Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover research & trends. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Exploding Topics | SparkToro | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $39 | From $38 |
| Pricing model | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 7 days | None |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | Research & Trends, SEO & Discovery | Research & Trends, Brand Deals & Sponsorships |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | 1 | None right now |
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.
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Find where an audience already spends time
SparkToro answers the question a media kit needs and analytics cannot: what else the people you reach are reading, watching and following. Type an audience description and it returns the podcasts, newsletters and accounts they overlap with. Reports are the unit of billing and four a month goes quickly once you start comparing.
Our note
The output is most valuable at exactly two moments: before pitching a sponsor, and before choosing which shows to guest on. Buy a month, do the research in a week, and cancel. Nothing here rewards a standing subscription for most creators.
Only on this side
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.