Alternatives
Best Keyword Insights Alternatives for Agencies (2026)
By Red Kite Search Agency Created Updated 7 min read
Summary
Keyword Insights is a solid choice, but it does not fit every agency. Frase: An agentic SEO and GEO content platform. Clearscope: Content optimization and AI visibility for content teams. Mangools: A beginner-friendly SEO toolset at a low price. Prices and ratings below were checked in October 2026.
What are the best Keyword Insights alternatives for agencies in 2026?
Keyword Insights is strong at clustering, but credits are limited and it does not track rankings.
We compared each option with Keyword Insights on price, scope, and public ratings.
The three alternatives below are a content editor, a content grader, and a keyword research tool.
The shortlist is Frase, Clearscope, Mangools. The table puts them next to Keyword Insights.
| Tool | Editorial score | Review-site ratings | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword Insights | 4 / 5 | No review-site rating found | Credit-based plans. Basic $58 a month (10,000 credits, 1 seat, 5 workspaces) and Professional $99 a month (20,000 credits, 3 seats, 10 workspaces). Enterprise is custom. A $1 trial runs 7 days with 5,000 credits, then the account drops to pay-as-you-go. | Small agencies to enterprise teams |
| Frase | 4.3 / 5 | G2 4.8 | 7-day free trial, no credit card. Starter $39-$49, Professional $103-$129, and Scale $239-$299 per month (annual vs monthly billing); Enterprise is custom. | Freelancers to mid-size agencies |
| Clearscope | 4.2 / 5 | G2 4.9 | Essentials $129 and Business $399 per month; Enterprise is custom. Every plan has unlimited users and projects. | Small to mid-size agencies and content teams |
| Mangools | 4 / 5 | G2 4.7 | Basic $37.70, Premium $52.70, and Agency $97.70 per month on annual billing. | Freelancers and small agencies |
Why do agencies look for Keyword Insights alternatives?
Agencies usually look beyond Keyword Insights for a writing editor, content grading, or a full research tool.
Others want a larger public review base.
A fair test is to run one real client project through each option for two weeks. Track setup time, how often the team got stuck, and whether the output was good enough to hand to a client without rework. Real use shows differences that feature lists hide.
Cost behaves differently in each tool. Some charge per month with usage caps, some charge per year, and some charge per user. Count what you will really use over twelve months, including overage and extra seats, before you compare headline prices.
Think about the client side. Clients judge your agency by the reports and results they receive, so look at the finished output as a client would, and check what a client can see, change, or break.
Finally, plan the move. Export your data, rebuild shared templates one at a time, and keep the old tool running for a short period so nothing a client relies on disappears during the switch.
Common limitations of Keyword Insights
- It is not a full SEO suite: no rank tracking, backlinks or site audit.
- Credits are consumed per action, so large clustering jobs can use a plan quickly.
- G2 shows only 11 reviews and no score in the page we read.
- Security certifications and a mobile app were not stated.
Is Frase a good Keyword Insights alternative for agencies?
Frase combines research and a writing editor and has a much larger G2 base.
Frase combines SEO and GEO content scoring, AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini, a content agent that can publish to your CMS, and Content Guard to catch Google decay. Plans scale by articles, audit pages, seats and sites.
Who it suits: Agencies and teams that want content briefs, writing, publishing and AI visibility in one platform.
Frase pros
- SEO and GEO scores, content briefs and an agent that publishes to WordPress, Webflow, Sanity or Wix.
- AI visibility tracking, with more engines added on higher plans.
- A 7-day free trial with no credit card, and API, MCP and CLI on every plan.
- SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance stated.
Frase cons
- Starter allows one seat and one site.
- White-label reports and a branded client portal are Enterprise only.
- Extra seats cost a monthly fee, and pay-as-you-go capacity is priced per article and per audit page.
- Support channels and hours are not stated beyond the help center.
Is Clearscope a good Keyword Insights alternative for agencies?
Clearscope grades drafts against top results and is priced higher.
Clearscope grades content against what ranks, with keyword and topic recommendations, search intent guidance, query and brand visibility tracking, and unlimited sharing. Plans are priced by tracked queries, pages and monthly drafts, with unlimited users and projects.
Who it suits: Content-led agencies and in-house teams that write a lot of SEO content and want clear, writer-friendly guidance.
Clearscope pros
- Unlimited users and projects on every plan.
- Clear A to F grading and writer-friendly recommendations.
- Query tracking, brand visibility tracking and search-intent guidance.
- Unlimited sharing and exporting, priority support and onboarding on every plan.
Clearscope cons
- Prices are high compared with other content optimizers.
- Essentials caps at 50 tracked queries, 50 pages and 20 drafts a month.
- Integrations, security and SOC 2 details were not available, and its pages returned errors.
- Annual-billing prices were not shown, and SSO is Enterprise only.
Is Mangools a good Keyword Insights alternative for agencies?
Mangools finds keywords and tracks rankings with an Agency plan.
Mangools bundles KWFinder for keyword research, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher for rank tracking, LinkMiner for backlinks and SiteProfiler in one subscription, with AI Search Watcher PRO. Plans scale by lookups and tracked keywords, with extra seats on higher plans.
Who it suits: Freelancers and small agencies that want an easy, affordable keyword and rank tracking suite.
Mangools pros
- Low prices for a five-tool suite, including API and MCP access.
- Easy interface that reviewers call beginner-friendly.
- SERPWatcher shares interactive reports and lists white-label reports.
- Looker Studio connector and Search Console import.
Mangools cons
- Basic has no extra seats, Premium has 3 and Agency has 5.
- Rank tracking is weekly, with daily updates only on Agency.
- No free trial is stated, only a 48-hour money-back guarantee.
- Security, GDPR and support hours were not stated.
What is the quick verdict on each Keyword Insights alternative?
If you only have a minute, this table gives our verdict on each alternative to Keyword Insights, based on the research above.
| Tool | Verdict | Editorial score |
|---|---|---|
| Frase | A well-reviewed, affordable platform that bundles content, publishing and AI visibility, with a 7-day trial and agency features on Scale. White-label reports and a client portal are Enterprise only. | 4.3 / 5 |
| Clearscope | A polished, well-loved content optimizer with unlimited users and projects, priced higher than most rivals and capped by tracked queries and monthly drafts. Integrations and security details were not available. | 4.2 / 5 |
| Mangools | An easy, low-cost toolset with a clean interface and white-label reports in SERPWatcher. Data is lighter than the big suites, daily tracking is only on Agency, and there are few seats. | 4 / 5 |
How much do Keyword Insights and its alternatives cost?
Keyword Insights Basic costs $58 a month. Frase Starter costs $39 a month billed yearly, Clearscope Essentials costs $129 a month, and Mangools Basic costs $37.70 a month billed yearly.
| Tool | Pricing summary |
|---|---|
| Keyword Insights | Credit-based plans. Basic $58 a month (10,000 credits, 1 seat, 5 workspaces) and Professional $99 a month (20,000 credits, 3 seats, 10 workspaces). Enterprise is custom. A $1 trial runs 7 days with 5,000 credits, then the account drops to pay-as-you-go. |
| Frase | 7-day free trial, no credit card. Starter $39-$49, Professional $103-$129, and Scale $239-$299 per month (annual vs monthly billing); Enterprise is custom. |
| Clearscope | Essentials $129 and Business $399 per month; Enterprise is custom. Every plan has unlimited users and projects. |
| Mangools | Basic $37.70, Premium $52.70, and Agency $97.70 per month on annual billing. |
What do reviewers say about Keyword Insights and its alternatives?
Review-site scores are a useful signal for how happy teams are after the first few months. They are snapshots from October 2026, and review counts differ widely between tools.
| Tool | Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frase | G2 | 4.8 / 5 | 311 |
| Clearscope | G2 | 4.9 / 5 | 92 |
| Mangools | G2 | 4.7 / 5 | 97 |
Which Keyword Insights alternative suits which kind of agency?
The right pick depends mostly on team size, how clients interact with the tool, and whether you need money data. This table maps common situations to a recommendation.
| Agency situation | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Writing teams | Frase | Research and editor. |
| Quality grading | Clearscope | Draft scoring. |
| Research and tracking | Mangools | Keywords and ranks. |
How hard is it to switch away from Keyword Insights?
Export your clusters and briefs from Keyword Insights before you leave.
Rebuild workspaces in the new tool.
Keep Keyword Insights until clusters are recreated.
Before you leave Keyword Insights
- List client workspaces.
- Export clusters.
- Compare cost.
- Rebuild briefs.
- Test output.
How do you choose the right Keyword Insights alternative?
Decide whether you need clustering or a writing editor.
Compare cost per client.
A quick decision guide
- Choose Frase for writing.
- Choose Clearscope for grading.
- Choose Mangools for research and tracking.
- Stay with Keyword Insights for clustering.
- Test each on one client.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Keyword Insights alternative?
- Frase for writing, Clearscope for grading, and Mangools for research.
- Why do agencies look beyond Keyword Insights?
- Credit limits and no rank tracking.
- Which alternative has the most G2 reviews?
- Frase, among these options.
- Does Keyword Insights have a trial?
- Yes, a $1 trial for 7 days.
- Which is cheapest?
- Frase Starter and Mangools Basic are lower than Keyword Insights Basic.
Sources
Prices, plan limits, and ratings were gathered in October 2026 from:
- Keyword Insights pricing page
- Frase pricing page
- Clearscope pricing page
- Mangools pricing page