alsoasked vs google-keyword-planner
AlsoAsked vs Google Keyword Planner — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
These tools serve completely different keyword research functions. Google Keyword Planner gives you search volume data and keyword suggestions straight from Google's advertising platform — it's the gold standard for understanding how often people search for specific terms. AlsoAsked, on the other hand, mines Google's "People Also Ask" boxes to map out the questions people are asking around your topics, creating visual webs of related queries.
The choice between them isn't really either/or — they complement each other. But if you're choosing one primary tool for your keyword research workflow, the decision comes down to whether you need volume data or question discovery more urgently.
Feature Comparison
Google Keyword Planner excels at the fundamentals: search volume ranges, competition levels, and seasonal trends for millions of keywords. You can upload lists for bulk analysis, see historical data, and get Google's own bid suggestions for paid campaigns. The data is authoritative because it comes directly from Google's search engine, though volume ranges can be broad unless you're actively spending on Google Ads. AlsoAsked specializes in question mining and relationship mapping. It pulls "People Also Ask" questions and organizes them into visual clusters, showing how topics branch and connect. You can export question lists, track how PAA boxes change over time, and discover content gaps in your niche. The visual interface makes it easy to see topic relationships that would take hours to map manually, but you won't get search volume numbers or competition metrics. The fundamental difference: Keyword Planner tells you what people search for and how often. AlsoAsked tells you what questions they're asking and how those questions relate to each other.
Pricing Comparison
Google Keyword Planner is completely free, though you need a Google Ads account to access it. You get more detailed volume data if you're running active campaigns, but the basic functionality costs nothing. There are no limits on searches or exports. AlsoAsked starts at $15/month for 100 searches, with higher tiers offering more searches and advanced features like bulk exports and API access. They offer a limited free tier, but it's quite restrictive. For agencies or heavy users, you're looking at significantly more than the $0 Google charges.
Best For
Google Keyword Planner is better when you need authoritative search volume data, are working with traditional keyword lists, or want to understand seasonal search patterns. It's essential for PPC planning and works well for basic SEO keyword research where volume and competition data drive decisions. AlsoAsked is better when you're planning content strategy, looking for FAQ opportunities, or trying to understand the questions your audience is actually asking. It's particularly valuable for thought leadership content, comparison pages, and discovering the natural language people use around your topics.
The Verdict
For most SEO practitioners, Google Keyword Planner should be your foundation — the volume data is too valuable to ignore. But AlsoAsked fills a specific gap that Keyword Planner can't address: understanding the question landscape around your topics. If your content strategy focuses on answering user questions or you're building comprehensive topic clusters, AlsoAsked's $15/month is worth every penny as a supplement to free tools like Keyword Planner.