vidIQ review (2026): is the free plan enough?
YouTube keyword research, video ideas and AI coaching for creators
Our verdict
First of our top three YouTube SEO tools
For: Most YouTube creators
vidIQ looks up YouTube keywords with search volume and competition scores, suggests daily video ideas and outliers, and shows suggested titles, descriptions and tags inside YouTube's upload page through its extension. It runs on the web, as a browser extension and on iPhone and Android. Free gives 150 AI credits a month; Boost is $16.58 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) for one channel. Know the limits: every AI tool spends credits, the main tools are only partly open on Free, larger credit allowances have no price on the page, and more than 3 channels or several team members need the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
See all three and how we rankvidIQ report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for YouTube keyword research and video ideas
vidIQ puts keyword scores, video ideas and upload suggestions into a web app, a browser extension and phone apps, with a free plan to start. The catch is credits: every AI tool spends them, Free gets 150 a month, and the bigger allowances on Boost and MAX have no price on the page. More than 3 channels or a second person means Enterprise, sold after a demo.
Who vidIQ is for
- 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
Who vidIQ is not for
- 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
Why vidIQ gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyBoost 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).
- CFree plan and trialFree 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.
- BFeaturesKeyword 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.
- AEase of use4.8 from about 20,000 App Store ratings for its phone app. The extension puts its scores straight onto YouTube's own pages.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from vidIQ's own pages on 23 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/vidiq#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/vidiq.svg" alt="vidIQ: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where vidIQ stands among YouTube SEO tools
vidIQ's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 24 of the 28 other YouTube SEO tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 28 of 28) and worst on value for money (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $16.58 a month, against a middle price of $17.79 for the category: 11 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 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 29 YouTube SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. vidIQ’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 28, level with 13
- CFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 28, level with 14
- BFeaturesAbove 26 of 28, level with 2
- AEase of useAbove 28 of 28
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 13 of 28, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 26 YouTube SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep vidIQ, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace vidIQ you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 24 of the 28 other YouTube SEO tools we grade. It costs $198.96 a year.
What you could not
- Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date.
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- Search data for YouTube topics and channels.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, YouTube, YouTube Studio and Instagram among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. vidIQ’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.
What is vidIQ?
vidIQ is a growth toolkit for YouTube creators, with a web app, a browser extension that adds stats and SEO scores to YouTube pages, and mobile apps. It suggests video ideas, researches keywords, scores titles, tags and thumbnails, and clips long videos into Shorts. Paid plans add more AI credits, and separate coaching plans pair a creator with a human coach.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
vidIQ pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, vidIQ has a free plan, and paid plans start at $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $16.58 per month for 1 channel, billed annually ($19 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 150 AI credits a month, niche trends, content ideas, AI Coach tips and vidIQ MCP for Claude or ChatGPT. |
| Boost | $16.58per 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 | $39per 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 | $319per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | For brands, agencies and networks: every channel, roles and permissions, cross-channel reporting and priority onboarding. Sold after a demo. |
Read from vidiq.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with vidIQ before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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).
Stated on vidiq.com
Works with
vidIQ alternatives
- vidIQ vs TubeBuddy
Free plan
- vidIQ vs Morningfame
Free trial · from $4.90/mo
- vidIQ vs 1of10
Free plan · from $15/mo
- vidIQ vs Viewstats
Free plan · from $49.99/mo
- vidIQ vs OutlierKit
Free trial · from $24.92/mo
Common questions
Does vidIQ have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. vidIQ is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does vidIQ have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. vidIQ is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is vidIQ open source?
vidIQ is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.