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2026-10-27 04:49 Tool comparisons

Similarweb vs Google Keyword Planner (2027): Competitor Traffic or Keyword Data, Which Does Your Startup Need?

Similarweb vs Google Keyword Planner: Which One Does a Startup Need?

Similarweb and Google Keyword Planner are often compared as SEO tools, but they answer different questions. Similarweb estimates how much traffic any website gets and where it comes from, so it is a market research and competitor tool. Google Keyword Planner shows what people search for on Google, with search volume, bid estimates and ad forecasts from Google Ads. We checked both on their official pages in October 2026, including Similarweb's current self-service plans and Keyword Planner's access rules.
Quick answer: if you need keyword data, start with Google Keyword Planner: it is free once your Google Ads account has billing details. Use Similarweb when you need to size a market or see how competitors get their visitors; its free website traffic checker and browser extension cover the basics, and paid self-service plans start at $125 a month billed annually ($199 month to month). Most early-stage startups need Keyword Planner first and Similarweb's free tools second.
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Similarweb vs Keyword Planner at a Glance

SimilarwebGoogle Keyword Planner
What it measuresEstimated website and app traffic, channels, audiences and competitors' keywordsGoogle Search demand: keyword ideas, search volume, bids and forecasts
PriceFree tools; self-service plans from $125/month billed annually or $199 monthlyFree (Google Ads account with billing details)
Free trial7 days, then billed automatically unless you cancelNot needed
Data sourceFirst-party analytics, a contributors network, public data and data partners, modelled into estimatesGoogle Ads data
Competitor trafficYes: visits, engagement, traffic sources, countriesNo
Keyword dataKeywords that send traffic to any site, with clicks and CPC (full depth on SEO plans)Average monthly searches (ranges at low ad spend), competition, bid ranges
ForecastsNo ad forecastsClicks, impressions, cost and conversions
AI searchAI chatbot traffic, top prompts, AI brand visibility (AEO plans)No
Sources: similarweb.com pricing, free tools and help centre, and Google Ads Help, checked 27 October 2026.

What Is Similarweb?

Similarweb is a digital market intelligence platform. Type in any domain and it estimates the site's visits, engagement, traffic sources (direct, organic and paid search, social, email, referrals, display), top countries and the keywords that bring it search traffic. You do not need access to a competitor's analytics, which is why founders use it for market research, competitor benchmarking and investor decks.
Where the numbers come from: Similarweb says it blends first-party analytics from websites and apps that connect their data, an anonymous contributors network of its products installed on millions of devices, public data and data from partners such as ISPs and measurement companies, then models it into one view. The figures are estimates, not a competitor's real analytics, so use them to compare sites and spot trends rather than as exact visit counts. Small sites with little traffic are the hardest to estimate.

Similarweb free version: what you get without paying

  • Website traffic checker: traffic and engagement, rankings, top keywords, referring domains, search ads and technologies for any domain. Without an account it allowed 3 searches a day when we checked.
  • Free keyword tool: keyword lists from any seed keyword for Google, YouTube or Amazon.
  • Browser extension: visits over time, traffic sources, countries, keywords with estimated clicks and CPC, and how much traffic a site gets from AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity.
  • The limit: Similarweb calls its free data a high-level sample; deeper drill-downs, longer history and country filters need a paid plan.

Similarweb pricing in 2027

On the Similarweb Web Intelligence pricing page (checked 27 October 2026), the self-service plans for entrepreneurs include one user each:
PlanBilled annuallyBilled monthlyHistorical dataBest for
Competitive Intelligence$125/month$199/month3 monthsTraffic, engagement, demographics, competitor alerts
Competitive Intel and SEO and AEO$333/month$399/month6 monthsAdds the full SEO toolkit and AI brand visibility tracking
Competitive Intel, SEO, AEO and Ads$542/month$649/month6 monthsAdds paid search and ad intelligence
Business and EnterpriseCustom quoteCustom quoteUp to 37 monthsTeams, 100+ countries, API, data feeds and MCP
A 7-day free trial is available on the self-service plans. Its help centre says the card you sign up with is charged automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel before then. The Similarweb API comes with business packages or as a separate product through sales.
Best for: sizing a market, finding which channels work for competitors, spotting fast-growing rivals and checking how much traffic AI assistants send to your category.
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What Is Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is Google's free keyword research tool inside Google Ads. It suggests keywords from words or from a website, and shows search volume and forecasts for a list you paste or upload. The data comes from Google itself, which makes it the most direct source for Google Search demand. To use it you need a Google Ads account with billing details entered, and the account has to be in Expert Mode; if it opens in Smart Mode, switch it. You do not have to run ads.
  • Average monthly searches: searches for a keyword and its close variants, averaged over 12 months by default, for the location, language and network you choose.
  • Competition: how many advertisers showed ads on a keyword compared with all keywords on Google. It is ad competition, not SEO difficulty.
  • Top-of-page bid ranges: roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid over the last 30 days.
  • Forecasts: estimated clicks, impressions, cost and conversions for a budget and bid strategy, refreshed daily.
The catch: accounts with little or no ad spend usually see volumes as wide ranges such as 1K–10K. Google confirmed in 2016 that lower-spending accounts get limited data but has never published a threshold. Very low-volume and sensitive keywords, for example in health or finance, may show no data at all. Our guides explain how to log in to Google Keyword Planner and how to use Google Keyword Planner step by step.
Best for: checking which ideas have real demand on Google, estimating ad costs and planning a first Google Ads test. For a long-tail keyword tool next to it, see our Keyword Tool vs Keyword Planner comparison.
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What Changed Since the 2026 Version of This Article

  • Similarweb's plans were repackaged: self-service plans are now sold as Competitive Intelligence bundles that add SEO, AEO (AI search visibility) and ads, from $125 a month billed annually.
  • AI search data was added: Similarweb's free extension and AI traffic checker now show traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and other AI chatbots.
  • Removed: a survey figure about SEO and PPC returns that had no source, and links to third-party reviews. Every fact above now comes from the two tools' own pages.

Which One Should a Startup Choose?

  • You have no budget: Keyword Planner for search demand, plus Similarweb's free traffic checker and extension for competitors. Together they cost nothing.
  • You are writing a business plan or an investor deck: Similarweb, to compare competitors' traffic and channels. Quote its figures as estimates.
  • You are planning SEO content: Keyword Planner for volumes, then a dedicated SEO tool for difficulty and rankings; Similarweb's SEO plan is one option at $333 a month billed annually.
  • You plan to run Google Ads: Keyword Planner, for bid ranges and forecasts.
  • You want to know if AI assistants send traffic in your market: Similarweb's AI traffic data; Keyword Planner has none.
Comparing more SEO tools? See Moz vs SE Ranking, SE Ranking vs AccuRanker, SpyFu vs SE Ranking, SpyFu vs Keyword Insights, Ahrefs vs Wincher, Semrush vs Long Tail Pro and Ahrefs vs Long Tail Pro. On a budget, start with our lists of free Ahrefs alternatives and cheaper Ahrefs alternatives.

How Founders Use Similarweb and Keyword Planner Together

  1. List three to five competitors. Pick the sites your customers would compare you with, not only the biggest names.
  2. Check their traffic. Run each domain through Similarweb's free traffic checker: which channels work for them, which countries they reach, and whether they are growing.
  3. Collect their keywords. Note the search terms that bring them visitors; our guide to checking competitor keywords shows more ways to find them.
  4. Validate demand in Keyword Planner. Paste the list in to see Google volume ranges, competition and bids, and keep the specific phrases you can realistically win.
  5. Publish and measure. Write pages for those terms and track queries and clicks in Google Search Console.
Traffic and search data are also cheap market research: if competitors get little search traffic and nobody searches for the problem, that is a reason to validate your startup idea before you build. For sizing the market in numbers, try one of these free market size calculators, and compare more options in our roundup of competitor analysis tools.
Once you know your keywords, the F/MS AI SEO Tool turns them into articles written to rank on Google and to be cited by AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, with human editors checking the result. For early links to a new site, F/MS Marketing Directories lists places where you can submit your startup.
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FAQ: Similarweb vs Google Keyword Planner

What is the main difference between Similarweb and Google Keyword Planner?

Similarweb estimates traffic for any website and shows where it comes from, so it is a competitor and market research tool. Google Keyword Planner shows Google search demand: keyword ideas, search volume, competition, bid ranges and ad forecasts.

Is Similarweb free?

Partly. Its website traffic checker, free keyword tool for Google, YouTube and Amazon, AI traffic checker and browser extension are free with limits. Full data needs a paid plan, from $125 a month billed annually or $199 month to month (October 2026).

Does Similarweb have a free trial?

Yes, 7 days on its self-service plans. Its help centre says the card you register with is charged automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel before then.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Yes. You need a Google Ads account in Expert Mode with billing details entered, but you do not have to run ads.

Why does Keyword Planner show ranges like 1K–10K?

Accounts with little or no ad spend usually see search volume as ranges. Google has confirmed that lower-spending accounts get limited data but has not published a threshold.

How accurate is Similarweb traffic data?

Its numbers are estimates modelled from first-party analytics, a contributors network, public data and partner data. They are good for comparing sites and spotting trends, and least reliable for very small websites.

Where can I submit a guest post about my startup?

You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Get a quality backlink.

Can Similarweb replace Keyword Planner for SEO?

Not for Google search volume on a budget. Similarweb's paid SEO plan has keyword research, but Keyword Planner gives Google's own data for free, so most startups use Keyword Planner for demand and Similarweb for competitors.

Which tool shows traffic from ChatGPT and other AI assistants?

Similarweb. Its free extension and AI traffic checker estimate how much traffic a site gets from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and other chatbots. Keyword Planner covers Google Search only.

Can I use AI to write SEO articles from my keywords?

Yes. The F/MS AI SEO Tool writes articles from your keywords that are built to rank on Google and in AI assistants, with human editors reviewing them.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.