vidIQ vs Viewstats (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 value for money, features and ease of use. Viewstats grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
Viewstats
YouTube channel statistics, outlier videos and thumbnail research
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 Viewstats if
- Fits if you want any channel's growth and estimated revenue without paying
- Works for creators studying which videos break out in their niche, if $49.99 a month is in the budget
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want the research tools, as Outliers, Thumbnail Search, Competitors and Alerts all need Pro
- Not for you if a team shares the account, as Pro is for one person and members can't be added
- Skip it if you're on Android, as the app is on the App Store only
- Skip it if you want keyword research or tag help, as none is on record
- Watch out: the pricing page fills Pro's price in by script; the $49.99 comes from the help center
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAvidIQGood | 2.4GPAViewstatsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | DPro is $49.99 a month with no yearly price on record, in this category's dearest tenth, which starts at $49.99, and more than twice its $19 middle. Business starts at $249 a month and is sold after a call. |
| 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. | BFree site and account: channel and video stats, projections, similar channels, comparisons and top lists, with no caps stated. You could live on that for looking channels up; the research tools are Pro. |
| 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. | CChannel and video stats, outliers, thumbnail search, competitor alerts and saved collections. It covers research on other channels, but the listing shows no keyword research or help with titles and tags. |
| 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. | BNo rating on record. Type a channel name and its numbers are there, with nothing to connect first. |
| 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, a Chrome extension and an iPhone app, with a Discord and a Business API. No Android or desktop app. |
| Best for | YouTube keyword research and video ideas | free channel stats and outlier research |
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 Viewstats. 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. Viewstats starts at $49.99 a month and scores 2.7.
vidIQ scores higher and starts $33.41 a month lower. Of the other YouTube SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than vidIQ for less, and 1 scores higher than Viewstats 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 and image generation.
At a glance
| vidIQ | Viewstats | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $49.99 per month |
| 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. | Free site and account: channel statistics, video analysis, projections, similar channels, creator comparisons and top lists by category or country. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | vidIQ | Viewstats |
| Price read from | vidiq.com | viewstats.zendesk.com |
| 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.
Viewstats
- Pro accounts are for one person; the help center says team members cannot be added to an account.
- Outliers, Thumbnail Search, Competitors, Alerts and Collections all need Pro.
- The help center gives Pro as $49.99 a month, while the pricing page fills its price in by script and showed ₹2,111.84 a month when read from India.
- The mobile app is on the App Store only; no Android app is mentioned.
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.
Viewstats
- Channel and video statistics
- Channelytics shows a channel's subscribers, views, estimated revenue and rank over time; video pages track view velocity and past title or thumbnail changes.
- Outliers
- A Pro tool that finds videos doing far better than their channel usually does, to show which ideas are breaking out in a niche.
- Thumbnail Search
- A Pro tool for searching thumbnails from top channels to see which styles get clicks in a niche.
- Competitors and Alerts
- Follow chosen channels and get alerts on view milestones, sudden engagement jumps and new trends, filtered by keyword.
- Collections
- Save videos and thumbnails into boards for research, and preview how your own packaging looks before it goes live.
- Extension and iPhone app
- The Chrome extension adds Viewstats figures to YouTube pages; the iPhone app covers top lists, favorites, channel and video analytics, and a widget.
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.
Viewstats
Free$0
Look up any channel or video, see growth over time and browse top lists.
Pro$49.99
per month
Adds Outliers, Thumbnail Search, Competitors, Alerts and Collections, plus Pro channels on the Viewstats Discord. One person per account.
Business$249
per month and up
For teams and agencies: unlimited credits, volume licenses, creator discovery, advanced analytics and the Business API. Sold after a call.
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).
Viewstats
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, vidIQ or Viewstats?
As of Oct 23, 2026, vidIQ is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month, against $49.99 a month for Viewstats. vidIQ starts at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly), and Viewstats starts at $49.99 per month.
Which has a free plan, vidIQ or Viewstats?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both vidIQ and Viewstats have a free plan.
Which platforms do vidIQ and Viewstats run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only vidIQ lists an Android app. Both list a web app, an iOS app and a browser extension. 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.