If you are serious about YouTube SEO, then using the right tools can help. You are certainly familiar with tools like VidIQ & TubeBuddy.

They are one of the beneficiary tools for boosting your YouTube SEO. Both adds special functionality and data to YouTube and make SEO tasks significantly easier.

Both TubeBuddy and VidIQ offer free browser extensions and free account levels, and both tools have various premium levels and features.

But which of the two tools are better? Should you use one of the free tools or both at the same time? If you can only pay for one premium tool, which one should it be?.

Here we’ll talk you through both platforms to help you decide which is the right one for you.

Getting Started: Free Browser Extensions To Improve YouTube SEO

Using free browser extensions can help you boost your content and take advantage of additional features you won’t get through YouTube alone. 

What’s great about both VidIQ and TubeBuddy is that they provide free browser extensions to introduce some new tools to your work.

Before you use any of these, it’s worth noting that TubeBuddy has an extension that works on Safari, Firefox, and Chrome, VidIQs browser extension is only available for Chrome users.

It’s easy to get started with both extensions, and clicking the following links will take you directly to their setup pages.

• VidIQ
• TubeBuddy

You’ll need to set up user accounts to be able to use the extensions.

The following videos will give you an overview of each software’s features.

Which is better: VidIQ vs TubeBuddy?

When it comes to choosing VidIQ or TubeBuddy, it’s difficult to know which one to choose.  

Both have their own strengths in different areas but it’s worth looking at each platform’s features in more detail to help understand how each one can work for you.

Search Sidebar

One of the places these tools add functionality to YouTube is on the YouTube search results page.

Both tools feature some useful information about videos and content, providing keyword information and score, as well as some related search suggestions. However, both tools become more detailed and beneficial when upgrading to the premium option.

Both tools have their strengths here, and while VidIQ seems to feature more detailed insights. TubeBuddy can give you a clearer idea of how your video would perform in a search. While you could use both tools, the number of features that come with VidIQ makes it much more beneficial.

Video Analysis

The video analysis tools of both VidIQ and TubeBuddy are fantastic. They give you some additional information about your videos. 

They give you the video statistics, social share, channel analytics, and video tags that can help you boost the performance on your videos as well as your competition.

While TubeBuddy allows you to copy tags to a tag list, VidIQ is the stand-out here thanks to more detailed statistics for both videos and channels.

Channel Statistics

If you navigate to any channel on YouTube, both VidIQ & TubeBuddy will give you essential information, statistics, & valuable insights.

Here’s VidIQ:

And TubeBuddy:

This is the first area where the tools show their own unique features to help you view the performance of your channel.

TubeBuddy shows a live subscriber count for any YouTube Channel, along with a graph that lets you compare your channel to the channel you are viewing.

VidIQ gives a global rank on Youtube, along with the total number of views, subscribers gained, and videos uploaded over the past month (monthly by default, you can change the date range).

Used wisely, these tools can give you some useful data to help you develop and grow your channel, and work out what your best content is in the eyes of your audience.

Video Upload

Each platform adds features and shortcuts to the YouTube upload video screen.

With TubeBuddy, you get the option to create profiles to apply to your different types of videos, as well as helping you add extra features to your video in the form of end cards, thumbnail generator, etc.

VidIQ’s uploader takes a little more getting used to, with many of its key features such as description copy suggestions only available in the premium version.

Each tool has its strengths, although TubeBuddy has more features to provide additional functionality when uploading to YouTube.

Other Features:

Both VidIQ and TubeBuddy have some additional features that make them valuable to your ongoing platform strategy.

When it comes to comment management, VidIQ allows you to see subscriber counts for comments, which can be filtered to reflect only those with a certain number of subscribers. You can also filter into comments that contain a question, helping you to easily respond to those comments first.

VidIQ also stands out with the way it shows a like/dislike ratio, and its quick stats tool, helping provide some useful insights for those looking to monetize their channel.

One area that TubeBuddy outperforms VidIQ is that TubeBuddy offers a mobile app, available on iOS and Android. At this time, VidIQ does not offer a mobile app.

Each platform’s free extensions provide a variety of features, which are useful if you’re looking to dip your toe in the water before diving into a subscription. They can each show you valuable insights about your channel.

Can VidIQ and TubeBuddy be used at the same time?

While both platforms offer free account levels and free browser extensions, it can be tricky to use both tools at the same time because of the overlap in functionality. 

If you are going to use both tools, you are going to want to adjust the settings on both extensions to disable some of the panels and features. TubeBuddy through your account settings, and VidIQ through your Chrome Extension settings.

Disabling different functions can help you pick and choose, although it is recommended that you just focus on one.

Using Premium Versions Of VidIQ & TubeBuddy

Now that you have seen a feature comparison for the free versions of each tool, let’s take some time to talk about the premium versions, whether you need them, and which premium tool is right for you.

You can choose multiple subscription models depending on how heavy of a user you are.

There are options to cancel your subscriptions easily, allowing you to test out both platforms to see which is better for you. 

You could find that there are free features in one that you enjoy while wishing to benefit from the paid features in another. 

It partly comes down to cost and how much you want to invest in your channel, as well as how important certain features are to you.

Conclusion

While both platforms have their individual strengths, it’s VidIQ that is the overall winner here.

VidIQ can help you delve into your competitor’s data, helping you to up your game when it comes to your own content and continuously measure your performance. TubeBuddy has some great features, particularly in the paid-for version, but there are many features you’ll be unlikely to use to make it worth your while.

With different tiers of plans to explore, you could decide over time to change the platform you use – which makes sense as your channel grows. For simple functionality and useful, insightful data, VidIQ works well for both the free and premium versions, helping you make more insightful choices when it comes to your content and devise a solid strategy for growth.

If your aim is to get 4,000 watch hours on YouTube, and therefore benefit from the monetization features of YouTube, then going it alone isn’t going to cut it. With tools like VidIQ and TubeBuddy, you’ve got smart tools working at your side to help you grow your channel and turn it into a success story.