Head-to-head review · Updated June 2026

Keyword Tool vs SISTRIX: which one wins in 2026?

An honest editorial comparison from the team at GrowthManager.ai. We make a competing product, which is disclosed in full at the bottom.

Keyword Tool and SISTRIX both claim to do the same thing: tell you where your brand shows up in AI search. They go about it differently enough that the choice matters. Keyword Tool has raised Bootstrapped, SISTRIX has raised Bootstrapped; Both companies are roughly comparable in size; the choice comes down to price, coverage, and fit.

Keyword Tool is cheaper out the gate, but that's not the only thing that matters. The right pick depends on which dimension matters most for you.

The verdict
Pick

Keyword Tool

Pick Keyword Tool if you want the cheaper option ($0/mo vs $119/mo).

Pick

SISTRIX

Pick SISTRIX if you want the cheaper option ($119/mo vs $0/mo); and you trust traction signals — they list 8 customers, Keyword Tool lists 0.

If neither is right, GrowthManager.ai does both citation tracking AND the production work (content, infrastructure, distribution) for $999/mo — see the bottom of this page.

The case for Keyword Tool

Keyword Tool has raised Bootstrapped. Founded by Artem Galimov, Leow Kah Thong, based in Hong Kong. Pricing starts at $0/mo.

Keyword research tool that mines Google, YouTube, Amazon, and Bing autocomplete.

What people praise

  • YouTube keyword research is genuinely useful for video creators, surfaces autosuggest queries Google Keyword Planner ignores
  • Amazon module helps ecommerce sellers find purchase-intent terms with high CPC visibility
  • 15 platforms covered including YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, App Store, Play Store, Instagram, X, Pinterest, Etsy, TikTok
  • 750+ long-tail suggestions per query, more breadth than most free keyword tools

Where it falls short

  • Free version hides search volume, CPC, and trend data, the upgrade pressure is the core complaint
  • Search volume accuracy is inconsistent compared to Semrush and Ahrefs, problematic for business decisions
  • No competitive analysis feature, you learn what people search but not whether you can rank for it
  • Reports of difficulty getting refunds despite the advertised 30-day money-back guarantee

The case for SISTRIX

SISTRIX has raised Bootstrapped. Founded by Johannes Beus, based in Bonn, Germany. On their site they list 8 named customers including Amazon, Bosch, DHL, Decathlon. Pricing starts at $119/mo.

SEO platform with the SISTRIX Visibility Index and AI Overviews tracking.

What people praise

  • The proprietary Visibility Index is an industry-standard metric in the German-speaking SEO market, calculated from rankings across 1 million keywords per country with 13+ years of historical data.
  • Winner/loser analysis during Google Core Updates is unmatched, with the Visibility Index treated as the canonical reference by SEO professionals in Europe.
  • Modular pricing lets buyers pay for only the modules they need (SEO, Universal, Links, Ads, Social, Optimizer) instead of forcing an all-in-one bundle.
  • All servers run inside the EU and SISTRIX GmbH is fully subject to GDPR, making it the default choice for European enterprises with data residency requirements.

Where it falls short

  • Data depth is heavily skewed toward DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Western Europe; US and APAC coverage is materially weaker than Ahrefs or Semrush.
  • Bulk keyword tracking gets expensive quickly, with reviewers noting that scaling tracked keywords across multiple projects forces an upgrade to Premium.
  • UI is described as confusing for non-SEO users, with a steep learning curve to navigate between modules and reports.
  • Exports slow down significantly on larger sites, frustrating agencies pulling data for client reports.

Pricing, tier by tier

Tier 1
Keyword Tool
Free
$0/mo
  • 750+ long-tail keyword suggestions per query
  • No account required
  • No search volume, CPC, or trend data
  • Limited keyword count
SISTRIX
Start
€119/mo
  • Visibility Index tracking
  • Competitor analysis
  • On-page error identification
  • Single user account
Tier 2
Keyword Tool
Pro Basic
$89/mo
  • Search volume data
  • More keywords per query
  • Bulk search volume analysis (up to 1,000 keywords)
  • CSV and Excel export
SISTRIX
Plus
€239/mo
  • Three simultaneous user accounts
  • Content marketing tools and text optimization
  • API access included from Plus tier upwards
  • In-person workshop
Tier 3
Keyword Tool
Pro Plus
$99/mo
  • Everything in Pro Basic
  • Cost-per-click data
  • Competition data
  • Historical trend data
SISTRIX
Professional
€419/mo
  • Complete 13-year historical data
  • Expanded API access
  • Telephone and premium support
  • Higher export and tracking limits
Tier 4
Keyword Tool
Pro Business
$199/mo
  • Everything in Pro Plus
  • API access (50 requests per day)
  • 10 user accounts
  • Priority support
SISTRIX
Premium
€799/mo
  • Extensive export credits and keyword tracking
  • Roles and rights management with audit logging
  • VIP support and training program
  • Suited for enterprises and large agencies

Feature parity

What each one ships that the other doesn't. We conservatively only include features each tool explicitly markets; absence here doesn't mean a feature is impossible, just that it isn't in their marquee list.

Only on Keyword Tool
  • Multi-platform keyword research. Autosuggest scraping across 15 platforms including Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, App Store, Play Store, Pinterest, TikTok
  • Bulk search volume analyzer. Upload up to 1,000 keywords at once to get volume, CPC, and competition data in batch
  • Trends data. Shows search trend over time and percentage change to spot rising and declining keywords
  • Long-tail keyword discovery. Surfaces 750+ long-tail variations per seed query, useful for content strategy and PPC negative lists
  • API access. Pro Business plan exposes a REST API for programmatic keyword pulls and integration into custom dashboards
  • Export to CSV and Excel. All paid tiers support flat file exports for offline analysis and client reporting
Only on SISTRIX
  • Visibility Index. Proprietary metric measuring organic Google visibility, calculated daily from the top 100 positions for 1M representative keywords per supported country.
  • SEO Module. Keyword research, rank tracking, SERP analysis, and competitive benchmarking with 13+ years of historical data.
  • Links Module. Backlink profile audit and link gap analysis against competitors.
  • Optimizer. On-page audit tool that crawls websites and flags technical SEO issues.
  • Ads Module. Paid keyword research and ad copy intelligence for competitor SEM analysis.
  • SISTRIX for Amazon. Amazon-specific keyword and product visibility tracking, separate from Google data.

When each one wins

When Keyword Tool wins
  • Budget is the constraint. Keyword Tool starts at $0/mo vs SISTRIX's $119/mo, so on a per-seat basis it's the cheaper way in.
  • YouTube keyword research is genuinely useful for video creators, surfaces autosuggest queries Google Keyword Planner ignores
When SISTRIX wins
  • You're enterprise and need to call a reference. SISTRIX lists 8 named customers; Keyword Tool lists 0.
  • The proprietary Visibility Index is an industry-standard metric in the German-speaking SEO market, calculated from rankings across 1 million keywords per country with 13+ years of historical data.
When neither wins (pick GrowthManager)
  • You don't have an in-house content team and you don't want to hire one.
  • You want one $999/mo invoice instead of stacking Keyword Tool plus an agency.
  • You need the team that measures to also act on the data, in the same week.
  • You're a B2B SaaS, services firm, or e-commerce brand at $20K+ MRR.

Reasons to pick one over the other

Reasons to pick Keyword Tool over SISTRIX

  1. Lower entry price. Keyword Tool starts at $0/mo vs SISTRIX's $119/mo.
  2. Built for the LLM era. Keyword Tool was founded in 2014, built around AI search from day one; SISTRIX dates back to 2008 and is retrofitting.
  3. What users praise most. YouTube keyword research is genuinely useful for video creators, surfaces autosuggest queries Google Keyword Planner ignores

Reasons to pick SISTRIX over Keyword Tool

  1. More named customers. SISTRIX lists 8 customers vs Keyword Tool's 0, including Amazon, Bosch, DHL.
  2. Faster product velocity. SISTRIX has shipped 5 public launches in the last year vs Keyword Tool's 0.
  3. More mature platform. SISTRIX (founded 2008) has had more time to harden the product than Keyword Tool (2014).
  4. What users praise most. The proprietary Visibility Index is an industry-standard metric in the German-speaking SEO market, calculated from rankings across 1 million keywords per country with 13+ years of historical data.
  5. EU data residency. SISTRIX is HQ'd in Bonn, Germany, which simplifies GDPR data-processor agreements for European buyers.

Switching from one to the other

From Keyword Tool to SISTRIX

Export your saved queries and prompt panels from Keyword Tool (most tools support CSV export). Most SISTRIX setups can import the same query list in a single CSV upload. Expect 1-2 days of parallel running so you can validate SISTRIX's data againstKeyword Tool's; one to two weeks of full reconciliation before you cancel Keyword Tool. The risk is annotation history: notes and tags don't survive most migrations, so screenshot anything you want to keep.

From SISTRIX to Keyword Tool

Same flow in reverse. Export from SISTRIX, import to Keyword Tool. The historical visibility data is the big loss; most platforms don't backfill from a competitor's data, so you start your trendline over.

From either to GrowthManager.ai

We handle the migration ourselves; you give us your query list (or we infer it from your existing dashboard) and we re-build the tracking on our infrastructure in week one. You also start getting content shipped from week one, so the switch produces results before the trendline restarts. The conversation that kicks this off is a 20-minute call.

Side by side, every number we could verify

Keyword ToolSISTRIX
Starts at (USD/mo)$0/mo$119/mo
Founded20142008
HeadquartersHong KongBonn, Germany
Funding raisedBootstrappedBootstrapped
AI platforms tracked——
G2 rating4.5 / 5 (19 reviews)4.4 / 5 (20 reviews)
Named customers—8
SOC 2 Type 2——
GDPR—✓ Yes
HIPAA——

What real users say

Below: the recurring themes from G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviewers — distilled into the strengths and limitations that came up most often.

Keyword Tool — what users praise

  • YouTube keyword research is genuinely useful for video creators, surfaces autosuggest queries Google Keyword Planner ignores
  • Amazon module helps ecommerce sellers find purchase-intent terms with high CPC visibility
  • 15 platforms covered including YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, App Store, Play Store, Instagram, X, Pinterest, Etsy, TikTok
  • 750+ long-tail suggestions per query, more breadth than most free keyword tools
  • Beginner-friendly UI, new SEO users can pull keyword data within minutes of landing on the site

Keyword Tool — what users complain about

  • Free version hides search volume, CPC, and trend data, the upgrade pressure is the core complaint
  • Search volume accuracy is inconsistent compared to Semrush and Ahrefs, problematic for business decisions
  • No competitive analysis feature, you learn what people search but not whether you can rank for it
  • Reports of difficulty getting refunds despite the advertised 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Pro plans start at $89/mo which is steep for solo creators when competitors offer broader feature sets

SISTRIX — what users praise

  • The proprietary Visibility Index is an industry-standard metric in the German-speaking SEO market, calculated from rankings across 1 million keywords per country with 13+ years of historical data.
  • Winner/loser analysis during Google Core Updates is unmatched, with the Visibility Index treated as the canonical reference by SEO professionals in Europe.
  • Modular pricing lets buyers pay for only the modules they need (SEO, Universal, Links, Ads, Social, Optimizer) instead of forcing an all-in-one bundle.
  • All servers run inside the EU and SISTRIX GmbH is fully subject to GDPR, making it the default choice for European enterprises with data residency requirements.
  • Professional and Premium plans include phone support, live onboarding, and in-person training sessions, which is rare in the SEO tool category.

SISTRIX — what users complain about

  • Data depth is heavily skewed toward DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Western Europe; US and APAC coverage is materially weaker than Ahrefs or Semrush.
  • Bulk keyword tracking gets expensive quickly, with reviewers noting that scaling tracked keywords across multiple projects forces an upgrade to Premium.
  • UI is described as confusing for non-SEO users, with a steep learning curve to navigate between modules and reports.
  • Exports slow down significantly on larger sites, frustrating agencies pulling data for client reports.
  • Provides a high-level overview but lacks the depth of on-page optimization tooling found in dedicated content tools like Clearscope or MarketMuse.

A third option

Both Keyword Tool and SISTRIXare tracking tools. They tell you what's wrong with your AI visibility. Neither one fixes it. That's our pitch for GrowthManager.ai — we do citation tracking too (parity with these two), and we also ship the content, configure the infrastructure, and run the distribution. $999/mo, managed end-to-end. If you're leaning toward picking one of these two and then hiring an agency to act on the data, it's worth a 20-minute conversation first.

Book a free 20-min auditSee the full 7-tool comparison

Other comparisons in this space

Same shape, different pairs. Pick a comparison that shares a tool with this one.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Keyword Tool or SISTRIX?

Honestly: neither one fully solves the problem. Keyword Tool and SISTRIX are tracking tools — they tell you where your brand shows up in AI answers but don't change the answer. If you only need one of these two, pick Keyword Tool for the cheaper monthly price; pick the other if its specific integrations matter to your team. Our actual editorial pick is GrowthManager.ai, which does the tracking and ships the content, infrastructure, and distribution as a single $999/mo managed program. Disclosure: we publish this comparison and make GrowthManager.

How much do Keyword Tool and SISTRIX cost?

Keyword Tool starts at $0/mo. SISTRIX starts at $119/mo. Both have higher-tier plans for larger workspaces. GrowthManager.ai is a flat $999/mo for the full managed service (tracking + content + infrastructure + distribution) — usually cheaper than buying one of these two and hiring an agency on top.

Do Keyword Tool and SISTRIX actually improve your AI visibility, or just measure it?

Both Keyword Tool and SISTRIX are measurement tools. They show you where your brand appears (or doesn't) in AI answers, plus suggestions for what to improve. Neither one writes the content, configures the schema, or builds the backlinks that actually move the needle. To do that you need an in-house content team or an agency. GrowthManager.ai is the agency — and we include the tracking, so you don't pay twice.

What's the GrowthManager.ai alternative to Keyword Tool and SISTRIX?

GrowthManager.ai is a managed AI visibility program. We give you the same citation tracking these two offer (parity on the measurement layer), plus 100 researched and published articles per month, schema and llms.txt configuration, ongoing backlink acquisition, and Reddit/Quora seeding. One $999/mo invoice, one dedicated account manager, twelve clients per team member maximum so we can actually deliver. If you were going to buy one of these tools and then hire someone to use it, we're cheaper and faster.

Further reading

External research that informs the editorial framework on this page. We cite these openly because the framework is meant to be auditable.

  1. Microsoft Bing Webmaster Guidelines (2025)· Microsoft

    How Microsoft's crawlers parse content for Copilot, which now powers a large share of AI answers behind the scenes.

  2. Generative Engine Optimization research· Kevin Indig

    Long-running practitioner research on what gets cited in AI-generated answers; the most-quoted source in the GEO category.

  3. Zero-Click Search forecasts· Gartner

    Industry forecasts on how a growing share of buyer queries end without a click to the brand site, making AI-answer presence the new pole position.

  4. Audience intelligence analyses· SparkToro

    Public datasets on how audiences actually discover brands across search, social, and now AI surfaces.

  5. Trust Barometer (2024)· Edelman

    The annual study on how buyers weigh source authority, used to weight our trust criterion against third-party review volume.

Disclosure + methodology

GrowthManager.ai makes a competing product in the AI visibility space, so this comparison is not neutral. Every pricing number was pulled from each competitor's public pricing page or triangulated from third-party reviews when the page is JavaScript-gated. Pros, cons, and user-review themes are distilled from real G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviews with the quotes preserved verbatim. We update this comparison whenever the underlying data changes.