TubeBuddy vs VidIQ (2021): Which YouTube Tool Should You Get?

With billions of views per day, YouTube is undoubtedly the platform to be seen and heard. However, those who want to make money through it will find that the competition in the world’s second largest search engine is getting stiffer. As such, knowing how to make your content stand out and reach an audience is essential.

TubeBuddy and VidIQ, for instance, are two of the most popular browser extensions for YouTube creators. Both platforms come with channel optimization features to grow and manage your online presence. Moreover, you get access to a suite of tools in marketing, analytics, and productivity. But which one is better? Here, we compare TubeBuddy and VidIQ based on their features, ease of use, and pricing to see which one comes out on top. 

TubeBuddy vs VidIQ Comparison Chart

Model	TubeBuddy	VidIQ
Price	Check Price at TubeBuddy.com	Check Price at VidIQ.com
Browser Extension	Chrome, Firefox, Safari	Chrome, Firefox
Web Application	Yes	Yes
Languages	English, English for UK	English, English for UK, Spanish, Spanish for Latin America, French, French for Canada, Italian, Greek
Products and Services	TubeBuddy browser extension	VidIQ Chrome Extension, VidIQ Web Suite
Mobile Application	Android, iOS	Android, iOS
Keyword Research	Yes	Yes
Thumbnail Generator	Yes	Yes
Integrations	Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Alexa, MagicLinks, Social Bluebook, Patreon	Facebook
Demonitization Audit	Yes	Yes
Headquarters	San Diego, United States	San Francisco, United States

Marketing Features

TubeBuddy and VidIQ cover most of the same metrics, with the former offering more accurate keyword scores and the latter better in update frequency.

In a sea of billions of videos, how can your content find the right audience? This is the main challenge being addressed by TubeBuddy and VidIQ through their respective keyword research tools.

TubeBuddy, for instance, comes with Search Explorer that allows content creators to analyze how certain keywords perform in terms of search volume and competition. Along with these insights, TubeBuddy also provides actionable information, including how videos rank in terms of tags, what queries are trending, and how your content performs in both YouTube and Google. 

Similarly, VidIQ boasts a tool called Scorecard, allowing you to gauge how you can rank among top videos for certain searches. General stats on trends, related content, and competition are also available. For those who want close monitoring of the YouTube landscape, then VidIQ does have a slight edge when it comes to update frequency. However, TubeBuddy’s keyword score tends to be more accurate in presenting difficulty for ranking in a particular search. Either way, the search sidebars on both extensions are quite robust, with rich information and dynamic reporting.

As expected, TubeBuddy and VidIQ supports sharing your videos to Facebook. Both tools are also capable of monitoring engagement on other social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter. To make things more efficient, these extensions will recommend tags, copy the terms you can use, and bulk process your uploads. Lastly, TubeBuddy and VidIQ also automatically review the words, terms or metadata in your content, ensuring they all meet YouTube guidelines and avoid getting demonetized or flagged. 

Productivity

TubeBuddy has the advantage over VidIQ when it comes to bulk processing and productivity tools.

 

YouTube is a fast-paced platform, with countless videos being churned out every minute. To keep up with this speed, TubeBuddy and VidIQ offer productivity tools that make editing, uploading, and managing your content faster.

With TubeBuddy, you can set up templates for your interactive cards, and select which videos the templates will apply to. Do you need to change links in your description or update cards across several videos? TubeBuddy makes it easier, with bulk processing for removing, adding, and updating not only cards and end screens, but thumbnail overlays and social profile links in your descriptions, too.

VidIQ shares similar productivity features. However, its bulk processing will be limited to card and end screens only. Nonetheless, you do get a comment management system. This feature allows you to create canned messages so you can answer comments faster. There’s also an easy to use thumbnail generator, allowing users to design custom or templated thumbnails for their videos. 

There’s a simplicity to TubeBuddy’s own thumbnail editor as well. Like in VidIQ, it’s easy to modify and apply thumbnail templates in bulk. But TubeBuddy does have an advantage when it comes to managing comments. Apart from creating pre-written messages, the tool allows you to filter and format comments, as well as identify Patreon supporters and recent subscribers in your replies. 

Ease of Use

While TubeBuddy is packed with more features, VidIQ’s clean interface makes it easier to take full advantage of their tools.

 

While both extensions have a depth of features, leveraging all the tools is a different matter. A simple, easy to use interface can really change how you engage with either TubeBuddy or VidIQ. 

Between the two, VidIQ’s interface is cleaner and more organized. Rather than packing all the features on the side, refined icons are displayed as tabs in the upper toolbar. Data and analytics are also presented clearly, using large figures and uncomplicated charts and graphs in visualizing information. 

In contrast, TubeBuddy seems intent on showcasing the tools it offers. On the left of your dashboard, all the functionalities you  need can be easily accessed. There are some cool data visualization features as well, including a word cloud that captures viewers’ sentiments over your content. In addition, insights from its data and analytics tools are commonly displayed in blocks or modules.

Pricing and Plans

Both TubeBuddy and VidIQ offer free plans with limited functionality, as well as paid plans that include more features as you move up and pay more.

 

Managing a YouTube channel is essentially running a business. And so with any venture, you want to know the value of the “I” in your ROI. With VidIQ, you can sign up for a free plan called Basic, which comes with basic tracking and data features. If you want to get more, you’ll have to purchase one of its three premium plans: Pro for $7.50/mo, Boost for $39/mo, or Boost+ for $415/mo. Keep in mind that the Boost and Boost+ plans can be upgraded for additional channels. 

TubeBuddy similarly offers four plans: one free, and three paid-for. The paid plans are Pro for $9/mo, Star at $19/mo, and Legend at $49/mo. Like in VidIQ, the free plan from TubeBuddy offers basic functionalities, like tag rankings and a demonetization audit. However, the bulk processing feature—which is perhaps the most sought feature from these YouTube tools—is only available starting with the Star plan. Nonetheless, TubeBuddy offers a 20% discount if you opt for yearly billing.

Verdict

TubeBuddy is more feature-packed compared to VidIQ, with relatively more affordable plans.

TubeBuddy

VidIQ

There is no doubt that YouTube is the most popular platform for monetized content. But with a seemingly endless number of content creators out there, it’s important to put out videos that truly engage audiences. TubeBuddy and VidIQ are thus great options for users who want to take YouTubing seriously. These platforms are designed for audience development, with a range of tools to understand—and even beat—the competition.

But if we were to choose only one, we’ll have to go with TubeBuddy. While VidIQ has a user-friendly interface and has robust keyword search capabilities, TubeBuddy’s feature-rich platform is a better tool to invest in. The software extends bulk processing beyond cards and end screens, and enjoys integrations across more applications and social media sites. 

Indeed, beginners may find VidIQ as a nice step in professionalizing their YouTube channels. But TubeBuddy’s extra features are call towards long-term YouTube success.

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