Google Trends vs. SpyFu

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Trends
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Google Trends is a search engine optimization software solution offered by .N/A
SpyFu
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
SpyFu is the eponymous SEO and PPC research platform from the company in Scottsdale, Arizona focused on "spying" on competitors, or basically using their behaviors to refine your own through keyword and content analysis, and backlink poaching. This positional search engine optimization and paid listings management platform touts the ability to lower costs and raise rankings via a Kombat-oriented approach... basically a cute way of saying "it makes comparisons" of how well your site does in niche…
$39
per month
Pricing
Google TrendsSpyFu
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Basic
$39
per month
Professional
$79
per month
Team
$299
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google TrendsSpyFu
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google TrendsSpyFu
Considered Both Products
Google Trends
Chose Google Trends
Overall I think that Ahrefs is a better product when it comes to really drilling down and getting all the data that you need in order to understand a given behavior or problem. Ahrefs is much more powerful in its feature set but does not have the same level of overall …
Chose Google Trends
They are both great tools. I prefer Google Trends because of the location capabilities and being able to go hyper-local. It does not however provide the details on cost and competition like SEM Rush does.
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends is probably the easier of the many other Google platforms to identify keywords. I haven't used other keyword platforms because I don't trust them—I rather use a tool directly from Google to evaluate popular keywords. That being said, Google Trends is very limited …
Chose Google Trends
I like using Google Trends because it gives you a clear visual of seasonal trends and compares multiple queries at once. However, I do prefer using other systems like SEMRush and Ahrefs because they are more detailed in the information they give you regarding your website and …
Chose Google Trends
It's not really an either/or thing — I use the complete "Google Marketing Stack" including Analytics, Trends, Keyword Planner, Search Console, etc. It's also essential to integrate some of their data, like making sure Google Search Console and Google Analytics are connected — …
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends provides insights that are only available through Google, however, it does not include other important trends such as those on social media or via their competitors.
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends is great used alongside a tool like MozPro. It complements the quantitive data found in the Moz Keyword Research Tool.
Chose Google Trends
I've used SEMrush, while more of a SEO Manager than keyword trend analyzer, it does have that option as it does relate to SEO management, but between the two, its nice to have the option in SEMrush, but Google Trends is better at doing the trend analyzing than SEMrush is.
Chose Google Trends
One of the most obvious reasons why I chose Google trends over other keyword research platforms is because it's free. At the same time, it also has the most relevant and easy-to-use features out of the bunch. Google Trends does not have as many features as SEMRush or BuzzSumo, …
Chose Google Trends
We used multiple platforms. Google Trends is just one of them! It's important to have multiple tools to check and reference back and forth. Google Trends is totally free for everybody so why not give it a try.
Chose Google Trends
I haven’t used any tools quite like Google Trends.
Chose Google Trends
Other Google products I have used would be Adwords. I would use this along with that program since they do entirely different things.
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends tends to be slightly more accurate than the other products, because Google has access to more user data for the algorithm to take into consideration when providing trends and information. We like this tool because it also aligns better with the Google tools we use …
Chose Google Trends
We use Google Search Console and Moz mostly for our website improvement, and Google Trends we use mostly to look for trends: what people are searching for now. Google Trends is free and has very clean, simple and understandable user interface, it gives lots of usable data for …
Chose Google Trends
We haven't tried anything apart from Google Trends.
Chose Google Trends
Google AdSense is much more detailed, but requires the user to be logged in and have an active Google Adsense account, sometimes it's quicker to just use Google trends.
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends has the biggest source of data and is the most accurate. It cannot be used without any other tool because of its own limits (keyword suggestion, semantical analysis, etc.).
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends is sometimes a helpful supplement to other analytics and advertising tools, but it is not very useful as a standalone analysis tool. We have seen much more benefit from the intelligence and audience information built in to our other core tools. Better predictive …
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends and Open Web Analytics are both similar and different. While both products allow a user to track the popularity of a given webpage or search term, Google Trends is more effective in providing content and suggesting trends. Furthermore, I liked the ability to use …
Chose Google Trends
Google Trends is a great place to start in the content curation, content research, blog post writing, and resource page creation process. It is not, however, a place to do serious SEO optimization. Tools like Moz, or Analytics SEO would be a better place to go after you do …
Chose Google Trends
They're different tools and thus have overlap, but still do quite different jobs. So there really is no exact comparison, in free to use tools, to Google Trends out there. If it could generate periodic reports it would be even better.

Other tools can be quite complimentary to …
SpyFu
Chose SpyFu
SpyFu is a good tool and it certainly provides a good starting point for any basic PPC or SEO campaign. I dont believe it has the comprehensive features that a tool like Ahrefs has, as it doesnt have the granular data these tools possess. However, it is still well worth using …
Chose SpyFu
I use Ahrefs for Site audit, Keyword Research, Backlink analysis, and some parts of competitor analysis. SpyFu I always wanted to keep primary, but it's not doable with the limitation of their database, which forces me to use Ahrefs for that reason.
Chose SpyFu
It's a great little tool that offers pretty much everything you can get from Moz or Semrush at a fraction of the cost. My company uses a few different tools but I always come back to SpyFu because it is so easy to use and their build-in reporting is great.
Chose SpyFu
SpyFu is more cost-effective than both (Ahrefs and SEMRush), but we have to compromise on the data's accuracy. However, the data reporting and user interface of SpyFu make it easy to decipher. For Paid Ads keyword lookup, we prefer SpyFu to any other tool maybe, because it's …
Chose SpyFu
I was surprised to find I preferred Semrush when it comes to keyword research. SpyFu is great (and less expensive than Semrush), but I felt the data Semrush provided was vaster than SpyFu. I was able to get more competitors spending insights in Semrush than SpyFu. Overall, I …
Chose SpyFu
I've used SEMRush as well. SEMRush does organic SEO analysis better than SpyFu and backlink research. I find the data more intuitive. I much prefer SpyFu for their advertising/PPC analysis and use SpyFu when researching competitors' advertising campaigns. These are the main two …
Chose SpyFu
Compared to SEMRush or Ahrefs, neither of the competitors stacks up against SpyFu in terms of competitor insight of paid ad performance. It can even identify specific ad copy changes, which can be crucial for high-demand periods like Black Friday. In my opinion, SpyFu is an …
Chose SpyFu
Spyfu fails to hit the mark at least when it comes to SEO since both Ahrefs and Semrush has a bigger directory and fetches data from more countries than Spyfu does, however Spyfu offers a great deal when it comes to cost effective solution to almost every digital marketing …
Chose SpyFu
SpyFu has what we needed from SEMrush, and Spyfu is more reasonably priced. Spyfu does not have some of the higher level and specific tools, but is great for the price.
Chose SpyFu
SpyFu offers the best keyword research platform out there. I have used this for many companies that are still using this tool today. It's always been one of my first marketing software recommendations to companies I work with. For those who understand digital marketing such as …
Chose SpyFu
I spent years exclusively using SEMrush for this kind of competitor PPC data, and have used Moz in the past on several occasions. I feel that SpyFu is more well-rounded and provides deeper insights than these other products, and honestly, it's just more updated as well. Easier …
Chose SpyFu
Currently we actively use SEMRush and Similar Web, along side SpyFu. To be honest, the platforms are fairly interchangeable. Each one has one or two unique things that the other doesn't have. None of it is totally earth shattering. So often it comes down to price, and SpyFu is …
Chose SpyFu
When it comes to assessing the competition, SpyFu is fantastic. I prefer its competitor analysis features much more than SEMRush or any other platform out there. That is what I use SpyFu for. Regarding reporting and integrations, it doesn't quite seem like it's the best option …
Chose SpyFu
I haven't checked any competitors. SpyFu was the one I found first and it works so well that I never needed to look for an alternative. I can't imagine trying to do my job without it. It's that good.
Chose SpyFu
It isn't fair to compare these two tools overall. They have a few shared pieces, but SEMrush is much more expensive but includes many more tools making it a full SEO suite. When looking strictly at the shared tools from both companies (the competitor keyword tools), they stack …
Chose SpyFu
We use Moz for tracking Keywords monthly, and we also use it more for backlink research. We like the keyword research available in SpyFu better than Moz.
Chose SpyFu
Personally, the only tool I use as often as SEMRush. If you have the SEMrush paid version, I personally choose to use that over SpyFu. SpyFu is the best free search analytics tool online though. It has the greatest offerings in its free pack and allows you to have the most …
Chose SpyFu
They both give me great value, I use them together to get the best results. SimilarWeb gives me a holistic view of a website's traffic - it includes both organic and paid traffic, while SpyFu gives only organic traffic results.
Chose SpyFu
We looked at SEM Rush, but for the price, we decided to give SpyFu a chance. SpyFu is very affordable compared to other similar tools. I think that I can overlook some of the lack of intuitiveness of the platform given the low monthly price.
Features
Google TrendsSpyFu
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
Google Trends
8.4
Ratings
8% above category average
SpyFu
6.6
Ratings
16% below category average
Keyword analysis10.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Backlink management4.60 Ratings6.00 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking10.00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Page grader10.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Competitive analysis9.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics7.00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Site recommendations10.00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Task management6.20 Ratings6.10 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
Google Trends
10.0
Ratings
27% above category average
SpyFu
5.8
Ratings
27% below category average
Local SEO10.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Social SEO10.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Mobile SEO10.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Global SEO10.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Trends
3.7
Ratings
78% below category average
SpyFu
7.2
Ratings
16% below category average
Multi-domain support5.80 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools1.60 Ratings8.50 Ratings
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Score 8.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
Google TrendsSpyFu
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google TrendsSpyFu
Likelihood to Recommend
Google Trends is appropriate in so many scenarios, but I definitely suggest it for content ideas and inspiration. Many people utilize it after already writing their content to add in popular phrases or words, but that is not enough. The platform should be used prior and during the content creation process so that you can use the data to see what your audience/customers are interested in at the moment and create the content based on their interests. It can help, but I find it much less appropriate to use it after your article, eBook, etc. is already written. Maximize on this useful tool by ensuring the topic you're writing about is relevant in the first place before simply adding in popular keywords. An article that's written based on what's trending will be far more successful than an article that solely has popular phrases added to it.
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If you have a Google ads PPC campaign and then I would say this is more or less essential if you want to know what your competitors are doing. You can get very useful data out of it even if you subscribe for one month. And the pricing is very reasonable. Even if you don't use Google ads, I would say this is still useful for your SEO/SMO team since it gives you a great idea of what keywords and traffic your competitors are working on.
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Pros
  • Allows you to search keywords and phrases in certain locations to see search volumes, this is huge and helps us be successful with our Google Ad campaigns.
  • Shows us insights into trending topics which allows us to stay in the know and apply any relevant trends to current clients.
  • Year in Search and Trending Topics provides us great inspiration for our ads
  • Being able to search in certain locations gives us a ton of help when setting up campaigns and doing our keyword research for clients.
  • Being able to compare multiple keywords or search terms side by side is extremely helpful.
Read full review
  • Keeping a tab on competitors organic and inorganic activities
  • Helps identify where the competitor is getting the backlinks from.
  • Identify competitors top content and the keywords that's bringing them traffic
  • Get proper information of their current and past ADS run on Google.
Read full review
Cons
  • Top charts: would be nice to include top charts for the current month.
  • Explainers: would be good to have some information buttons next to graphics and charts to show in depth what criteria go into making those charts.
  • More images: would be interesting to see trending image searches.
Read full review
  • As with any database, their keyword database has limits, so the data returned is relative to their database, not necessarily the full picture.
  • When SpyFu database or scoring chances, the data provided can spike, thus causing confusion among stakeholders, we're reporting to.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
Love this tool but would like insights from all 3 major search engines not just Google. I would also like deeper understanding of the placement for local businesses on Google Places/Maps. Insight into mobile search rankings and best landing pages per industry would also help :) Overall, SpyFu is a necessity for serious search marketers.
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Usability
Google Trends is very easy to use. you just search for a certain keyword or phrase, and it tells you how often that keyword or phrase is searched, where in the world it is searched, and over the last decade, how often it is per year.
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SpyFu is an easy to use tool, and has a self -explanatroy dashborad to generate the data needed to provide insights into any B2B SEO and PPC campaign. It is not comprehensive, but it certainly provides good enough insight to make it a valuable part of any agency tool stack
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Support Rating
I haven't needed to use any support for Google Trends. However, I've used Google's support in general and it's a hit or miss. Usually, there's a long wait or they don't understand my problem. They are the only ones that can help, so sometimes I feel stuck. They prioritize paying customers for sure.
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SpyFu comes with a link to tutorial videos. I recommend you watch them. The software is capable of so much you really need to watch the videos and learn how to get the most out of it. When I have a question 90% of the time it's there. When it isn't, and I reach out to them, support is always quick and concise.
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Alternatives Considered
I've used SEMRush, while more of a SEO Manager than keyword trend analyzer, it does have that option as it does relate to SEO management, but between the two, its nice to have the option in SEMRush, but Google Trends is better at doing the trend analyzing than SEMRush is.
Read full review
I was surprised to find I preferred Semrush when it comes to keyword research. SpyFu is great (and less expensive than Semrush), but I felt the data Semrush provided was vaster than SpyFu. I was able to get more competitors spending insights in Semrush than SpyFu. Overall, I liked the ability to use both in our keyword research for both paid and organic marketing.
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Return on Investment
  • I can't really give a measurement of how Google Trends has directly contributed.
  • Since Google Trends is free I would have to say that it is all positive ROI.
  • I can say that Google Trends definitely makes it easier to accomplish my business objectives of delivering the most relevant and insightful advice to my clients regarding their SEO, Social Media Publishing, and Online Advertising.
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  • Helping us track our ranking.
  • It helps solve the problem of ambiguity when it comes to Google Ads. It makes the strategy more clear.
  • You can sift through lots of different online analytics to find the information, but it takes way too long. SpyFu has it all in one place!
Read full review
ScreenShots