A Comprehensive List of the Best Free and Paid Keyword Generators

Keyword research is the fundamental part of any SEO strategy. It helps identify the keywords that your target audience searches online.

You can then use those keywords to optimize your content and meet the search intent of your audience.

In this detailed guide, I have shared the top free and paid keyword generators that will help you find plenty of keywords for your content.

FYI: Please note that the prices of these tools may vary according to their monthly or annual subscription plans. Make sure to check the latest prices by visiting their pricing page.

Ahrefs Keyword Generator

This tool is not completely free. You will get 40 free searches.  Just enter your main keyword and it will show you the phrase match suggestions like this:

Other free 20 keywords can be seen by clicking the “Questions”. 

Besides keyword suggestions, estimated volume and keyword difficulty are also mentioned in front of each keyword. If you want to see more keywords, you must choose a paid plan. 

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

Keyword Magic Tool by Semrush is another powerful tool that has enormous data of more than 25 billion keywords.

Just like ahrefs, its free version is limited and allows you to see only 10 keyword ideas per day along with their intent, volume, KD, CPC, etc.

Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz is another best tool on the list, but its free version is limited. To get more ideas and dig deep into your research you must purchase a paid plan.

Just enter your main keyword and see relevant keyword ideas, search volume, keyword difficulty, top pages and a plethora of other useful information.

You can get 10 free searches per month, once you sign up for it.

Keywordtool.io

Keywordtool.io allows you to see keywords for various platforms like Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, App Store, Play Store, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Etsy & TikTok.

Its free version only shows 5 searches along with search volume, trend, CPC and competition.

Keyword Tool by WordStream

Keyword tool by WordStream is an alternative to Google Keyword Planner. It gives you plenty of keyword suggestions. Just enter your main keyword and it will ask you a few options like this.

Here you can also see search volume, competition and CPC data.

You can also download this list but for that, you need to create an account.

Answer The Public

Answer The Public offers 3 free searches per day. Just enter a broad keyword and it will show a list of keywords based on these categories.

You can see the results in three formats: wheel, list and table.

From broad terms to long-tail keywords, it will give you several suggestions along with search volume and CPC data.

SE Ranking Keyword Suggestion Tool

This tool comes with a lot of specifications for SEOs. It gives plenty of keyword ideas with volume, difficulty, CPC, search intent and global volume. Unfortunately, it is paid and the free version allows only three reports per day.

Enter your main keyword and see the magic happens.

Besides all that, it also displays information related to PPC, FAQs, relevant keywords, similar keywords, organic results, total traffic, and a lot more.

Wordtracker Keyword Tool

This gives you 3 free searches daily with 100 keyword suggestions along with volume and competition.

Keyword-tools.org

This keyword tool lets you generate several keyword ideas to support your content. Just enter your main keyword and it will show you several ideas with search volume, CPC and competition.

Ubersuggest Keyword Research Tool

Ubersuggets is a free keyword generator that is really helpful in getting a lot of other relevant information. It offers 3 free daily searches. To get more you need to purchase its paid plan.

Just enter your targeted keyword and it will provide you with search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, CPC, and trend. 

You can also get the keyword ideas in different formats like suggestions, related, questions, prepositions, and comparisons.

SEOptimer Keyword Generator

This is mainly used for website audits and offers several other tools to optimize your website. Its Keyword Research tool allows you to see the keyword ideas along with their competition and search volume.

SEOptimer is mainly a paid tool but offers a free trial as well, however, you cannot use it without entering your payment information. 

Keywordgenerator.net

Keyword Generator uses Keyword Everywhere API to show you the data related to keywords. You can enter up to 5 seed keywords and it will show you a list of all relevant keywords with their monthly volume and CPC data. 

Sitechecker Keyphrase Generator

Sitechecker Keyphrase Generator provides hundreds and thousands of keywords for various platforms like Google, YouTube, Yahoo, etc. Just enter a few of your seed keywords and it will start processing and generating a list of keywords.

You can also stop the suggestions by clicking the option “Stop Keyword Suggestions”. 

Based on your seed keyword and other relevant query words, it will categorize the keywords into different groups. You may open different categories to view all the keywords related to it. 

Bulk Keyword Generator

This tool is mainly helpful for generating local keywords for small businesses. Just follow a few steps and you will get an idea about relevant keywords that your potential customers might be searching.

First, choose your business and service type.

Now enter your location. It can be a city or country. Now click the option “Generate Keywords”.

Here you are. You will get relevant keywords related to your service or business type. 

Ryan Robinson Keyword Research Tool

This tool is free and one of the best options to generate plenty of keyword ideas based on country.

Enter your main keyword, select the country and you will have a long list along with search volume and keyword difficulty.

One of the best things about this tool is that it allows you to see ideas based on a specific keyword you enter. 

These ideas will help you identify the most relevant keywords to use in your content.

Google Keyword Planner

Mainly this tool is for advertisers however you can also use it to find keyword ideas. GKP gives plenty of related keywords that do not even contain the seed keyword.

Another important thing to note is that it only gives a range of monthly searches instead of an exact volume. 

You can always verify and further investigate those keywords using other tools.

Google Search Console

GSC informs you about your website performance. It shows 1000 keywords your website is ranking for in organic search results.

Just go to the “Performance” tab and click on the “Queries”.

There are several ways to use those keywords. One way is to see the keywords that are bringing impressions and clicks to a particular page on your website.

Now if you haven't optimized your content for those particular keywords, it's time to update your pages accordingly with them.

Google Trends

Google Trends checks out the popularity of a keyword over a specific period of time in a graph format. You can also search up to 5 terms to compare them with one another.

Upon scrolling down the page, you will see rising and breakout keywords. 

FYI: Breakout keywords are those that have recently grown more than 5,000% in their search volume.

AI Keyword Tool

This tool makes use of AI technology to provide you with a list of keywords. Just enter your main keyword or a short description of your product or service, and it will show relevant keywords. 

This tool gives you a good start for keyword research by offering relevant keywords. You may use those ideas to further investigate them using other tools as it does not provide volume or other relevant data. 

Mangools Keyword Finder

Mangools offers several tools for SEOs and digital marketers. Their keyword research tool is also handy and easy to use and provides useful information related to a keyword.

It includes trends, CPC, search volume, and keyword difficulty.

Keyword Finder by Mangools is a paid tool but also offers a limited free trial version.

Majestic Keyword Generator

Majestic Keyword Generator is a paid tool that offers several keyword ideas along with their search volume, keyword difficulty, etc. 

It offers three packages, Lite, Pro, and API, starting at 49.99$ per month.

SpyFu

SpyFu provides an extensive list of keywords for your SEO or PPC campaigns. It also shows metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC. 

Its free version comes with limited features. You can get unlimited access to it by purchasing a professional plan that starts at $79 per month.

Keyword Surfer

Keyword Surfer Extension is a free tool that allows you to see keyword suggestions while browsing on the internet. It gives you plenty of useful keyword ideas while you are searching for something on Google. 

Just install the Chrome extension and activate it. Every time you search for a keyword it will give you keyword ideas on the right side of the SERP with volume. 

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is another comprehensive tool that offers plenty of features along with a keyword generator. To access the tool and get its limited 30-day free version, you must connect your Facebook account to it for verification.

It does not only provide details on search volume and difficulty but also gives a detailed overview of content analysis, backlink profiles, trends, competitive analysis, etc.

Free vs. Paid: Which One to Choose?

If you are just starting, then choosing a free tool can be a good option. However, if you want to expand your research process, you must choose a paid plan.

Some of the free tools like Ubersuggest, Google Search Console, Keyword Surfer Extension and a few more are good to start with. Once you get familiar with the entire process or need more metrics to explore, you can opt for a paid tool. 

My personal recommendation for a paid tool would be ahrefs as it has tons of data from billions of websites. It has a large database of over 19 billion keywords. It is a comprehensive tool that provides an enormous list of up-to-date keyword ideas, their competition, difficulty, trends, search volume, etc.

Keep in mind, that all those tools have their own methods and algorithms to collect and present data to you. You can do experiments with them and choose the one that best suits your needs. 

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