Different strengths for different teams
Both products can help with Google Ads search term analysis and negative keyword management. The deciding factor is what your team needs around that core workflow.
LeadUp
LeadUp reviews terms against campaign structure, targeting, active keywords, existing negatives, and client context; categorizes each flag, explains the reason, suggests a short-tail phrase-match negative, and supports approval, push, or CSV export.
Best fit
Agencies that want categorized Search and Performance Max term analysis, reviewable reasons, short-tail phrase-match negatives, CSV export, approval before changes, and related paid-media operations.
Karooya
Karooya analyzes account search queries, groups themes and n-grams, estimates impact, learns from decisions, and syncs explicitly approved negatives at multiple account levels.
Best fit
Search marketers wanting a dedicated Google and Microsoft Ads negative-keyword workflow with historical performance, n-grams, shared lists, multilingual support, and manual control.
LeadUp vs Karooya: feature comparison
A practical look at what each product publicly supports. “Partial” usually means the capability exists with a narrower scope or a different workflow.
| Capability | LeadUp | Karooya |
|---|---|---|
| Flagged-term categorization | Available:Competitor searches, irrelevant offerings, out-of-geo intent, and other actionable categories | Partial or different scope:Groups search queries into themes and poor-performing themes rather than the same intent labels |
| Reason for each recommendation | Available:Explains why the search term is not relevant in the client and campaign context | Available:Shows supporting search terms and the projected impact of each recommendation |
| Suggested negative keyword | Available:Provides a short-tail negative in phrase match by default; text and match type stay editable | Available:Recommends precise single- or multi-word negatives with an appropriate match type |
| CSV export | Available:Export terms and recommendations for offline review, sharing, or archiving | Partial or different scope:Exports reports to XLS rather than CSV |
| Recommendation method | Available:AI intent review with campaign, targeting, keyword, and client context | Available:Performance-based custom recommendations, themes, and self-learning decisions |
| N-gram analysis | Available:AI can recommend the narrowest useful negative from term context | Available:Multi-word themes with supporting search terms and impact |
| Historical analysis | Available:Selectable term audits based on available Google Ads data | Available:Reports from one week through 12 months |
| Ad platforms | Available:Google Ads Search and Performance Max | Available:Google Ads and Microsoft Ads |
| Campaign types | Available:Search and Performance Max | Available:Search, Shopping, DSA, and pure broad-match campaigns |
| Account levels and lists | Available:Campaign, ad group, and negative lists | Available:Account, campaign, ad group, and MCC shared lists |
| Broader platform | Available:Budgets, monitoring, location, ad review, LSA, and lead quality | Partial or different scope:Includes some audit, ad, device, and Quality Score reports but remains negative-led |
More than a negative keyword tool
Search term auditing is one part of LeadUp. The platform helps agencies connect lead quality to bidding, automate LSA response and qualification, improve ad copy, monitor budgets, and make better decisions across client accounts.
Value-based conversion tracking
Send differentiated lead-quality values from supported lead sources into Google Ads, helping bidding optimize for better opportunities.
Learn more →02Google LSA automation
Respond to LSA message leads, run intake and qualification, hand conversations to people, and analyze supported calls.
Learn more →03Ad review and copy insights
Review creative across client accounts, spot patterns in stronger and weaker copy, and turn performance data into clearer next edits.
Learn more →04Budget pacing and monitoring
Track pacing, projected spend, and budget risk across clients before over or underspend becomes a reporting problem.
Learn more →05Lead quality analysis
Transcribe and classify calls and forms so agencies can report on qualified leads instead of raw conversion volume.
Learn more →06Location intelligence
Combine Google Ads performance with geographic and demographic context to find patterns and evaluate new markets.
Learn more →Compare the total workflow, not only the base price
Public pricing checked on . Vendors can change pricing at any time.
LeadUp
Transparent usage$49.99 per month for the platform, plus usage-based search-term analysis at $0.05 per 1,000 tokens. LeadUp estimates about $1.75 to audit 450 terms.
See LeadUp pricingKarooya
CompetitorKarooya starts at $300 for six months for accounts spending up to $10,000 in the last month. Tiers rise with ad spend; a free trial and a done-for-you option are advertised.
View Karooya pricingKarooya bills six-month subscriptions by account ad spend. LeadUp uses a platform fee plus AI token usage, which may fit portfolios differently depending on how often and how deeply terms are reviewed.
Which one should you choose?
Start with your team, channel mix, and the job you need the software to own.
Choose
LeadUp if…
- You also need agency budgets, monitoring, LSA, and lead-quality tools.
- PMax term context is an explicit requirement.
- You want per-audit usage economics.
Choose
Karooya if…
- Microsoft Ads support matters.
- You want up to 12 months of historical recommendation data.
- MCC shared lists, n-grams, and multilingual negative-keyword workflows are priorities.
Turn LSA response into a repeatable agency workflow
Connect your LSA accounts, automate intake, review lead quality, and keep the rest of your paid-media work in view.
LeadUp vs Karooya FAQ
What is the main difference between LeadUp and Karooya?
LeadUp is the broader agency platform with AI intent explanations across Search and PMax. Karooya is the mature negative-keyword specialist for Google and Microsoft Ads, with weekly recommendations, n-gram themes, up to 12 months of history, impact analysis, shared lists, and multilingual support.
Do LeadUp and Karooya both find negative keywords?
Yes. Both can surface search terms or patterns that may deserve exclusion. They differ in how they reach the recommendation, which campaign types and ad platforms they cover, where a negative can be applied, and how much broader PPC functionality is included.
Does LeadUp automatically change Google Ads accounts?
No. LeadUp generates recommendations and explanations, but a user must approve a push. Before approval, the negative text, match type, and destination can be edited.
How does LeadUp categorize flagged search terms?
LeadUp groups flagged terms into actionable categories such as competitor searches, irrelevant offerings, and out-of-geo intent. Each flag also includes a reason grounded in the client and campaign context.
Can LeadUp export search term recommendations as CSV?
Yes. Teams can export the reviewed search terms and recommendations as CSV for offline analysis, client review, archiving, or a separate implementation workflow.
How should an agency compare LeadUp and Karooya pricing?
Model the actual account portfolio, monthly ad spend, search-term volume, users, refresh frequency, automation requirements, and the other PPC tools included. A lower entry price can be misleading if it excludes the accounts or workflows the team needs.
Does Karooya automatically add negative keywords?
No. Karooya says it makes recommendations and only syncs the negatives a user explicitly accepts. That human-control model is similar to LeadUp’s approval requirement.
How this comparison was researched
We reviewed each company’s public product, feature, help, and pricing pages. We favor specific documented capabilities, show meaningful tradeoffs, and mark differences in scope rather than forcing every row into a simple yes or no.
Products change. If you spot something outdated, tell us and we’ll review it.