vidIQ vs Viewstats Pro

Viewstats is a newer YouTube analytics platform created with input from YouTuber MrBeast. It gives detailed insights into any channel or video’s performance – you can see views, subscriber counts, and even compare channels side by side easily. Like vidIQ, Viewstats also has a Chrome extension that displays stats while you watch YouTube videos. The big difference is that Viewstats is heavily analytics-focused (with features like finding “outlier” videos and analyzing why they went viral), whereas vidIQ combines analytics with optimization tools (tags, SEO scores, suggestions). For example, vidIQ will tell you how to improve your video’s title or tags; Viewstats will tell you which videos are trending or outperforming norms. They complement each other, but if you need SEO guidance, vidIQ has those features built-in.

No, Viewstats does not provide keyword research or SEO optimization tools. It won’t show you search volumes or suggest keywords for your video. Viewstats is more about analyzing performance: features like Outliers, which identifies unusually successful videos in a category, and Alerts that notify you when a new video idea is taking off. If you’re specifically looking for keyword ideas or tag suggestions, vidIQ is the better choice since it has a dedicated keyword engine. You might use Viewstats to spot trends and vidIQ to execute on those trends with proper keywords.

The basic Viewstats platform is free to use for checking out channel and video stats (which is great – anyone can go to the website and look up data on a channel). There is also a Viewstats PRO subscription with advanced tools (like the Outliers analysis, thumbnail search, and alert system). The PRO version is a paid upgrade (around $49.99/month as of launch). vidIQ likewise has free features via its extension and website, and offers tiered paid plans for more power. One advantage with vidIQ’s free tier is that you get ongoing basic SEO suggestions and keyword data at no cost, whereas Viewstats’ free use is mostly for analytics viewing.

Viewstats is quite unique in its focus (deep analytics and comparisons). Alternatives depend on what feature you’re interested in: For finding trending video ideas, tools like **1of10** or vidIQ’s own **Trend Alerts** can be alternatives. For general channel analytics similar to Viewstats, you might use **Social Blade** or **NoxInfluencer** (though these give simpler stats). And if you were interested in the A/B testing or thumbnail search features of Viewstats PRO, **TubeBuddy** offers thumbnail A/B testing, and YouTube is even rolling out a native thumbnail test feature. In summary, vidIQ itself is a strong alternative if you want a balance of analytics and optimization, whereas Viewstats is more of a pure analytics powerhouse for spotting opportunities.