vidIQ
Credit-metered YouTube research toolkit with a channel-aware AI Coach
Overview
vidIQ is a YouTube growth toolkit delivered as a web app and browser extension. It combines keyword, trend and competitor research with an AI Coach connected to your channel and AI tools for thumbnails, scripts, clips and Shorts, all metered in monthly AI credits. Human 1-on-1 coaching is sold as a separate plan.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- 150 AI credits every month
- Niche trends worth creating around
- Content ideas backed by data
- Personalised growth tips from AI Coach
- 2,000 AI credits monthly (2,500 or 3,000 on 2- and 3-channel plans)
- Thumbnail tools and personalised ideas
- Unlimited trends research and subscriber insights
- AI Coach with deep thinking
- Masterclasses from top creators
- 6,000 AI credits monthly
- Everything in Boost
- Up to 3x AI Coach conversations
- Max Mode AI
- Up to 11 hours of short clipping and generations
- Dedicated 1-on-1 coach
- Channel audit
- 3-phase growth plan
- Ongoing accountability
- Dedicated 1-on-1 coach
- Recurring live video calls
- No messaging limits
- Channel audit and 3-phase growth plan
- Enterprise access for every channel
- Roles and permissions
- Priority onboarding and support
- Cross-channel insights and reporting
What you can produce with vidIQ
- Keyword, trend and competitor research for YouTube
- Channel-aware AI Coach chat for video ideas, titles and strategy
- AI thumbnails, scripts, clips and Shorts drawn from a monthly credit allowance
- Subscriber insights and optimisation suggestions per video
- Browser extension plus web dashboard
- Optional 1-on-1 human coaching with a channel audit and growth plan
- Multi-channel enterprise access with roles and cross-channel reporting
vidIQ is a mature YouTube research toolkit with a credit-metered AI layer on top: the AI Coach reads your channel data, and thumbnails, scripts, clips and Shorts all draw on a monthly credit allowance of 150 free, 2,000 on Boost and 6,000 on Max. Boost is $19 a month, or $16.58 billed yearly. Only Max and Coaching subscribers can buy top-up credits, so a heavy Boost user has to upgrade.
Worth paying for if you publish on a schedule and will use the research and Coach weekly. If you upload occasionally, the free plan is the sensible ceiling. Human coaching, at $199 to $399 a month, is a different and much larger purchase.
What we found
vidIQ is a YouTube growth toolkit run by vidIQ, Inc., a San Francisco company that Rob Sandie and Todd Troxell started in 2011. TechCrunch reported in February 2013 that the two had moved from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to the Bay Area and raised an $800,000 seed round that included Mark Cuban; a Chrome extension showing YouTube video data followed that August. Today it is a web app and browser extension built around keyword research, competitor and trend tracking, and an AI layer metered in credits.
That AI layer covers the AI Coach, a chat assistant connected to your channel, along with thumbnail generation, a script writer, clipping and a Shorts generator. Each use spends credits. The free plan gives 150 a month; Boost gives 2,000 for one channel, rising to 2,500 or 3,000 on two- and three-channel versions; Max gives 6,000 to 10,000. Earlier versions of this page said extra credits could not be bought at all. vidIQ's help centre now says one-time top-up packs and auto-refill are available on eligible Max and Coaching plans, though not on Free or Boost and not in every region.
Prices are published both ways. Boost is $19 a month billed monthly or $16.58 a month billed yearly, and Max is $49 or $39. The yearly saving is $29 and $120 a year respectively, not the doubling this page once claimed. Human coaching is sold separately: Chat Coaching at $199 a month or $1,188 a year, and VIP Coaching with recurring live calls at $399 a month or $3,830 a year. Agencies and anyone managing more than three channels are pointed to Enterprise.
On Trustpilot vidIQ held 3.7 out of 5 from 1,375 reviews, read 14 October 2026. Unused credits are non-refundable under its terms. It suits creators who publish on a schedule and will use the research tools and Coach every week; occasional uploaders will mostly meet the credit meter.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including vidIQ's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with vidIQ unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
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