What is Exploding Topics?
Exploding Topics is a trend research tool that surfaces topics, products and startups that are growing quickly in search interest before they become mainstream. It combines an algorithm that scans large amounts of online data with human review to filter out short-lived fads. The database lists more than one million trends, each with search volume, growth data and a short explanation of what the trend is.
Marketers use Exploding Topics to find content ideas, ecommerce sellers use it to spot product opportunities, and investors use it to watch emerging startups. Paid plans add Meta Trends for broad market shifts, trending products, channel breakdowns, forecasting and CSV exports. A Trends API and TikTok insights extend the data. The brand is now a trademark of Semrush, which handles accounts and billing. Each paid plan caps how many trends you can track and how many trend analyses you can run each month, so heavier users move up a tier.
Exploding Topics at a glance
How does Exploding Topics work?
- Browse or search trends
Open the trends database and filter by category, time range and growth to see what is rising.
- Review the trend details
Each trend shows a search growth chart, current volume and a short description so you can judge whether it fits your market.
- Track the ones that matter
Add promising trends to your tracked list so you can watch how they develop over the following months.
- Act on the insight
Turn trends into blog topics, product ideas, campaign angles or investment research, and export data on higher plans.
Exploding Topics key features
Trends database
A large, curated list of growing topics with search volume, growth rate and a plain description of each trend.
Meta Trends
Groups related trends together so you can see larger market shifts rather than single keywords.
Trending products
Highlights emerging consumer products, which is useful for ecommerce and dropshipping research.
Trending startups
Lists fast-growing young companies, included from the Investor plan upward.
Trend forecasting
Projects where a trend is likely to head, available on the Investor and Business plans.
Channel breakdown and TikTok insights
Shows where conversation about a trend is happening, including signals from TikTok.
Trends API and exports
Pipe trend data into other tools through the API, and export lists as CSV on higher tiers.
Free SEO utilities
The site also offers free tools such as a keyword generator, SERP checker, backlink checker and AI visibility checker.
Why use Exploding Topics?
- You can find content and product ideas while competition is still low.
- Human curation removes many fads and noisy keywords that raw search tools show.
- Each trend comes with context, so you do not need to research every term from scratch.
- Tracked trends make it easy to monitor a market over time.
- Semrush ownership means it sits alongside a wider set of SEO and marketing tools.
Who is Exploding Topics best for?
A good fit for
- Content marketers and bloggers looking for early topic ideas
- Ecommerce founders researching new products to sell
- Investors and analysts watching emerging startups and categories
- Agencies preparing trend reports for clients
Less suited to
- Users who need detailed keyword difficulty or rank tracking
- Very local businesses, since trends lean toward broad and global markets
- Anyone wanting a permanent free plan
Exploding Topics pricing
| Pricing model | Subscription |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 7 days |
| Starting price | $39/month |
The Entrepreneur plan allows 100 tracked trends. Investor at $99 adds startups, forecasting and CSV export, and Business at $249 adds trend reports and higher limits.
Prices checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Exploding Topics pricing page before you buy.
Exploding Topics pros and cons
Pros
- Curated trends with clear explanations
- Covers topics, products and startups in one database
- Affordable entry plan with a seven-day trial
- Forecasting and exports available on mid-tier plans
Cons
- No free plan for ongoing use
- Lower tiers cap tracked trends and analyses
- Lacks deep SEO metrics without a separate tool
Exploding Topics integrations and platforms
Works with
Available on
Exploding Topics alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best Content Research Tools.
Exploding Topics FAQ
Is Exploding Topics free?
Exploding Topics does not list a permanent free plan on its pricing page, though the site offers some free SEO utilities. Each paid plan comes with a seven-day free trial. In October 2026 plans started at $39 per month for Entrepreneur, with Investor at $99 and Business at $249 per month.
What is Exploding Topics used for?
Exploding Topics is used to find topics, products and startups that are growing fast before they peak. Content teams use it for article ideas, ecommerce sellers for product research, and investors for spotting new companies and categories. Each trend includes search growth, volume and a short description to help you decide whether to act.
Who owns Exploding Topics?
Exploding Topics is a trademark of Semrush Inc. The site footer states this, and account logins, trials and billing route through Semrush. The product still runs under its own name and website, explodingtopics.com, with its own trends database and plans.
Exploding Topics vs Google Trends: what's the difference?
Google Trends is free and shows relative search interest for any term you type, but you need to know what to look for. Exploding Topics works the other way around. It surfaces growing trends you may not know about, adds human curation, absolute volume, descriptions and forecasting, and charges a monthly fee.
Is Exploding Topics good for beginners?
Yes. The interface is simple: you browse a list of trends, filter by category and growth, and read a short summary of each. There is little setup and no need to understand complex SEO metrics. Beginners can start with the lower plan and use the seven-day trial to test it.
Sources
This overview is based on Exploding Topics's official website and documentation, checked October 2026.