5+ Best YouTube Keyword ai Tools of 2026 (Free & Paid)

1. YouTube Search Bar

Best free option for YouTube Keyword research

• Website:YouTube

• Price: Free

Initially, you don't need to rely on a YouTube keyword tool or software. A straightforward, free approach is to find trending searches using the YouTube search bar.

This is the fastest way to gather keyword ideas for your YouTube marketing strategy since you can do it directly on YouTube.

Pros:

• Generates keyword ideas quickly from YouTube itself

• No need for software subscriptions or third-party tools

Cons:

• Offers fewer ideas compared to more extensive tools

• Lacks keyword metrics for determining the best topics for your channel

How to Use This Tool

Enter a word or phrase into the YouTube search bar and wait for the autocomplete suggestions to appear below.

For example:

YouTube will suggest topics based on previous user searches, indicating interest in the keyword. 

When you find a suitable idea for your channel, add it to a keyword list for future use. 

2. Keyword Analytics for YouTube

Best YouTube keyword tool for beginners

• Website: Keyword Analytics for YouTube

• Price: $10/month

The tool assigns each keyword a “Competitive Rate,” indicating how difficult it may be to rank for that keyword in YouTube search.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface—unlikely to be overwhelmed by data

• Connects to popular videos related to your topic, providing inspiration for new video marketing ideas

• Displays related keywords, giving alternative options if a term is too competitive or unsuitable

Cons:

• Exclusively a YouTube keyword analysis tool, meaning no access to additional creator tools with a subscription.

• The “Most Viewed Videos” feature might not display videos relevant to your business or niche

How to Use This Tool

To use the tool, select the “Top Keywords” tab, set your location, then enter a topic you want to cover on your channel. 

Then, click “Search.”

Review the keywords in the table, along with their search volumes and competitive rates. 

When selecting topics to cover (or which keywords to optimize your YouTube videos for), a higher search volume is generally preferable because more people are searching for the topic. 

However, if your channel has fewer subscribers, also focus on low-competition keywords (i.e., lower Competitive Rate) so your videos have a better chance of appearing in searches.

My Favorite Part

I like the “Fast growing keywords” feature for spotting trending topics. 

For example, the “Change” column highlights which keywords gained the most popularity in the past day or week. 

And then I create videos or YouTube shorts related to them. To capitalize on the growing interest. 

3. vidIQ

Best YouTube keyword tool for full-time creators

• Website: vidIQ

• Price: $19/month

vidIQ is a YouTube growth platform that helps creators find relevant keywords to increase their videos' reach. 

You can discover related keywords, matching terms, and commonly searched questions on YouTube. Then, use the data to select the best opportunities for your channel.

If you’re a full-time creator who needs in-depth keyword insights and video optimization in one place, vidIQ may suit you.

Pros:

• Offers top keyword suggestions customized for your channel and topics

• Allows unlimited searches, enabling extensive research

• Enables exporting keyword lists as spreadsheets for easy sharing

Cons:

• Lacks the ability to filter research by location or country

• The competition score can be misleading; for instance, high-competition keywords receive a lower “Overall” score

How to Use This Tool

Click on the “Keywords” tab in the left-hand menu of vidIQ to access the YouTube keyword search tool.

Input a topic or phrase and hit enter on your keyboard.

Browse the keywords in the tables. To copy a keyword for a list, select the checkbox to the left of the term and click “Copy.”

4. 1of10Best YouTube keyword tool for competitor research 

• Website: 1of10

• Price: $39/month

1of10 is a YouTube competitor research tool that helps you find video topics that are more likely to get views.

The tool only shows “outlier videos” in its results. Meaning videos that have performed significantly above average (when compared to similar ones). 

You can search videos by niche & keywords. And use the results as inspiration for your own content. 

Pros:

• Multiplier scores estimate how well certain video topics might perform

• Advanced filters let you sort outlier videos by length, views, channel subscribers, and more

• Tracking features let you monitor high-performing videos from specific competitors

Cons:

• No search volume data, so you can’t gauge overall interest 

• The tool prioritizes virality (as opposed to target audience), which isn’t as useful if you use YouTube for lead generation

How to Use This Tool

Click the “Home” tab in the left-hand menu. Then search for a keyword or topic in the search bar at the top of the dashboard.

Instead of keyword metrics, you’ll see a list of related outlier videos. Look for those that have high multiplier scores.

Bookmark those videos to use as inspiration for your channel. Creating a video on a similar topic may lead to more visibility in YouTube search. 

5. TubeBuddyBest YouTube keyword tool for personalized recommendations 

• Website: TubeBuddy

• Price: There is a free version. But to fully access the keyword research features, you’ll need the Pro subscription, which is $26.39/month.

TubeBuddy is a browser extension that includes a full suite of YouTube tools, including its Keyword Explorer. 

Once downloaded, access the keyword tool by clicking the TubeBuddy extension button when you visit YouTube.

Pros:

• “Weighted” competition scores factor in your channel’s niche, subscriber count, and competitor set 

• “Optimization” scores help identify strong ranking opportunities 

• YouTube and Google search trends for keywords (up to the past 12 months)

Cons:

• You’ll need to be in YouTube to access the tool, which can be distracting

• There is no way to make keyword lists for sharing, which reduces usability for agencies or teams

How to Use This Tool

When you’re in YouTube, click on the teal TubeBuddy extension button and locate the Keyword Explorer under the “Tools” tab.

Type in a term or phrase and click “Explore.” Then, slide the toggle to “Weighted” to see competition scores for your specific channel.

Prioritize the keywords that have “Good” search volume, “Low” competition, and “Excellent” optimization strength. 

My Favorite Part

When I don’t have time for keyword research, I like that TubeBuddy makes it easy to add keyword tags to videos before posting them.

Browse tags by relevance, Keyword Score, or search traffic. And choose the combination that aligns with your goals. 

6. Keywords Everywhere

Best YouTube keyword tool for marketers

• Website: Keywords Everywhere

• Price: $6/month

Keywords Everywhere is a browser extension that shows keyword data in a sidebar and beneath videos as you search on YouTube. 

It displays search volume, search trends, most used tags, and related keywords.

Pros:

• Offers a broad range of keyword metrics for your keyword strategy

• Includes advanced reports that compare optimization details for the top 20 videos 

• Displays SEO scores with each video result, so you can see how optimized the top-ranking results are

Cons: 

• Displays a lot of data, which may be overwhelming if you’re new to SEO

• Each search costs one credit, so when you’re browsing YouTube casually, you’ll need to turn off the extension to not waste your quota

How to Use This Tool

Search for a topic or phrase on YouTube and wait for the keyword data to populate results.

Keyword data will appear underneath the search bar, below each video result, and in a sidebar. Like this:

Click on the blue hyperlinks in the different categories to see more detailed reports. And copy or export the keyword data at any time.

Whenever you do another YouTube search, fresh data will populate. 

My Favorite Part

I find that the additional data available in this tool can help you optimize your keyword strategy for more views and engagements.

For example, metrics like “Average Views,” “Average Age,” and “Total verified channels,” aren’t available in most tools. 

But they can help you understand if a topic is still relevant to users. And if there are recently published videos covering it.

YouTube Keyword Research Tips

Use these strategies whenever you conduct YouTube keyword research, no matter which tool you utilize:

• Utilize Google Trends to discover or verify information on trending searches

• Examine video tags to identify the topics and subtopics that creators in your field are addressing

• Study competitor videos to understand which keywords they focus on in their titles and descriptions

• Mix high and low-volume keywords to optimize the range of keywords your videos can rank for

• Employ an SEO keyword tool like Keyword Magic Tool to grasp keyword search intent and align your videos with what users are truly seeking

Watch Your YouTube Rankings Improve

Utilizing tools for YouTube keyword research can improve your video rankings, thereby increasing your channel's visibility.

Monitor your video performance with Rank Tracker for YouTube.

To begin, input your YouTube channel link into the text bar and click “Add Channel.”

Next, enter the keywords you wish to track, including those your videos are optimized for.

Insert the keywords line by line into the text box, or export your top keywords from YouTube Studio and paste the top 200. Then, click “Import Keywords.”

You’ll start getting weekly updates for the keywords you added. And can more easily monitor whether your videos move up or down in search.

YouTube keyword research is just one part of a comprehensive SEO strategy. Semrush has more than 55 tools to help improve your search rankings across platforms. Try for free today.