What Should You Write Next? Compare These 7 Keyword Research Tools

A keyword tool can give you 500 ideas and still leave you with the same question: what should you actually write?

I'd choose the tool around the decision that's blocking you. You might need to check demand, understand the kind of page people want, or find the questions a useful article should answer. Those are different jobs.

Here are seven keyword research tools compared on that basis. I'm a co-founder of Screpy, which is included. This is based on official product information checked on October 24, 2026, not a hands-on accuracy test. The images are the companies' own homepage social graphics, where available.

Choose the decision before the tool

These tools overlap, but they aren't interchangeable.

Tool	The decision it helps with	The boundary to remember
Screpy	Which ideas fit my market and existing website?	Keyword Research requires an eligible plan
Google Keyword Planner	Is there search demand around this subject?	Advertising competition isn't organic SEO difficulty
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer	Should these keywords belong to one topic or separate pages?	Metrics and topic suggestions still need a SERP check
Semrush	Which part of a broad keyword list should I investigate?	Free report allowances are shared across tools
KWFinder	Which terms matter in this particular market?	The free version returns a small sample
AlsoAsked	Which follow-up questions should the page answer?	A question map isn't a search-volume report
Google Trends	Is interest seasonal, growing or briefly spiking?	Its index measures relative interest

You don't need seven subscriptions. Start with the missing piece of evidence, then use another tool only when it answers a different question.

1. Screpy: research alongside your website data

Screpy Keyword Research starts with a seed topic, country and language. It brings together volume, organic difficulty, intent, CPC and trend signals. I'd use that combination to narrow a topic before deciding on the page format.

There's a useful existing-content check too: with Search Console connected, the Pages action can show your site's pages for the exact query. That's a reason to consider improving a page before creating another one. Missing rows don't prove there's no demand.

The plan requirement matters. Pro excludes Keyword Research. Max includes 50 successful research requests per day across the billing account, and pagination also consumes requests. Its regular annual price is $456, paid upfront. Welcome offers can change the checkout total; the advertised discount continues while the subscription stays active. Trials become paid subscriptions unless cancelled before they end.

Screpy also combines eligible research with audits and tracking. That can be useful if you need those jobs in one subscription. Keyword Research records and actions aren't currently exposed through Screpy MCP, so this particular workflow still uses the dashboard.

2. Google Keyword Planner: establish demand, not SEO difficulty

Keyword Planner can generate ideas from words or a website and provide monthly search estimates. It's a useful starting point when you need language closer to what people search for, rather than what your product team calls a feature.

The setup isn't completely frictionless. Google's current instructions require completing a Google Ads account setup, including billing information, to access basic keyword suggestions. The tool itself has no separate subscription fee; advertising spend is a different decision.

Keep its advertising context in mind. Competition and bid information help advertisers. They don't tell you how hard an article will be to rank organically.

I'd use it to build a demand shortlist, then inspect the actual search results before committing to an article. A phrase with commercial interest might call for a product page rather than another blog post.

3. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer: decide whether a topic needs its own page

Keywords Explorer is worth considering when the problem is interpreting a large list. Parent Topic can help you investigate whether a phrase belongs under a broader topic instead of becoming its own article.

Traffic Potential is another useful distinction from individual keyword volume: it looks at the estimated traffic of the top-ranking page. Treat that as context about a page's reach, not a forecast for your website.

Ahrefs also explains that its Keyword Difficulty calculation is based on backlinks to top-ranking pages. That makes it one input, rather than a complete assessment of your chances.

The Lite plan is listed at $129 per month. Advanced Keywords Explorer capabilities, including keyword clusters and search-intent features, vary by tier. Check the specific feature you want before buying the entry plan.

I'd shortlist it for recurring research where understanding topic overlap is more valuable than simply collecting more suggestions.

4. Semrush: turn a broad seed into a focused shortlist

Semrush's keyword tool, powered by Keyword Magic Tool, combines related suggestions with volume, difficulty, intent and CPC. That makes it a candidate when you already have a broad subject and need to decide which angle deserves a closer look.

Intent is especially useful for rejecting the wrong article format. A buying query and a troubleshooting query can share a product name while requiring completely different pages. Read the current results alongside the label.

The free account lists ten reports per day across its vital tools. That's a shared allowance, not ten reports for every tool. Full research access and limits depend on the paid plan.

I'd evaluate it when keyword research is recurring work alongside competitor analysis. For an occasional content idea, try the limited access before paying for a broader subscription. Check monthly versus annual billing in the currency shown to you.

5. KWFinder: research a narrow market without a huge workflow

KWFinder by Mangools supports seed-keyword and domain research, with location-specific keyword analysis. I'd consider it for focused questions such as which wording suits a service in a particular market.

Its free allowance is concrete: five lookups per 24 hours, with 15 related keywords and five competitor keywords per lookup. That's enough to sample the workflow, but it isn't a complete keyword universe. A short result list doesn't mean you've exhausted the subject.

The paid product is part of the wider Mangools toolkit. Compare the lookup allowance you need before upgrading, rather than assuming the free sample represents the full plan.

For a writer investigating one narrow topic at a time, this is a reasonable shortlist option. Keep location settings consistent when comparing candidates.

6. AlsoAsked: find the follow-up questions

AlsoAsked organizes Google's People Also Ask questions and their relationships. It helps with a different stage of research: understanding what readers may need explained once you've chosen the subject.

I'd use a question map to find missing explanations, not turn every branch into another H2. Several questions may need one clear answer. Others may belong on a separate page or be irrelevant to your audience.

The pricing page offers limited free monthly search credits for non-registered users and credit-based paid plans. Basic lists 100 credits per month. Check search depth, exports and billing options before choosing a tier.

The limitation is just as useful as the feature: appearing in a question map doesn't establish monthly search volume or the value of writing a standalone article.

7. Google Trends: decide when the topic belongs on your calendar

Google Trends is a useful companion when timing is the question. You can investigate whether interest around a subject repeats seasonally or mainly reflects a short-lived event, without buying another SEO subscription.

Be careful with the chart. Google's data explanation says results are normalized for the selected time and location, then scaled from zero to 100. A score of 100 isn't 100 searches, and two regions with the same score don't necessarily have equal search volume.

I'd use it to question the publishing calendar, not to estimate how many visitors a page will receive. Keep the geography, period and query type consistent when comparing subjects. A sudden spike deserves investigation before it becomes your entire content strategy.

Turn the shortlist into one publishable idea

Here's a hypothetical example, with no measured keyword data: you're building a backup product for small development teams. Your initial ideas include “database backup tools,” “how to restore a database backup” and “database backup checklist.”

Those phrases point toward different jobs: choosing software, completing a recovery task and checking a process. I'd investigate the audience's job before picking whichever phrase has the largest volume.

Use a demand tool to check the wording in your target market. Review the current results to see the page types they favor. Use question research for missing explanations and Trends when timing could change the decision. Check your existing content before adding another URL.

Then write a small brief:

• Reader: the person responsible for backups in a small team.
• Job: perform a restore safely, rather than shop for software.
• Page: a restore walkthrough, if the results and audience research support it.
• Evidence: steps, prerequisites and validation you can actually demonstrate.
• Existing content: update a matching walkthrough instead of publishing a near-duplicate.

That brief gives you something to write. Another thousand keyword suggestions might not.

If you're keeping costs down, start with one tool for demand and one for the missing context. Pay for a larger research workflow when the limits interrupt useful work, not just because the dashboard has more numbers.