ChatGPT answers, unedited

My pick: vidIQ

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d start with vidiq.com. It’s particularly suited to what you’re asking because it combines competitor analysis, keyword research, and tag extraction.

• Competitor channels: Compare competitors, identify their top-performing videos, and track performance. vidIQ
• Top keywords: vidIQ can export keywords used by competitors and provides search-volume, competition, and trend information. vidIQ vidIQ
• Tags: Its free YouTube Tag Extractor lets you paste a competitor video URL and see the video's public tags. vidIQ
• DIY-specific workflow: Search for things like DIY furniture, budget home projects, woodworking, or whatever your sub-niche is, then look at the competitors/videos dominating those searches and extract recurring keyword themes.

A good alternative: TubeBuddy

tubebuddy.com is worth considering if you want more emphasis on SEO optimization and tracking. Its Keyword Explorer provides search-volume/competition data and related tags, while its competitor tools can expose competitor tags and channel metrics. TubeBuddy TubeBuddy

For your exact use case, I'd choose vidIQ. One important caveat: don't simply copy a competitor's tags. YouTube says tags have a relatively minor role in discovery; titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and viewer engagement are much more important. Use competitor tags primarily to discover the language and topics your audience is searching for, then build your own keyword strategy around them. vidIQ

If you give me your DIY sub-niche (e.g. woodworking, home decor, crafts, DIY tools, furniture flipping), I can also suggest a competitor-research workflow and the specific keywords I'd investigate first.

For what you’re describing, I’d start with vidIQ.

Why it fits a DIY channel particularly well:

• Competitor analysis: You can add competing YouTube channels and see their highest-performing videos, views, trends, and other competitive data. support.vidiq.comvidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Top keywords: Its competitor tools can surface and export the top keywords used by competitors. support.vidiq.comvidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Keyword research: It gives keyword scores based on estimated search volume and competition, plus related keywords and questions. support.vidiq.com
• Tags: Its extension can generate/recommend relevant tags, although tags themselves have relatively little influence on YouTube ranking compared with the actual content, title, and viewer engagement. support.vidiq.com
• DIY-specific workflow: You could put 5–10 channels in your niche into the competitor tracker, identify the keywords appearing repeatedly in their successful videos, then cross-check those keywords for search demand and competition.

If your main goal is literally “paste a competitor channel → extract its tags/keywords,” there’s also a simpler option: Tubelyst. It offers a free YouTube tag extractor, channel-keyword extractor, and a tool that ranks the tags reused most frequently across a channel's recent videos. tubelyst.com

My pick: vidIQ for an ongoing channel-growth strategy; Tubelyst for quick, free competitor metadata extraction.

If you give me 2–5 DIY competitor channels, I can also analyze what keywords/topics you should target and turn them into a prioritized keyword list for your channel.

For your DIY channel, I’d recommend vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case particularly well:

• Competitor analysis: You can add competing DIY channels and compare their growth, views, and top-performing videos. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Top keywords: Its Competitors tool can export the top keywords used by competitors, which is exactly what you're after. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Tags: vidIQ can surface competitor tags directly in YouTube and help you identify relevant tags for your own videos. vidiq.com
• Keyword opportunity: It provides estimated search volume, competition, related keywords, and trend information, so you can distinguish useful DIY keywords from generic high-volume terms. support.vidiq.com
• Free starting point: vidIQ offers basic keyword research for free, though some competitor/advanced functionality is paid. vidiq.com

A good DIY workflow: add 5–10 channels in your specific niche (woodworking, home hacks, crafts, upcycling, etc.), identify their highest-viewed videos, extract recurring keywords/tags, then run those keywords through vidIQ's search-volume/competition analysis. That gives you a much better list than simply copying every tag a competitor uses.

Runner-up: TubeBuddy is also strong, particularly its Keyword Explorer and Rank & Tag Tracker, which can reverse-engineer tags from high-performing videos. www.tubebuddy.com

My pick: vidIQ if competitor research is your priority; TubeBuddy if you want more of an upload/SEO management toolkit. vidiq.com

One important caveat: YouTube says tags have relatively little influence on ranking compared with the actual content and viewer engagement, so I'd use competitor tags as supporting data rather than making them the core of your SEO strategy. support.vidiq.com

For a DIY YouTube channel, vidIQ would be my first pick.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor tracking: add competing channels and see their highest-performing videos and views-per-hour. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Top keywords: vidIQ specifically lets you export the top keywords used by competitors. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Tags: its tag extractor can reveal the tags attached to individual competitor videos. vidiq.com
• Keyword research: you can then compare those competitor terms against search volume/competition and find related opportunities.
• Good for DIY: you could analyze channels around woodworking, home improvement, crafts, upcycling, 3D printing, etc., and identify recurring terms across their best videos.

A useful workflow: pick 5–10 successful DIY competitors → pull their top videos → extract recurring keywords/tags → group them into topics → find keywords with good demand but less competition → build your titles/descriptions around those topics.

One caveat: don't over-focus on tags. YouTube says tags are a relatively minor discovery signal; titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and viewer behavior matter substantially more. vidiq.com

If you want a free, simpler option specifically for bulk tag extraction, YT Tools can take up to 25 competitor video URLs and produce a merged tag-frequency table. yt.tools

If you tell me your DIY sub-niche (e.g. woodworking, home decor, crafts, electronics, renovation), I can also find 3–5 competitor channels and show you exactly what keywords/tags I'd target.

For a DIY YouTube channel, vidIQ would be my first choice.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor analysis: track competing channels and identify their top-performing videos. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Keyword extraction: vidIQ can export the top keywords associated with competitors. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Competitor tags: its YouTube extension can surface tags used by competing videos. vidiq.com
• Keyword scoring: you can compare search demand, competition, and trends rather than blindly copying a competitor's tags. support.vidiq.com

Runner-up: TubeBuddy. Its Competitor Analysis lets you compare up to 10 channels, while its Rank & Tag Tracker is particularly useful for reverse-engineering the tags used by high-performing videos. www.tubebuddy.com

What I'd do for your DIY channel

Use vidIQ to analyze 5–10 channels in your specific DIY sub-niche, then pull out:

1. Their highest-viewed videos
2. Recurring keywords in titles
3. Recurring tags
4. Topics that repeatedly outperform their channel average
5. Low-competition variations of those keywords
6. Common phrases/questions viewers search for

Then build keyword clusters such as DIY home decor → budget home decor → dollar store home decor → DIY room makeover, rather than simply copying competitor tags.

If you give me your DIY niche (e.g. woodworking, crafts, home decor, DIY tools, furniture, etc.), I can also identify the best competitor-analysis workflow and the specific channels I'd research.

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d start with vidIQ. It’s probably the closest match to what you’re asking for because it focuses heavily on competitor channel analysis, winning keywords, tags, and content gaps. Its competitor tools let you track other channels, analyze top-performing videos, and export competitor keyword data. vidiq.com

Other strong options:

1. vidIQ — Best overall for competitor research

Good for:

• Finding which DIY channels are growing fastest
• Seeing competitors’ top videos
• Extracting keyword ideas and related search terms
• Finding rising topics before they get saturated

For a DIY niche, I’d use it to analyze channels like:

• woodworking
• home renovation
• crafts
• 3D printing
• gardening projects
• budget builds

vidIQ also provides keyword research with search demand, competition, and related terms. vidiq.com

2. TubeBuddy — Best for tags + SEO workflow

Good for:

• Tag research
• Keyword scoring
• Comparing competitor strategies
• Optimizing titles/descriptions

TubeBuddy’s competitor tools let you compare channels and identify what content patterns are working. www.tubebuddy.comvidiq.com Its Keyword Explorer provides keyword ideas, competition data, and tag suggestions. www.tubebuddy.com

3. Social Blade — Best free channel benchmarking

Good for:

• Comparing subscriber growth
• Finding similar-sized channels
• Spotting breakout DIY creators

It’s weaker for extracting keywords/tags, but useful for finding competitors worth studying.

My suggested workflow for a DIY channel:

1. Pick 10–20 competitor channels (mix big channels + channels around your size).
2. Use vidIQ/Tubebuddy to collect:
   • Top 20 videos by views
   • Repeated words in titles
   • Tags/keywords
   • Video formats that repeat
   • Upload frequency
3. Build keyword clusters like:
   • “DIY outdoor furniture”
   • “small room makeover”
   • “cheap workshop tools”
   • “DIY storage ideas”
4. Create videos targeting the gaps competitors aren’t covering.

If you’re a newer DIY channel (<10k subscribers), I’d lean vidIQ + YouTube autocomplete. If you already have a library of videos and want optimization, TubeBuddy becomes more useful. www.tubebuddy.comvidiq.com

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d start with vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor tracking: add DIY channels and compare their performance and top videos. The free/basic tier currently allows up to 3 competitors; paid plans allow up to 20. support.vidiq.com
• Keyword research: gives estimated search volume, competition, related keywords, and trend information. vidiq.com
• Competitor tags: its browser extension can show tags used by competitors and provide tag recommendations. vidiq.com
• Top-performing content: you can identify which videos from competing channels are getting traction, including both Shorts and long-form videos. support.vidiq.com

A good DIY workflow

Pick 3–5 channels similar to yours, then use vidIQ to find:

1. Their highest-performing videos relative to channel size.
2. Repeated keywords across those videos.
3. Tags appearing on successful videos.
4. Related/high-volume keywords you aren't targeting.
5. Topics where competitors are getting unusually high views—potential "outlier" opportunities.

Then don't simply copy their tags. Build a keyword cluster around each video, e.g.:

DIY bookshelf
→ DIY bookshelf → cheap bookshelf → plywood bookshelf → beginner woodworking → small space furniture → IKEA hack bookshelf

Alternative: TubeBuddy is particularly good if you want stronger keyword/tag exploration and competitor comparison; its Competitor Analysis supports up to 10 competitors, while Keyword Explorer provides keyword, competition, and trending-tag data. www.tubebuddy.com

My pick: vidIQ for competitor intelligence + keyword discovery; TubeBuddy if your main priority is SEO optimization and tags.

If you give me 2–3 DIY channels you consider competitors, I can also analyze what keywords/topics you should target and turn them into a practical keyword strategy.

For your DIY YouTube channel, I’d recommend vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case particularly well:

• Competitor analysis: You can add competing channels and see which videos are performing best, including views and view velocity. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Top keyword extraction: vidIQ specifically has a Top Keywords feature for competitors, with an option to view/download the keywords they’re using. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Tags: Its tools can surface tags competitors are using directly on YouTube. vidiq.com
• Keyword opportunity scoring: You get search-volume and competition data, which is useful for finding DIY topics where you have a realistic chance of ranking. support.vidiq.com
• Trend discovery: Useful for spotting DIY projects that are gaining interest rather than simply copying evergreen competitors. vidiq.com

My pick: Start with vidIQ's free tools, then upgrade only if the competitor analysis becomes valuable enough to justify it.

Runner-up: TubeBuddy. TubeBuddy is particularly good for inspecting/copying individual competitors' video tags and has Keyword Explorer with competition and search data. www.tubebuddy.com

For a DIY channel, I'd use the tool like this: 5–10 competitor channels → identify their top-performing videos → extract recurring keywords/tags → cross-check search volume/competition → build your own titles around the strongest opportunities.

If you give me your DIY niche (woodworking, home decor, crafts, repairs, etc.) and 2–3 competitor channels, I can also show you exactly what I'd look for and how to turn their keywords into video ideas.

For your DIY channel, I’d recommend TubeBuddy.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor analysis: its Tag Spy/competitor tools can reveal the tags and strategies used by competing channels. www.tubebuddy.com
• Top keywords: Keyword Explorer scores keywords using search demand and competition and suggests related terms. www.tubebuddy.comwww.tubebuddy.com
• Tags: you can view/copy tags from individual competitor videos and see tag-related ranking information. www.tubebuddy.com
• Trend discovery: useful for finding DIY topics and long-tail keywords with lower competition. www.tubebuddy.comwww.tubebuddy.com
• There is a free option, with more competitor/SEO features on paid tiers. www.tubebuddy.com

Runner-up: vidIQ. It has particularly strong keyword research, including search volume, competition, related queries, rising keywords, and competitor tags. vidiq.com

My pick: TubeBuddy if your priority is “show me what successful DIY competitors are tagging and help me reverse-engineer it.” vidIQ if your priority is “find the best DIY keywords and topics to target.”

If you give me 2–3 DIY competitor channel URLs, I can also analyze them and identify the keyword/tag patterns worth targeting.

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d start with vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor tracking: add competitor channels and compare their performance and top-performing videos. The free/basic plan currently allows up to 3 competitors; paid plans allow up to 20. support.vidiq.com
• Keyword extraction: its Keyword Research tools show search volume, competition, related terms, and keyword opportunities. vidiq.com
• Competitor tags: its browser extension can surface tags competitors are using and provide recommended tags for your own videos. vidiq.comsupport.vidiq.com
• Easy workflow: the browser extension puts competitor and keyword research directly on YouTube. vidiq.com

One alternative: TubeBuddy is particularly good if your priority is reverse-engineering competitor tags. Its tools can identify and copy tags from high-performing videos and compare competitor tags with yours. www.tubebuddy.com

My pick for DIY: vidIQ if you want to discover what topics/keywords are working for competing channels; TubeBuddy if your main goal is extracting and comparing video tags.

One caveat: don't obsess over tags. YouTube says/vidIQ notes that tags play a relatively small role in ranking; topic, title/thumbnail, viewer satisfaction, and watch time matter much more. vidiq.comsupport.vidiq.com

If you give me 2–3 DIY competitor channel names, I can also research them and pull out the keyword/topic patterns I'd target for your channel.

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d recommend vidIQ as the best all-around option.

• Competitor tags: vidIQ can show tags competitors are using directly in YouTube search results. vidiq.com
• Keyword research: it provides YouTube-specific search volume, competition, related queries, and trend data. vidiq.com
• Competitor research: its competitor features help identify what’s working in other channels.
• DIY use case: you could analyze 5–10 successful DIY channels, identify recurring terms such as DIY home decor, budget makeover, woodworking projects, etc., then build keyword clusters around them.

A good free alternative

Tubelyst is particularly interesting if your main goal is extracting competitors' actual tags. It offers a free tag extractor, channel-keyword extractor, and a tool that ranks the most frequently reused tags across a channel's recent uploads. It also exports channel video data to CSV. www.tubelyst.com

Another strong option

TubeBuddy has Keyword Explorer, competitor tag extraction, keyword scoring, search-volume/competition data, and rank tracking. www.tubebuddy.com

My pick:
vidIQ if you want competitor analysis + keyword discovery + content ideas.
Tubelyst if you primarily want a free way to extract and compare competitor tags.

If you give me 2–5 DIY competitor channel URLs, I can also help you build a competitor-keyword research workflow and identify exactly what keywords/tags to look for.

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d recommend vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor analysis: Add competing DIY channels and see their top-performing videos, views, and performance trends. support.vidiq.comvidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Top keywords: vidIQ can surface/export keywords associated with competitors, which is particularly useful for spotting recurring topics and search phrases. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.appsupport.vidiq.com
• Tag extraction: Its free YouTube Tag Extractor lets you paste a competitor's video URL and see its public tags. vidiq.com
• Keyword research: It gives search-volume and competition estimates plus related keywords, so you can distinguish potentially valuable terms from generic ones. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.appsupport.vidiq.com
• Browser extension: You can research competitors directly while browsing YouTube rather than manually collecting everything. vidiq.com

A good DIY workflow: pick 5–10 channels in your exact sub-niche → identify their 10–20 highest-performing videos → extract recurring keywords/tags → use vidIQ's keyword scores to find high-interest/less-competitive variations → build your own titles around those terms.

One caveat: don't overvalue tags. YouTube says tags play only a minor role compared with things like the title, thumbnail, description, and viewer engagement. vidIQ itself recommends using extracted tags for competitive research rather than blindly copying them. vidiq.com

Runner-up: TubeBuddy is also strong, particularly if you want keyword scoring and competitor-tag analysis integrated into your upload workflow. Its tools can identify tags used by high-performing competitor videos and compare them with yours. www.tubebuddy.com

If you tell me your DIY niche (woodworking, home decor, crafts, furniture flipping, etc.), I can also suggest the best competitor-research workflow and the specific keywords I’d target.

For a DIY YouTube channel, vidIQ would be my first pick.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor channel analysis: add competing channels and see their top-performing videos and growth metrics. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Top keyword extraction: vidIQ can export the top keywords associated with competitors, which is especially useful for identifying recurring DIY topics and phrases. vidiq-marketing-web-git-affiliates-homepage.vidiq.vercel.app
• Tag extraction: its free tag extractor lets you paste a competitor video and see its public tags. vidiq.com
• You can then turn those findings into your own keyword strategy, rather than simply copying competitor tags.

Runner-up: TubeBuddy. It has particularly good keyword scoring, competition/search-volume data, competitor tag viewing, and Keyword Explorer. www.tubebuddy.com

My DIY workflow

1. Put 5–10 successful DIY competitors into vidIQ.
2. Identify their 20–50 highest-performing videos.
3. Export/collect recurring keywords.
4. Look for patterns like DIY room makeover, budget DIY, IKEA hacks, woodworking, craft ideas, etc.
5. Check those phrases for search demand vs. competition.
6. Build your titles/descriptions around the best opportunities.
7. Use tags as supporting metadata—not the main SEO strategy. YouTube says tags play only a minor role compared with titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and viewer engagement. vidiq.com

If you want one tool that most closely matches “analyze competitors → extract their keywords/tags → find opportunities,” I'd choose vidIQ.

For a DIY YouTube channel, I’d recommend vidIQ.

Why it fits your use case:

• Competitor analysis: Add competing DIY channels and see their top-performing videos, views, growth, and trends. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Top keywords: vidIQ can surface and export keywords associated with competitors. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com
• Tags: Its browser extension can show competitor tags and recommend relevant tags for your own videos. vidiq.com
• Keyword validation: You can check estimated search volume, competition, related searches, and keyword scores before choosing a topic. support.vidiq.com
• Free starting point: Basic keyword research is available for free, although deeper competitor functionality is paid. support.vidiq.comvidiq.com

A good DIY workflow: Pick 5–10 channels in your niche → identify their top 20 videos → extract recurring keywords/tags → group them into themes like DIY home decor, budget DIY, woodworking, upcycling, etc. → check each theme's search volume/competition → build your own titles around the strongest opportunities.

Runner-up: TubeBuddy is particularly strong if your priority is reverse-engineering competitors' exact tags; its Rank & Tag Tracker is designed to uncover tags used by top-performing videos. www.tubebuddy.com

If you give me 2–5 competitor DIY channels, I can also analyze them and identify the keyword/tag patterns worth targeting.