Google Keyword Planner review: our take
Keyword Planner is Google's own keyword tool, built for advertisers. It turns seed words or a website into keyword ideas with estimated monthly searches, the trend over time and suggested bids, then forecasts clicks, impressions and conversions for a given spend. It is free, but it lives inside Google Ads, and access means finishing the Ads account setup, billing information included.
For SEO the numbers are the draw and also the limit. Very low-volume and sensitive keywords are neither discoverable nor forecastable, and the long tail is exactly where that bites. Keyword Tool's free plan returns up to 750 autocomplete suggestions per term with no account at all, and Semrush at $139 a month puts volumes next to position tracking for 500 keywords.
What Google Keyword Planner does
Keyword Planner suggests keywords from seed words or a website, and shows estimated monthly searches, how they change over time and suggested bids. Keywords can be grouped into a plan with a forecast of clicks, impressions and conversions for a given spend, then turned into a Search campaign. It runs inside a Google Ads account.
Who Google Keyword Planner is for
Best for
- advertisers planning Google Search campaigns
- keyword ideas and search estimates straight from Google's data
- estimating cost per click before spending
Not for
- anyone without a Google Ads account: access requires completing Ads account setup, including billing information
- very low-volume or sensitive keywords, which Google says are not discoverable or forecastable
Google Keyword Planner features
- F1Discover new keywords (from words or a website)
- F2Monthly search estimates and trends
- F3Suggested bid estimates
- F4Keyword plan forecasts
- F5Filters and Refine keywords by category
- F6Create a campaign from a plan
Google Keyword Planner pricing and plans (2026)
The vendor does not publish plan prices.
Free plan: yes. Prices as listed by the vendor, before tax; they change, so check the pricing page before you buy.
Google Keyword Planner interface
Google Keyword Planner FAQ
- Is Google Keyword Planner free?
- Yes. Google Keyword Planner is free to use.
- What are the alternatives to Google Keyword Planner?
- Tools that cover the same jobs include Google Trends, Semrush, AnswerThePublic, Ubersuggest.