VidIQ Pricing · 2026
Last verified: August 2026
VidIQ Pricing in 2026: Every Plan & Is It Worth It?
VidIQ paid plans start around $16.58/month billed annually and run up to a custom Enterprise tier. Here is exactly what each plan costs, what you actually get, and where the price stings.
The short answer
VidIQ pricing at a glance
- •Free: $0/month, 150 AI credits, VidIQ's de-facto trial.
- •Boost: $19/mo monthly, or ~$16.58/mo billed annually ($199/yr), 2,000 AI credits.
- •Max: $49/mo, or $39/mo billed annually ($468/yr), 6,000 AI credits, Max Mode AI and the vidIQ MCP server.
- •Coaching ~$99/mo and Enterprise (custom) sit above the self-serve tiers.
Quick answer: what VidIQ costs
VidIQ runs on a freemium, AI-credit subscription. The Free plan is $0 with 150 AI credits a month. The first paid tier, Boost, is the one most creators buy: $19/month month-to-month, or about $16.58/month on annual billing ($199 a year), with 2,000 AI credits. Above it, Max adds more AI capacity at $49/month, or $39/month on a $468 annual plan. A Coaching plan bolts human coaching onto Boost for about $99/month, and Enterprise is custom-quoted for agencies. The price you pay hinges on two things: how heavily you use the AI features, and whether you commit annually.
Facts at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Boost, $19/mo month-to-month, or ~$16.58/mo billed annually ($199/yr) |
| Free plan | Yes, $0, 150 AI credits/month |
| Top self-serve plan | Max, $49/mo, or $39/mo billed annually ($468/yr), 6,000 AI credits/month |
| Coaching add-on | ~$99/mo (annual), Boost features + 1-on-1 YouTube coaching |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing for brands, agencies & MCNs |
| Billing model | Per-seat subscription, metered by monthly AI credits |
| Free trial on paid plans | No standalone trial, the Free plan is the trial |
Plan Breakdown
VidIQ plans, tier by tier
Five tiers, but in practice the decision is Free vs Boost vs Max. Here is what each one costs and who it fits.
Free
$0
150 AI credits/month
Enough to test the AI Coach, see daily video ideas, and pull basic channel stats. Good for kicking the tyres; the credit ceiling is hit fast once you start generating titles or thumbnails.
Best for: Hobbyists evaluating the platform
BoostMost popular
$19/mo
~$16.58/mo billed annually ($199/yr)
2,000 AI credits/month
The plan most VidIQ users actually pay for. Unlocks thumbnail generation, unlimited trend research, optimization tools, subscriber insights and the full AI Coach. Paying for a year up front shaves a little off the monthly rate.
Best for: Active creators publishing weekly
Max
$49/mo
$39/mo billed annually ($468/yr)
6,000 AI credits/month
Everything in Boost plus 3x AI Coach conversations, the more powerful Max Mode AI, several hours of short-form clip generation, and the vidIQ MCP server as a listed feature.
Best for: Full-time creators leaning on AI generation
Coaching + Boost
~$99/mo
Billed annually
Boost credits + human coaching
Boost feature set plus one-on-one YouTube coaching and a custom growth plan. You are paying for the human, not extra software.
Best for: Creators who want accountability
Enterprise
Custom
Contact sales
Team roles & cross-channel reporting
For brands, agencies and MCNs running multiple channels, team permissions, priority support and consolidated reporting.
Best for: Agencies & multi-channel operators
Billing
Annual vs monthly billing
VidIQ's headline prices are annual-equivalent, so the month-to-month rate is always a little higher. The gap is modest on Boost and about $10 a month on Max.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Paid up front |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boost | $19/mo | ~$16.58/mo | $199/yr |
| Max | $49/mo | $39/mo | $468/yr |
Rule of thumb: if you are confident VidIQ fits your workflow, annual saves the most. If you are unsure, start month-to-month or on the Free plan and upgrade once you know you will use it.
The Verdict
Is VidIQ worth it?
VidIQ's value depends entirely on what you need it for. Match your bottleneck to the verdict:
Keyword research & YouTube SEO
Worth itVidIQ's keyword scores, tag suggestions and the browser extension overlay are its strongest, most mature features. If SEO is your bottleneck, Boost pays for itself.
Daily ideation & AI-assisted titles/thumbnails
Worth it on Boost+The AI Coach and generators are genuinely useful for beating the blank page, provided you stay inside your monthly credit allotment.
Competitor & outlier analysis
Look widerVidIQ shows competitor stats but isn't built around benchmarked outlier detection (which video is doing 10x a channel's norm). Purpose-built outlier tools surface those breakouts faster.
Tight budget / occasional uploads
Free plan is fineIf you publish irregularly, the Free plan's 150 credits and basic stats cover the essentials without a subscription.
AI Access
vidIQ MCP Pricing: What It Actually Costs
vidIQ has a real remote MCP server, with about 50 tools that connect its data to Claude and other AI clients. Officially it is a Max plan feature, so the list price is $49/month, or $468/year, which works out to $39/month. Their help center article adds that all plans have it "during our launch period". No end date is published, so treat that free access as temporary. Details and setup steps live at vidiq.com/mcp. Verified August 2026.
The real cost is credits. Each call spends about 5 credits from the plan's shared AI credit pool. Max includes 6,000 credits a month, but that same pool feeds every vidIQ AI feature, so titles, thumbnails and AI Coach chats all draw from it. vidIQ sells no credit top-ups. When credits run out, in their help center's words, AI tools pause until the next billing cycle.
| MCP cost | vidIQ | OutlierKit |
|---|---|---|
| Included with | Max, $49/mo or $468/yr ($39/mo); all plans during an undated launch period | Pro, $49/mo (also on Max) |
| Cost per call | About 5 credits | 2 to 10 credits |
| Credit pool | 6,000/mo on Max, shared with every AI feature | 500/mo on Pro, no daily limits |
| Out of credits | No top-ups; AI tools pause until the next billing cycle | Top-ups any time, $10 per 100 credits |
OutlierKit prices its MCP the other way round. It is included on Pro at $49/month, each call costs 2 to 10 credits from a 500 credit pool, and there are no daily limits. If you run out mid-project, top-ups are $10 per 100 credits, so research does not stall until your next invoice. You can connect it at outlierkit.com/mcp, or read the OutlierKit MCP server guide first.
If Research Is Your Goal
A lower-cost alternative for competitor research
If you are eyeing VidIQ mainly for competitor and outlier analysis, finding the videos punching far above a channel's average, OutlierKit is built specifically for that, and it starts lower. Hobby is $29/month ($16.58/month billed annually), every tier includes outlier detection (no features locked behind the top plan), and there is a free trial of 30 credits so you can test it before paying. VidIQ still wins for keyword SEO and the in-browser overlay, which is why some creators keep both, but you don't need VidIQ's top tier just to do research.
See the full feature-by-feature breakdown in OutlierKit vs VidIQ.
VidIQ pricing FAQ
How much does VidIQ cost per month?+
VidIQ's paid plans start at the Boost tier, which is $19/month month-to-month or about $16.58/month when billed annually ($199/year). The Max plan is $49/month, or $39/month on annual billing ($468/year), and a Coaching plan that adds one-on-one YouTube coaching to Boost is about $99/month. There is also a free $0 plan with 150 AI credits per month, and custom Enterprise pricing for agencies and brands. These figures were verified in August 2026, always check vidiq.com/plans for the current numbers.
Does VidIQ have a free plan?+
Yes. VidIQ offers a free plan at $0/month that includes 150 AI credits per month, niche trends, daily content ideas and personalized tips from the AI Coach. It functions as VidIQ's trial, there is no separate free trial of the paid tiers, so the Free plan is how you evaluate the product before upgrading to Boost or Max.
Is VidIQ Boost worth it?+
VidIQ Boost is worth it if your main need is keyword research, YouTube SEO and AI-assisted ideation, those are VidIQ's strongest features, and Boost's 2,000 monthly AI credits cover regular use. It is less compelling if your focus is benchmarked competitor and outlier analysis, where purpose-built outlier tools surface breakout videos faster. For weekly publishers who lean on SEO, the annual price of roughly $16.58/month is reasonable value.
What is the difference between VidIQ Boost and Max?+
The main difference is AI capacity. Boost includes 2,000 AI credits per month, while Max includes 6,000 AI credits per month plus 3x more AI Coach conversations, the more powerful Max Mode AI, and several hours of short-form clip generation. Boost is aimed at active creators; Max is aimed at full-time creators who lean heavily on AI generation. Boost is the cheaper entry point and Max is the top self-serve tier.
Why is VidIQ's monthly price so different from the advertised price?+
VidIQ, like most creator tools, advertises the annual-equivalent monthly price. Boost shows as roughly $16.58/month, but that requires paying $199 for a full year up front. The true month-to-month price is $19. Max shows as $39/month on the same basis, against $49 month-to-month. When you compare VidIQ to other tools, make sure you are comparing the same billing term, annual-to-annual or monthly-to-monthly.
Is the vidIQ MCP free?+
Only for now. vidIQ's help center says every plan can use the MCP server during its launch period, but no end date is published, so that access is temporary by design. On paper the MCP is a Max plan feature, which is $49/month or $468/year ($39/month). Calls are not free either: each one costs about 5 credits from the plan's shared AI credit pool, the same pool that feeds every other vidIQ AI feature. vidIQ does not sell credit top-ups, so when the pool runs dry the AI tools pause until your next billing cycle. Verified August 2026.
Can I cancel VidIQ anytime?+
Month-to-month VidIQ subscriptions can be cancelled before the next billing date. Annual plans are paid up front for the year, so cancelling stops the next renewal rather than refunding the remaining months. If you are unsure how much you will use it, starting month-to-month (or on the Free plan) avoids locking in a year.
Is there a cheaper alternative to VidIQ for competitor research?+
If your goal is competitor and outlier analysis rather than keyword SEO, OutlierKit is a focused alternative that starts at $29/month for the Hobby plan (about $16.58/month billed annually) and includes outlier detection and channel analysis at every tier, with a free trial of 30 credits to test it first. VidIQ remains the stronger pick specifically for keyword research and the SEO browser overlay, which is why some creators run both.
Where MCP fits in the vidIQ credit pool
vidIQ MCP calls spend the same monthly AI credits as AI Coach and thumbnail generation, and vidIQ sells no top-ups. The vidIQ MCP server review works out how many calls each plan really buys.
Researching competitors, not just keywords?
OutlierKit surfaces the videos beating a channel's average, outlier detection, channel similarity and AI metadata from $29/mo, with a free trial of 30 credits.
See OutlierKit pricing