Top 40 Google Ads Tools You Need to Try in 2024
Here are the best Google Ads tools to test out this year. We got tools for writing better ads, optimizing campaigns, keyword research, A/B testing and more.
Updated November 21, 2023.
Carpenters have their wood, their saws, and their hammers. Electricians have their wires and cables, switches, and outlets. And plumbers have their wrenches, pipes, and fittings.
Why would Google Ads professionals be any different? Sure, if you're a Google Ads freelancer, you work from a computer, so you don't need to hammer or unscrew things. But you still need the right tools in order to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
That's why we’ve put together this comprehensive list of the best Google Ads tools you should use in 2024. These tried and tested tools can make your workday easier, your reporting more appealing, and your know-how more complete.
They're the closest thing to magic you could ever get - it's either these tools or a letter from Hogwarts.
Curious to learn more? Take a look and take your pick.
Keyword research tools
Here’s a list of tools you can use to find the best keywords for your next campaign, spy on your competitors, or check out the latest trends if you’re thinking of launching a new venture.
Google's Keyword Planner
Pricing: free
Google's Keyword Planner is the alma mater of every Google Ads and search engine optimization pro. It's the epicenter of all Google data, and where it all usually starts.
It's also one of the few actually free tools anyone with a Google Ads account can use to research and find the best keywords.
Google Trends
Pricing: free
Google Trends is another free tool by Google, used to compare keyword popularity and search volume over time. It's a great way to get an overview of what people are interested in, and how their interest changes over time. It's also a great way to determine what keywords to focus on.
Google Suggest
Pricing: free
Google Suggest (or Predictive Search) is not a tool per se, but a feature in Google. You can use it to find out what people are searching for, and how they phrase their searches. Although there's no actual data associated with Google's Suggest feature, it can give you a good idea of where to start on your keyword research.
Answer the Public
Pricing: free + paid plans start at $79/mo
Answer the Public (now acquired by Neil Patel Digital) is a keyword research tool that looks at the questions people are asking about your industry and provides you with a list of relevant keywords. It's a great way to see what questions people have, and how you can answer them.
Answer the Public allows you to run a limited number of free searches, with limited data, every month. It starts at $79/mo on the annual plan, goes up to $99/mo if you want to do the monthly), and they also have an expert plan at $199/ month (which includes 20 search listening alerts).
Semrush
Pricing: $119.95/mo
Semrush is one of the most comprehensive keyword research tools out there. It not only provides you with a list of relevant keywords but also shows you how competitive they are and it can help you run PPC research on what your competitors and other companies are doing.
They just launched a bunch of new cool features and are quickly becoming an all-in-1 kind of platform. You can use Semrush to create performance reports on your ad campaigns, you can also use it for content marketing, SEO, market research, and even to schedule your social media posts.
Semrush gives you a free 7-day trial on any of their plans, and the pricing starts at $119.95/ month and can go as high as $499.95/ month depending on how many keywords you want to track. It’s one of the best tools to use for Google Ads agencies, eCommerce Google ads agencies or business owners that run multiple brands.
Ahrefs
Pricing: $99/mo
Ahrefs is a powerful SEO and keyword research tool that provides a detailed overview of the competition for any given keyword. It also allows you to track your rankings, analyze backlinks, and conduct competitor research.
Ahrefs pricing starts at $99/mo and goes as high as $999/mo, with four different pricing plans you can choose from. They don't have a free trial, but they offer some free tools via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (for smaller websites).
Pro tip: Ahrefs has an awesome keyword Chrome extension that makes it even easier to find keywords as you’re surfing the web.
Ubersuggest
Pricing: free
Also part of the Neil Patel Digital family, Ubersuggest is a free keyword research tool that provides data on search volume, CPC, and competition. It also offers paid plans at affordable prices (starting at $12/mo), but it’s much more limited than Ahrefs or Semrush. It has less data and it’s generally less accurate.
Spyfu
Pricing: $16/mo
Spyfu is a PPC research tool that allows you to see what keywords your competitors are bidding on, their ad copy, and other useful information. It’s more affordable than the other tools and offers unlimited keywords and unlimited historical data.
Spyfu comes in three pricing tiers, which start at $16/ month (if you pay yearly), respectively $39/ month (if you pay monthly). Their highest pricing plan is $149/ month (for yearly payments), respectively $299/ month (for monthly payments).
Keyword Concatenation Tool from Primal
Pricing: free
Primal's Keyword Concatenation Tool allows you to build PPC keyword lists much faster through what’s called concatenation (if you’re not an ads geek you have no idea what this means).
Basically, you can take any keyword and quickly find all its various combinations. So you could create lists of thousands of keywords much faster, instead of having to do it all manually.
The tool lets you filter by broad match, exact match, and negative keywords. The tool allows you to group your keywords by ad groups and the best part is that it’s completely free.
Data analytics & reporting tools
Looking to create a better analytics dashboard? Hoping to find a quick dashboard template you can just plug your data into? We got you. Here are the best tools to help you build those custom reports you’ve always dreamed of.
Whatagraph
Pricing: $199/mo
Whatagraph is a reporting tool that allows you to track, analyze and report data from various sources, as well as create attractive and compelling reports and dashboards based on your data - all automatically.
Whatagraph pricing starts at $199/ month. They also have a middle-tier plan for $299/ month -- and if your needs are not included in either of these plans, you can opt for a custom pricing plan as well. Furthermore, if you want to test out the product, they will also offer you a free trial, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pro tip: want help with your Google Analytics setup? Want to learn how to use it better to see your data? Check out our list of the top Google Analytics consultants.
Google Analytics
Pricing: free
Google Analytics is the bread and butter of pretty much everyone in digital marketing. For PPC campaigns, you can use Google Analytics to track the performance of your ads and campaigns, measure conversion rates, and more.
Google Analytics is completely free of charge, which means anyone can use it to track their PPC campaigns. All you have to do is add a piece of tracking code to your website or ads to start gaining valuable insights into how your campaigns are performing.
Google Sheets
Pricing: free
Google Sheets is a must for PPC marketers, as it helps them track, analyze and report their campaigns. It is also a great tool for organizing large amounts of data into easy-to-read spreadsheets.
Google Sheets is free of charge for anyone with a Google account and you can use it to track as many PPC campaigns as you need. All you have to do is set up your spreadsheets according to your needs, and you'll be good to go.
Google Data Studio
Pricing: free
Google Data Studio is a reporting tool that allows you to visually display data from multiple sources, in the form of charts, graphs, and other visuals. It is particularly useful for PPC marketers as it allows them to easily track their campaign's performance and gain valuable insights into which ads are doing the best, and what needs to be optimized.
Reporting Ninja
Pricing: $20/mo
Reporting Ninja is a PPC tool that will help you generate automated reports quickly and easily. It allows you to view, analyze and share data from Google Ads, Bing Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and more. This tool starts at $20/month with a 15-day free trial.
Swydo
Pricing: $39/mo
Swydo is a comprehensive reporting tool that allows you to visualize and analyze data from multiple sources (including Google, Bing Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads, and others). It also includes an automated report generator that will help you save a ton of time.
Swydo's pricing plan is based on how many data sources you want to use. For 10 data sources, pricing starts at $39/mo per month for up to 10 data sources and jumps to $99/mo for 30 data sources.
AdStage
Pricing: enterprise
AdStage (now TapClicks) is a reporting tool specifically designed for PPC campaigns. It allows you to track, analyze and report your Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Facebook Ads campaigns all in one place.
Supermetrics
Pricing: starts at $39/mo
Supermetrics helps you automate the reporting process by allowing you to pull data from multiple sources (such as BI tools, spreadsheets, Google Discovery Ads, etc.) into one report. It is a great choice for PPC marketers who want to save time when creating reports.
The pricing for Supermetrics is based on your data sources. For example, for Google Sheets, pricing starts at $99/ month, whereas for Data Studio, it starts at $39/ month.
Campaign optimization tools
Here comes the fun part. Here are all the tools that help you optimize your actual ad campaigns.
Google Ads Editor
Pricing: free
The Google Ads Editor is where Google Ads "magic" happens. It's an essential tool for PPC marketers, as it allows them to quickly and efficiently manage their campaigns. It is particularly useful when you want to make changes in bulk or if you need to edit multiple campaigns at once.
Google Ads Scripts
Pricing: free
Google Ads Scripts are not a tool per se, but they provide a great way to automate your campaigns and save time. They are basically snippets of code that you can write or modify to help you with tasks such as adjusting bids, creating reports, and more. Essentially, they can automate manual tasks and make your life easier as a PPC pro.
Google Ads Scripts is free to use and you don't need need to know how to code.
Google Ads Preview Tool
Pricing: free
Google Ads Preview Tool is a free tool that allows you to see what your ads will look like on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. It's particularly useful if you want to make sure that your ads are optimized for all device sizes before you set them live.
Adzooma
Pricing: free + paid plans start at $99/mo
Adzooma is an ad optimization tool available for Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Microsoft Ads (Bing). It allows you to find ways to improve your ads - and what's best about it is that they have a 100% free version if you want to just give it a test run.
The paid version starts at $99/ month and gives you access to automation templates, listings & reviews management, and more awesome features.
PPC Protect
Pricing: $499/mo
PPC Protect (now Lunio) is a fraud protection tool that can detect hackers and protect your ad accounts from malicious activities.
Cheq
Pricing: enterprise
Like PPC Protect, Cheq is a fraud protection tool that helps you protect your ads against fraudulent clicks and bot attacks on ads. It’s a little more user-friendly and has more specific applications for eCommerce brands.
ClickGUARD
Pricing: $56/mo
ClickGUARD is a click fraud and wasteful clicks protection tool that helps you protect your campaigns from malicious actors. It’s another great option to test if you’re looking for something less expensive. It starts at $56/month and goes up to $93/month.
Madgicx
Pricing: $244/mo
Madgicx is an ad optimization platform built specifically for eCommerce businesses. It helps you optimize all of your campaigns, by using advanced AI and machine learning tools to adjust bids and budgets and maximize your ROAS.
The pricing for Madgicx depends on your actual ad spend. If you spend $15,000/month, the tool will cost you $244/month, but if you spend $50,000/month, it will cost $455/month. They also have a free trial option if you want to give it a test run.
Opteo
Pricing: $99/mo
Opteo is a performance optimization tool. It helps you keep track of your campaigns and optimize them quickly and easily. It also helps you exclude bad traffic and manage your Google Shopping Ads as well.
The pricing starts at $99/month and goes up from there, depending on your ad spend and how many accounts you want to manage.
Adbeat
Adbeat allows you to "spy" on your competitors' ads. With Adbeat you can see the creatives, ad copy, landing pages, and even the bidding strategy that your competitors are using to maximize their campaigns. You can even see their bidding history to see how their spending strategy has evolved over time.
It’s a super advanced tool that is focused on display ads across different ad networks (more than 90 of them). Pricing for Adbeat starts at $249/month. They also have a middle-tier pricing plan for $499/month, as well as an enterprise-level custom plan.
CallRail
Pricing: $45/mo
CallRail is a software that allows you to track phone calls from your ads and see which campaigns are actually driving conversions. This is particularly useful if you want to get a better insight into which of your ads are driving phone calls (and, consequently, sales).
Pricing for CallRail starts at $45/ month and goes up to $145/ month, depending on how many phone numbers you want to track, as well as whether you want to track specific keywords, get call transcripts, or build custom forms.
Optmyzr
Pricing: $208/mo
Optmyzr is another great ad optimization tool. It helps you find ways to improve your campaigns quickly and easily, and, according to them, "it's the next best thing to PPC insurance." A big statement, for sure, but the tool is appreciated across the industry.
Pricing for Optmyzr is based on ad spend. If you spend $10k per month, Optmyzr will cost you $208/month, and if you spend $500k per month, it will cost you $665/month. They also have an Enterprise plan for ad spends that exceed $500,000.
Acquisio
Pricing: custom
Acquisio is an AI-powered enterprise-level platform that helps you automate your campaigns. You can use the tool to manage all your ad accounts from one single interface, and optimize your campaigns for better performance.
Landing page builders
Unbounce
Pricing: $90/mo
Unbounce is one of the most well-known landing pages builders. It allows you to easily create and customize and A/B test your Google Ads landing pages. It also comes with an "AI page builder", which enables you to create a landing page in minutes.
Unbounce pricing starts at $90/month and goes up to $575/month, depending on how many conversions, visitors, and domains you want to use with it.
ClickFunnels
Pricing: $127/mo
Just as the name suggests, ClickFunnels is a funnel builder tool. It allows you to create and customize sales funnels and optimize them for better performance. It also comes with an intuitive drag & drop page builder that makes it easy for marketers to create engaging landing pages.
The pricing starts at $127/month and goes up from there depending on how many websites, admins, and domains you want to connect with it.
LeadPages
Pricing: $37/mo
LeadPages is a landing page builder that enables you to quickly create, customize and optimize your pages for better performance. It also comes with a drag & drop page builder, popup creator, and alert bar maker, so you can easily create engaging pages that capture leads and convert them into customers.
Pricing for LeadPages starts at $37/month plus they have a free 14-day trial. It’s by far the best deal for that price because of all the additional marketing tools it offers.
Instapage
Pricing: $199/mo
Instapage is a more upscale page builder, used by marketers to create and customize landing pages quickly. It comes with a drag & drop page builder, as well as an "AMP" feature, which makes it easy for you to create pages that are optimized for mobile devices.
ThriveThemes
Pricing: $299/year
ThriveThemes allows you to build websites, quizzes, as well as landing pages. It also comes with a drag & drop page builder and easy-to-use landing page templates, making it easy to create pages that capture leads and convert them. It costs $299/ year or $99/ quarter.
Tools to help with writing ads
ChatGPT
Pricing: free
ChatGPT has been all the rage, and for a good reason. This tool allows you to generate high-converting ads quickly and easily. It uses natural language processing to generate multiple versions of an ad, so you can pick the one that resonates best with your target audience. The best part - it’s completely free.
Google Ads Description Generator
Pricing: free
Here’s another great tool to help you write better copy. Inkforall's Google Ads description generator helps PPC marketers create quick, high-converting ad descriptions. While it might not be a perfect way to create ad descriptions, it can definitely give you some pretty good starting points.
CopyAI
Pricing: free + paid plan is $49/mo
CopyAI is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you generate high-converting copy for Google and Facebook Ads quickly. It is a paid tool, but it can be a great asset if you want to improve your ad copywriting skills and get hundreds of ads written in minutes.
CopyAI is free for up to 2,000 words and their paid plan is $49/mo for an unlimited amount of words.
Jasper
Pricing: $24/mo
Just like CopyAI, Jasper is a tool that uses AI to help marketers create high-converting ads quickly. It has an intuitive drag & drop interface and comes with pre-built "workflows" for when you need to write an ad or an email sequence.
Pricing for Jasper is based on which features you want access to, as well as how many words you want to write. For the "Starter" version, pricing starts at $24/ month for 20,000 words, while the "Boss Mode" plan starts at $49/ month for the same number of words.
Rytr
Pricing: free + paid plans start at $9/mo
Rytr is an AI writing tool that helps marketers create engaging headlines and copy. It can write in different languages, comes with a built-in plagiarism checker, and even allows you to generate AI images (all in the same plan).
It’s free for up to 10,000 characters per month and up to 5 AI images. The paid plans come at $9/month and $29/month.
CopySmith
Pricing: $19/mo
CopySmith markets itself as an AI writing tool for enterprise and eCommerce businesses. This tool not only helps you write compelling copy for your ads, but it also offers features such as bulk content creation, browser integrations, and team collaboration. And it starts at $19/mo.
Recap
No tool in the world can guarantee you absolute success. No optimization tool can magically improve your conversion rate. No software can generate report templates out of the blue. And no keyword tool can tell you with absolute certainty which keywords you should use.
If you're a Google expert, you know automation tools can make your life easier - and the ones in this article can definitely help you create, manage, and optimize ads more efficiently. At the same time, it’s crucial you understand the business you're working with, the market, the customers, and how PPC actually works to use them properly.
And if you're a business owner who wants to make sure your campaign performance brings home the ROAS (in Google AdWords, Bing Ads, or on any other PPC channel), be sure to hire the right PPC specialist that can really scale your business. Need help finding the right one? We got you.
Come take a look at our Google Ads agencies and hire a vetted team to help you nail your PPC efforts!
FAQs
What tools are used for Google Ads?
There are a lot of tools you can use for Google Ads, and some of the essential ones include Google's Keyword Planner, Google Ads Preview Tool, the Google Ads Editor, Spyfu, Semrush, Whatagraph, Opteo, and more.
What are the best Google Ads tools?
Some of the best Google Ads tools include:
- SpyFu – for competitor analysis
- Opteo – for automated optimization of your campaigns
- Semrush - for keyword research
- AnswerThePublic - to learn what people want to know
- Optmyzr - for campaign optimization
- Reporting Ninja - for creating advanced-looking reports
What are Google Ads tools?
Google Ads tools are software applications you can use to create, launch, manage, and opimize Google Ads.
Are google tools free?
Most Google tools are free (as long as they're provided by Google itself.) However, if you run Google Ads or work in SEO, you might need additional tools in your stack - and most of them aren't free.
What are the two types of Google Ads?
There are two main types of Google Ads: search ads and Google Display Network ads. Additionally, Google also offers Shopping Ads, Video Ads (through YouTube), as well as App Promotion ads.
What are the three types of Google Ads
The three main types of Google Ads include Search, Display, and Shopping. Google also allows you to create App ads, Video ads (through YouTube), as well as Responsive Search Ads, remarketing and dynamic remarketing campaigns.