ubersuggest vs google-keyword-planner
Ubersuggest vs Google Keyword Planner — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest represent two fundamentally different approaches to keyword research. Google's tool gives you data straight from the source — actual search volume and competition metrics from the world's largest search engine — but limits functionality unless you're running active Google Ads campaigns. Ubersuggest packages keyword research into a broader SEO suite with additional features like content suggestions and site auditing.
The choice between them often comes down to whether you need just keyword data or want a complete SEO toolkit. Google Keyword Planner excels at providing accurate search volumes and is completely free, while Ubersuggest offers more comprehensive keyword suggestions, competitor analysis, and content planning features for a monthly fee.
Feature Comparison
Google Keyword Planner provides the most accurate search volume data available since it comes directly from Google's advertising platform. You get precise monthly search volumes, competition levels for ads, and suggested bid ranges. The tool excels at finding related keywords and provides historical data and forecasts. However, detailed data requires running active Google Ads campaigns — without ads spend, you only get broad volume ranges like "10K-100K" instead of specific numbers. Ubersuggest takes a different approach, offering keyword suggestions pulled from multiple sources including Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon. It provides estimated search volumes, keyword difficulty scores, and CPC data without requiring ad spend. Beyond basic keyword research, Ubersuggest includes content ideas showing top-performing articles for your keywords, backlink analysis, and site audit features that identify technical SEO issues. The data accuracy differs significantly. Google Keyword Planner's volumes are authoritative but limited to active advertisers. Ubersuggest's estimates are less precise but more accessible, using third-party data sources to approximate Google's numbers. For keyword discovery, Ubersuggest often surfaces more long-tail variations and related terms than Google's tool.
Pricing Comparison
Google Keyword Planner is completely free but requires a Google Ads account. You can access basic features without spending money, but detailed search volume data only appears when you're running active campaigns. This makes it effectively free for advertisers but limited for SEO-only users. Ubersuggest starts at $12/month for the Individual plan, covering 150 searches per day, 1 domain, and 125 tracked keywords. The Business plan at $20/month includes 300 daily searches and 3 domains, while Enterprise at $40/month offers 900 searches and 7 domains. All paid plans include the same feature set — site audits, content ideas, and rank tracking — with usage limits being the main differentiator.
Best For
Google Keyword Planner works best for businesses already running Google Ads campaigns or those needing the most accurate search volume data available. It's ideal for PPC keyword research, validating keyword opportunities with official Google data, and finding keywords specifically for Google Ads campaigns. SEO professionals who can justify ad spend to unlock full data access will find this tool invaluable. Ubersuggest suits businesses wanting an all-in-one SEO solution without the complexity of enterprise tools. It's perfect for content creators needing keyword ideas combined with content inspiration, small agencies managing multiple client sites, and anyone wanting keyword difficulty scores to prioritize their SEO efforts. The content suggestions feature makes it particularly useful for blogs and content marketing.
The Verdict
Choose Google Keyword Planner if you're running Google Ads or need the most accurate search data for critical business decisions. Its data quality is unmatched, and the price (free with ads) can't be beaten. However, for most SEO professionals and content creators, Ubersuggest offers better value through its comprehensive feature set and easier access to actionable data. The $12/month investment gets you keyword research plus site auditing and content planning tools that would cost significantly more with separate solutions.