ai starts at $8 a month and scores 2.3.
vidIQ scores higher, and starts $8.58 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than vidIQ for less, and none scores higher than VidSeeds.ai 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
- vidIQ also covers keyword research.
At a glance
| vidIQ | VidSeeds.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $8 per month for 100 seeds, billed monthly |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 100 free seeds for eligible new accounts, no card required; they do not refill |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | vidIQ | CarrotGamesStudios LLC |
| Price read from | vidiq.com | vidseeds.ai |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
VidSeeds.ai
- The 100 free seeds are a one-time grant for eligible new accounts; one-time packs cost $5 for 50 seeds up to $100 for 1,428.
- Seed costs vary by action and video length: a full analysis is about 8 seeds up to 30 minutes and about 35 for a 3-hour video.
- Unused seeds carry over only while a subscription is active.
- Seeds spent on a successful generation are not refunded; plans carry a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Key features
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.
VidSeeds.ai
- Pre-Upload Review
- Reads your exported video, with no channel connection needed, and ties each note on hook, pacing or story promise to an exact timestamp.
- Markers for your editor
- Exports review notes as EDL, CSV or FCPXML timeline markers for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, with no plugin.
- Upload package in your voice
- Drafts titles, a description, chapters and thumbnail ideas from the footage and saved channel memory; approved changes can be applied to YouTube and undone.
- Post-publish checkpoints
- With YouTube Analytics access, reads a video's numbers at 3, 12, 24 and 48 hours, then 7 and 28 days, against the channel's usual range.
- Clips and other platforms
- Finds short clips to reframe and adapts the approved hook and captions for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
- MCP server
- Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Codex can call its tools over MCP; access lasts 7 days from first use, then needs an active plan.
Plans
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.
VidSeeds.ai
Sprout$8
per month for 100 seeds, billed monthly
$0.08 a seed, about 12 full video packages or 100 thumbnails, plus 10 free video checks a month. Unused seeds carry over while subscribed.
Growth$19
per month for 320 seeds, billed monthly
$0.06 a seed, about 40 full video packages, 10 free video checks a month and 30,000 AI client (MCP) calls a day.
Harvest$49
per month for 980 seeds, billed monthly
$0.05 a seed, about 122 full video packages, 10 free video checks a month and 80,000 MCP calls a day.
Studio$149
per month for 2,980 seeds, billed monthly
$0.05 a seed, about 372 full video packages, 10 free video checks a month and 200,000 MCP calls a day.
EnterpriseCustom
A tailored seed volume and tariff for teams that need more than Studio.
Ways to pay less
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).
VidSeeds.ai
- Annual discount
Save 15% with yearly billing
VidSeeds.ai's pricing page says annual billing costs 15% less on every plan and is charged once a year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, vidIQ or VidSeeds.ai?
As of Oct 23, 2026, VidSeeds.ai is cheaper to start with: $8 a month, against $16.58 a month for vidIQ. vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly), and VidSeeds.ai starts at $8 per month for 100 seeds, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, vidIQ or VidSeeds.ai?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ has a free plan. VidSeeds.ai does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do vidIQ and VidSeeds.ai 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.