DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links through which I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
YouTube has quickly grown into one of the most popular and important marketing channels on the internet.
YouTube is attracting more people then just about any other site in the world. In fact, it’s second only to it’s cousin, Google.
With all this attention YouTube is attracting a lot of creators and entrepreneurs looking to grow an audience.
How do you start and grow a YouTube channel in 2020?
That’s where TubeBuddy can help. TubeBuddy was created in order to help YouTubers grow their YouTube channels effectively.
In this article I’m going to give you my honest and unbiased review of TubeBuddy and whether I think you should invest in this tool.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is TubeBuddy?
TubeBuddy is a certified YouTube SEO tool that integrates with your YouTube channel and helps you to analyze data through it’s numerous tools and features.
Because TubeBuddy is certified you can rest assured that you are using a tool that is recognized by YouTube.
And because TubeBuddy integrates directly with your YouTube channel you can easily access it’s many features and functionality from your channel’s dashboard.
How Do I Set Up TubeBuddy?
Setting up TubeBuddy is a breeze. TubeBuddy is essentially a browser extension that installs directly on your internet browser.
So, anytime your surfing through YouTube and you want to access TubeBuddy, it’s always just a click away.
Getting started with TubeBuddy is simple. In fact, you can get started for free. Just visit TubeBuddy.com and click the Install Free Now button.
TubeBuddy is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Edge browsers. You can also download the app on iOS and Android devices.
Once you’ve signed up, TubeBuddy will begin installing on your browser. This might take a couple of minutes.
After it’s done installing, just connect TubeBuddy with your Google account and you’re ready to go.
Here’s what TubeBuddy will look like on your browser.
With the free account, you can start using some of Tubebuddy’s most powerful tools, such as:
- keyword explorer
- suggested tags
- thumbnail generator
- and Videolytics
We’ll dive into more detail on each of these tools when we discuss Tubebuddy’s features.
How Much Does TubeBuddy Cost?
As far as software goes, TubeBuddy is priced well below most other tools. In fact, if you want to upgrade from the free plan to their Pro plan, it’s only $9/month.
That’s a lot of value for the price. This is why I was so eager to try TubeBuddy in the first place. At only $9/month, I really had nothing to loose.
Now, if you want to take full advantage of all the tools and features that Tubebuddy has to offer, you will need to upgrade from the free version to either the Pro, Star, or Legend plan.
Let’s see which each of these plans has to offer.
TubeBuddy’s Free Plan
The Free Plan is a great way to get started with TubeBuddy. If your on the fence and not ready to pull out the ole credit card, the Free Plan will give you an idea of how TubeBuddy works and what it can do for you.
Some of the features you get with the Free Plan include:
- Insta-Suggest – limited
- Keyword Explorer – limited
- Search Explorer – limited
- Suggested Tags – limited
- Milestones – limited
- Videolystics – limited
- Tag Rankings
- Tag Sorter
TubeBuddy’s Free Plan is a great start for anyone that is new to SEO and YouTube.
If you’re unsure how to optimize your videos and do keyword research, TubeBuddy’s Free Plan will be a great introduction.
TubeBuddy’s Pro Plan – $9/month
The Pro Plan is what I’m using now. With the Pro Plan, you get all of the tools that were available with the Free Plan plus a whole lot more.
Some of the additional features you get with the Pro Plan include:
- Best Practice Audit
- SEO Studio
- Search Rankings
- Channel Backup
- Health Report
- Member Perks
In addition to getting access to more tools, the Pro Plan also gives you full unlimited access to the tools that were limited under the Free Plan.
This includes unlimited searches using Keyword Explorer and more keyword results.
This also includes unlimited use of one of my favorite tools, Insta-suggest.
The Pro Plan is a big jump in features and functionality when compared to the jump in price, only $9/month.
Who is the Pro Plan for?
The Pro Plan is for anyone that is comfortable using YouTube and ready to take their YouTube channel to the next level.
Bonus Tip: TubeBuddy often runs a discount offer for new YouTubers. If your channel has less than 1,000 subscribers, you get 50% off the Pro plan! It’s a great deal so make sure you keep an eye out for it.
TubeBuddy’s Star Plan – $19/month
The Star Plan gives is definitely a step up from the Pro Plan as it gives you access to even more tools and features.
For instance, with the Star Plan you will have access to all of the bulk processing tools, which you don’t have access to in the Pro Plan.
Additionally, you will have access to their Publish to Facebook tool which allows you to publish your YouTube videos natively to Facebook with just a few clicks.
Some of the additional features you get with the Star Plan include:
- Channel backup
- Brand alerts – limited
- Publish to Facebook
- Opportunity finder
- Search rank tracking – limited
- Scheduled publish
- Scheduled video update
- Sunset videos
- All of the bulk processing tools
The Star Plan is about twice the price as the Pro Plan but you’re still getting a lot of value for the price.
Who is the Star Plan for?
The Star Plan is for anyone who is comfortable with SEO and video optimization and wants to take their YouTube channel to the top of the charts.
The Legend Plan – $49/month
The Legend Plan includes the whole kit and caboodle. This includes every tool and feature that you would need to fully optimize your YouTube channel.
For instance, with the Legend Plan you get all the tools that come with the Pro Plan, Star Plan, and much more.
Some of the additional features you get with the Legend Plan include:
- Comment spotlight
- Auto translator
- Search rank tracking
- Tag translator
- Video A/B testing
- Channel access
- Click magnet
- Competitor scorecard
- Competitor upload alerts
- Export comments
- Retention analyzer
With the Legend Plan you truly have all the tools you will need to optimize your YouTube videos and channel.
This plan might be overkill for someone who is new to YouTube but once you start growing your channel these tools will come in handy.
Who is the Legend Plan for?
The Legend Plan is for the YouTuber who is serious about growing their channel and needs access to tools that will give them the competitive advantage that they need to rise above their competition.
TubeBuddy Features
Now I will list TubeBuddy’s most popular features and explain what each feature does.
I will also include which plans are associated with each feature so you will know what plan to start with.
Search Explorer
If your looking for a tool that will help you find low competition long tail keywords in YouTube, look no further, search Explorer has got you covered.
Search Explorer allows you to search for keywords and see the associated search volume and competition level.
This is extremely helpful if you want your videos to rank well. If you’re new to YouTube, you probably already know how difficult it is to compete with the “Big Dogs” for competitive keywords.
Search Explorer will give you the competitive edge you need to pick high volume low competition keywords that will help you rank higher in YouTube and grow your channel.
Limited access with the Free Plan. Full access with the Pro, Star, and Legend plans.
Pick a Winner
Do you like to run contests? If so, the Pick a Winner tool is made just for you.
Pick a Winner allows you to randomly select a person who has commented on one of your YouTube videos.
Running contests is a great way to interact and engage with your audience. High engagement will not only increase the loyalty of your audience but it will also help to push your videos up in the rankings.
Available with the Free, Pro, Star, and Legend plans.
Tag Sorter
The Tag Sorter will help you to find which tags are the most popular so you can place them at the front of your video’s tag list. This will help to optimize your video’s SEO which will help your video to rank higher.
Publish to Facebook
As the name suggests, the Publish to Facebook tool will help you publish your videos from YouTube to your Facebook profile or business page automatically.
Furthermore, TubeBuddy allows you to post your YouTube video on Facebook as a native video. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of Facebooks videos such as, auto-play and view count.
This tool is a huge time saver and it will really help to streamline your video publishing process.
Available with the Star and Legend plans.
Brand Alerts
Brand alerts allows you to monitor YouTube for new videos, channels, or playlists uploaded which mention you or your brand.
This is similar to Google Alerts but for YouTube. This is a great way for you to monitor your reputation and influence on YouTube.
This tool is also great for collaborations. If another YouTuber creates a positive video about you or your brand, you could then reach out to them for a collaboration video.
Full access with Legend Plan and limited access with Star Plan.
Video A/B Tests
Video A/B tests allows you to test test titles, thumbnails, tags and descriptions so you can find what’s most effective for your videos.
This tool is very helpful for testing multiple titles to see which one gets the most clicks.
When it comes to growing your YouTube channel, feedback is key. And this tools allows you to measure what people like and dislike so you can incorporate what’s working best into your channel.
This tool is a must for anyone who is serious about optimizing their videos and making the most of their efforts.
Available only for the Legend Plan
Thumbnail Generator
The Thumbnail Generator tool allows you to easily create professional quality thumbnails by using still frames from your videos and image overlays.
Let’s face it, creating thumbnails can be time consuming. With thumbnail generator you can quickly and efficiently create eye catching thumbnails that will drive more clicks.
This also allows you to save and re-use Templates so you have a consistent look across your video thumbnails.
This will help to establish your brand image which makes it easier for viewers to pick out your videos while scrolling through YouTube.
- Limited access for the Free Plan
- Unlimited access for the Pro, Star, and Legend Plans
VideoLytics
Videolytics allows you to access advanced insights and analytics for your YouTube videos.
This nifty tool allows you to spy on your competitors videos so you can see what’s working and what’s not.
You can also see if their videos are optimized for SEO and how often their content is being shared on social media.
This is one of the tools I use most with TubeBuddy. It’s incredibly helpful for conducting research on video topics and analyzing competing YouTube channels.
- Limited access with the Free Plan
- Unlimited access with the Pro, Star, and Legend Plans.
Best Time to Publish
The Best Time to Publish tool uses an algorithm to notify you when the optimal time is for you to publish your videos.
This will allow you to see when your audience is most active so you can increase the likelihood of them seeing your videos.
This tool is especially helpful if you plan on live streaming to your audience. In order to have a successful live stream you need to know when your audience is most active.
Available for the Free, Pro, Star, and Legend plans.
Comment Spotlight
The Comment Spotlight tool allows you to view comments from certain segments of your subscribers.
For instance, with this tool you can easily identify comments from new subscribers and Patreon supporters.
After linking your Patreon account to your channel, any comments made by your Patreon supports will be highlighted.
This tool is for anyone who wants to increase their engagements with their new YouTube subscribers and Patreon supporters.
Only available with the Legend Plan.
Bulk Processing Tools
The bulk processing tools come in very handy and are huge time savers. They are currently only available on the Star and Legend plans.
- Bulk copy cards – ensures a clean consistent card look across all videos while saving you time and energy.
- Bulk copy end screen – automates the process of copying end screens so you don’t have to manually add them yourself.
- Bulk delete cards – with just a few click will eliminate all or some of your cards.
- Bulk delete end screens – automates the process of removing end screens from some or all of your videos.
- Bulk Find, Replace & Append – find, replace, append, or remove text in titles and descriptions across your whole channel.
- Bulk thumbnail overlays – adds or removes an overlay to some or all of your video thumbnails.
- Bulk update cards – automates the process of updating cards to some or all of your videos.
- Bulk update end screens – automates the process of updating end screens to some or all of your videos.
- Bulk update playlists – updates filtering, ordering, and privacy across multiple playlists.
- Demonetization double-check – locates demonetized videos on your channel and then submits them for review.
Available with the Star and Legend plans.
Emoji Picker
Do you want your titles to stand out in a crowd? Well, the Emoji Picker tool will help you to do just that.
With Emoji Picker, you can add a wide array of emojis to your titles, tags, and descriptions.
This will help you catch the eye of your audience and pull their attention to your video.
Using emojis is also a great way to make your call to action (CTA) stand out. For example,🤗🤗Try TubeBuddy today!😍😍.
Available with the FREE, Pro, Star, and Legend plans.
Click Magnet
Click Magnet is an advanced analytics tool that can help you to identify what elements of your videos are getting the most clicks so you can optimize your videos for maximum exposure.
For instance, Click Magnet will videos are performing the best on your channel.
Furthermore, Click Magnet can show you which elements of your thumbnails and titles are driving the most clicks.
This tool is especially helpful for your highest performing videos because it will show you how to tweak your video for even more views.
Available only with the Legend Plan.
Member Perks
All users with a paid TubeBuddy license get access to TubeBuddy’s Member Perks.
Members Perks is a collection of tools that will help you on your journey to YouTube mastery.
Many of the tools are free or offered at a significant discount. Some of the tools offer royalty-free music like AudioHero.
Others allow you to make high quality video graphics like TuberTools. You can even book a 1-hour consultation with a certified YouTube expert.
Here are some of the tools available with Member Perks:
- AudioHero
- EpicSound
- LickD
- JukeDeck
- TuberTools
- Placeit
- YouTube Starter Kit
- Filmora
- ChannelReview
- TubeBuddy Mobile
- CollabSpace
- YouTube Consultation (Paid)
Member Perks are available with the Pro, Star, and Legend plans.
Pros Of Using TubeBuddy
One of the great things about TubeBuddy is that it’s YouTube certified. This means that they are acknowledged by YouTube as a professional tool.
This also means that TubeBuddy is safe and reliable. This can’t be said about every other YouTube tool.
Here are some of the pros of TubeBuddy:
- YouTube certified
- User friendly
- Impressive features with Free plan
- Data is clear and easy to understand
- Videolytics tool lets you spy on competitors
- Keyword Explorer makes it easy to find quality keywords
- Helps to save time publishing
- Good customer service
- Reasonably priced at only $9/month for the Pro Plan
- No contracts, cancel anytime
Cons Of Using TubeBuddy
To be honest, I didn’t find many things I disliked about TubeBuddy. There were a couple, but they weren’t deal breakers for me.
Here are some of the cons of TubeBuddy:
- Tool and feature overwhelm
- Must pay for multiple licenses for multiple channels.
- Bulk Processing tools not available on free or Pro plans
TubeBuddy Alertnatives
There arent many YouTube SEO management tools that compete directly with TubeBuddy.
TubeBuddy’s closest competitor is VidIQ. I’ve also used VidIQ and they are a definitely a formidable contender.
If you’re looking for an alternative to Tubebuddy, I would start with VidIQ.
TubeBuddy Review Final Thoughts
TubeBuddy is one of the most popular YouTube tools on the market and for good reason, it works!
I’ve used several tools for YouTube and I’ve been let down more often than not.
However, once in a while I will try a new software tool and be surprisingly impressed.
This was certainly the case when I tried TubeBuddy for the first time. One of the things I like most about TubeBuddy is the user interface.
It’s very intuitive and easy to navigate which was surprising considering all the tools and features that are available.
I also like the straight forward results you get from TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer tool.
Unlike other SEO tools, TubeBuddy will tell you whether a keyword’s potential is good or poor, not a range of numbers that you need to decipher.
If you are still on the fence and not sure if you want to invest in one of TubeBuddy’s paid plans, try it for free!
This will allow you to try some of TubeBuddy’s most popular features without committing to anything.
This is exactly what I did. I started with the free plan and then once I realized how powerful TubeBuddy really is—I upgraded to the Pro plan.
So, if you’re serious about growing your YouTube channel you need to invest in a tool that will give you a competitive edge. This is what TubeBuddy can do for you.
Give it a try!
