WordStream alternatives at a glance
| Option | Type | Who does the work | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| RunAds | AI agent with approval | The agent; you approve | Packs from $25, ~5% of spend |
| Adzooma | Reports and opportunities | You | Free; Silver $69/mo |
| Opteo | Improvement list | You push improvements | $129/mo |
| Optmyzr | Rules and toolkit | A PPC specialist | From $209/mo |
| groas | Done-for-you service | groas | $1,499/mo per service |
| Traditional agency | People | The agency | 10% to 20% of spend or $1,000 to $3,000/mo (WebFX) |
| WordStream by LocaliQ (for reference) | Managed service | LocaliQ experts | Not published |
What is WordStream today?
The free Google Ads Performance Grader that made WordStream known now runs on localiq.com, and its FAQ refers to "WordStream By LocaliQ" requesting access to your account.[1] LocaliQ's Search Ads page describes campaigns run by certified experts across Google, Microsoft and Yelp, with AI optimization and live dashboards, and no published price.[2]
So the people searching for "WordStream alternatives" usually want one of two things: a self-serve tool like the old software, or a managed option with a price they can see before a sales call.
The alternatives
RunAds
Packs from $25Best for: owners who want campaigns built and run without a sales call
An AI agent that reads your site and account, builds Google campaigns and, since November 2026, Meta campaigns, and launches them after you approve. It then sends budget and bid changes as cards. Ad Grades, an Account Audit and an MCP connector for Claude and ChatGPT are included.
Pricing: credit packs from $25, used at 5 credits per $1 of Google ad spend: 4 above $10,000 a month, 3.5 above $100,000, 3 above $1,000,000. Unlimited is $499 every 4 weeks, covering up to $10,000 a month of managed spend.[3]
Trade-off: no Microsoft Ads or Yelp, and software rather than a team on calls.
Adzooma
Free to $179/moBest for: owners who want free monitoring
Reports, opportunity analysis and alerts for Google, Microsoft and Facebook Ads, with unlimited ad accounts on every plan.[5]
Trade-off: you make every change.
Opteo
From $129/moBest for: in-house PPC managers
Improvements for existing Google Ads accounts, with plans from 10 to 75 accounts and a free trial.[4]
Trade-off: Google Ads only, and you still build campaigns.
Optmyzr
From $209/moBest for: PPC specialists across platforms
Rule Engine, AI Sidekick and reports across six ad platforms, with a 14-day free trial.[6]
Trade-off: built for experts; priced by spend tier.
groas
$1,499/moBest for: owners who want done-for-you at a listed price
A done-for-you service at $1,499 a month per service, with agency pricing at $299 per client account and a 7-day money-back guarantee.[7]
Trade-off: costs more than software at most budgets.
A traditional PPC agency
10% to 20% of spendBest for: multi-channel plans run by people
WebFX publishes management fees of 10% to 20% of ad spend or $1,000 to $3,000 a month.[8]
Trade-off: the highest cost here, and quality varies by team.
How should I choose?
- You want to do the work yourself for free: LocaliQ's grader plus Adzooma's free plan.
- You have a PPC manager: Opteo or Optmyzr.
- You want the work done and a price on the page: RunAds or groas.
- You want people across search, social and listings: LocaliQ itself or an agency.
If the real question is people or software, our AI vs agency page compares management cost at three budgets.
Method
We read LocaliQ's pages, Adzooma's and Opteo's pricing pages on Nov 9, 2026, and Optmyzr's, groas's and WebFX's pages on Oct 29, 2026. wordstream.com refused automated requests, so we cite LocaliQ's pages instead. RunAds is our product.