Mangools Alternatives for Keyword Research

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Your KWFinder searches ran out before lunch again. So which tool should take over? For most people, the best Mangools alternative is Semrush. Its Pro plan returns up to 10,000 keywords per report. It also adds rank tracking and competitor data in the same account. If $139.95 a month is too much, Keysearch costs $24 and gives you 200 keyword searches a day.

We opened the plan page or help center of every tool on this list. Then we wrote down the numbers that shape daily keyword work: searches per day, results per search and price. The table holds the short version.

ToolKeyword research limit we notedEntry price
KWFinder by Mangools100 keyword lookups per 24 hours on BasicFrom $37.70 a month
Semrush10,000 results per report on Pro$139.95 a month
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer1,000 credits per user a month on Lite$129 a month
SE Ranking10 keyword reports a day during the trial$129 a month, or $103.20 billed yearly
Ubersuggest150 reports a day on the first tier$29 to $99 a month
Keysearch200 keyword searches a day on Starter$24 a month
LowFruits3,000 or 10,000 credits a monthCredit plans and packs
Keywords Everywhere100,000 credits a year on Bronze$84 a year
Google Keyword PlannerNeeds a Google Ads accountNo separate fee

What is Mangools Keyword Tool?

The Mangools keyword tool is KWFinder. It is one part of the Mangools suite. The other parts are SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, SiteProfiler, LinkMiner and AI Search Watcher. One account gives you access to all of them.

KWFinder keyword research tool page by Mangools
Screenshot: mangools.com

KWFinder works in two ways. You can search by keyword: type a seed term, pick a location and a language, then click “Find keywords”. Or you can search by domain: enter a competitor site and see the terms that bring it the most traffic. Mangools says its database holds 2.5 billion related keywords. You can also pick from more than 65,000 locations, down to cities and districts.

Each keyword search pulls ideas from one of three sources. Related keywords come from the Mangools database. Autocomplete and Questions come from Google Autocomplete. So a blogger can switch to Questions and get long-tail ideas in question form.

For every keyword, KWFinder shows monthly search volume, a 12-month trend, CPC and PPC competition. It also shows Keyword Difficulty (KD) on a 0 to 100 scale. Mangools builds KD from the link strength of the pages on page one. For that, it uses Moz scores (DA and PA) and Majestic scores (Citation Flow and Trust Flow). Next to the list, a SERP panel shows the top results with their link metrics and estimated visits.

You can then filter ideas by volume, KD, word count, CPC and included or excluded words. Saved keywords go into lists. From there, you can export them as CSV or send them to SERPWatcher for rank tracking. A Keyword Gap view also compares your site with up to four competitors.

The limits change by plan. Mangools listed these numbers in its own plan comparison:

LimitBasicPremiumAgency
Keyword lookups per 24 hours1005001,200
Keyword suggestions per search200UnlimitedUnlimited
Competitor keywords per domain search25Up to 1,000Up to 1,000
SERP lookups per 24 hours1005001,200
Tracked keywords2007001,500
Ranking updatesWeeklyWeeklyDaily
Sub-users035
Simultaneous logins1310

The free account is smaller still. It gives you 5 lookups per 24 hours, with 15 related keywords and 5 competitor keywords per lookup. You do not need a card for it.

On price, Mangools says paid plans start from $37.70 a month. Yearly billing saves up to 35%. Also, Mangools offers a full refund within 48 hours of payment. The refund does not apply to two back-to-back subscriptions.

Keyword Research Tasks Mangools Can’t Do

KWFinder handles the basics well. Still, its plan caps block some common jobs. These are the gaps we found in the official Mangools limits and guides:

  • Run more than 100 keyword lookups a day on Basic. The cap resets 24 hours after your first request of the day. So a big content plan can stall halfway through the day.
  • Pull more than 200 ideas from one seed on Basic. Premium removes the cap. However, Basic users on a large topic see only part of the idea list.
  • See more than 25 competitor keywords per domain on Basic. That is a thin slice of a big rival site. So full competitor mapping needs Premium or Agency.
  • Share research with a teammate on Basic. Basic has no sub-users and one login. As a result, a writer and an editor cannot work in the same account at once.
  • Check rankings daily on Basic or Premium. Basic and Premium update tracked keywords weekly. So you wait a week to see if a new post moved.
  • Trust every KD score as fresh. KD values can be cached for up to 30 days. You must click a row or use “Refresh” to update them, and a new SERP fetch uses one SERP lookup.
  • Search a phrase longer than 10 words. KWFinder accepts 2 to 80 characters per keyword, up to 10 words. So very long question strings get cut.

None of this makes KWFinder a poor tool. It just means some people outgrow it. If any of these gaps sounds familiar, one of the tools in the next section will cover it.

Best Alternatives of Mangools For SEO Keyword Research

We sorted these tools from the biggest keyword databases down to the cheapest and free options. Each entry covers what the tool does for keyword research, its features, pros, cons and price.

SEO team planning keyword research together at a laptop
Photo: Pexels

Semrush: The Mangools Alternative With the Biggest Keyword Reports

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool start screen for keyword research
Screenshot: semrush.com

Semrush is a full SEO suite. For keyword research, its main tool is the Keyword Magic Tool. You type one seed keyword and pick a country database. Then Semrush returns thousands of related terms, grouped into topics in a side panel.

Each row shows search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC and search intent. You can then filter by any of these. For example, you can hide every keyword with difficulty above 30. You can also switch the view to questions only.

The Keyword Overview report goes deeper on a single term. It shows the trend, the top-ranking pages and related terms. After that, the Keyword Gap tool compares your domain with competitors. So you see the terms they rank for and you do not.

Most users then move good keywords into a list and track them in Position Tracking. So research and rank tracking live in one account.

Semrush packs a lot into keyword work. These are the features that matter most next to KWFinder:

  • Keyword Magic Tool: It builds large idea lists from one seed and groups them by topic. On Pro, one report can return up to 10,000 results.
  • Keyword Gap: It shows keywords your rivals rank for and you miss. This replaces the slow work of checking competitors one by one.
  • Keyword metric updates: Pro includes 250 updates a month to refresh keyword data. Guru gets 1,000 and Business gets 5,000.
  • Position Tracking: It tracks 500 keywords on Pro, 1,500 on Guru and 5,000 on Business. So you can watch new targets from day one.

Pros. Users moving from KWFinder will notice three things first:

  • Huge idea lists: 10,000 results per report on Pro is far more than the 200 suggestions per search on Mangools Basic.
  • Topic grouping: The side panel groups ideas by subtopic. As a result, you can plan whole content clusters from one report.
  • One login for everything: Research, gap analysis and tracking sit in the same account, so there is less exporting.

Cons. A few points may slow some users down:

  • High price: Pro starts at $139.95 a month. That is a big jump for a solo blogger.
  • Busy interface: The menu holds dozens of tools. So beginners may need time to find the keyword reports.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. Semrush fixes the volume problem. If you need thousands of ideas per seed and daily-scale research, it is a Mangools replacement that will not cap you at 200 rows.

Pricing. The SEO Toolkit costs $139.95 a month for Pro, $249.95 for Guru and $499.95 for Business. Semrush also offers a 7-day free trial.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer: A Mangools Alternative for Keyword Clusters and Intent

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer page for keyword research
Screenshot: ahrefs.com

Semrush wins on raw report size. Ahrefs, on the other hand, sits at a slightly lower entry price and leans on its own link data. Its keyword tool is Keywords Explorer.

You enter one or more seed keywords and choose a country. Ahrefs then shows the main metrics for the term: search volume, keyword difficulty and the estimated traffic potential of ranking first. Under those numbers, the idea reports split into matching terms, related terms and questions.

Keyword difficulty in Ahrefs comes from the backlinks pointing at the top-ranking pages. So it plays the same role as KD in KWFinder. However, Ahrefs uses its own backlink index for it.

On the Standard plan and above, Keywords Explorer adds AI suggestions, keyword clusters, search intents, translations and SERP updates. That means you can group a big list by topic and intent before you write. Saved lists are capped at 50 on Lite and 100 on Standard.

Keywords Explorer gives you a few tools KWFinder does not. The ones worth knowing:

  • Matching terms and questions: These reports split ideas by exact phrase match and by question form. So you can build an FAQ section from one search.
  • Keyword clusters: On Standard and above, Ahrefs groups similar keywords together. You can then target a whole group with one page.
  • Search intents: Standard also labels the intent behind each keyword. So you know if a keyword needs a guide, a list or a product page.
  • Translations: You can translate keywords into other languages. That saves time when you research a second market.

Pros. Ahrefs has a loyal user base for good reasons:

  • Own link index: Difficulty scores rest on Ahrefs backlink data, so you can open the same links in Site Explorer.
  • Planning tools: Clusters and intent labels speed up content planning on bigger sites.
  • Scales with your team: Standard, Advanced and Enterprise list unlimited credits per user.

Cons. Two limits are worth weighing before you switch:

  • Credits on Lite: Lite gives 1,000 credits per user each month. Heavy research days can use them up.
  • Clusters cost more: Keyword clusters and intents start on Standard at $249 a month.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. Choose Ahrefs instead of Mangools when you plan content by topic. Clusters and intent labels turn a raw keyword list into a page plan.

Pricing. Lite costs $129 a month, Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499 with a yearly commitment. Ahrefs also lists a Starter plan and a limited free tier on its pricing page.

SE Ranking: An All-in-One Mangools Replacement With a Free Trial

SE Ranking Keyword Grouper page for grouping keywords
Screenshot: seranking.com

Ahrefs and SE Ranking start at the same $129 a month. However, SE Ranking cuts that to $103.20 a month on yearly billing. It also lets you test the whole platform for 14 days with no card.

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform. Its keyword research tool shows search volume, difficulty and CPC for each term. You pick a country and then a region inside it. That is handy for local businesses that target one state or area.

During the trial, you can run 10 keyword reports and 10 backlink reports a day. You also get 10 projects, 3 manager seats and 750 tracked keywords. So a small team can test real work before paying.

After research, keywords move into rank tracking in the same account. SE Ranking also sells a Keyword Grouper and an Agency Pack for client work. For developers, it offers an API.

The features that matter most for keyword work:

  • Country and region targeting: You can narrow keyword data to a region inside a country. Local and regional sites get closer numbers this way.
  • Competitive research: It shows the keywords a rival domain ranks for. So you can fill gaps in your own content.
  • Rank tracking: Tracked keywords sit next to your research. You can watch new targets as soon as you publish.
  • Agency Pack: This add-on is built for agencies. It starts at $69 a month on yearly billing.

Pros. Three things make SE Ranking low-risk to test:

  • No-card trial: You get 14 days free with 3 manager seats. That beats Mangools Basic, which has no sub-users.
  • Regional data: Region-level research matches how local SEO teams work.
  • Yearly discount: Annual billing lowers the monthly price by 20%.

Cons. Two points to keep in mind:

  • No city-level research: Keyword research stops at country and region. KWFinder, by contrast, offers city-level locations.
  • Higher entry price: At $129 a month, it costs more than Mangools.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. SE Ranking works well for teams that need seats. If your writers and editors keep fighting over one Mangools login, SE Ranking gives them their own access.

Pricing. Core costs $129 a month, or $103.20 a month billed yearly. Growth costs $279 a month, or $223.20 billed yearly. Enterprise is custom. The API starts at $45 a month.

Ubersuggest: A Cheaper Switch From Mangools With More Daily Reports

Ubersuggest keyword research tool by Neil Patel
Screenshot: ubersuggest.com

The first three tools cost $129 or more. Ubersuggest, by contrast, drops the monthly price to between $29 and $99. Even its first tier allows 150 reports a day, which is more than Mangools Basic.

Ubersuggest is the keyword and SEO tool from Neil Patel. You type a keyword and choose a location. It then returns keyword ideas with volume, difficulty and CPC. Each search on the first tier can return up to 2,000 suggestions.

Ubersuggest has also added AI search data. For each keyword, it can show AI prompt ideas, a search intent label and a flag if a Google AI Overview appears. So you can plan for both classic results and AI answers.

For bigger lists, bulk analysis checks 50, 200 or 1,000 keywords at once, by tier. There is also a Chrome extension that shows data while you browse Google.

Ubersuggest puts these keyword features on every tier:

  • Keyword suggestions: You get 2,000, 5,000 or 10,000 ideas per search, by tier. That is 10 times the Mangools Basic cap on the first tier.
  • AI prompt ideas: It shows 25 to 75 prompts per search that people may type into AI tools. You can then shape a page around those prompts.
  • Google AI Overview flag: It marks keywords that trigger an AI Overview. You can then judge how many clicks are left.
  • Content ideas: It lists 2,000 to 10,000 content ideas per search, by tier. So you see what already ranks for the topic.

Pros. Ubersuggest gives a lot for the price:

  • More reports per day: 150 a day on the first tier beats the Mangools Basic cap of 100.
  • AI search data: Prompt ideas and AI Overview flags are built into each search.
  • Trial: Monthly plans come with a one-time 7-day free trial.

Cons. Two trade-offs to note:

  • Credits: Each tier has a monthly credit pool of 250, 500 or 1,000. Some features draw from it.
  • Fewer projects on the first tier: It allows only one project. Agencies will need a higher tier.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. If you want to stay near the Mangools budget but need more searches, Ubersuggest is a cheaper Mangools alternative with bigger idea lists.

Pricing. Ubersuggest lists monthly prices from $29 to $99 across three tiers. Monthly subscriptions come with a one-time 7-day free trial.

Keysearch: The Budget Mangools Alternative for Bloggers

Keysearch keyword research tool with keyword score table
Screenshot: keysearch.co

Ubersuggest trims the price. Keysearch goes lower still, at $24 a month. It also feels close to KWFinder, so bloggers settle in fast.

Keysearch is built around one search box. You enter a keyword and get related ideas with volume, CPC and a difficulty score. You can then click any keyword to run a live SERP analysis. That shows who ranks on page one right now.

Next, the competitor tool lets you enter a rival site and see its keywords. Keysearch also covers YouTube research, so video creators can find topics in the same account.

Beyond research, Keysearch adds an SEO auditor, rank tracking, backlink analysis and an AI Content Assistant. So a small blog can run most of its SEO from one $24 plan.

Keysearch keeps its feature list practical. The parts that help most with keywords:

  • Keyword search with a difficulty score: Each idea gets a score next to its volume. You can sort by it to find low-competition targets.
  • Live SERP analysis: It checks the current page-one results. So you are not working from month-old data.
  • YouTube research: It finds video keyword ideas. So a blogger who also runs a channel needs only one tool.
  • AI Content Assistant: Keysearch lists this writing tool on both plans. Starter includes 5,000 AI credits a month to use with it.

Pros. Bloggers like Keysearch for a few reasons:

  • Low price: $24 a month is less than the Mangools starting price.
  • Twice the daily searches: Starter allows 200 keyword searches a day, double the Mangools Basic cap.
  • Many tools in one: Audits, backlinks and rank tracking come with every plan.

Cons. Keysearch does have limits:

  • Small tracking quota: Starter tracks 80 keywords a month. Mangools Basic tracks 200.
  • Fewer AI credits on Starter: Starter has 5,000 AI credits a month. Pro has 15,000.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. Keysearch is the cheapest Mangools alternative here with a full toolset. It doubles your daily searches for less money.

Pricing. Starter costs $24 a month with 200 searches a day, 80 tracked keywords and 2,000 audited pages a month. Pro costs $48 a month with 500 searches a day, 200 tracked keywords and 5,000 audited pages. Yearly billing gives 2 months free, and there is a 7-day free trial.

LowFruits: A Mangools Alternative That Finds Weak Spots in Google Results

LowFruits keyword tool for finding weak spots in search results
Screenshot: lowfruits.io

Keysearch scores difficulty with a number. LowFruits takes another route. It looks at the live Google results and counts the weak sites that already rank.

You type a seed keyword. LowFruits then pulls long-tail ideas from Google Autocomplete. Next, you pick the keywords you want to analyze. For each one, LowFruits extracts the results page and shows the number and type of weak websites on it. Forums and small sites on page one are a sign that a new blog can rank.

LowFruits runs on credits. One analyzed keyword uses one credit. Subscribers also get the Domain Explorer, a database of 150,000 weak websites, plus a rank tracker.

Competitor tools are part of the subscription too. You can extract a rival’s rankings, its keyword ideas and its sitemap. So you can see which topics a small site wins with.

LowFruits keeps its features focused on long-tail wins:

  • SERP weak spot analysis: It shows how many weak sites rank for each keyword. This tells you where a new site has a chance.
  • Keyword Finder: It finds long-tail ideas from Google Autocomplete. Subscribers get an upgraded version that finds up to 5 times more ideas.
  • Domain Explorer: It lists 150,000 weak websites. You can study what they rank for and copy the gaps.
  • Rank tracker: It tracks 100 keywords on the first plan and 500 on the second.

Pros. LowFruits gives a different angle on difficulty:

  • Live SERP view: Weak spots come from the current results page. So you see the actual sites you would compete with.
  • Pay as you go: You can buy credit packs without a subscription.
  • Refund window: LowFruits offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Cons. Credits need some planning:

  • No rollover: Subscription credits do not carry over to the next month.
  • Pack expiry: Pay-as-you-go credits expire after one year.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. LowFruits works for niche bloggers who want proof that a keyword is winnable. Use it in place of Mangools when KD scores feel too abstract.

Pricing. LowFruits sells two monthly subscriptions with 3,000 or 10,000 credits. Pay-as-you-go packs come in 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 credits. Subscribers get 10% off pay-as-you-go credits, and pay-as-you-go users get 3 free searches every 7 days.

Keywords Everywhere: A Browser Extension in Place of KWFinder

Keywords Everywhere guide showing keyword research inside the browser
Screenshot: keywordseverywhere.com

LowFruits works inside its own app. Keywords Everywhere, however, works inside your browser. It adds keyword data to the sites you already use.

Once installed in Chrome, Firefox or Edge, it shows search volume, CPC and competition right on the results page. It does this for Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, eBay, Etsy and other sites. So an Etsy seller and a blogger can use the same tool.

Widgets on the side of Google show Related keywords, People Also Search For and Long-tail ideas. You can also open the Keyword Finder or paste a list into Bulk Keywords Data. Trend charts go back to 2004 for historical search volume.

Keywords Everywhere also covers SEO basics. It shows organic traffic metrics, SEO difficulty and keyword gap analysis. All plans include its REST API and an MCP server, which share one credit pool.

The extension has more inside it than most people expect:

  • On-page keyword data: Volume, CPC and competition appear next to search results. You do not need to open a separate tool.
  • Marketplace data: It covers Amazon, eBay and Etsy as well as Google. So product sellers can research where buyers search.
  • Keyword gap analysis: It compares keywords between sites. Plans show the top 1,000 to 10,000 keywords per website.
  • API and MCP server: Every plan includes both. As a result, you can pull data into your own sheets or AI tools.

Pros. It costs little and fits into your normal browsing:

  • Lowest paid entry: Bronze works out to $7 a month.
  • Works on many sites: One tool covers Google, YouTube and online stores.
  • Team seats: Silver includes 3 seats and Gold includes 10.

Cons. The billing model has two catches:

  • Yearly billing only: There is no monthly plan.
  • Credits needed for data: Volume and CPC need a paid plan with credits. The free version covers only a few extras.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. Keywords Everywhere is the cheapest way to switch from Mangools if you mostly check volumes while you browse. It also covers Amazon, eBay and Etsy searches.

Pricing. Bronze costs $84 a year for 100,000 credits. Silver costs $168 for 400,000 credits, Gold $480 for 2,000,000 credits and Platinum $1,440 for 8,000,000 credits.

Google Keyword Planner: The No-Fee Mangools Alternative From Google

Google Keyword Planner tool page in Google Ads
Screenshot: ads.google.com

Every tool so far costs money. Google Keyword Planner, by contrast, comes with a Google Ads account. It is built for ad campaigns, yet many SEOs use it for ideas too.

Keyword Planner has two options. Discover new keywords lets you start from words or from a website. If you enter a site, Google suggests keywords based on its content. Get search volume and forecasts lets you paste a list or upload a CSV with one column headed “Keyword”.

For each idea, Keyword Planner shows estimated monthly searches and the average cost for an ad to show. You can filter by competition and bid level. Forecasts then estimate clicks, impressions and conversions for a set budget.

There is one setup step. You must finish your Google Ads account setup, including billing details, to use the basic features. After that, Keyword Planner is ready to use.

Keyword Planner is plain, but it has useful parts:

  • Website-based ideas: Enter a competitor URL and get keywords drawn from its content. This works like a light version of KWFinder’s domain search.
  • Bulk volume lookup: Upload a CSV of keywords and get monthly search estimates for all of them.
  • Cost data: It shows the average cost per click. High costs often point to keywords with buyer intent.
  • Forecasts: It estimates clicks and conversions for your spend. So you can plan ads and SEO from the same list.

Pros. It is hard to argue with a tool from Google itself:

  • Data from Google: Ideas and costs come straight from Google Ads.
  • No subscription: You need the Ads account, but no monthly plan.
  • Website input: You can mine a rival page for ideas.

Cons. It was not built for SEO:

  • No difficulty score: It does not tell you how hard a keyword is to rank for in organic results.
  • Very low volumes drop out: Keywords with very low search volumes cannot be discovered or forecast.

Why it is a better Mangools alternative. Keyword Planner is the Mangools alternative for people with no budget. Pair it with a free SERP check, and you can still find good targets.

Pricing. Google charges no separate fee for Keyword Planner. You pay only for ads you choose to run.

Want to go further? Our guide to keyword research covers the full process. For small sites, read our small business keyword research walkthrough. And if budget is tight, our list of free SEO tools pairs well with Keyword Planner. For the scale behind one of these tools, see our Ahrefs statistics roundup.

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