vidIQ
vidIQ is a SaaS platform founded in 2012 providing AI-powered analytics, SEO, and coaching tools for YouTube and Instagram creators. The freemium platform serves 20M+ creators across 190+ countries with paid tiers up to $199/month and an Enterprise segment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What vidIQ does
vidIQ is a SaaS platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco that provides AI-powered analytics, optimization, and coaching tools for content creators on YouTube and Instagram. The platform reports more than 20 million creators served across over 190 countries and more than 1 billion videos optimized. Its product surface spans keyword research, SEO optimization, AI-assisted script and title generation, thumbnail creation, video clipping, competitor analysis, and a proprietary video performance scoring system, delivered through a browser extension, web app, and integrations with AI development environments.
The business operates a freemium SaaS model with three published consumer tiers — a free tier, a "Max" tier priced at $39 per month, and a "VIP Coaching" tier priced at $199 per month or $2,388 per year — alongside an Enterprise offering. Distribution is anchored by a Chrome Web Store presence with 70,000+ reviews and an active affiliate program. Enterprise customers disclosed on the company's materials include Indeed, NordVPN, Nintendo, GitHub, and Intercom. The coaching and creator-education layer was built largely through M&A: Video Creators was acquired in September 2022 and Creator Now in January 2024, contributing a coaching team reported to have 200+ years of combined creator-economy experience. Mark Cuban is a publicly disclosed investor and endorser; the company was an early Techstars portfolio company. Headcount is reported in the 101–250 range.
vidIQ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- vidIQ
- Legal name
- vidIQ, Inc.
- Website
- https://vidiq.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- vidIQ is a SaaS platform founded in 2012 providing AI-powered analytics, SEO, and coaching tools for YouTube and Instagram creators. The freemium platform serves 20M+ creators across 190+ countries with paid tiers up to $199/month and an Enterprise segment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
vidIQ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- YouTube Analytics and Creator Growth Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) Management (MPAAACAB)
Keywords
Where vidIQ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
vidIQ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans (Free, Boost, Max): SaaS subscription tiers with Free (limited AI credits), Boost (advanced tools, $0/year billed yearly), and Max ($39/month) tiers. Generates recurring revenue from creators upgrading for enhanced features, AI credits, and advanced analytics.
- Coaching Services: VIP Coaching at $199/month (or $2,388/year) providing 1-on-1 dedicated coach, recurring live calls, channel audits, and comprehensive growth plans. Chat Coaching provides messaging-based coaching at lower price point.
- Affiliate Program: Commission-based revenue sharing with affiliates earning 15-25% based on tier (Associate 0-10 sales at 15%, Influencer 11-50 at 20%, Ambassador 51+ at 25%). Creates referral-driven customer acquisition.
- YouTube for Enterprise: Enterprise licensing for brands, agencies, and MCNs with centralized control, team management, and priority support. Custom pricing based on team size and channel count.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with essential tools for creators to get started |
| Subscription | Annual | Advanced tools for serious creators wanting faster growth |
| Subscription | Annual | Unlimited insights with maximum AI capabilities |
| Subscription | Monthly | VIP Coaching with dedicated 1-on-1 coach and live video calls |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
vidIQ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
vidIQ is an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps YouTube and Instagram creators grow their channels through keyword research, SEO scoring, AI-generated titles/descriptions/scripts/thumbnails, video clipping, competitor analysis, and trend alerts. It is offered via a freemium subscription model (Free, Boost, Max at $39/month), with paid 1-on-1 coaching and an enterprise license for brands and agencies.
Product overview
vidIQ is an AI-powered SaaS platform for YouTube and Instagram creators, available as a web-based dashboard, browser extensions for Chrome/Firefox/Edge, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The platform offers a unified suite of tools spanning keyword research, SEO optimization, content ideation (Daily Ideas, Outliers, Most Viewed), AI-powered script writing, thumbnail design, video clipping (Shorts/TikTok generation), competitor analysis, performance scoring (vidIQ Score, Scorecard, Real-Time Stats), and trend alerting. Access is tiered: Free (150 AI Credits), Boost (2,000 AI Credits + advanced tools), Max ($39/month, 6,000 AI Credits + Max Mode AI), and Enterprise. Human 1-on-1 coaching (VIP and Chat plans) complements the AI tools. An MCP server extends YouTube intelligence to Claude, ChatGPT, and other MCP-compatible AI assistants. The platform expanded to Instagram in 2025 with dedicated Reel ideation, performance analysis, and caption tools. vidIQ serves 20M+ creators across 190+ countries and powers 1B+ videos optimized.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- vidIQ Core SaaS Platform AI-powered SaaS platform for YouTube and Instagram creators offering keyword research, SEO scoring, AI-generated titles/descriptions/scripts/thumbnails, video clipping for Shorts, competitor analysis, real-time stats, and trend alerts, accessible via web dashboard, browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge), and mobile apps (iOS, Android).
- vidIQ Enterprise Enterprise license for brands, agencies, and MCNs providing centralized control, scalable access, role/permission management, cross-channel insights and reporting, and priority onboarding and support across multiple YouTube channels.
- vidIQ YouTube Coaching (VIP and Chat) Paid 1-on-1 human coaching service for YouTube creators with dedicated coaches, recurring live calls, channel audits, 3-phase growth plans, accountability, title/thumbnail/video feedback, and full Boost suite access. VIP coaching is $199/month or $2,388/year; Chat Coaching offers messaging-based support.
- vidIQ for Instagram AI-powered Instagram growth tool set with personalized Reel ideas, Reel performance analysis (Hook Score, Retention, Engagement, Hashtag Reach), AI Caption Writer, 24/7 AI Coach, and trending-in-niche discovery, accessed via the same vidIQ account and platform as the YouTube suite.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5× faster growth rate for creators using vidIQ compared to unguided creators
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use vidIQ
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
vidIQ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability11 records
Feature12 records
vidIQ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Video CreatorscorevidIQ acquired Video Creators in a strategic move to expand its influence among creators and improve analytics tools. The acquisition aimed to scale Video Creators' personalized services to millions of vidIQ users. Integration of services was expected to occur over the coming months to years.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
vidIQ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TubeBuddy: TubeBuddy is the closest direct competitor to vidIQ: a browser-extension and SaaS suite for YouTube creators offering keyword research, SEO scoring, tag suggestions, and A/B testing. It targets the same individual-creator segment with a similar freemium/paid model.
- Social Blade: Social Blade provides public YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram analytics — channel statistics, estimated earnings, and growth tracking — making it a directly comparable data/analytics product for the same creator audience that vidIQ serves.
Broad incumbents
- Hootsuite: Hootsuite is an established social media management platform covering scheduling, analytics, and listening across multiple networks. It overlaps with vidIQ's enterprise/agency use case but does not specialize in YouTube SEO optimization.
- Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a multi-platform social media management suite for brands and agencies with publishing, analytics, and engagement tools. Comparable to vidIQ's enterprise tier in serving brand workflows, but without YouTube-specific SEO depth.
- Buffer: Buffer is a long-standing social media scheduling and analytics platform used by SMBs and creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. It competes for the same creator/small-brand budgets but lacks vidIQ's YouTube-specific keyword and SEO features.
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a leading SEO and content intelligence platform with keyword research, backlink analysis, and site auditing. Its YouTube keyword tools overlap with vidIQ's keyword research and Daily Ideas features, though Ahrefs is broader/web-first rather than YouTube-native.
- SEMrush: SEMrush is a large digital marketing suite offering keyword research, SEO, content, and competitive intelligence. It is comparable to vidIQ in providing SEO and keyword tooling, but optimized for web marketers rather than YouTube creators specifically.
Emerging players
- Later: Later is a visual content scheduling and analytics tool with strong Instagram focus that has expanded into TikTok and YouTube. It overlaps with vidIQ's new Instagram product line and cross-platform creator scheduling use case, but with a shallower YouTube SEO toolset.
- Planoly: Planoly is a visual planner and analytics tool for Instagram and TikTok creators that has added YouTube support. It is comparable to vidIQ's Instagram expansion and cross-platform scheduling use case, but with a shallower YouTube SEO product.
- Submagic: Submagic is an AI tool that turns long-form videos into short-form clips for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts — directly overlapping with vidIQ's AI Video Clipping feature for short-form repurposing within the same creator workflow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
vidIQ social profiles
Digital presencevidIQ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
vidIQ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
vidIQ subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
vidIQ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
vidIQ M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about vidIQ
What does vidIQ do?
vidIQ is an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps YouTube and Instagram creators grow their channels through keyword research, SEO scoring, AI-generated titles/descriptions/scripts/thumbnails, video clipping, competitor analysis, and trend alerts. It is offered via a freemium subscription model (Free, Boost, Max at $39/month), with paid 1-on-1 coaching and an enterprise license for brands and agencies.
Is vidIQ a public or private company?
vidIQ is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was vidIQ founded?
vidIQ was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is vidIQ based?
vidIQ is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does vidIQ make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription Plans (Free, Boost, Max) is the primary driver. The others are coaching Services, affiliate Program and youTube for Enterprise.
Who are vidIQ's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TubeBuddy and Social Blade. Broad incumbents are Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Ahrefs and SEMrush. Emerging players are Later, Planoly and Submagic.
Does vidIQ have an API?
Yes. vidIQ exposes its YouTube intelligence via an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, enabling MCP-compatible AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, and similar tools) to query vidIQ data — including channel analytics, keyword research, video performance scores, and trend data — directly within conversational AI workflows. The platform also integrates via YouTube API Services for data retrieval and OAuth for authentication. Developer documentation is at vidiq.com/mcp.
What industry is vidIQ in?
vidIQ's product category is YouTube Analytics and Creator Growth Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAACAB, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) Management. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.