Helium 10: Review and Best Alternatives
There are numerous tools available to Amazon merchants to help them kickstart or grow their businesses. In this review, we'll look closely at the available tools from Helium 10 and compare them with others. This will help eCommerce sellers choose the best online research tool that best suits their needs.
Table of contents
What is Helium 10 and How Does it Work?
Product research: To help Amazon entrepreneurs find products to sell on Amazon, Helium 10 offers two main options: the Xray extension, and the Black Box app. These tools provide average prices, estimated monthly sales, revenue, and other sales data to help sellers assess levels of demand, competition, and potential margins of the products.
Keyword research: For sellers who want to optimize their listings and manage their PPC campaigns, Helium 10 offers its customers a tool called Cerebro, which identifies relevant keywords from the queries made by target customers.
Listing optimization: Features such as Listing Builder, Scribbles, and Frankenstein help sellers fine-tune their Amazon listings.
PPC: The Helium10 Pay-Per-Click feature helps online business owners advertise their items within search results and on product pages.
Inventory management: The inventory management tools from Helium 10 assist in monitoring inventory levels, sales, and orders, enabling sellers to have better control over their inventory.
By offering all of these features, Helium 10 has become popular among many Amazon sellers and seems capable of meeting an array of buyers' needs. However, we will further explore all the advantages and disadvantages so you can make your own choice.
Pros & Cons
Below is a summary of the main pros and cons of Helium 10, compiled from experienced sellers’ opinions, user feedback, reviews, articles, and videos, to bring you a complete and unbiased look at this software.
PROS:
Moderate Accuracy: The tools provided by Helium 10 are generally considered by eCommerce business owners to be reliable, although various sources give accuracy estimations from 70%.
Listing Optimization: The hallmark of Helium 10 has become their diverse set of listing optimization tools. This variety of options generally helps sellers reduce the time needed for analysis in order to improve their listings.
Nevertheless, the question remains: Are these tools as flawless as expected, and do they justify their cost?
Cons:
Pricing: The Starter Plan, which is the most basic Helium 10 pricing option, starts at $39/month, may not provide sufficient functionality for comprehensive business use. The Platinum Plan, which also offers basic features, is labeled as the most popular and is available at a cost of $99/month (or $79/month, if you opt for an annual plan). It's worth noting that this pricing is comparatively more expensive than that of its primary alternatives.
Shady Payment Policy: A lot of criticism in the reviews directed at Helium 10 was in regard to mishandling users' credit cards. Some sellers could not be absolutely confident that their subscription had been canceled, and found unexpected transactions from the company. Roughly 25% of all reviews are predominantly rated with just one star, indicating a common concern: ensuring that money doesn't mysteriously disappear from their accounts repeatedly.
Cancellation Issues: The common frustration about unauthorized withdrawals might be related to the fact that when a user decides to delete their account, Helium 10 tends to freeze the account instead, and continues to charge the linked credit card that’s linked to the account. Merchants who opt for the more expensive Platinum plan run the risk of incurring unexpected charges of about $100/month.
Poor Customer Support: Based on the reviews on Trustpilot, a concern revolves around Helium 10's customer support. Users report that while they do receive responses to their inquiries, they feel that these responses do not effectively resolve less typical situations.
While Helium 10’s tools can greatly enhance your work, it appears that the financial aspects of this platform can be quite unnerving to several users.
Is Helium 10 Worth it
Is Helium 10 a good choice? This depends on your specific circumstances, such as the business model you use, your product launch stage, and your budget for tools. While Helium 10 has numerous advantages, it can also be financially burdensome. Therefore, it is recommended that you carefully evaluate alternative options before making a decision.
Helium 10 Alternatives
Now, let’s take a look at some competitors with similar features such as AMZScout, Sellerhook, and Jungle Scout.
AMZScout
AMZScout is a budget-friendly option that offers all the essential features for only $49/month, and even less with an annual plan. To get acquainted with their tools, you can log in with your email address and start a free trial without linking your credit card details to the account.
Let’s take a look at their essential features in more detail so you can have a better idea what this app is all about.
Product Research
To help you find a winning product, there are a few features available to help you with this task.
Product Database
This feature allows you to find potentially profitable products with high demand and low competition among millions of items on Amazon. Follow these steps:
Set up your ideal product criteria using a range of 16 filters.
Use the New Products and Trending Features if you’re interested in products that have been added within the last two weeks with a 20% sales increase over one or three months.
Click the Find Products button to find items quickly. Assess sales estimates, monitor prices of competitors to determine whether it’s worth it to invest in the product, and help you outsell your competitors.
Chrome PRO Extension
With AMZScot PRO Extension, you’ll be able to delve into historical data and assess the selling potential of any product. The Chrome extension can also help you find local or global suppliers on Alibaba, expanding your sourcing options.
Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale Add-on
Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale Extension helps you:
access both the numbers and types of sellers for a product, plus monthly sales, FBA fees, profit margin, and listing quality within Amazon's search results.
identify red flags, like whether the product is restricted for private labeling, contains hazmat materials, or falls under any restricted or gated categories.
Keep in mind, this tool is designed specifically for Amazon arbitrage and wholesale business models. Helium 10 does not provide this kind of software.
Keyword Research
The three main keyword research tools - Amazon Keyword Search, Reverse ASIN Lookup, and Keyword Tracker - help Amazon sellers find relevant keywords with high search volumes, peek at competitors' keywords, and track their rankings. This set of tools allows users to check average keyword sales, which is only available with Helium 10’s Platinum plan.
Free Tools and Resources
AMZScout also has free tools, like the Amazon FBA Calculator, Stock Stats, Sales Estimator, and learning materials in Amazon University. These solutions can help you ease into the world of eCommerce, take initial steps in product research and sales analysis, and manage the wealth of information on running an Amazon business more effectively.
While much depends on personal preferences, AMZScout can quite possibly serve as an accessible alternative to Helium 10, as it helps both experienced sellers and novice entrepreneurs run their businesses without excessive tool expenses.
Sellerhook Listing Optimization Service
While Helium may have great tools for listing optimization, you would still need adequate experience and time to use them effectively. If you lack the confidence, time, or experience to handle keyword research and listing creation, you can outsource this task. If you’re looking for a ready-made informative product title, bullet points, and product description, Sellerhook’s services are an excellent option.
To take advantage of Sellerhook, please follow these steps:
Specify the types of products you want to list on Amazon.
Go to Sellerhook, choose which service you want to use, place your order, and submit payment.
Complete the survey. Let the team know the region(s) in which you want to sell, the name of your desired product, and be sure to send product photos.
If you’re already selling products on Amazon, provide the link to your listing(s). Let the specialists know if you’re looking to make any improvements or if you want to completely replace your existing product altogether.
If you’re not currently selling any products on Amazon, provide as many details as possible for the team so they can propose the best options.
Receive your thoughtfully optimized product listing, and start selling.
If you opt not to learn how to use Helium 10's seller tools or deal with the intricacies of keyword research, delegating these tasks to professionals might be a more efficient use of your time.
Sellerhook’s Product Research Expertise
In addition to outsourcing your listing optimization process to the Sellerhook team, you can utilize their product research services as well.
They will find the best products for you to sell while considering your personal eCommerce goals and the specifics of your business.
With years of industry experience, Sellerhook's experts have consistently delivered success.
Jungle Scout
Much like Helium 10, Jungle Scout is a tool for Amazon sellers that provides essential features for product research, market analysis, and competitor tracking. Despite the outward similarity, Jungle Scout offers several unique features, and their prices slightly differ as well.
Let’s take a look at these unique features.
Global Supplier Database: This feature simplifies the process of sourcing products by helping you find global suppliers trusted by top brands worldwide. It allows you to match products with manufacturers and pinpoint niche suppliers.
AI-Powered Tools: Use the AI-driven chat functionality, review analysis, and profit analysis to streamline everyday tasks from start to finish.
Here are the available plans for this tool:
Basic - This option is self-explanatory. For $49/month, you can get a general idea of the viability of product ideas. However, you won’t have access to keyword tools or a product database, or the ability to check the profitability of products properly.
Suite - The $69/month Suite plan provides comprehensive access to the tools, helping Amazon sellers find new products.
Professional - Designed for experienced sellers who require advanced data, additional user features, and expanded access. This plan costs $129/month.
As we can see, Jungle Scout also aspires to be a leader among Amazon seller tools. This major player in the eCommerce field is widely regarded as an alternative to Helium 10. The question of whether Helium 10, Jungle Scout, or AMZScout is superior remains a subject of discussion.
Helium 10 vs. Jungle Scout vs. AMZScout - Which One is the Best?
These are the primary alternatives to Helium 10. So, which one stands out as the best choice among them? Each of these tools comes with its unique advantages and disadvantages, making them potentially valuable assets. Let's summarize some key takeaways:
Sufficiency of Features: Although Helium 10 has the most extensive features, each set of software covers various product and keyword research needs, and each one also offers its own additional, unique aspects.
Precision: All of these software sets provide highly accurate data. However, you can’t expect 100% constant reliability from all of these tools. In our article, we will delve into the question of the accuracy in their estimates in more detail and for now, we will just provide an example of how Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and AMZScout estimate monthly sales volumes compared to Amazon's official calculator:
User Ratings: AMZScout and Jungle Scout receive higher user ratings on Trustpilot than Helium 10.
Pricing: AMZScout offers competitive pricing - the same set of features from AMZScout would cost less than those from their competitors.
Free trial: While Jungle Scout does not provide any free trial options, you do have the option for a free trial with AMZScout and Helium 10.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to your specific needs and how well each tool aligns with your business objectives.
Conclusion
Helium 10 can serve as an exceptional option if you’re looking for fundamental features to help you with product research, finding the right items to sell, sourcing, and promotion. It comes with numerous advantages, but it also comes with a significant financial burden. Conversely, if your primary objective is to do thorough product research without overpaying, it’s possible to find a more fitting choice.