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SEO · head to head

Keyword Insights vs Lighthouse

Keyword Insights logo

Keyword Insights

SEO

AI keyword clustering tool that groups keywords by live SERP overlap

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lighthouse logo

Lighthouse

SEO

Audit web page performance and quality

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lighthouse has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keyword Insights it has no keyword research or search volume data of its own; keywords must be exported from another tool such as Ahrefs or Search Console first.; Lighthouse performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results
  • They diverge on capability: Keyword Insights covers SERP-based clustering, Lighthouse covers Performance scoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keyword Insights and Lighthouse actually diverge.

Attributes where Keyword Insights and Lighthouse differ
AttributeKeyword InsightsLighthouse
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer month by credit volume, with pay-as-you-go availablefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebChrome, Edge
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (SEO).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Keyword Insights

  • SERP-based clustering
  • Intent classification
  • Content brief generation
  • Bulk keyword upload
  • Pay-as-you-go credits
  • Competitor content gap analysis

Only in Lighthouse

  • Performance scoring
  • Accessibility audit
  • SEO check
  • PWA validation
  • Chrome support
  • Edge support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Keyword Insights

  • A content team building topic clusters for a content calendar from a large exported keyword listnot Lighthouse
  • An agency needing intent classification to decide whether a keyword warrants a blog post or a product pagenot Lighthouse
  • A team that wants SERP-reality clustering rather than word-embedding-based grouping that can miss what Google actually treats as one topicnot Lighthouse
  • A one-off project needing to cluster a single large keyword export without committing to a monthly subscriptionnot Lighthouse

Lighthouse

  • Performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvementsnot Keyword Insights
  • Accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilitiesnot Keyword Insights
  • SEO optimization verification for search engine compatibilitynot Keyword Insights
  • Security and best practices scanning for code healthnot Keyword Insights
  • Progressive web app validation and CI/CD pipeline integrationnot Keyword Insights

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Keyword Insights

  • It has no keyword research or search volume data of its own; keywords must be exported from another tool such as Ahrefs or Search Console first.
  • SERP-based clustering requires a live Google SERP pull per keyword, which is why it is credit-metered and can get expensive fast on very large keyword lists.
  • The pay-as-you-go credit tier only covers clustering; content briefs and other features require a full subscription, which is easy to miss when comparing the entry price.
  • It has no rank tracking, backlink data or technical crawling, so it is a single-purpose tool that must sit alongside a broader SEO stack.
  • As a small, specialised vendor, its roadmap and support resourcing are thinner than a full suite like Semrush that bundles clustering as one feature among many.

Lighthouse

  • Performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results
  • Limited to metrics that contribute to scores; Opportunities and Diagnostics don't directly impact scoring
  • Diminishing returns above 0.96 score, making perfect 100 scores extremely challenging
  • Scores based on HTTP Archive data which may not reflect all performance scenarios

Pricing, plan by plan

Keyword Insights

On request
  • Basic$58/month
    • 10,000 credits a month
    • Keyword clustering and intent classification
    • Content brief generation
  • Professional$99/month
    • 20,000 credits a month
    • All Basic features
    • Higher project and export limits
  • Pay As You Go$7.99/month
    • 1,000 clustering-only credits, no subscription required
    • 7-day trial available for 1 US dollar
    • Other features require a subscription plan

Lighthouse

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Performance audit
    • Accessibility check
    • SEO analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Keyword Insights if

  • You need serp-based clustering.
  • You also want intent classification.
Keyword Insights review

Choose Lighthouse if

  • You need performance scoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Edge.
  • You also want accessibility audit.
Lighthouse review

Questions people ask

Is Keyword Insights or Lighthouse better?
Neither clearly leads. Keyword Insights starts at On request and Lighthouse at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keyword Insights or Lighthouse?
Lighthouse has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Keyword Insights and Free for Lighthouse.
Does Keyword Insights or Lighthouse run on more platforms?
Keyword Insights runs on Web. Lighthouse runs on Chrome, Edge.
Can I use Lighthouse for free?
Yes. Lighthouse has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Keyword Insights starts at On request.
What is Keyword Insights best used for?
Keyword Insights is most often used for a content team building topic clusters for a content calendar from a large exported keyword list, an agency needing intent classification to decide whether a keyword warrants a blog post or a product page, a team that wants serp-reality clustering rather than word-embedding-based grouping that can miss what google actually treats as one topic, a one-off project needing to cluster a single large keyword export without committing to a monthly subscription. Of those, a content team building topic clusters for a content calendar from a large exported keyword list and an agency needing intent classification to decide whether a keyword warrants a blog post or a product page are not what Lighthouse is typically brought in for.
What can Keyword Insights do that Lighthouse cannot?
Keyword Insights covers SERP-based clustering, Intent classification, Content brief generation, Bulk keyword upload. Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, Accessibility audit, SEO check, PWA validation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keyword Insights: Do I need another SEO tool to use it?

Yes, for keyword data. Keyword Insights clusters and classifies keyword lists you supply; it does not generate keyword lists with search volume itself.

Lighthouse: Is Lighthouse free?

Yes. Lighthouse is completely free and open-source. It is developed by Google and integrated into Chrome DevTools, PageSpeed Insights, and available as a command-line tool. There are no licensing fees or premium tiers.

Source
Keyword Insights: How is pricing calculated?

By credits, at 1 credit per keyword clustered, either through a monthly subscription with a credit allowance or a pay-as-you-go top-up.

Lighthouse: Can I run Lighthouse offline?

Yes. Lighthouse can run offline in multiple ways: through Chrome DevTools (built into Chrome), as a command-line tool (Node.js), or as a Node.js module integrated into your build process. You do not need an internet connection after installing the tool.

Source
Keyword Insights: Is there a free tier?

No permanent free tier; a 7-day trial for 1 US dollar is offered instead.

Lighthouse: What pages can Lighthouse audit?

Lighthouse can audit any web page, including pages that require authentication. This is an advantage over some alternative tools that cannot test behind login screens. You can run audits on public pages or authenticated pages via command-line with custom headers.

Source
Lighthouse: Can Lighthouse prevent performance regression during development?

Yes. Lighthouse CI is available to prevent performance degradation during development cycles. You can integrate Lighthouse CI into your continuous integration pipeline to automatically audit pages on every commit and fail builds if performance metrics fall below thresholds you define.

Source
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