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The Stack / Social
vidIQ
Yes for any channel publishing weekly — vidIQ's keyword and outlier research turns 'what should I make' from a guess into a decision. The free tier is a real starting point; Boost earns its price once views have revenue attached.
The job in the stack
The YouTube-growth seat: keyword research, competitor tracking, and title/thumbnail intelligence for channels that take growth seriously.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Core stats, limited research tools |
| Pro | ~$10/mo | Deeper research — pending fresh verification |
| Boost | ~$99/mo | Full AI suite, daily ideas — pending fresh verification |
Pricing verified 2026-01-15. Plans change — the source of truth is vidIQ's own pricing page.
Models & versions
- Research + AI toolsKeyword scores, outliers, competitors, AI title/thumbnail suggestions
The honest read
What works
- +Keyword and outlier data answers 'what to make next' with evidence
- +Competitor tracking shows which formats actually move in your niche
- +Browser extension puts the data inside YouTube where decisions happen
What breaks
- −Data informs packaging; it can't fix weak content
- −AI title suggestions need your voice pass — defaults read clickbaity
- −Boost pricing stings before the channel earns
Use it for
- →Channels publishing on a weekly system
- →Finding low-competition, high-intent topics in your niche
- →Packaging research: titles and thumbnails driven by outlier data
Skip it if
- ×You publish occasionally for reach-adjacent reasons — free analytics suffice
- ×Your traffic is Shorts-feed-driven only — search tooling matters less there
Questions operators ask
?Is vidIQ worth it for a small channel?
The free tier, absolutely — install it and learn what the data looks like. Pay for Pro when you're publishing weekly and choosing between topics; pay for Boost when views have revenue attached.
What changed
- Added to the stack (YouTube-growth seat). Pricing seeded from January 2026 baseline, pending fresh verification by the update loop.
Give vidIQ a job
The YouTube-growth seat: keyword research, competitor tracking, and title/thumbnail intelligence for channels that take growth seriously.
Try vidIQ →Affiliate link — same price for you, keeps the stack maintained.
Alternatives with different jobs
Buffer
SocialThe distribution seat: scheduling and queueing content across platforms so publishing happens on system, not on mood.
OpusClip
VideoThe repurposing seat: turns long-form video into scored, captioned vertical clips ready for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok.