Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics is a trend discovery platform. Officially, it can discover emerging trends, startups and products more than 12 months in advance. It provides free tools such as keyword research and competitor analysis, and the paid version unlocks trend databases and forecasting capabilities.

AI Market Research#Trend Discovery#Emerging Topics#Topic Reference

Updated: 2026-10-26

What is Exploding Topics?

Exploding Topics is a platform focused on "identifying trends in advance". The claim on the first screen of its official website is "Discover trends more than 12 months ahead of others". On the public trends page, you can filter by time range and category. Each topic card provides search volume, growth rate, and a text explanation of what the topic is. Its methodology is also stated on the official website: first, analyze consumer behavior signals across multiple platforms, then screen candidates with a trend identification algorithm, and finally verify and curate them manually. The official emphasizes that it is not purely algorithm-generated. In addition to the trend library, the site also offers a number of free SEO-oriented tools, continuously publishes articles on trends and strategies, and has free email reports available for subscription.

Who is it for?

Content and topic planning professionals who need to identify growing topics in advance
E-commerce and DTC teams validating category and product opportunities
Early-stage investment and strategic research professionals looking for startups that are still in the early stages
SEO and growth teams use free tools for the initial screening of keywords and competitors
Market researchers who need trend data to support their reports

Key features

Trend Database & Filtering

The platform's main focus is discovering trends ahead of time. On the public page, you can filter by time range (e.g., the past 2 years) and category. Each topic card displays search volume, growth rate, and topic explanations.

Trend discovery method

The official breaks down the process into three steps: Analyze (analyzing consumer behavior signals across dozens of platforms), Identify (algorithms identifying trends), and Curate (manual analysis, verification and curation).

Free Tools

The "Free Tools" section on the official website offers tools such as keyword research, SEO check, competitor analysis, rank check, backlink check, and keyword difficulty.

Meta Trends and Channel Breakdowns

Paid tiers offer meta trends in areas such as technology, DTC, marketing, SaaS, healthcare, fitness, and fashion, as well as data breakdowns at the channel level.

Trend Prediction and Startups

The Investor and higher tiers include Trending Startups and Trend Forecasting. The official states that the latter is based on machine learning trained on a large number of data points to make predictions.

Email Reports and Blog

The official website offers free email subscriptions, as well as continuously updated trend interpretations and strategic articles.

How to use Exploding Topics

First, test the waters with free tools and public trend pages to confirm if there is sufficient topic coverage in your industry before considering paid options.
The paid plans are divided into three tiers: Entrepreneur, Investor, and Business.
The official pricing page shows monthly fees of $39, $99, and $249 respectively.
The main differences lie in the number of trackable trends and trend analysis times.
Additionally, startup company insights, trend forecasting, CSV export, and trend reports are unlocked according to the tier.
All three tiers offer a 7-day free trial.
Before purchasing, estimate how many topics you need to analyze each month to avoid repeatedly upgrading due to choosing an undersized tier.
When viewing data, keep in mind that growth rate is a relative indicator.
percentages for topics with a small base are likely artificially high, so be sure to combine search volume for judgment.
The prices are the current information on the official website and may be adjusted, so re-verify before subscribing.