AnswerThePublic vs MarketMuse Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

AnswerThePublic MarketMuse
Starts at $13/mo Custom
Number of plans 3 4
Free plan
Free trial
Pricing model per-seat custom

Starter

$13/mo
  • 1 user
  • 100 searches per month
  • 1,000 monthly prompt suggestions
  • CPC and search volume data
  • Create up to 6 monthly AI articles (NEW)

Growth

Popular
$66/mo
  • Up to 3 users
  • 200 searches per month
  • 2,000 monthly prompt suggestions
  • CPC and search volume data
  • Create up to 35 monthly AI articles (NEW)

Business

$132/mo
  • Up to 10 users
  • 300 searches per month
  • 3,000 monthly prompt suggestions
  • CPC and search volume data
  • Create up to 80 monthly AI articles (NEW)

Free

$0/mo
  • 1 user
  • Export for saved writing only
  • 10 queries/month
  • Access to Topic Navigator
  • Access to Keywords, SERP x-ray & SERP Heatmap
  • Access to Site Heatmap & Connect

Optimize

Custom
  • 1 site inventory
  • 1 user
  • 100 tracked topics
  • 5 Content Briefs/month
  • Access to Article Briefs
  • 1 Content Strategy Document/month
  • Export for saved writing, applications & Documents
  • 100 queries/month
  • Access to Topic Navigator
  • Access to Keywords, SERP x-ray & SERP Heatmap
  • Access to Site Heatmap & Connect

Research

Popular
Custom
  • 1 site inventory
  • 3 users
  • 1000 tracked topics
  • 10 Content Briefs/month
  • Access to Article Briefs
  • 3 Content Strategy Documents/month
  • Export for saved writing, applications & Documents
  • Unlimited queries/month
  • Access to Topic Navigator
  • Access to Keywords, SERP x-ray & SERP Heatmap
  • Access to Site Heatmap & Connect

Strategy

Custom
  • 1 site inventory
  • 5 users
  • 10K tracked topics
  • 20 Content Briefs/month
  • Access to all 9 Brief types
  • 5 Content Strategy Documents/month
  • Export for saved writing, applications & Documents
  • Unlimited queries/month
  • Access to Topic Navigator
  • Access to Keywords, SERP x-ray & SERP Heatmap
  • Access to Site Heatmap & Connect

AnswerThePublic vs MarketMuse FAQ

Which one is cheaper?
One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
Can I use either one for free?
MarketMuse has a free plan. AnswerThePublic doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
How do they charge?
Different approach here. AnswerThePublic uses per-seat pricing, while MarketMuse goes with custom. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
Which one is a better deal?
Depends on what you need. AnswerThePublic: At $13-$132/mo they're positioned as the budget-friendly entry point into keyword research tools, undercutting bigger SEO suites like Ahrefs or SEMrush by a wide margin. They're clearly fishing for solo users and small teams who want directional keyword ideas without paying for a full SEO platform. MarketMuse: MarketMuse plays in the premium content-intelligence bracket alongside Clearscope and Surfer, but hiding all three paid tiers behind a demo signals they're chasing mid-market to enterprise content teams, not solo bloggers or small agencies. The free plan is a taste test, not a real alternative — it's there to get you into their funnel, not to compete on affordability.

Still deciding? See the best AnswerThePublic alternatives or the best MarketMuse alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.

Keep tabs on both.

We'll monitor pricing changes for AnswerThePublic and MarketMuse and let you know when something moves. See how competitor pricing monitoring works.

Track both free »