TubeGradeTubeGrade
    Comparison

    TubeGrade vs Keyword Tool: YouTube keywords vs YouTube research

    Keyword Tool gives search volume across 17 platforms, YouTube included, with MCP on every plan. TubeGrade is YouTube-only and goes deeper there: which videos win, which formats repeat, which thumbnails look like the winners.

    Quick verdict

    TubeGrade is built for…

    YouTube research end to end — outliers, formats, thumbnails, competitors, ideas, extension and MCP.

    Keyword Tool is built for…

    Keyword research with search volume on 17 platforms, for marketers and teams.

    • Choose TubeGrade for YouTube research at a creator’s price — $1 for the first month, then $12 a month billed yearly.
    • Choose Keyword Tool if you need search volume across many platforms for marketing work.

    TubeGrade Pro pricing

    Try it

    $1

    first month of Pro

    For new subscribers on monthly Pro. Then $15/month, cancel anytime.

    $12

    a month, billed yearly

    $144 a year — 2 months free compared with monthly.

    Free plan, no card: 100 AI credits, 10 live searches a month, 11 free tools without signup.

    Try Pro for $1

    TubeGrade vs Keyword Tool: feature comparison

    TubeGrade and Keyword Tool features and prices, checked October 2026
    FeatureTubeGradeKeyword Tool
    Price$1 first month, then $15/mo — or $12/mo billed yearlyPro from $88/mo, or $68/mo annual
    Keyword researchKeyword Map — real YouTube searchesSearch volume on 17 platforms
    Outlier search3 ways: live YouTube search, niche research, our breakout database (Pro)—
    Winning formatsTitle + thumbnail formats, detected weekly—
    Similar-thumbnail searchVisual “More like this” + image upload (Pro)—
    MCP (Claude / ChatGPT)Free and Pro — 23 tools for Claude, ChatGPT, CursorEvery plan
    PlatformsYouTube17 platforms

    “—” means we didn’t find it on that product’s own pricing or feature pages. Prices last checked October 2026. Keyword Tool pricing.

    Is TubeGrade a good Keyword Tool alternative?

    For creators, yes. TubeGrade costs a fraction of Keyword Tool Pro and answers the creator’s real question — which video ideas are winning — with outlier scores, formats and thumbnails.

    Where Keyword Tool is stronger

    • Search volume on 17 platforms
    • API on every plan

    What you get with TubeGrade

    3 outlier search modesLive YouTube search, whole-niche research and our database of breakout videos — every video scored against its channel’s usual views.ThumbBoard + similar thumbnailsA board of winning thumbnails for your topics; “More like this” or upload your draft to find look-alikes and how they did.Title & thumbnail formatsThe title templates and thumbnail styles that keep beating their channels, detected every week.Keyword MapBranch one keyword into the searches YouTube itself suggests, as a map you can explore.Competitor trackingFollow up to 5 channels, refreshed daily, with their breakout uploads flagged.AI video ideasIdeas built from your channel, real search suggestions and proven outlier videos.Bookmarks & foldersSave videos and channels from the web app or the extension into folders.Chrome extensionOutlier scores, subscriber counts and channel country across YouTube — and YouTube’s own search suggestions in YouTube Studio’s title and tag fields.MCP for Claude & ChatGPT23 research tools inside your AI assistant, on the free plan too.Free channel pages & rankingsGrowth history for any channel, and weekly fastest-growing and breakout rankings by country.11 free toolsThumbnail and transcript downloaders, tag tools, keyword tool, outlier score checker and more — no signup.Free Outlier FinderTry outlier search on any topic without an account.

    Research YouTube inside Claude or ChatGPT

    Connect TubeGrade’s MCP server and ask in plain words: “Which videos about study vlogs beat their channel this month, and what do their titles have in common?” 23 tools — channel and video stats, outliers, title formats, transcripts, comments and similar thumbnails — on the free plan too.

    Set up TubeGrade MCP

    How we compared

    We read each product’s own pricing and feature pages and quote prices exactly as they show them. Where a site only shows a price in your local currency, we say so instead of converting it. Facts about TubeGrade come from our own product, and any screenshots are ours.

    We did not buy paid plans of the other tools, so we compare what they publish, not hands-on tests of their paid features. We re-check every price at least every three months. Spotted something out of date? Email support@tubegrade.com and we’ll fix it.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is TubeGrade cheaper than Keyword Tool?

    TubeGrade Pro is $15 a month, or $144 a year ($12 a month), and new subscribers pay $1 for their first month of monthly Pro. Keyword Tool Pro starts at $88 a month, or $68 a month billed annually. Prices are taken from each product’s own site.

    Can I use TubeGrade inside Claude or ChatGPT?

    Yes. TubeGrade’s MCP server gives Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients 23 YouTube research tools — channel and video stats, outliers, title formats, transcripts, comments, similar thumbnails and keyword research. It works on the free plan too; tools use credits.

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    Try TubeGrade Pro for $1

    First month of monthly Pro for new subscribers, then $15/month — or $12/month billed yearly.

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