How to choose a keyword research tool
Four questions settle most of it.
How often do you research keywords?
Subscriptions suit people who research every week. If your work comes in bursts, such as a site launch, a quarterly content plan or a new client, you pay for the quiet months too. Pay-as-you-go credits, or a free tool, fit that pattern better.
Do you need more than keyword numbers?
Backlinks, rank tracking, site audits and competitor traffic only come with the suites: Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest and Moz, and in part Mangools. If you would not open those reports, a keyword-only tool costs far less.
Is it for SEO, paid search or both?
For paid search you want cost per click and advertiser competition from Google's own data, which is what tools built on Google Ads data provide. For SEO you may also want a difficulty score, which only the suites calculate.
Where will you use it?
Some people want numbers on the Google results page as they browse, which means a browser extension (compared in the guide to the best SEO Chrome extensions). Some want to paste in a few thousand keywords and export a spreadsheet. A growing number want an AI assistant to do the looking up. Check that the tool works where you do.
The 12 best keyword research tools
1. KWScanner
Top pick: best for search volume and CPC
- PriceFrom $5 for 10,000 credits, no subscription
- Free option10,000 free credits on signup, no card
- Volume dataGoogle Keyword Planner
KWScanner does one job: it tells you how often a keyword is searched, what a click costs and how contested it is, for one keyword or three thousand at once. One credit looks up one keyword, credits start at $5 for 10,000 and never expire, and there is no monthly plan.
You can use it three ways with the same balance. The dashboard looks up 3,000 keywords in one paste and keeps them in named lists you can filter, sort and export to CSV or XLSX. The Chrome and Firefox extension shows volume, CPC, competition and a trend of up to four years on the Google results page, with related keywords beside it. The AI connection lets Claude and other assistants look up real numbers, with a one-click sign-in.
The extension also does two things for free, with no credits used: it puts a Domain Rating and domain age badge on every Google result, and it runs a one-click on-page SEO audit of any page, with a PDF report. See the full list in the guide to the best SEO Chrome extensions.
It is not an SEO suite. There is no keyword difficulty score, backlink index, rank tracker or site-wide crawl.
Strengths
- No subscription; $5 buys 10,000 lookups and credits never expire
- Bulk lookups of 3,000 keywords, with lists and CSV/XLSX export
- Figures match Google Ads; monthly trend up to four years
- Free Domain Rating, domain age and on-page SEO audit in the extension
- Works in the browser, the dashboard and AI assistants
Weaknesses
- No keyword difficulty, backlink index or rank tracking
- Worldwide plus seven countries, not every market
Try KWScanner free
2. Keywords Everywhere
Best-known browser extension
- PriceAnnual plans from $84/year (100,000 credits)
- Free optionFree version shows no volume data
- Volume dataGoogle Keyword Planner
Keywords Everywhere made inline keyword data popular: install the extension and volume, CPC, competition and a trend chart appear on Google and more than a dozen other sites. Its numbers come from Google Keyword Planner.
It is now sold only as annual plans, and credits are valid for a year from purchase. Credits are also spent on the related keywords shown in its widgets as you browse, so they go faster than one per search. The free version shows keyword ideas without volume. The differences are covered on the Keywords Everywhere alternative page.
Strengths
- Low yearly cost for Google-sourced data
- Works across Google, YouTube, Amazon and more
- API and AI assistant access on every plan
Weaknesses
- Annual prepayment only
- Credits expire after a year
- No volume data without paying
Source: the Keywords Everywhere website, October 2026.
3. Keyword Surfer
Best free Chrome extension
- PriceFree
- Free optionFree, no stated limits
- Volume dataNot disclosed
Keyword Surfer is a free Chrome extension from Surfer that shows search volume and CPC on the Google results page, with keyword ideas in a side panel and word counts for the ranking pages. It offers data for 70 countries, and you can save keywords into collections and export them.
It costs nothing, which is its whole appeal. Surfer does not say where the volumes come from, it is Chrome only, and it works one search at a time, so it suits a quick check more than a long list. The Keyword Surfer alternative page has the side-by-side.
Strengths
- Completely free
- Volume and CPC directly on Google, for 70 countries
- Keyword collections you can export
Weaknesses
- Data source is undisclosed
- Chrome only, no bulk lookup
- No competition figure or trend listed
Source: the Keyword Surfer website, October 2026.
4. KeywordTool.io
Best for YouTube, Amazon and other platforms
- PriceFrom $88/month ($68 billed annually)
- Free optionFree keyword ideas; CPC, competition and trend need Pro
- Volume dataGoogle and Bing Keyword Planner
KeywordTool.io turns autocomplete suggestions into long keyword lists, 750 or more per seed, and it does this for far more than Google: YouTube, Amazon, Bing, TikTok, app stores and others, 16 platforms in all. That makes it the pick for video and marketplace research.
The free version produces the ideas but keeps cost per click, competition and trend for paying users. Paid plans start at $88 a month with 50 requests a day, and there is no trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee. See the KeywordTool.io alternative page.
Strengths
- Covers 16 platforms beyond Google
- Volume sourced from the ad platforms themselves
- API and AI assistant access on paid plans
Weaknesses
- Expensive for volume and CPC alone
- Free version withholds most numbers
- No free trial
Source: the KeywordTool.io website, October 2026.
5. Mangools KWFinder
Best for beginners
- PricePaid plans from about $30/month billed annually
- Free optionFree plan: 5 lookups every 24 hours
- Volume dataNot stated on its site
KWFinder is the friendliest keyword tool here. One screen shows volume, CPC, paid competition and a clear difficulty score, with the ranking pages beside it. It comes bundled with Mangools' rank tracker and link tools.
The limits are the trade-off. The free plan allows five lookups in 24 hours, with 15 related keywords per lookup, and paid plans cap daily lookups too. More on the Mangools alternative page.
Strengths
- Easy to read, with a clear difficulty score
- A real free plan
- Supports tens of thousands of locations
Weaknesses
- Tight daily lookup caps
- Suggestions per search capped by plan
- Data source is not disclosed
Source: the Mangools KWFinder website, October 2026.
6. AnswerThePublic
Best for question ideas
- PriceFrom $20/month ($160 billed annually)
- Free optionNot listed on its pricing page
- Volume dataSearch engine autocomplete
AnswerThePublic takes a seed term and maps the questions, comparisons and prepositions people type around it. It is the quickest way to find the who, what, why and how behind a topic, which is exactly what FAQ sections and supporting articles need.
It is an idea tool, not a metrics tool. The Starter plan includes 60 credits a month, and plans now bundle article writing and WordPress publishing. See the AnswerThePublic alternative page.
Strengths
- Excellent for questions and long-tail phrasing
- Inexpensive entry plan
- Visual output that is easy to share
Weaknesses
- Small monthly allowance
- Not built for bulk volume checks
- Plans bundle writing tools you may not want
Source: the AnswerThePublic website, October 2026.
7. Semrush
Best all-in-one SEO suite
- PriceFrom $139/month ($117 billed annually)
- Free optionFree plan with 10 reports a day
- Volume dataThird-party data with clickstream, modelled
Semrush is the broadest tool on this list. Keyword research sits alongside backlink analysis, rank tracking, site audits and competitor traffic, and each keyword comes with difficulty and search intent as well as volume and CPC.
That breadth is the cost. Plans start at $139 a month, and the free plan stops at 10 reports a day. If keyword numbers are most of what you need, you are paying for a great deal you will not open. The two are compared in more detail on the Semrush alternative page.
Strengths
- Very large keyword database with intent and difficulty
- Everything else an SEO team needs in one place
- A free account that needs no card
Weaknesses
- Expensive if you only need keyword data
- Volumes are modelled estimates, not Google Ads figures
- Free plan is capped at 10 reports a day
Source: the Semrush website, October 2026.
8. Ahrefs
Best for SEO depth and backlinks
- PriceStarter $29/month; Lite $129/month
- Free optionFree tools for sites you own
- Volume dataKeyword Planner blended with clickstream
Ahrefs is the suite many SEOs trust most for link data, and its Keywords Explorer is strong: volume, Keyword Difficulty, clicks and the pages currently ranking. It blends Keyword Planner data with clickstream data, which lets it separate keywords Google lumps together.
The $29 Starter plan gets you in, with a monthly credit allowance and capped report sizes that suit light use more than bulk work. The full plans start at $129. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for sites you verify and is worth having regardless. See the Ahrefs alternative page for the side-by-side.
Strengths
- Excellent Keyword Difficulty and SERP analysis
- One of the largest backlink indexes
- Useful free tools for your own site
Weaknesses
- Starter plan's credits and row caps run out fast
- Full access starts at $129 a month
- Built for organic search more than paid
Source: the Ahrefs website, October 2026.
9. Ubersuggest
Best budget suite
- Price$29 to $99/month, or a one-time lifetime plan
- Free optionA few searches a day; 7-day trial
- Volume dataNot stated on its pricing page
Ubersuggest packs keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and backlink data into plans that cost a fraction of the big suites, and it is one of the few tools that still sells lifetime access for a one-time payment.
Paid plans are limited by reports per day, 150 on the lowest, and the free version allows only a handful of searches. Lifetime purchases are final and non-refundable, so try the trial first. More on the Ubersuggest alternative page.
Strengths
- Low entry price for a full suite
- Lifetime option if you dislike subscriptions
- Simple, approachable reports
Weaknesses
- Daily report limits on every plan
- Very small free allowance
- Lifetime purchases cannot be refunded
Source: the Ubersuggest website, October 2026.
10. Moz Keyword Explorer
Best for difficulty and click-through estimates
- PriceMoz Pro from about $49/month
- Free optionFree trial; a few free queries a month
- Volume dataMoz's own and third-party data
Moz Keyword Explorer adds two things to raw volume: a difficulty score built on the Domain Authority metric Moz is known for, and an estimate of how many searchers actually click an organic result.
Keyword queries are metered monthly, and the allowance on the lower plans is small for anyone doing bulk research. The free MozBar extension shows link metrics on Google, not search volume. Check Moz's pricing page for the current limits on each plan.
Strengths
- Difficulty and organic click-through in one view
- Domain Authority is widely recognised
- A long free trial
Weaknesses
- Low monthly query allowance on entry plans
- MozBar shows no volume or CPC
- Keyword queries are metered per month
Source: the Moz Keyword Explorer website, October 2026.
11. Google Search Console
Best for keywords you already rank for
- PriceFree
- Free optionFree for sites you verify
- Volume dataGoogle's own Search data
Search Console is the only place to see the real queries that brought people to your site, with actual clicks, impressions and average position. For finding pages that are close to ranking well, nothing else comes close.
It only knows about your own site, and it reports impressions, not total search volume. You cannot use it to research a keyword you do not rank for yet, and there is no CPC or competition.
Strengths
- Real click and impression data from Google
- Free
- Surfaces long-tail queries you would never guess
Weaknesses
- No search volume, CPC or competition
- Only covers your own site
- Tables stop at 1,000 rows
Source: the Google Search Console website, October 2026.
12. Google Trends
Best for seasonality and rising topics
- PriceFree
- Free optionFree, no account needed
- Volume dataGoogle's own search data, as a relative index
Google Trends shows how interest in a topic moves over time and across regions. It is the best free way to tell a seasonal keyword from a steady one, and to catch a topic while it is still rising.
It reports interest on a relative scale, not as a number of searches, so it tells you the shape of demand and not its size. Pair it with a tool that gives volume.
Strengths
- Free and first-party
- Best view of seasonality and breakouts
- Compare regions side by side
Weaknesses
- Relative index only, no absolute volume
- No CPC or competition
- Not a research tool on its own
Source: the Google Trends website, October 2026.
The best free keyword research tools
You can do real keyword research without paying. These are the options, and what each one leaves out.
- KWScanner gives every new account 10,000 free credits with no card, which is 10,000 keyword lookups. Its extension's Domain Rating badges and on-page SEO audit are free without limit.
- Keyword Surfer puts volume and CPC on Google results in Chrome, for 70 countries, from a source it does not disclose.
- Google Search Console shows the queries your own site appears for, with real clicks and impressions. It cannot research keywords you do not rank for.
- Google Trends shows whether interest is rising, falling or seasonal, as a relative index.
- Free allowances on other paid tools. Mangools KWFinder allows 5 lookups every 24 hours, and Semrush allows 10 reports a day.
A workable free stack is Search Console for what you already rank for, a free extension for quick volume checks and Trends for timing. The usual reason people add a paid tool is to get exact volumes for a long list in one go.
Keyword research tools for AI assistants
AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT are good at the judgment in keyword research: grouping terms by intent, spotting gaps and drafting a brief. What they lack is data. An assistant asked for search volume with no tool connected will produce a plausible number that it has no way of knowing.
The fix is to connect the assistant to a keyword tool, most often through MCP, the standard that lets assistants call outside tools. Several tools on this list now offer this, including Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Mangools, KeywordTool.io, Keywords Everywhere and KWScanner. They differ in which plan includes it and how it is billed: some need a mid-tier subscription and charge in API units, others charge per keyword from your normal balance.
KWScanner's connection is a one-click sign-in with no API key, and costs one credit per keyword. The Claude for SEO guide shows the setup, example prompts and a keyword research skill, and the SEO MCP server page covers other apps.
How these keyword research tools were compared
The tools are compared on four things someone choosing a keyword tool can check for themselves: what the cheapest plan costs, what you can do without paying, where the search volume comes from, and what the tool does beyond keywords. The facts come from each company's own pricing and help pages, read in October 2026, and each review names its source. Where a company does not publish something, such as its data source, the review says so.
This is not an accuracy benchmark. Search volume is an estimate in every tool, and the honest test is whether a tool's numbers are consistent enough to compare one keyword with another.
Try KWScanner free
KWScanner gives every new account 10,000 free credits, no card needed. Paste in a keyword list and see volume, CPC, competition and trend for each one.
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