alsoasked vs answerthepublic
AlsoAsked vs AnswerThePublic — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Both AlsoAsked and AnswerThePublic help you find question-based keywords, but they mine different data sources and present insights differently. AlsoAsked focuses specifically on Google's "People Also Ask" boxes, while AnswerThePublic pulls from autocomplete suggestions across multiple question types and prepositions.
The choice between them comes down to whether you want deeper PAA data analysis (AlsoAsked) or broader question discovery across different query patterns (AnswerThePublic). AlsoAsked launched in 2020 as a more specialized tool, while AnswerThePublic has been the go-to question research tool since 2014.
Feature Comparison
AlsoAsked excels at mapping PAA questions into visual clusters that show how topics connect and expand. You can drill down through question paths, seeing exactly how Google's PAA boxes branch from one question to the next. This gives you a clear content hierarchy and helps identify topic gaps in your content strategy. The tool also provides search volume estimates and tracks PAA questions over time. AnswerThePublic takes a broader approach, visualizing autocomplete data across question words (what, why, how), prepositions (for, with, without), and comparisons (vs, like, or). Their signature sunburst visualization shows the full spectrum of how people search around a topic. However, it doesn't provide the deep PAA relationship mapping that AlsoAsked offers, and the data comes from autocomplete suggestions rather than actual PAA boxes. Both tools export data to CSV, but AlsoAsked includes more actionable metrics like PAA appearance frequency and question difficulty scores. AnswerThePublic focuses more on discovery volume across different query types.
Pricing Comparison
AnswerThePublic starts at $5/month for 100 searches, making it significantly more affordable for small teams or individual content creators. Their free tier allows 2 searches per day, which is decent for occasional use. AlsoAsked costs $15/month for their basic plan, offering 100 PAA maps. While pricier, you get more sophisticated data analysis and visualization features. Their free tier provides 3 searches per day, giving you a better taste of the full functionality compared to AnswerThePublic's more limited free version.
Best For
AlsoAsked is better when you need detailed PAA analysis for content planning, want to understand how Google structures question hierarchies around topics, or you're building comprehensive content clusters. It's particularly valuable for B2B companies and agencies that need to map complex topic relationships and create detailed content briefs. AnswerThePublic is better when you want broad question discovery across multiple search patterns, need an affordable tool for basic keyword research, or you're looking for creative angles and long-tail variations around a topic. It's ideal for content marketers who want to understand the full spectrum of how people search, not just PAA questions.
The Verdict
Choose AlsoAsked if you're serious about PAA-based content strategy and can justify the higher cost for deeper insights. Its specialized focus on actual PAA data makes it more accurate for understanding Google's question hierarchies. AnswerThePublic wins for budget-conscious users who want broader question discovery, but AlsoAsked provides more actionable data for serious SEO work.