Best 4 Free Keyword Research Tool 2024 List Full Details

May 6, 2024 by Penny Gusner

Free Keyword Research Tool 2024 Summary

Best for	Stand-out feature	Free plan
Moz Keyword Explorer	An all-around solution	“Priority” score for determining valuable keywords	10 queries per tool per month, with 1,000 keyword suggestions and 10 SERP analyses per query
Google Keyword Planner	Researching paid keywords	Forecasting features and budget planning	Completely free (but you get more out of it if you use Google Ads)
Ahrefs Free SEO Tools	Breadth	Includes keyword research for YouTube, Amazon, and Bing	Free Keyword Generator with up to 150 keyword suggestions; Keyword Difficulty Checker with difficulty score and SERP analysis for the top 10 results
Semrush	Advanced SEO professionals	Granular keyword data	10 Analytics reports per day, 10 tracked keywords

The Best 4 Free Keyword Research Tool

• Moz Keyword Explorer for the best all-around free SEO keyword research tool
• Google Keyword Planner for researching paid keywords
• Ahrefs for simple SEO tools
• Semrush for advanced SEO professionals

What Makes The best Free Keyword Research Tool

The characteristics of an excellent keyword research tool are really simple: you use the tool to search for a specific term, and it returns results. However, there are a tonne of applications for keyword data, so I also wanted to look for tools that could handle a range of use cases in addition to a couple that were specifically made for some of the most widely used applications of keyword research.

I mainly considered the following criteria when testing to decide which apps made our 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 we selected include, at minimum, traffic, keyword difficulty, and competitive SERP analysis.

• Data sources. You should be able to trust that your keyword data is free of errors and biases, so considering where the data in each keyword research tool comes from was an important step for us. Every tool we included pulls data in from Google Analytics or Google Search Console at a minimum.

• 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, Semrush, 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.

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 “best white sneakers”—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, and more.

The Best Free Keyword Research Tool Overall

Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz Pros

• More approachable data presentation than many other tools
• “Priority” score makes it easy to find the keywords worth chasing
• Broad set of tools available for free

Moz Cons

• Less data than more robust tools
• Free plan only includes 10 queries per tool per month

The SEO platform from Moz provides a variety of tools for conducting keyword research. I would argue that Moz has an advantage over some of the other full-featured SEO tools, even though it doesn’t have as many data points (such SERP position history or the total amount of keywords a competitor result ranks for). It simplifies the user experience for non-professional search marketers without sacrificing the KPIs that matter most.

You can use the term Explorer tool to search for any term and view its organic clickthrough rate (CTR), monthly volume, and difficulty. From there, scroll down to view an analysis of the keyword’s current ranking in the results and recommendations for related keywords.

My favourite feature: Moz offers a “Priority” score that provides you with a quick assessment of whether a keyword is worthwhile for you to pursue, making keyword research easier. The volume, organic CTR, difficulty, and “My Score” of each term are taken into account by Moz, which also adds your own custom measure that indicates the relative importance of each keyword to your business depending on your industry and level of experience. Furthermore, you may discover all the terms that your rivals rank for but you don’t with the use of the Competitive Research tool’s Keyword Gap feature.

Pricing information for Moz

Up to 10 searches each tool, with 1,000 keyword ideas and 10 SERP analyses per question, can be used for free to access keyword research tools; Plans for Moz Pro.

The Best Free Keyword Research Tool for Paid keywords

Google Keyword Planner

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 helpful for organic keyword research

Google Keyword Planner is among the greatest resources available for PPC keyword study. You’ll never have to worry about exceeding your budget or needing pricey upgrades because it’s totally free (even if you don’t purchase Google Ads).
There are two primary functions in Google Keyword Planner: one for more in-depth study on search volume and forecasts, and another for exploratory keyword research and discovery.

As with many of the tools on this list, the “Keyword ideas” feature works by having you search for a seed phrase and then returns suggestions for further keywords as well as information on monthly search traffic, change over time, competition, ad impression share, and bid ranges. Aside from brand and non-brand keywords, you can further filter your keyword list based on the source website.

Google Keyword Planner pricing

Free

The Best Free Keyword Research Tool Platform for a broad suite of SEO Tools

Ahrefs Free SEO Tools

Ahrefs Pros

• Free tools cover a broad array of SEO use cases
• Super simple to use
• Includes keyword research for non-search engines (YouTube, Amazon, Bing)

Ahrefs Cons

• Limited amount of data available for free

Although the Ahrefs suite isn’t available for free, the company does provide a surprisingly good selection of free SEO tools that are ideal for basic keyword research. A Free Keyword Generator, a Keyword Difficulty Checker, a Keyword Rank Checker, and tools for keyword research on YouTube, Amazon, and Bing are all included in the free suite.

Up to 150 free keyword suggestions (100 phrase match keywords and 50 question-based keywords) are provided by the keyword generator, which also provides information on the monthly search volume and keyword difficulty of the top 10 results. A difficulty score, an estimate of the number of backlinks required to rank, and a SERP analysis for the top 10 results are all included in the keyword difficulty tool.

Pricing for Ahrefs

The free Keyword Generator provides up to 150 keyword suggestions with limited data, while the paid plans start at $99/month and include 500 search credits, additional data, and up to 5 keyword lists. The Keyword Difficulty Checker also provides a difficulty score, backlink estimate, and basic SERP overview.

The Best Free Keyword Research Tool for Advanced SEO

Semrush

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 searching for something more sophisticated, Semrush provides an abundance of keyword data and facilitates delving into specifics, such as SERP features (featured snippet, reviews, site links, picture pack, and so forth) and detailed analysis of the results as they are currently shown. Along with the typical traffic and search volume data, Semrush also provides a wide range of content-driven keyword research tools and competitive keyword gap analysis.

What truly makes Semrush unique is its range of offerings, which includes the standard Keyword Overview, the Keyword Magic Tool for exploratory keyword research, a competitive Keyword Gap analysis, a Keyword Manager, and Organic Traffic Insights, which can find those infamously difficult “not provided” keywords when linked to your Google Analytics or Search Console account.

In addition, the SEO Content Template tool grades your writing in real-time for readability, uniqueness, tone of voice, and SEO. It utilises a helpful bullseye visual to assist you in finding the appropriate balance. This means that you can automatically develop a content brief and optimise content as you write. Additionally, the tool graphically verifies that you are following SEO suggestions as you go, such as employing your target and related keywords and include pertinent links and images.

All of this implies that upgrading will be expensive, but initially it can be used for free at modest quantities. By integrating Semrush with Zapier, you can automate site audits and recrawls, monitor SEO jobs between Semrush and your project management application, and do more with Semrush.

Semrush Pricing

10 Analytics reports and 10 tracked keywords are included in the free plan; up to 10,000 results per report and 500 tracked keywords per month are included in the subscription plans, which start at $119.95/month.