AnswerThePublic vs Exploding Topics Comparison 2026
AnswerThePublic takes a keyword and returns the questions people already type into search, a title list drawn from three free searches a day or from $13.33 a month for more. Exploding Topics does the opposite job: it watches for subjects on the way up before the audience is obviously there, starting at $39 a month after a 7-day trial with no free plan at all. One tells you what people are asking now; the other bets on what they will ask next.
The questions people type into search
Trends spotted before they peak
At a glance
- AnswerThePublic starts cheaper, at $13.33.
- Only AnswerThePublic has a free tier.
Side by side
AnswerThePublic | Exploding Topics | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $13.33 | From $39 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 7 days |
| API |
AnswerThePublic
The questions people type into search
AnswerThePublic takes a keyword and returns the questions, prepositions and comparisons people search around it, which is a content calendar's worth of titles in one query. The wheel graphic is the famous part and the export is the useful part. Free use is capped at three searches a day, and the paid plans are counted in searches rather than in seats.
Exploding Topics
Trends spotted before they peak
Exploding Topics watches search and social signals and surfaces subjects on the way up, which is a different job from a keyword tool that tells you what is already big. For somebody choosing what to make next, early is the whole value. It is now a Semrush product, and the cheapest plan holds back the CSV export.
Our note
The $39 plan cannot export, so the research stays in their interface. If the point is feeding a content calendar or a spreadsheet, the real entry price is $99.
Why people weigh these two
- Exploding Topics instead of AnswerThePublic
- Exploding Topics surfaces subjects before they peak, an ideas feed driven by trend rather than by search question, from $39 after a trial.
- AnswerThePublic instead of Exploding Topics
- AnswerThePublic shows the exact questions people type into search today, the established-demand side Exploding Topics deliberately skips, with a free tier and plans from $13.33.
Which one should you pick
Pick AnswerThePublic when the content calendar needs titles people are searching for today and the budget is small. Three free searches a day cover occasional planning, and $13.33 a month billed yearly buys 100 searches once that stops being enough.
Pick Exploding Topics when the job is choosing what to make before everyone else notices it, and do not budget against the $39 sticker price. The Entrepreneur plan at that price cannot export the data at all; CSV export only arrives on the $99 Investor plan, which is the real entry price for anybody feeding a spreadsheet or a content calendar rather than reading inside the tool.
Common questions
- Do AnswerThePublic and Exploding Topics do the same job?
- No. AnswerThePublic turns a keyword into the questions people are already searching, useful for titles today. Exploding Topics surfaces subjects before they peak, useful for choosing what to bet on next. A buyer wanting proven demand and a buyer wanting an early trend are asking two different questions.
- Is there a free way to try either one?
- AnswerThePublic gives three free searches a day with no expiry, plenty for occasional planning. Exploding Topics has no free plan, only a 7-day trial across all three paid tiers, starting at $39 a month.
- Which one lets the data leave the tool?
- AnswerThePublic exports to XLSX on its paid plans, from $13.33 a month. Exploding Topics holds CSV export back from its cheapest plan entirely: the $39 Entrepreneur tier cannot export, so the real price for a spreadsheet or content calendar is the $99 Investor tier.
- Which is cheaper for a solo creator?
- AnswerThePublic, by a wide margin. Its free tier alone may be enough, and its cheapest paid plan is $13.33 a month. Exploding Topics starts at $39 a month with no free option, and the plan most people actually want for exportable data is $99.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.