Google Keyword Planner vs Google Search Console
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Google Search Console is the stronger AI pick in SEO Tools: it has a visibility score of 47.3 versus 2.2 for Google Keyword Planner, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.
Choose Google Keyword Planner if…
- You need ISO/IEC 27001:2022 covering Google Ads coverage
- free keyword research tool
- keyword ideas and search-volume data
Choose Google Search Console if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (47.3 vs 2.2)
- AI answers describe it more positively (72% vs 0% positive)
- Free first-party search data
- Essential foundation for indexing and performance diagnostics
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 2
| Metric | Google Keyword Planner | Google Search Console |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 2.2% | 47.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in SEO Tools | #26 | #3 |
| Share of voice | 0.5% | 9.9% |
| Mentions this run | 3 | 51 |
| Positive in AI answers | 0% | 72% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Google Keyword Planner 0pp · Google Search Console 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Google Search Console leads on 3 of 3 engines
Head to head in AI answers
3 engine answers name both brands
| Prompt | Engine | Google Keyword Planner | Google Search Console |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is there a free SEO tool for small teams? | ChatGPT | #6 | #1 |
| Is there a free SEO tool for small teams? | Perplexity | #3 | #1 |
| Who makes the most used SEO tool? | Perplexity | #3 | #2 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Google Keyword Planner | Google Search Console |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Web tool accessed inside the Google Ads interface, with no separate installation. | Web-based service |
| Compliance | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 covering Google Ads | — |
| Headquarters | 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, California | Googleplex, Mountain View, California (parent Alphabet Inc.) |
| Employees | 5,000+ | 5,000+ |
| Best for | Advertisers and marketers who run Google Ads and want free keyword research and volume data. | — |
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Google Keyword Planner
- free keyword research tool
- keyword ideas and search-volume data
- requires a Google Ads account
Google Search Console
- Free first-party search data
- Essential foundation for indexing and performance diagnostics
- Strong integration with Google Analytics and Google Ads
- Tracks queries, impressions, clicks, and rankings
- Widely used and highly rated
- Does not show total website traffic
- Not directly comparable to paid SEO suites
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Google Keyword Planner vs Google Search Console”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/google-keyword-planner-vs-google-search-console, data of Nov 2, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.