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The Google Keyword Planner Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Google Keyword Planner in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Google Keyword Planner

The Insider’s Guide

Free keyword ideas, search volumes and bid estimates inside Google Ads

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among keyword research tools, read from Google Keyword Planner’s own pages.

Made by Google · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.8GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Google Keyword Planner’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Google Keyword Planner’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.8

GPA, above 44 of the 51 other keyword research tools we grade

Google Keyword Planner is a keyword research tool built into Google Ads. It suggests keywords from a phrase or a website, shows average monthly searches and the range advertisers have paid for top-of-page placement, and forecasts clicks and cost for a list of keywords. It is free, but it lives inside a Google Ads account and is designed around planning Search ad campaigns.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Google Keyword Planner, taken from its own pages and our grades.

You need billing details in a Google Ads account first, and volumes come rounded.
From our report card of Google Keyword Planner
  1. 1

    Best for free search volumes and ad cost estimates

    It's built for planning ads, not SEO, so there's no difficulty score and no look at who ranks.

  2. 2

    It is free

    Google Keyword Planner has no paid plan at all. Free with a Google Ads account. Billing details must be entered and account setup finished before keyword ideas can be used.

  3. 3

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  4. 4

    Keyword ideas from words or a site

    Enter phrases about a product or service, or any website, and get a list of related keyword ideas to filter, group by theme and save to a plan.

  5. 5

    Average monthly searches

    Shows how often a keyword and its close variants are searched, averaged over 12 months by default, by location and network. Volumes are rounded and exact-match only.

  6. 6

    Top-of-page bid ranges

    Low and high bid estimates, roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid for a top-of-page ad over the last 30 days.

  7. 7

    A 2.8 GPA, above 44 of 51

    That is against the other keyword research tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    Google Keyword Planner is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Google Keyword Planner at a glance

Pricing
Free
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web
Made by
Google
Category
Keyword Research Tools
Our grade
2.8 GPA, good

The report card

Best for free search volumes and ad cost estimates

Google Keyword Planner is Google's own keyword tool, free inside Google Ads: ideas from a phrase or a website, monthly searches, what advertisers pay for the top spot, and forecasts for a budget. It's built for planning ads, not SEO, so there's no difficulty score and no look at who ranks. You need billing details in a Google Ads account first, and volumes come rounded.

ToolGPA report cardGoogle Keyword PlannerGraded Oct 23, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyAFree, from Google itself, with keyword ideas, monthly volumes, bid ranges and forecasts, and an API for developers. Nothing in it costs money; the catch is the Ads account it needs.
Free plan and trialBFree with no cap, but you need a Google Ads account with billing details entered and setup finished before ideas show, and Smart Mode accounts have to switch to Expert Mode.
FeaturesCIdeas from words or a site, volumes for your own list, top-of-page bid ranges and budget forecasts. It's built for ads, though: no organic difficulty, no competitor rankings, and low-volume or sensitive keywords may show nothing.
Ease of useCNo rating on record. The tool itself is simple, but getting to it means a Google Ads account, billing details and Expert Mode, and the screens are made for ad campaigns.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb only, inside Google Ads, with keyword ideas, historical volumes and forecasts also available through the Google Ads API. No desktop or phone version on record.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.8

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Google Keyword Planner is for

  • Fits if you're planning Google search ads and need a budget
  • Works for getting volumes for a list of keywords without paying, if you have an Ads account

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if you want SEO difficulty or a rival's rankings, as it shows neither
  • Not for you if you'd rather not enter billing details just to research keywords
  • Tight if your niche is tiny or in health or finance, as those keywords may return nothing
  • Watch out: volumes are rounded 12-month averages, and each keyword is capped at 80 characters and 10 words
  • Watch out: the Ads account must be in Expert Mode, and the screens are made for ad campaigns

Good to know

Good for

  • Advertisers planning Google Search ad campaigns and budgets
  • Checking search volume and ad cost for a keyword list at no charge
  • Developers pulling keyword data through the Google Ads API

Worth knowing

  • Needs a Google Ads account with billing details entered and setup complete, and accounts in Smart Mode must switch to Expert Mode.
  • Built for ad planning: it shows bid estimates and ad forecasts, not organic difficulty scores or competitor rankings.
  • Keywords with very low volume or in sensitive areas such as health or finance may return no results.
  • Each keyword is limited to 80 characters and 10 words.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

Free

No paid plan at all

Google Keyword Planner is free to use.

Free, from Google itself, with keyword ideas, monthly volumes, bid ranges and forecasts, and an API for developers.
From our grade for value for money

  • Free

    $0

    Keyword ideas, monthly search volumes, top-of-page bid ranges and forecasts, for anyone with a Google Ads account.

The free plan

Free with a Google Ads account. Billing details must be entered and account setup finished before keyword ideas can be used.

Read from business.google.com on Oct 23, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Web

Free keyword ideas, search volumes and bid estimates inside Google Ads. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, keyword research.

Ideas from words or a site, volumes for your own list, top-of-page bid ranges and budget forecasts.
From our grade for features
Keyword ideas from words or a site
Enter phrases about a product or service, or any website, and get a list of related keyword ideas to filter, group by theme and save to a plan.
Average monthly searches
Shows how often a keyword and its close variants are searched, averaged over 12 months by default, by location and network. Volumes are rounded and exact-match only.
Top-of-page bid ranges
Low and high bid estimates, roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid for a top-of-page ad over the last 30 days.
Forecasts by budget
A saved plan forecasts clicks, impressions, cost and conversions for a chosen budget and bid strategy, refreshed daily from the last 7 to 10 days of data.
Volumes for your own list
Paste or upload a CSV of keywords to get search volumes and forecasts for them, then turn the plan into a Search campaign.
Google Ads API access
Developers can request keyword ideas, historical metrics and forecasts through KeywordPlanIdeaService in the Google Ads API.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • Google Ads
  • Google Ads API

Google Keyword Planner is made by Google.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

44/51

Other keyword research tools it is graded above

Google Keyword Planner's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 44 of the 51 other keyword research tools we grade, and level with 3.

It stands best on value for money (A, above 37 of 51) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).

Google Keyword Planner has no paid plan.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 52 keyword research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Google Keyword Planner’s own letter is outlined.

  • AValue for moneyAbove 37 of 51
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 41 of 51
  • CFeaturesAbove 6 of 51
  • CEase of useAbove 0 of 51
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 26 of 51

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 44 keyword research tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Google Keyword Planner is the marked dot.

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessGoogle Keyword PlannerAluraYandex Wordstat

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

Google Keyword Planner is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 44 of the 51 other keyword research tools we grade.

What you could not

  • Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date.
  • It plugs into other products, Google Ads and Google Ads API among them, and has an API.

What this rests on. Google Keyword Planner’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, KeywordTool.io and Mangools

The 5 tools Google Keyword Planner is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

13

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Yes. Google Keyword Planner is free to use.

How much does Google Keyword Planner cost?

Google Keyword Planner lists one plan. Free: $0.

What platforms does Google Keyword Planner work on?

Google Keyword Planner is available on Web.

Does Google Keyword Planner have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Google Keyword Planner is listed for Web.

Does Google Keyword Planner have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Google Keyword Planner is listed for Web.

Is Google Keyword Planner open source?

Google Keyword Planner is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.

Does Google Keyword Planner have an API?

Yes. Google Keyword Planner offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Google Keyword Planner integrate with?

Google Keyword Planner's listing names Google Ads and Google Ads API. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is made by Google.

What are the alternatives to Google Keyword Planner?

The closest alternatives to Google Keyword Planner in our directory are Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, KeywordTool.io and Mangools.

How does Google Keyword Planner compare with other keyword research tools?

Google Keyword Planner's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 44 of the 51 other keyword research tools we grade, and level with 3.

Is Google Keyword Planner good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Google Keyword Planner A for value for money. Google Keyword Planner has no paid plan.

Could I make my own version of Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Google Keyword Planner’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Google's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices change, so check business.google.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Google Keyword Planner: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-keyword-planner

Know someone choosing between keyword research tools?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/google-keyword-planner/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded keyword research tools after Google Keyword Planner, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Google Keyword Planner’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Google Keyword Planner is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices and plans change: check business.google.com before you buy.