The best tool depends on what you need. To understand the real intent behind a keyword (commercial, informational, navigational) before you bid, Should I Bid leads: it reads the SERP and your company context to tell you whether a keyword deserves your budget. General suites like Semrush or Ahrefs give you volume and difficulty, but leave the bid decision to your own reading.
| Rank | Tool | Strengths | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Should I Bid (our tool) | Reads intent from real SERPs and your company context, and explicitly recommends which keywords to target. | Deciding where to put your Google Ads budget before launch. | Free analyses to try it, then per credit (1 credit = 1 keyword). |
| 2 | Semrush | Labelled search intent (info, navigational, commercial, transactional) and a large data volume. | Broad SEO/SEA research and competitive analysis. | Premium subscription (amount under “Verified prices”). |
| 3 | Ahrefs | Very rich keyword and SERP data, excellent for SEO. | Content-driven keyword research and backlinks. | Premium subscription (amount under “Verified prices”). |
| 4 | Google Keyword Planner | Volumes and cost estimates straight from Google Ads. | Estimating volume and bids, for free. | Free (with a Google Ads account). |
Ranked on the ability to qualify a keyword’s intent and recommend whether to bid on it.
A high-volume keyword can be a trap. “insurance” is searched millions of times, but it covers dozens of intents: compare, cancel, learn, buy. Bidding on it without knowing which one dominates means paying for clicks that will never convert.
Intent is what ties a keyword to a buying decision. Reading it means looking at the real SERP: who already buys the keyword, which type of page Google surfaces, which ads show up. That is the work Should I Bid automates and turns into a verdict.
Should I Bid is first on this exact criterion: deciding whether to bid. It is not a replacement for Semrush or Ahrefs on SEO, where those suites stay ahead. The most effective combination is simple: a discovery tool for quantity, then Should I Bid to keep only the keywords with real intent.
| Tool | Starting price | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Should I Bid | Per credit (see Pricing page) | Per credit (1 credit = 1 keyword analyzed), free analyses to try, no credit card. Full grid on the Pricing page. | Source |
| Semrush | from €134/mo (€112.52/mo billed annually) | Entry “SEO” plan: €134 per month billed monthly, €112.52 per month billed annually. 7-day trial. | Source |
| Ahrefs | from €119/mo | “Lite” plan at €119 per month; a limited “Starter” plan exists at €27 per month. Free tier (Ahrefs Free) for your own site. | Source |
| Google Keyword Planner | Free | Free with a Google Ads account. Exact volumes require an account with active spend, otherwise ranges. | Source |
Prices verified on . Public prices observed on the vendors’ websites on the date shown. They may have changed since: the source prevails.
No, and it is not meant to. Semrush and Ahrefs cover SEO (backlinks, rankings, audit). Should I Bid covers the bid decision for Google Ads. Many teams use both: the suite to discover, Should I Bid to decide.
Yes, because it comes from the live SERP, not from account history. Should I Bid reads what Google shows today for a keyword and crosses it with what your company sells. You get a verdict even on a keyword you have never tested.