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There's no shortage of tools purpose-built for keyword research (literally hundreds of them), and they run the gamut from beginner-focused to highly advanced. They also range from totally basic and unhelpful to super valuable.
When done right, the best keyword research tools simplify and streamline your workflow—they make it easier to find the right keywords to target and give you the data you need to actually rank for them. But they shouldn't require you to empty out your bank account and sell your first-born child in order to access that data.
After years of working with multiple clients who use all different tools for keyword research and SEO content optimization, I've seen the best (and the worst) of them—and I know how important it is to choose the right keyword planner tool. To help, I considered more than 90 tools with a free option for keyword research. After in-depth testing, here are the five best free keyword research tools, including the all-around greats and apps built for more specific use cases.
The best free keyword research tools
Google Keyword Planner for researching paid keywords
Semrush for advanced SEO professionals
KWFinder for ad hoc keyword research
AnswerThePublic for content marketing
Allintitle KW Explorer for ad hoc keyword research beyond Google search
What makes the best keyword research tool?
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The features that make for a great keyword research tool are pretty straightforward: you search for a given keyword, and the tool tells you about it. But there are so many different ways to use keyword data, so I wanted to find tools that could handle a variety of use cases, along with a few designed for some of the most popular uses for keyword research.
During testing, I looked primarily at the factors below to determine which apps made the initial list.
Data included. The best keyword research tools give you all the data you need to rank for your chosen keyword. All of the apps I selected include, at minimum, traffic, keyword difficulty, and competitive SERP analysis.
Keyword optimization guidance. You shouldn't have to be a 10-year SEO industry veteran to use keyword research tools—the best tools offer simple, straightforward suggestions to optimize for your keywords. There are tools (like Ahrefs and Moz) that do complete SEO analysis on your site, checking for everything from site speed and technical details to domain authority and topic clusters. That's not what we're looking for here. We're looking for tools that any business owner or marketer can use to quickly understand their target keyword and optimize their site to rank for it.
Free plan allowances and upgrades. Some tools include super limited results for free and call it a "free plan." Or they put time limits on the free plan, effectively making it more of a trial. I only included tools with evergreen free plans generous enough to actually be useful—and they won't break the bank when it's time to upgrade, either.
Standalone functionality. Since you're looking for something free, your keyword tool should be a one-stop shop—without requiring any additional tools or extensions to work for you, especially not ones you'd have to pay for. And while I didn't consider them for this roundup, there are a number of great WordPress SEO plugins you can start using right away if you have a WordPress site.
To find the best of the best, I put each tool that checked those boxes to the test by running through an in-depth protocol. Here's what my testing workflow looked like:
If needed, I created an account and went through any provided onboarding or guided tutorials (many of these free apps don't require account creation or provide any onboarding).
I searched for a few different kinds of keywords—e.g., "free keyword research tools," "chocolate cake," and "white sneakers for women"—to see the results for different search intent.
I checked which related keywords, metrics, and other data were offered. I also made note of the source, whether information was pulled from Google, included non-search engine websites (like social media or forums), or was drawn from the tool's own native data.
I verified allowances for the free plan—whether limited by time, number of results, metrics included, searches per day or month, or something else—and the cost to upgrade to a paid plan if needed.
Where available, I tested out additional keyword research tools like competitive gap analysis, content optimization features, AI, and more.
After spending over a dozen hours with these apps this year, I landed on the five best keyword research tools—each with a manageable free version—below.
The best free keyword research tools at a glance
Best for | Standout feature | Free plan | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Researching paid keywords | Forecasting features and budget planning | Completely free (but you get more out of it if you use Google Ads) | ||
Advanced SEO professionals | Granular keyword data | 10 Analytics reports per day, 10 tracked keywords | ||
Ad hoc keyword research | Keyword opportunities | 5 searches per day | ||
Content marketing | Flywheel keyword graphic | 3 searches per day | ||
Ad hoc keyword research beyond Google search | Source filtering for non-Google SERP keywords | 10 tokens per month |
The best free keyword research tool for paid keywords
Google Keyword Planner (Web)
Google Keyword Planner pros:
Completely free forever, even if you don't use Google Ads
Helpful forecasting features for budgeting if you do use Google Ads
Can pull keyword suggestions from just your website
Google Keyword Planner cons:
Not as helpful for organic keyword research
When it comes to PPC keyword research, Google Keyword Planner is one of the best tools out there. It's completely free (even if you don't buy Google Ads), so you never have to worry about running into limits or expensive upgrades.
Google Keyword Planner includes two main features: one for exploratory keyword research and discovery and another for more in-depth research on search volume and forecasting.
The Keyword ideas feature is similar to many of the tools on this list: you search for a seed term, and it generates other keyword ideas, along with details on monthly search volume, change over time, competition, ad impression share, and bid ranges. You can refine your keyword list by brand or non-brand keywords, source website, and more. If you're also using Google Ads, the Forecast feature makes it easier to plan ahead for your paid ads and budget in advance.
Keyword Planner can inform your organic strategy, too, by showing you where ranking organically may help you save on PPC costs.
Google Keyword Planner pricing: Free
The best free keyword research tool for advanced SEO
Semrush (Web)
Semrush pros:
Tons of granular keyword data
Wide range of specialized keyword research tools
Pretty generous free plan
Semrush cons:
Can be overwhelming for those less experienced with keyword research
Most expensive upgrade
If you're looking for something more advanced, Semrush shares a ton of keyword data and makes it easy to dig into the details, like SERP features (AI overview, knowledge panel, reviews, site links, image pack, and so on) and granular analysis of current results. Semrush offers a broad range of keyword research tools, too, from the standard traffic and search volume data to content-driven keyword research and competitive keyword gap analysis.
That range is what really sets Semrush apart, including the standard Keyword Overview, the Keyword Magic Tool for exploratory keyword research, a Keyword Manager and position tracking, competitive Keyword Gap analysis, keyword cannibalization report, and Organic Traffic Insights, which—when connected with your Google Analytics or Search Console account—can uncover those famously tricky "not provided" keywords.
As an added bonus, the SEO Content Template tool lets you automatically create a content brief, and the SEO Writing Assistant helps optimize content as you write by grading your content in real-time for readability, originality, tone of voice, and SEO: it uses a handy bullseye graphic to help you strike the right balance. Plus, the tool visually checks off SEO recommendations (like using your target and related keywords and adding relevant links and images) as you go.
All of this means that upgrading will cost you a pretty penny—but you can use it for free at low volumes to start.
You can do more with Semrush by connecting it with Zapier, turning keyword insights into orchestrated workflows across your business. Access your Semrush data directly from your AI chatbot, and take action across every app in your tech stack based on the analysis.
Semrush pricing: Free plan includes up to 10 Analytics reports per day and 10 tracked keywords; paid plans start at $139.95/month for up to 10,000 results per report and 500 tracked keywords.
The best free keyword research tool for ad hoc needs
KWFinder (Web)
KWFinder pros:
Tons of data points available free
Unique data like keyword opportunities
Part of a broader SEO suite
KWFinder cons:
Limited to 5 searches per day
If you don't need to do a lot of keyword research in your day-to-day, KWFinder is a strong option. The free plan limits you to 5 searches per day, but each keyword search offers a ton of data. That includes standard metrics like monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, related keywords, and a breakdown of the pages currently ranking for your keyword.
But KWFinder also includes a number of unique and super helpful details, like searcher intent for each keyword and the type of content already ranking (e.g., listicle, homepage, blog, or product page).
My favorite of these is the keyword opportunities column, which identifies weak points in the page one results and suggests how you can capitalize on those weaknesses and outrank them. For example, it can identify if the top results are outdated (more than six months old) or missing the full keyword in their meta title.
KWFinder is also part of the broader Mangools suite, which includes a number of other SEO tools, many of which are available for free in some limited way—like the SERP simulator, AI search grader, and SEO content optimizer.
KWFinder pricing: Free plan includes up to 5 keyword searches per day; paid plans start at $61/month for up to 100 lookups per day and additional results.
The best free keyword research tool for content marketing
AnswerThePublic (Web)
AnswerThePublic pros:
Flywheel graphic makes it easy to digest ideas
Reasonable upgrade
AnswerThePublic cons:
Limited to 3 keyword searches per day
Normally, I wouldn't consider a keyword research tool with such a low daily limit (the free plan only includes 3 searches per day), but AnswerThePublic offers up so much data within each search that it's worth a look anyway.
It's also the tool that integrates classic SEO with AEO/GEO in the most approachable way. For example, I loved the flywheel graphic you see in the screenshot above. It's a genuinely unique, easily digestible way to present keyword ideas. By default, the keyword research tool includes ideas for AI, search engines, social media, and shopping—and you can filter through each by navigating the corresponding tabs along the top.
In the AI Models tab, you'll see a summary with search intent across top AI models, a flywheel broken down by intent, and a table of related prompts.
In the Search Engines tab, you'll find monthly search volume and CPC. Scroll down to see the same flywheel graphic—this time broken down by keyword type (related, questions, prepositions, alphabeticals, and numbers)—followed by the standard keyword list you expect from a keyword research tool.
And with Content Studio, you can use AI to quickly generate content for any of the keywords in your report.
While the free plan is pretty limited, it's workable if you don't do a ton of keyword research all at once—and the upgrade to a paid plan is pretty reasonable.
AnswerThePublic pricing: Free plan includes 3 searches per day; paid plans start at $20/month for 100 searches per month and 1,000 AI prompt suggestions per month.
The best free keyword research tool for ad hoc needs beyond Google search
Allintitle KW Explorer (Web)
Allintitle KW Explorer pros:
Source filtering for research beyond Google SERPs
Part of a broader SEO suite
Flexible upgrade options
Allintitle KW Explorer cons:
Limited to 10 tokens per month
Allintitle is another sturdy option for infrequent or irregular keyword research needs. You can use the keyword explorer tool without creating an account, and it pulls a ton of data points for free—including content optimization suggestions and keyword gap analysis—and offers flexible pay-as-you-go or monthly subscription upgrades if and when the time comes.
The free plan includes up to 10 "tokens" per month, which breaks out to about 10 bulk keyword searches or 5 uses of the more targeted Keyword Explorer tool.
While it includes all the standard metrics you expect—keyword difficulty, search volume, LSI keywords, and a SERP overview—what sets Allintitle apart from similar tools is how easy it is to use for keyword research beyond your standard Google SERP.
When you run a keyword explorer search, you'll see the distribution across source websites. Scroll down to the table and tab over to Related Keywords, and you can filter by source. This makes it easy to find the top keywords across a number of non-Google sources, including Amazon, eBay, YouTube, TikTok, and Perplexity.
Allintitle KW Explorer pricing: Free for up to 10 tokens per month (one general keyword search uses 1 token; one Keyword Explorer search uses 2 tokens). Paid plans start at $30 for 600 pay-as-you-go tokens or $49/month for the Starter plan, which includes 50,000 tokens per month and access to every feature.
Can you use AI chatbots for keyword research?
You can ask AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude to do keyword research for you—but should you?
The short answer is yes. You can ask a chatbot for straightforward, simplified results and get a simple, streamlined answer—one that probably covers what you need for basic, ad hoc keyword research.
In this year's testing, I found a bigger capability gap between chatbots, with ChatGPT and Claude producing the most useful data with the least amount of back-and-forth (better even than Google's own Gemini).
Here's what I got from ChatGPT, for example.
I also asked ChatGPT to expand on the keyword opportunity, and it offered decent results and guidance.
Claude offered similar results, with decisive and contextual guidance.
And of course—unlike most dedicated keyword research tools—you can chat, refine, and iterate until you get the information you're looking for.
With all the requisite caveats about hallucinations and double-checking your chatbot, if you're looking to do one-off keyword research, ChatGPT or Claude can probably do the trick.
That said, they aren't built for keyword research specifically. They don't have specialized tools out-of-the-box like detailed SERP overviews, keyword gap analysis, or rank tracking—and they tend to offer less precise numerical data than a dedicated tool like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush. There's no clean way to keep track of the keywords you've researched (unless that's the only thing you're using the chatbot for—unlikely).
For my money, I'd still opt for a dedicated keyword research tool like one of those highlighted above, but the choice between chatbot and purpose-built tool is more a matter of personal preference than in previous years.
Of course, lots of dedicated SEO tools (though usually not the free ones) will have AI built in—that's the best of both worlds.
When should you upgrade from a free keyword research tool?
The short answer is: only when you need to. If you can get all the data you need without going over the allowances of one of the free plans above, there's no reason to upgrade to a paid plan (or switch to a fully paid tool).
With that said, here are a few signs it may be time to consider upgrading:
You're regularly hitting the monthly or daily search limits of your current solution.
You're missing out on features you can't get for free, like content optimization guidance or the ability to track your site's keywords and rankings over time.
You need additional SEO features that an upgraded all-in-one tool can provide (like technical SEO, site auditing, etc).
When the time comes, some of the tools on this list can grow right along with you. But if you want to see all your options, here are Zapier's lists of helpful SEO tools to get you started:
Related reading:
This article was originally published in June 2021. The most recent update was in July 2026.
