VIDIQ Review – What is it & Is it worth it? (March 2021)
If you are trying to grow your YouTube channel, you’ve probably heard of VIDIQ, right?
In this VIDIQ review, I will be discussing exactly what it is, how it helps your channel grow, and go through all the best free features of this tool. Then we’ll compare each of the paid plans properly to see if they are worth upgrading to or not.
We will also answer some common questions such as does it really help you get more views, is it safe, is Tubebuddy better, and other important details you need to know!
What is it & Who uses it?
VIDIQ is a Free Browser Extension that helps you optimize, grow, and manage your YouTube Channel. It’s used and recommended by some of the Top creators and brands around the world including Evan Charmichael (3M Subs), Chad Wild Clay (13M Subs), Think Media (1.6M Subs), Mark Cuban, Jim Louderback (CEO of VidCon), AOL, Time Inc, and eBay.
Once you add it to your browser – it will add certain features on your YouTube pages, videos that enhance the functionality.
The Most Notable Tools Includes:
YouTube Keyword Research Tool
Competitor Video Analysis
Trending Video Alerts
Channel Audit
VIDIQ Analytics
Productivity Tools
Short on Time? Here’s what matters most
Is it Safe? Yes, it’s YouTube Certified and Uses YouTube’s API. Also has over 1,000,000+ Active users rated at 4.5+ for their Chrome browser.
Is it actually worth it? Yes, definitely install the FREE VIDIQ Extension. The Pro $10/month plan is also highly recommended. Getting their Boost plan $49/month can be debated. Read my full recommendations here.
Does it actually increase views & subscribers? VIDIQ is a just tool that helps you – just like shoes for running. It will give you an edge, save you time, and give you a better idea about what content to create but it’s not going to win you the race.
Which is better, VIDIQ, or TubeBuddy? Both are good but in short, VIDIQ is best for Competitive Analysis. TubeBuddy is best for Productivity & Bulk Processing. Infact, I recommend using both VIDIQ Pro + TubeBuddy Pro for most creators.
#1 VIDIQ Sidebar where you can access all the main tools
#2 Like/Dislike Ratio
#3 Stats Bar – Simplified Version of your YouTube Creator Stats.
So, let’s discuss the Top 7 Free Features VIDIQ adds and what they do for you.
Top 9 Free VIDIQ Features Explained & How it Helps You Get More Views
There are dozens of features within VIDIQ, but you probably don’t need to use all of them and it can get overwhelming so I’ll just go through the most important features which are FREE. Then I’ll go through the paid plans and what they offer.
1. Views Per Hour
This is one of my favourite metrics to measure the success of a competitor’s videos. Once you click on a video on the right there is a video scorecard. It shows a lot of information but honestly not all of it is that important.
The most important metric for me is always the views per hour. Because it really tells you how well the video is currently doing. Especially, if it’s a video posted months ago or years ago. This gives you an idea – that whether or not this video is evergreen (still relevant/searched for) or just a trending video.
From that information, you can create a similar and better/unique video – and expect to get views similar to them or more. Not always the case (since there are so many ranking factors) but if you are ranking for their keywords then there is a good chance.
Note: On your own videos, you can also see information about how many subscribers the video has driven, average watch time, and countries of your viewers.
Definitely one of my favourite features of VIDIQ.
2. Like/Dislike Ratio, Subscriber Counts & Tags
The Free version of VIDIQ has this amazing feature which shows the dislike/like ratio, subscribers and tags used. This is awesome for 2 main reasons.
Reason #1: It improves your overall experience on YouTube. Perhaps if the like ratio is low, you may not click into that video. Saving you a bunch of time by watching a bad video.
Reason #2: If you notice a video that is ranking highly with a bad ratio (e.g. 90% or lower). Perhaps the video is old/irrelevant or their audio/video is bad. It could be something you could improve upon and create a better video to overtake them.
Subscriber Count
Next to the name of the YouTuber Account is the subscriber count of the channel. You can also see it on your YouTube comments.
I find this useful when a fellow creator comments on your channel, it allows you to know straight away without clicking into their profiles. Perhaps, this can be an opportunity to connect with them and collaborate in the future.
Inline Tags
You can copy these keywords and use them for your tags when you upload your videos, saving time from thinking about it from the top of your head. You can also click it to bring up the search volume and competitiveness.
3. Trending Videos on Your Competitors Channel
You can click onto your competitors channel and click on the “trending tab”. This will show the videos which are still performing well for your competitors.
This is really a useful tool because you don’t need to click into each individual video to find out the Views Per Hour. This can give you a ton of ideas and inspiration for your next videos.
As you can see above, that video from 2 years ago is still getting over 113 views per hour. That video is doing really well for something that’s over two years old! So, Perhaps you can make the most up to date video about it – showing the latest Instagram interface and tools.
Note: I am currently using the Boost Plan but I believe with the FREE version of VIDIQ – you are limited to the top 6 results.
4. Keyword Research (Limited)
When you first start out, especially if you are not famous already or have influence from other platforms it can be hard to be seen. And you simply can’t just create a video like “I’m moving on…” and get millions of views – because no one cares about you yet. (Once you have an audience who is invested in your life – yes definitely those can work very well cause people like stories)
So what should you do?
Keyword research. So basically you are researching keywords people search for.
And VIDIQ gives you the tools to do it.
So for example: “WordPress Tutorial” has a search volume of 600,000/month around the world but has medium competition. So if you are starting from 0 and your skills aren’t great – it might be harder for you to rank on the YouTube Search results.
So with this tool, it will show the related terms such as “WordPress Tutorial 2021 – 10 Easy Steps to Get Started” with a lower volume but lower competition. So this could be something better to target.
Note: this isn’t the best example but if you have the Pro version it will give you a lot more related terms which give you a lot more ideas.
With the Free Version of the Keyword Research tool – you can get 3 related results, 3 keyword search volume, difficulty, and overall score.
It’s also important to note that the data generated is from VIDIQ’s own proprietary algorithms (not from YouTube) – so it might not be 100% accurate but it does give a good general idea.
5. Track Competitors
With the Free Plan – you can track up to 3 competitors and see their videos which are doing well.
With this tool – you can track the best-performing videos with ease. This is especially important for channels that leverage trends such as a stock/investing channel.
As you can see, the “Post Election News” type of videos is doing really well. You could create a video similar but for a different company. E.g. Amazon Stock Price Prediction POST Election News.
6. Free VIDIQ Mobile App
You can also download VIDIQ onto your mobile device (iOs/Android). From there you can view your most popular videos, top keyword opportunities, track competitors, and even do keyword research.
Note: It doesn’t show all the Analytics of your channel, for that make sure to download the official YouTube Creator Studio App in the App store on your phone, if you haven’t already.
7. Trend Alerts
Not something I use too often, since on my channel – I focus mostly on evergreen content (content that gets views over time). But I know that for some reaction/news channels this feature this is a must!
You can create alerts based on the Views Per Hour Threshold.
One negative I found here is that the keywords that you input might not be that accurate to what you want. Since some creators use tags that aren’t relevant to their video and that could mean VIDIQ alert you on a completely unrelated video. It is probably better to select your competitors manually.
With the Free version, you can only create 1 alert (limited options), PRO version 1 alert, BOOST up 5 alerts and BOOST+ up to 15 alerts.
Now that I’ve covered the Free stuff, I want to cover the paid plans and what additional things they provide so you can see if it’s worth it or not.
8. Comment Templates
With VIDIQ Free, you also are able to create comment templates. This saves a ton of time because many instances you will have people asking you the same questions. You can reply to them using a comment template.
Replying to comments, can encourage people to finish watching video which increases the watch time on the video therefore getting you more views!
9. Bulk Copy Cards & End screens
Another great little feature by VIDIQ, where you are able to copy your cards and end screens from one video and paste it onto other videos in bulk.
This is useful if you want to promote a new video – you can redirect that traffic from existing videos to that new video.
Summary of what you get on the Pro Plan ($10/Month)
1. Keyword Research (Full Features)
Once you upgrade to the lowest plan (VIDIQ Pro) you will get the full power of the keyword research tool. Instead of limited to 3 related terms – you get all of them. And you can sort by Search Volume, Competition & Overall Score.
This gives you many more related keywords, so you have a lot more ideas to work with.
You also get the top 5 trending videos on that keyword.
I think this is definitely a must-have upgrade for all creators!
2. Historical Views Data
For those of you who have been on YouTube for a while, you probably know that years and years ago – that you could actually view the historical views statistics on all videos. Since then YouTube has removed that feature. Not sure why, but I really loved that feature.
Now, once you upgrade to VIDIQ Pro – you will get that data! Just click the little stats bar icon on the VIDIQ video scorecard and you’ll see it.
You can easily see how the video is doing over time. Very useful for spying on your competitors!
3. Best Time of Day to Publish
With VIDIQ, you can see what the “best” times to publish are in you VIDIQ App area.
The effectiveness of publishing at a certain time can be debated.
From my experience, evergreen videos, unique & original videos will do well over time, and the time of publishing is not such a big factor. And it’s also important to understand, that being early with new content is probably better than a strict schedule.
But nevertheless, it still can be a helpful guide especially for those just starting out.
4. Channel Audit
VIDIQ will also automatically audit all your videos – showing which videos you should “double down” on, which videos need work, retention of top videos, and more.
All of this information gives you a quick birdseye view of how your videos are performing without digging into your YouTube Analytics (which can be a bit overwhelming!)
5. Other Upgrades Include:
- Access to Chat Support in the VIDIQ App Dashboard Note: this is not 24hr live chat but still useful if you need help finding all of their tools.
- Track up to 6 Competitors (Up from 3)
- More options to compare views of videos & playlists.
Summary of what do you get on the Boost Plan ($49/month)
You get everything in the Free, Pro and the following:
1. Proprietary Keyword/Tag Suggestions
This gives you the most relevant tag suggestions, which is great because it’s hard to know what your viewers type in. And it saves a ton of time but also makes uploading a video less tedious.
The overall effectiveness of tags can be debated, as you will notice some videos ranking very well without tags or even the wrong tags.
So what’s the catch?
YouTube’s algorithm has improved significantly over the years and that includes their automatic captions – so they essentially know all the things you say in your videos. So what you say in your videos is probably going to be a bigger ranking signal than tags. Along with other factors such as watch time for specific keywords.
Essentially it’s harder to “game” the system now.
Nevertheless, this feature can still give you a slight edge in helping the algorithm understand your video especially if you don’t speak in your videos.
And it definitely helps you save time from trying to figure out related tags.
2. Thumbnail Comparisons
One of the newest additions to VIDIQ. I personally think this tool is amazing. It gives you an idea of how your Title & Thumbnail compares to your competitors.
Previously, I would screenshot and then compare it manually using Photoshop – but this tool makes life so much easier. It also gives you inspiration on how to create the thumbnail.
And as you can see from the image above, I used this tool to create a cleaner/simple looking thumbnail than my competitors.
And in my opinion, it’s one of the reasons that it is ranking #1 for that term and other related terms.
3. Subscribers Analysis
This tool is located in the VIDIQ dashboard. It shows who else your subscribers also watch.
A big part of your success on YouTube is about understanding your viewers and with this tool – you can get a deeper understanding about who they are. From that – you can adjust your content or even collaborate with a fellow creator whom you share similar audiences.
Normally, I will look through these channels once in a while to get some ideas and inspiration. However, I try not to think about what others are creating, so that you can fully unique. And that’s probably going to lead to more success.
4. More Trend Alerts, Improve videos with Bulk SEO Optimizations.
With the Boost plan you get up to 5 Trend alerts (up from 1 alert) and also you can now track 20 competitors.
With the Bulk SEO – You can load up existing videos to add suggested tags, and edit descriptions.
5. Upload Checklist with Convertraversial Keyword Checker
With the Boost Plan, you get a video upload score and checklist. It also will check your title, description and tags for controversial keywords that could get you demonetized.
There’s ONE more…The Boost+ Plan ($499/month)
In addition to everything else. You get priority chat support, a monthly coaching call to help with your channel growth, and advice.
You also can have up to 5 channels.
The main purpose of this plan is for personalized coaching for dedicated creators & agencies.
I haven’t had much experience with this plan, but from what I’ve heard you will actually have another YouTuber give you advice. Great for accountability.
Things that I don’t like
1. No Mid Tier Plan
If you look on their pricing page – you’ll notice they don’t offer a mid tier plan between $10 and $49/month. They sort of do – by offering a $499/month Boost+ but honestly for most people starting out – it’s probably out of reach.
One of their most important features, Tag Suggestions is in the $49/month Boost plan.
It would have been good if they have the tags in the lower plan cause I think that’s essential. And TubeBuddy actually has a similar feature (insta tag suggest) this in the lowest tier plan at only $9/month.
However, with that said – They do offer unlimited comment templates and bulk copy cards/endscreens on their Free version. If we compare that to TubeBuddy, their unlimited canned responses is only on their pro plan ($9/month). And Bulk copy cards/end screens are on their star plan ($19/month).
2. Bulk Processing/Productivity Tools Aren’t the Best
The Mass Edit Video Tool is not my favourite, cause the area to edit is too small and you can only change the basics such as Title/Description.
Note: Once you upgrade to the Boost plan you do have access to the Bulk SEO Optimization Dashboard (that does work better but again, you have to click out of the main Youtube area to change anything other than titles, description and tags)
Their competitor TubeBuddy – does a better job at this, where they have a quick-select tool on the right-hand side on the video upload page.
But on a positive note – if you want to replace URLs for example, if you want to change affiliate links, social media profile URLs or Website URLs etc – you can use the VIDIQ search and replace tool. It’s a simple, quick and very handy tool to have.
3. Comment Filter Location
This tool itself is great, but I wish this was in the Comments section tab within YouTube Creator Studio.
Because most of the time, I don’t think you would filter the comment on the actual video page. I barely ever click back to my videos page, simply because I hate watching my videos and hearing my voice again. Is that just me? 🙂
And yes, TubeBuddy has their comment filter feature located on your comments page in your YouTube Creator Studio. It seems like they are trying to avoid copying each other.
4. Only Available on Chrome & Firefox
Not such a big issue for me since I use Chrome anyway but I understand that some people use and prefer other browsers.
So I think this is something they can address in the future and make available on all other browsers.
VIDIQ Alternatives
The most notable alternative to VIDIQ is TubeBuddy. So what’s the main difference?
In summary, TubeBuddy has better productivity/bulk processing tools overall with a better user experience in this area. They also have a decent keyword research tool which shows weighted scores/unweighted score with recommendations.
And if you are looking at the top tier – Legend Plan, they have an A/B Thumbnail Tester. This allows you to test thumbnail/title variations – to see which performs better. (i.e click-thru rates)
However, TubeBuddy’s competitive analysis tools are lacking though. They don’t have any metric that shows views per hour, historical views, or trending video alerts.
VIDIQ’s main strength lies in its competitive analysis and trend analysis tools.
Read my Full VIDIQ vs TubeBuddy Comparison.
VIDIQ Review: Verdict & Recommendations
VIDIQ isn’t going to magically boost your views overnight by using the tools. There is no magic button for more views or subscribers, if you are looking for that – you will be disappointed.
Most of your success is going to come from the content in the video itself. For example, is the video concept unique, relevant, valuable, authentic? And do you have quality video and audio?
If you have tried all the above, then VIDIQ can give you some extra guidance to help you find the right videos to create, save time in uploading, and make things a lot easier.
So overall, I do recommend using VIDIQ if you are serious about YouTube.
So which plan do I recommend?
VIDIQ Free – You should definitely install and add this to your Youtube Channel. It has a lot of features that add to a better experience with YouTube such as the Views per hour, Like/Dislike ratio, Trending videos on specific channels, and more.
Yes, even if you are a big fan of TubeBuddy (VIDIQ Alternative) – you should have at least the free version of VIDIQ.
VIDIQ Pro ($10/month) – Highly recommended for most YouTubers. It unlocks more keyword research data with related terms, historical views (views per day) on videos, additional competitor analysis tools, the best time to publish, and more.
VIDIQ Boost ($49/month) – The price for monthly is $49/m or $39/m if you go with the yearly plan. So it may be quite a big jump for some. I’d actually recommend using VIDIQ Pro ($10/m) + TubeBuddy Pro ($9/m). Since both can work together and you will get the Insta Tags Feature which I feel is super useful in making your upload process a lot easier. You also get some great productivity tools such as upload defaults, advanced comment filtering, and easier bulk editing features.
But if budget is not a concern – then go for it, especially if you are a channel that leverages trends such as creating reaction videos. It will give you up to 5 trend alerts.
The compare thumbnail feature is easily one of my favourites, which can give you ideas and how to create a thumbnail that stands out among the competition.
Graham Stephan said in one of his videos about the importance of thumbnails and how he would sometimes re-upload with different thumbnails and titles – if a video didn’t do well within the first few hours.
VIDIQ Boost+ ($499/month) – This plan is mainly for people who are seeking additional coaching and help. I have not tried it myself so can’t give you an accurate answer as to what you get in terms of coaching and what type of analysis they give you.
My personal recommendation is to use the free/paid plan of the tools (to get familiar with them) and watch their free training videos first. Then, and only then consider the Boost+ Plan.
Otherwise, it would be a waste of money to just talk about the basics and be charged $499/month right? Just my 2 cents.
Anyways, that is all for this VIDIQ Review, hopefully that gives you clarity on what this tool can do for you and your channel. If you have any questions, drop them below. The most commonly asked questions will also be added to the FAQ section below 🙂
FAQ
Yes, it is safe. It’s YouTube certified and used by thousands of creators, brands and companies.
I am also personally using it without any issues.
Yes, you can. In fact – that’s what I do. However I do hide certain features which I feel are duplicates.
Step 1: Click on the Extension Icon on your browser
Step 2: Select “Settings”
Step 3: Here the VIDIQ Extension Settings will show and you can select/deselect the items
October 5, 2024 @ 6:58 pm
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This info is invaluable. When can I find out more?