vidIQ plans: month to month against billed yearly
US dollars a month, as shown on the vendor page on 29 October 2026.
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vidIQ's pricing structure looks simple on the surface: Free, Boost, Max and Enterprise, with predictable pricing. But the real story is in what each tier locks away. The jump from free to paid is steep, the annual discounts are significant, and the feature gaps between Boost and Max aren't always obvious from the marketing page. For our full feature analysis, see the vidIQ Review (2026).
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing (per mo) | Annual Total | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 | , |
| Boost | $19/mo | $16.58/mo | $199/yr | 13% vs monthly |
| Max | $49/mo | $39/mo | $468/yr | 20% vs monthly |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Contact sales |
Yearly billing saves about 13% on Boost ($29 a year) and 20% on Max ($120 a year), versus 20% on TubeBuddy's plans, as of October 2026. Boost is sold for 1, 2 or 3 channels ($19, $29 or $39 a month; $199, $276 or $372 a year), and vidIQ points anyone managing more than 3 channels or a team to Enterprise.
vidIQ's Free plan installs the Chrome extension and gives you:
What's missing: daily video ideas, AI title generator, full keyword volume data and competitor tracking. The Free plan gives you a taste of vidIQ's interface but locks away every feature that makes the tool productive. If you're evaluating vidIQ, don't judge it by the free tier, it's not representative of the real product.
Boost is where vidIQ becomes a working tool rather than a preview:
What's still locked: the larger Max credit allowance (6,000 a month), extra AI Coach conversations, Max Mode AI and short clipping. Boost is genuinely the tier most creators should start with. The daily ideas engine alone generates enough usable content angles to justify the $16.58/mo for channels publishing 2+ times per week.
Max is Boost plus a much larger AI allowance. vidIQ's plan page lists these additions (as of October 2026):
Max is expensive. At $39/mo billed yearly, it costs more than TubeBuddy's Legend plan ($26.39/mo billed yearly). The value proposition only works for creators who run out of Boost's 2,000 monthly AI Credits or use AI Coach and clipping every week. If that's not you, Boost covers your needs.
Remember that YouTube tool subscriptions are deductible business expenses for creators earning revenue from their channels. The team at CeoCult covers tool subscription deductions in detail, worth reading before tax season.
vidIQ's Enterprise tier isn't listed with public pricing. It's designed for agencies, teams and anyone managing more than 3 channels:
vidIQ does not publish Enterprise pricing, so expect a quote rather than a list price. vidIQ itself points anyone managing more than 3 channels, or giving a team access, to Enterprise.
Several things vidIQ's pricing page doesn't make obvious:
Here's how the two tools stack up at each price level:
| Feature Level | vidIQ | TubeBuddy | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free: useful overlay | Free: very limited | vidIQ, more functional free tier |
| Entry paid | Boost: $16.58/mo | Pro: $12/mo | TubeBuddy, about 28% cheaper |
| Mid tier | Boost: $16.58/mo | Legend: $26.39/mo | vidIQ cheaper; Legend adds A/B testing and bulk tools |
| Top tier | Max: $39/mo | Legend: $26.39/mo | TubeBuddy, about $151/yr cheaper |
| AI content ideas | Boost: included | No equivalent | vidIQ, unique feature |
| A/B thumbnail testing | No dedicated tool | Legend: $26.39/mo | TubeBuddy; YouTube Studio also offers it free |
TubeBuddy is cheaper at the entry and top tiers (billed yearly). vidIQ justifies its premium with AI-driven content ideation, daily ideas, AI titles, and trend prediction, that TubeBuddy simply doesn't offer. If your bottleneck is "what should I make next?", vidIQ Boost is worth the premium. If your bottleneck is SEO optimization and thumbnail testing, TubeBuddy gives you more per dollar. For the full breakdown, read our TubeBuddy vs vidIQ comparison.
Our recommendation:
For a detailed look at what every feature does in practice, read our full vidIQ review. If you're still deciding between vidIQ and TubeBuddy, check our head-to-head comparison and our roundup of the best YouTube tools for 2026.
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vidIQ occasionally runs free trial promotions on paid plans, but there's no permanent trial option. The Free plan is their always-free tier, though it's limited to 150 AI Credits a month. Check vidIQ's website for current promotions, they tend to run trials during YouTube creator events and holiday periods.
They serve different needs at different price points. vidIQ Boost ($16.58/mo billed yearly) includes AI content ideation tools, daily ideas, AI title generator, trend alerts, that TubeBuddy Pro ($12/mo billed yearly) doesn't offer. TubeBuddy Pro focuses on SEO optimization and keyword research at a lower price. If generating content ideas is your biggest challenge, vidIQ Boost justifies the premium. If you want pure SEO tools at the lowest cost, TubeBuddy Pro delivers more value per dollar.
Yes. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. If you're on yearly Max billing, you'll keep Max features until the yearly period ends, then transition to Boost. vidIQ does not issue prorated refunds for downgrades on annual plans. If you're unsure about Max, start with a monthly subscription to test it before committing to annual.
vidIQ's keyword research and SEO tools work for Shorts metadata, but the daily ideas engine and trend alerts are primarily optimized for long-form content. Shorts-specific analytics are limited compared to long-form video analytics. If your channel is primarily Shorts-focused, vidIQ's value proposition is weaker, the AI features that justify the Boost premium are less useful for sub-60-second content.
vidIQ accepts major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) and PayPal. Payments are processed through Stripe. Enterprise customers can arrange invoicing and purchase orders through the sales team. There's no cryptocurrency or wire transfer option for individual plans.
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