Yes it's free, but also yes you have to spend money to get more accurate results. It's free to generate keyword ideas and get a range for search volume, but the more accurate numbers are given to accounts that are spending with them. For example, I just looked up the same keyword in both our manager account and in my non-spending personal account. The non-spending account told me the average monthly searches for this keyword was "1k - 10k" but in the manager account, it says it's 1,600. It's great for generating keyword ideas - I think much better than the paid tools; more variety and keywords I'd never expect. But if you're only seeing a wide range for search volume, it isn't very helpful in making your final decision on what to target. In the example above, I might pursue that keyword thinking it has potential, not knowing it's actually on the very low end of their range. Answer from interactually on reddit.com
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Chrome Web Store
chromewebstore.google.com › detail › keyword-planner › ohffmmbmebhcljgcdijjlepjaoladfag
Keyword Planner - Chrome Web Store
Find the Perfect Keyword. Surprise Yourself. ... Average rating 4.5 out of 5 stars. Learn more about results and reviews. SEOquake is a free plugin that provides you with key SEO metrics, along with other useful tools such as SEO Audit and many others ... Average rating 4.3 out of 5 stars. Learn more about results and reviews. Save hours with a complete toolkit in one SEO extension.
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Keywordplanner
keywordplanner.net
Keyword Planner: Discover 5000+ Keywords with Search Volume
Keyword Planner uses Google, YouTube & Amazon auto-complete APIs to generate thousands of long-tail keywords in seconds, along with monthly search volume & CPC data.
Discussions

Is Google Keyword Planner Actually Free?
Yes it's free, but also yes you have to spend money to get more accurate results. It's free to generate keyword ideas and get a range for search volume, but the more accurate numbers are given to accounts that are spending with them. For example, I just looked up the same keyword in both our manager account and in my non-spending personal account. The non-spending account told me the average monthly searches for this keyword was "1k - 10k" but in the manager account, it says it's 1,600. It's great for generating keyword ideas - I think much better than the paid tools; more variety and keywords I'd never expect. But if you're only seeing a wide range for search volume, it isn't very helpful in making your final decision on what to target. In the example above, I might pursue that keyword thinking it has potential, not knowing it's actually on the very low end of their range. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/SEO
38
25
January 30, 2024
Now that the Google Keyword Planner has essentially joined the Google Graveyard, what tool are people using as a replacement?
What happened to the Google KW Planner? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/googleads
11
4
September 26, 2023
Free tools for seo & keyword research
Yes! You can start with free tools like: Google Keyword Planner Google Search Console Google Trends Ubersuggest (free version) AnswerThePublic (limited free) Keyword Surfer (Chrome extension) Google Autocomplete Suggestions They’re enough to learn SEO basics and practice effectively. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/DigitalMarketing
22
15
July 10, 2025
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Zapier
zapier.com › app picks › best apps
The 4 best free keyword research tools in 2025 | Zapier
June 9, 2025 - It's completely free (even if you don't buy Google Ads), so you never have to worry about running into limits or expensive upgrades. Google Keyword Planner includes two main features: one for exploratory keyword research and discovery and another ...
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Google
business.google.com › us › ad-tools › keyword-planner
Get Campaign Keyword Suggestions with Keyword Planner - Google Ads
Google Keyword Planner is a free resource to help advertisers build keyword lists for search campaigns. It also has tools to generate keyword ideas and estimate bids to help you refine your marketing strategy. With Keyword Planner, you can get keyword and ad group ideas, see how keywords might ...
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Google
business.google.com › en-all › ad-tools › keyword-planner
Research Keywords for Campaigns with Keyword Planner – Google Ads
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword search tool to help advertisers build keyword lists for search campaigns. It also includes a keyword generator tool to find related keyword ideas, and can estimate costs to help you refine your marketing strategy. With Keyword Planner, you can get keyword ...
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WordStream
wordstream.com › home › free tools › free keyword tool
Free Keyword Tool | WordStream
October 11, 2024 - Download your full keyword list so you can use it in your SEO content and search advertising campaigns. Our Free Keyword Tool utilizes the latest Google search data to deliver accurate, targeted advertising ideas.
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The HOTH
thehoth.com › google-keyword-planner
Google Keyword Planner Tool
The FREE Google Keyword Planner Tool can be accessed on this page and through your free HOTH account.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/seo › is google keyword planner actually free?
r/SEO on Reddit: Is Google Keyword Planner Actually Free?
January 30, 2024 -

Hello, So I am trying to do keyword research so I know what keywords I can use in my first blog. I don’t have a lot of money so I can’t use popular tools semrush. I heard that Keyword Planner is good and free. However, to get to Keyword Planner I have to create an add and input my credit card information. I’ve seen other Reddit threads saying that you can pause the ad as soon as you create it. However, these threads say that you have to pay money in order to get accurate search results. Is this true? Thanks in advance!

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Surfer
surferseo.com › keyword-surfer-extension
Keyword Surfer - SEO Chrome Extension
It's 100% Free. Forever. and perform comprehensive keyword research without leaving Google's Search Engine Page!
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Chrome Web Store
chromewebstore.google.com › detail › keywords-everywhere-keywo › hbapdpeemoojbophdfndmlgdhppljgmp
Keywords Everywhere - Keyword Tool - Chrome Web Store
... Keyword search volume, cpc and competition for 15+ websites like Google™ Search Console, YouTube™, Amazon™ & more · Keywords Everywhere is a freemium chrome extension that helps more than 1.6 million users with online marketing.
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Mangools
mangools.com › kwfinder › alternative-to-keyword-planner
Free & Accurate Google Keyword Planner Alternative - Mangools
KWFinder by Mangools is a free, accurate Google Keyword Planner alternative. Get real search volumes, keyword difficulty, and keyword ideas.
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Keyword Tool
keywordtool.io
Keyword Tool ⚠️ Google Keyword Planner【Search FREE】
Keyword Tool is #1 (FREE) alternative to Google Ads Keyword Planner for SEO & PPC keyword research ᐈ Generate 1,000s ✅ long-tail keywords in seconds!
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Google
developers.google.com › google ads api › keyword planning
Keyword Planning | Google Ads API | Google for Developers
October 18, 2025 - Keyword Planning services are rate limited, allowing fewer requests per minute compared to other services.
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Google Support
support.google.com › google-ads › answer › 7337243
Use Keyword Planner - Google Ads Help
Keyword Planner helps you research keywords for your search campaigns. You can use this free tool to discover new keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches that they receive and the cost to target them.
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Analytify
analytify.io › home › how to use google keyword planner (free seo tips 2025)
How To Use Google Keyword Planner (Free SEO Tips 2025) - Analytify
September 18, 2025 - Explore the extensive list of keywords generated based on the website’s content. This Google Keyword Planner helps uncover unique, less competitive keywords that your competitors might overlook. ... You probably already use Google Keyword Planner for free to find your own winning ad keywords, ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/googleads › now that the google keyword planner has essentially joined the google graveyard, what tool are people using as a replacement?
r/googleads on Reddit: Now that the Google Keyword Planner has essentially joined the Google Graveyard, what tool are people using as a replacement?
September 26, 2023 -

I don't see a whole lot of people talking about the Keyword Planner's untimely death, but I used the tool quite frequently to run keyword audits for my SMB clients. It helped me discover which keywords were working in each market, and was also handy for discovering outliers — keywords with ridiculously high CPCs, good opportunities, and so on.

Once my research was complete, I'd put all of this data together in a report to help customers & potential clients better gauge how much to budget, where to spend that budget, and what keywords and ad groups might work best in a campaign.

I can't say the reports were always accurate, but they were certainly better than nothing. And nothing is all I've got now that the Keyword Planner no longer provides any keyword data.

So far, the best replacement I've found is the Keyword Overview tool in SEMRush. However, this doesn't work well for local markets since you can't run bulk queries at anything except the country level.

Is there something else I should be using to help me research and build search campaigns? I don't mind paying for the tool as long as I can help maintain my workflow.

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Quora
quora.com › How-do-I-use-Google-Keyword-Planner-for-free
How to use Google Keyword Planner for free - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): Everyone is Gonna tell you that the only way to use Google Keyword Planner is when you're Running ads or when you want to Run ads. But the truth is that you can Use Google Keyword planner without Having to Run a Campaign or Ads. I'm Gonna Show you the Trick on How to Use Google...
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Keywords Everywhere
keywordseverywhere.com
Keywords Everywhere
Google Keyword Planner · Bing · YouTube · Amazon · eBay · Etsy · X / Twitter Metrics · Instagram Metrics · Google Trends Fixes · Pinterest Metrics · SEO Metrics · YouTube Metrics · Backlink Checker · Instagram Hashtags · Traffic Metrics · Historical Volume ·
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Google Ads
ads.google.com › home › tools › keyword-planner
Get Campaign Keyword Suggestions with Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free resource to help advertisers build keyword lists for search campaigns. It also has tools to generate keyword ideas and estimate bids to help you refine your marketing strategy. With Keyword Planner, you can get keyword and ad group ideas, see how keywords might ...
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Google Ads
ads.google.com › intl › en_in › home › tools › keyword-planner
Find Your Campaign Keywords with Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free resource to help advertisers build keyword lists for search campaigns. It has a keyword research tools to generate ideas and estimate bids to help you refine your marketing strategy. With Keyword Planner, you can get keyword and ad group ideas, analyse keywordsd ...