Picks of the Bunch: 10 Keyword Planner Alternatives Better Than the Original (Free & Paid)

For marketers, nothing sucks more than a tool that fails to do the one job it’s supposed to do.
 

Some context…
 

You whip up a kickass blog, call upon the powers of Google Adwords Keyword Planner for what you trust is impeccable keyword research, then hit enter.

 

There it goes, somewhere into the vastness of the internet, besides millions of other blogs geared towards the same goal. 
 

The goal? To climb to the summit of Google, sit pretty on it like it’s your birthright, and show off your majestic crown to your competitors.
 

And so the wait begins…
 

But as fate would have it, the wait is nothing short of excruciating. Nothing, scratch that, absolutely nothing, seems to give. Day 365 later, your piece is still languishing on page 365 of Google. Ouch.

 

But wait a minute. 
 

Could it be that Google Keyword Planner tanked your efforts from the get-go?



 



 

Think about it.

 

If Google Keyword Planner was any good, why would people (including yourself) wear their socks off searching for alternatives? I’m glad you’re here, btw.
 

Don’t get me wrong—the tool is pretty great. Awesome, actually. But maybe you need more advanced features, perhaps you need a cheaper option, or maybe you just want to explore other options out there.
 

Worry not, my friend, because yours truly has got you covered.

 

In this rundown, I’ll dive into the nitty-gritty so you don’t have to skip that dinner with your crush scouring for Keyword Planner alternatives.

 

But first, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Google Keyword Planner
 

Getting a Mile Closer: What is Google Keyword Planner?

 

You’re probably familiar with Keyword Planner if you’re looking to replace it. Nonetheless, let’s do a quick rundown on what the tool offers. 
 

After all, if you’re going to replace it, you need to keep in mind what you’ll be missing or gaining with other products. We’ll provide a detailed comparison of each product we recommend below.

 

Keyword Planner is a multi-functional, feature-rich tool that’s offered for free (read that: nada) in the Google Ads account. 

 

What is its main purpose? Hmm, well, you guessed it…drumroll…to help you find the most befitting keywords for your PPC campaigns, content, SEO, and everything in between.

 

Who can use this keyword research behemoth? Everyone. Literally.
 

Bloggers who want to know the impact of their content when it comes to the number of website hits? Check.
 

New entrepreneurs drooling over the prospect of gaining 1 million page views in two days? Seriously, any content marketing newbie itching to find out if the content they offer is relevant to their target audience? Check.

 

Seasoned marketers who constantly lose sleep over their stagnant keyword research “masterplans”, unyielding PPC campaigns, and visibility-deficient content? Check-check.

 

Enough with the Eminem-esque ‘checks’ (From the D 2 The LBC rings a bell?) Here’s a quick and succinct recap of what the tool has to offer:
 

  • Instant SEO keyword research
  • Unfiltered view of your competitor’s perspectives and ranking best practices
  • Easy-peasy way to add keywords to your overarching “keyword plan”


 

Oh, and did I mention Keyword Planner is absolutely free? Ok, I did. Importantly, though, the zero pricing aspect explains why newbies and seasoned content marketers are head over heels in love with the tool (and who would blame them?)

 

But it’s also why you need and are actively looking for an alternative…
 

Remember that saying about free things? 

 

The Inside Scoop: 10 Best Keyword Planner Alternatives Available Today
 

So they said your keyword research strategy should be epic to stand any chance of outwitting and outmuscling your competitors.
 

Okay, we’re going to get real friendly with keyword research.
 

Real friendly…
 

Best friends forever…

 

 


 

What have we got up our sleeves, you may ask? Well, how about a rundown of the 10 best Keyword Planner alternatives out there today?
 

Friends enough, yet?
 

Then diving into what makes those tools certified keyword research superstars.

 

More like BFFs now?

 

Here are the top Keyword Planner alternatives worth your attention, money, and time (in no particular order).

 

1. BiQ Keyword Intelligence
 

An unpopular pick, I know. But this Keyword Planner alternative is as worthy of your every penny as any other tool on this list.



 



 

BiQ Keyword Intelligence is the stuff that shows in your dream when you’re fantasizing about a keyword research tool capable of any and all (seriously). With it in your arsenal, competitor research, AI-content analysis, rank tracking, and monitoring instantly become a doodle. 

 

The best part?
 

It allows you to filter a long list of keywords in different intents such as Information, Navigational, and Transactional keywords for your content marketing strategy. If that’s not heaven on the keyword research earth, I don’t know what is.
 

Pricing
 

For only the price of a pizza or three, this kickass keyword research tool can be all yours.

 

The monthly plan starts from $55 all the way to $115.

 



 

In the annual plan, you can save 25% every month. Some quick math here brings the total to around $550 per year. Considering the perks within, this is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

 

Speaking of good deals, did you know that this tool is being offered on AppSumo on a lifetime access basis for a $49 one-off purchase? And no, you’re not dreaming. 
 

So, if you purchase one single code for $49, you’ll get access to all of these drool-worthy features:

  • 250 total searches per month
  • 100 total analysis per month
  • 7,500 total ranking discoveries
  • 50 saved documents
  • 100 total keywords
  • 50 total tags
  • 100 exports per month


 

Depending on how often you use this tool and how many keywords you need for rank tracking, you might have to go with double or multiple codes. Either way, it isn’t exactly the worst deal on the planet, is it?

 

BiQ Keyword Intelligence vs. Keyword Planner

 

BiQ completely blows Keyword Planner out of the water in one department: search results. 

 

Unlike Keyword Planner that sources data only from Google servers, BiQ combines data from all search engines (yes, even your Grandma’s favorite search engine) to surface accurate keyword ideas, long-tail keywords, search volume estimates, and more. 

 

BiQ is also incredibly versatile. Between Keyword Intelligence, Rank Intelligence, Rank Tracking, and Content Intelligence, you’ll have 1001 ways to approach your keyword research masterplan.

 

Keyword Planner is overall easier to use than BiQ, and that’s unexpected. But once you conquer the initial learning curve, you’ll be more than ready to ace your content strategy, one blog at a time.

 

2. SeMrush Keyword Magic Tool

 

The secret is in the name—SeMrush brings magic to your keyword strategy the David Copperfield way (Oh, and btw, Copperfield is freaking awesome!)



 



 

Imagine a tool that’s got access to 20 billion keywords, complete with 808 million domains crawled…
 

A tool that accurately groups search terms by topic (plus a dozen other metrics, including questions, language, search volume, and keyword density), meticulously analyzes one keyword after another, and allows you to export keywords between different features…
 

A tool that’s been winning awards even before France thrashed Croatia in that World Cup final (2018, is that you?)…

 

The cherry on the icing on the SEMrush cake?

 

You can accomplish literally everything with this tool. Content ideation, optimization… name it. With its otherworldly database and cutting-edge semantic filters, SEMrush is perfect for exploring niche topics.

 

Worth the plunge?

 

Time to find out…

 

Pricing
 

If you are getting BiQ for a price of 3 pizzas, then SEMrush, with all those bells and whistles, probably goes for…absolutely nothing. 



 



 

That’s right, SEMrush has a free version, and in it, you can make 10 queries per day, including Domain and Keyword analytics queries. 

 

However, if you’re looking to give your keyword research a real and lasting boost, then you’re better off with the $119.95 a month package. Run 3,000 reports a day, search 100 times per hour, and do everything people do with tools they’ve paid an arm and a leg for (Netflix fanatics, are you there?).
 

SEMrush vs. Keyword Planner

 

SEMrush might have 1001 problems, but beating Keyword Planner in the battle of best keyword research tools isn’t one of them.
 

Compared to SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner is just meh (no offense). The former shows you all the basic metrics that the latter has, but the keyword suggestions are much more diverse and, quite frankly, higher quality.

 

That said, SEMrush isn’t without its fair share of blemishes. 
 

Some marketers argue SEMrush isn’t exactly 100% accurate and can sometimes surface misleading results. Others, perhaps out to taint the good reputation of this otherwise incredible tool, put its accuracy at 90% or less. Oh-dear.

 

My opinion? Nothing is bang-on accurate this side of the hemisphere; not even a micrometer. 
 

Haters: please cut SEMrush some slack, will you? 

 

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3. Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
 

One thing about the best Keyword Planner alternatives is they are almost always similar. You can rest assured that there are more parallels between the tools in this rundown than differences.


 

That said, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is as worthy of your hard-earned money as the more popular Keyword Planner. It’s—dare we say?—an absolute powerhouse of information.

 

 

 




 

Specifically, you can use Ahrefs for:


 

  • Unearthing SERP features for keywords
  • Exploring parent topics
  • Determining monthly search volume
  • Estimating paid/organic clicks for keywords


 

Want to go the extra mile and peek what’s trending on social media so you too can jump on the bandwagon? Fret not, Ahrefs’ content explorer is the humble captain at your service.
 

Pricing
 

Does Ahref cost a fortune? Well, not exactly. On the contrary, Ahref could very well be the only Keyword Planner alternative out there with incredibly flexible packages; there’s literally a package for any budget. 



 



 

$99?  $199?  $399?  More? Ahref has got your back.
 

Ahrefs vs. Google Planner
 

Ok, Google Planner is good. But Ahrefs good? Nuuh, and it’s not even close.
 

First, the tool gives you succinct (read: short and sweet) stats about any keyword of your choice. It goes down and under to surface things like search volume, CPC, clicks, volume by country, and keyword difficulty analysis, all within a single click.

 

Second, Ahrefs makes it super easy to find the “perfect” keywords; I mean, keywords with high search volume and low difficulty. Sadly, this is an area Keyword Planner is yet to truly shine.

 

Price is perhaps the only area where Keyword Planner aces the mini-battle with Ahrefs. The rest is pretty much undebatable.

 

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4. Moz Keyword Explorer
 

Gotta admit it; this tool’s name sounds more like something you’d say after running 10 laps around a 400-meter field nonstop. Who the heck calls a top-tier keyword research tool Moz? Not even Kickass or Firecracker, but Moz. Seriously?



 



 

Jokes aside, Moz Keyword Explorer is not just a keyword tool; it’s like the Swiss Army Knife of search engine optimization. In particular, Moz provides two very unique data points:


 

  • Organic CTR score: This click-through rate demonstrates the number of clicks you’re expected to attract on page one of Google.
  • Priority score: The priority score is a mixture of all the individual factors a typical tool uses to suggest keyword options. It combines data on CTR, keyword difficulty, and search volume to help you select the best terms for your content strategy. Name a stronger metric, I’ll wait.


 

Oh, and before I forget, Moz’s ability to find keywords that are topically similar but don’t contain the word you started with is unrivalled. For instance, you could start with the word “phacoemulsification” and end up with a dozen suggestions that are completely unrelated to the original search term. 
 

Impressive, right?
 

Pricing

 

10. That’s the number of queries you’ll enjoy with a free Moz account. 

 

 

 



 

That said, Moz is inherently not a standalone tool, which means you’ll have to subscribe to the entire SEO suite to get the tastiest piece of the pie. 

 

For only $179 a month, you can access Moz’s keyword research features in the platform’s Medium plan. 
 

Moz vs. Keyword Planner

 

Overall, Moz’s UX is way better. Navigating through it feels like walking on warm, toasty sand in the height of winter. Pure feels.

 

Besides, Moz allows you to save keywords for later use (say whaaa!?), a feature that Keyword Planner is yet to incorporate.

 

Contrastingly, the ability to view mobile versus desktop monthly trends in Keyword Planner is surreal. 
 

5. SpyFu
 

If there’s one Keyword Planner alternative capable of turning you from a total noob to a ruthless SEO ninja in no more than a few tries, it’s this one. No wonder many marketers (including us) the world over swear by it. 



 



 

SpyFu is the #1 choice for peeking into, unwrapping, and studying your competitor’s SEO strategies. It’s like being given a leaflet (or ten!) straight from your competitor’s ranking cheat book. 
 

Their keyword tool is up there with the top gongs in this space. Between uncovering high-value, virtually untapped keywords and comparing different websites competing for a single search term, there’s so much you can achieve with SpyFu. 
 

Pricing
 

Spyfu is a little different from all other Keyword Planner alternatives in this rundown as they offer monthly results, not real-time feedback.



 



 

For only $33 a month, you can master the art of stealing your competitor’s high-ranking keywords and have maximum fun while at it.
 

Spyfu vs. Keyword Planner
 

On one hand, you have the best competitor analysis tool ever created (forgive our obvious bias here). On the other, you have possibly the most popular keyword research tool around.

 

Who wins?
 

Here…

 

No, scroll further…
 

Spy what now?

 

Easy guess…
 

SpyFu.

 

And that’s down to two things:
 

  • Spyfu gives room to discover ranking difficulty and historical rank changes 
  • It’s got additional modules for in-depth domain analysis

 

Unfortunately for Keyword Planner, it’s not exactly a big-game player in these two circles.
 

However, there’s one area where it beats our beloved SpyFu hands down (hello darkness my ‘ol friend), and that’s in the real-time results department. 

 

Nonetheless, you wouldn’t go wrong with this tool. After all, even the perfect 10 has a zero on it.

 

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6. Long Tail Pro

 

Ah, long-tail keywords. They’re the standard nowadays, and anyone who neglects them risks facing the full wrath of the Google gods (page 365, are you there?).



 


 

Long Tail Pro is the ideal tool to banish all your long-tail keywords demons, particularly if you own a niche site. Heck, the tool has even found a cult following with business owners for micro-niche sites. 
 

Use it for:

 

  • Easily finding long-tail keywords
  • Powerful, well-fleshed-out keyword metrics
  • 2,500 SERP lookups every 24 hours (absolutely mental!)
  • Curated recommendations for attracting highly convertible organic traffic


 

Pricing
 

Subscriptions for this top-tier Keyword Planner alternative start from as low as $25 per month (when billed annually).



 

 

In general, you can pick from these three plans:
 

  • Starter: $25/month
  • Pro: $45/month
  • Agency: $98/month

 

Long Tail Pro vs. Keyword Planner
 

Is there any battle here? Nada. Thing is, Long Tail Pro pulls data straight from Keyword Planner as well as two other sources via API (Majestic.com and Moz.com), making it an almost unbeatable tool. 
 

Once you key in your seed keywords, Long Tail Pro outputs suggested keywords related to your seed keywords, search volume, Ads suggested bid, Ads competition, total words, rank value, average keyword competition, language searched, and location searched. Unreal output, if you ask me. 

 

So, no, Keyword Planner can’t compete—unless, of course, you’re using the paid version.

 

7. Keywords Everywhere

 

Keywords Everywhere is pretty unique as it’s inherently a Chrome & Firefox extension. 

 

 

 



 

That simply means you can get the search volume of any keyword by going directly to Google and keying it in. Technically, you don’t even have to search for the keyword. The tool directly displays the search volume for that keyword in the Google Autocomplete section, as well as lists additional keywords.
 

Pricing

 

As you might imagine, this tool’s pricing is up there with the most unique in the industry. 

 

Keywords Everywhere’s top up system allows you to purchase credits in exchange for discovering keywords. $50 buys 500,000 credits, which translate 500,000 keywords. 

 

 



 

It’s particularly ideal if the prospect of dishing out $50+ as monthly subscription fee drives you nuts.
 

Keywords Everywhere vs. Keyword Planner
 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a battle here. Notably, both of these tools aren’t nearly as packed feature-wise as most other tools in this rundown.

 

Compared to the Keyword Planner, Keywords Everywhere boasts a more extensive search bandwidth, spanning up to 15 websites, including YouTube, Bing, and Google Search Console. And, of course, there’s that bit about a very flexible pricing system.


Keyword Planner is the more budget-friendly and accurate option of the two. Plus, if you’re really looking for a keyword research tool and not a competitor analysis powerhouse, Keyword Planner is the more natural fit.

 

8. Soovle

 

Simple. Quick. Effective. 



 



 

These three words best describe Soovle, one of the best supplementary keyword research tools around. 
 

This Keyword Planner alternative works by aggregating results from other search engines. So instead of having to search on each website, you get to access all the data in one central location (**the Lazy Song plays subtly in the background**)
 

Pricing

 

If you aren’t yet ready to invest in a paid tool and still can’t bring yourself to use Keyword Planner, then Soovle is for you. 
 

Why?

 

Because, it costs nothing. Zero. Nada.

 

Yep, you heard that right.
 

You only need to lift a few fingers and do the typing. That’s it.

 

Soovle vs. Keyword Planner

 

Can Soovle solve the mystery behind your keyword research strategy where simple planning with Keyword Planner couldn’t cut it?


Well, hmm, to some extent.

 

For one, it’s got a super user-friendly interface. Like super, super friendly. Keyword Planner’s interface, on the other hand, is just meh. 

 

Second, Soovle allows you to customize and personalize your keyword data by adding your logo and branding to the reports. You know why this is important for your SEO strategy? Simple: professional reports can help you attract more clients. 
 

As for Keyword Planner, data customization is not really one of its strongest suits. After all, there’s only so much one can achieve with a free tool.

 

Speaking of free tools, Soovle too falters in several key aspects. For example, while simple and easy to use, its interface is flat-out dated. It’s also far from being an all-inclusive keyword research solution, which, in all honesty, is the gold standard nowadays. 
 

9. LSI Keyword Generator

 

One a scale of one to ten, how effective is your content strategy? Does it explore niches that your competition is shadowboxing through?

 

Unfortunately, there’s no way around creating an epic content strategy; every niched piece you come across almost always has an army of smart marketers toiling in the background. 
 

Guess what these marketers fondly use for keyword ideation? Wonder no more; it’s the ever-reliable LSI Keyword Generator.

 

 

 



 

LSI Keyword Generator is a dream come for true for marketers who simply want to find profitable yet semantically related keywords. These kinds of keywords are a goldmine because they enable you to create relevant content with fresh angles to really sweep your target audience off their feet.

 

What could possibly prevent you from adding such a kickass Keyword Planner alternative to your content marketing arsenal? 
 

Maybe, just maybe, it’s the price.

 

Or is it?
 

Pricing

 

Nuuh, it’s not the price.
 

A basic plan with up to 100 searches a day goes for $27/month while a premium plan with 300 searches a day costs $37/month.

 

LSI Keyword Generator vs. Keyword Planner

 

Keyword Planner, time to go back to your cave. 

 

These two are no match for each other, especially if you’re all about exploring niched topics. It’s really that simple.
 

Where Keyword Planner fails with unconsolidated phrase search, LSI Keyword Generator rescues the day with a steady stream of unique LSI keywords curated to perfection. Plus, its interface is as simple and easy to use as they come.
 

Oh, and did I mention the tool has got a formula to identify the value of keywords? My bad; it’s called Latent Semantic Value. The better the LSV, the more likely your content will rank for that keyword. Seriously, how cool is that?
 

10. Serpstat 

 

Serpstat might be an all-in-one SEO tool with over 30 tools, but it’s its keyword research tool that puts it on the map. 



 



 

This tool’s database is so huge that India’s population has nothing on it. 6 billion keywords to choose from isn’t that bad at all, is it? 
 

Type in a keyword, and the following data instantly surfaces:


 

  • Keyword difficulty
  • List of all the relevant keyword suggestions
  • Search volume of each keyword
  • CPC and PPC competition of keywords and much, much more

 

Pricing

 

The cheapest plan goes for $69 per month, and you’ll get 4,000 queries per day and 10,000 results per report. 



 



 

The most expensive plan? Well, this promises more than you can wrap your head around. At $499 per month, you and your team members get to enjoy every little nicety from the “advanced plan”, complete with 12,000 queries per day and 75,000 results per report. 
 

Serpstat vs. Keyword Planner

 

Serpstat, in all honesty, is in the same league as Moz and SEMrush. Enough said.
 

Pick a Team So You Don’t Have to Pick a Tool

 

All these Keyword Planner alternatives are undeniably effective; they generate keywords at an incredible pace and accuracy, equip you with plentiful content ideas from niche and parent topics alike, all while giving you the best bang for your buck. But that truth comes with a big, big caveat. 
 

To rise above the digital glut, you need more than just keyword-rich content; you need pieces of the utmost quality—rich in insight and information, superior in storytelling savvy, and deeply relevant to the audience you hope to engage. Mediocrity gets you nowhere.

 

Fret not, Zoey is here to give your content strategy some teeth. We work tirelessly to generate pieces of content that capture engagement, draw traffic, deliver value, and invent delight (all while using the best keyword research tool ever created). And our process is simple and repeatable, so you and your team can simply plug-and-play—and be on your way to SEO superstardom.

 

Act now. Talk to our seasoned team of content marketers to enact a winning strategy today! 

 

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Photo by Headway on Unsplash. Thank you Headway!