PostEaseThe short answer
The platforms publish their own trend data, for free. Pinterest has Pinterest Trends and its yearly Pinterest Predicts report; TikTok has Creative Center for trending hashtags and ads, and Creator Search Insights for what people search; YouTube has a Trends tab inside YouTube Analytics. Each one reads that platform’s own searches and viewing, so each is a direct read on its own platform.
Three of them share the most useful idea, the content gap: topics people search for that do not yet have good videos. TikTok’s Creator Search Insights and YouTube’s Trends tab both show content gaps directly.
The tools side by side
From each platform’s own help pages, as covered in our entries on each tool:
| Tool | Where | What it shows | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinterest Trends | trends.pinterest.com, or Analyze performance in your account | Top search, save and shopping trends by region, over up to two years | Only in certain regions; the audience view needs a free business account |
| Pinterest Predicts | Pinterest’s newsroom and business site, once a year | A forecast of rising trends; 21 for 2026 | Built from English-language search growth |
| TikTok Creative Center | TikTok’s business site; login optional | Trending hashtags by industry, and high-performing ads | Each hashtag has a trendline, audience and regional view |
| TikTok Creator Search Insights | Search “Creator Search Insights” in the TikTok app | Popular searches, content gaps and your videos’ search performance | Not in every region; audience search topics from 1,000 followers |
| YouTube Trends tab | YouTube Studio, Analytics, then Trends | What your audience and viewers search for and watch, including content gaps for Shorts | Part of YouTube Analytics for your channel |
Which question each answers
The tools overlap less than they seem. Choose by the question you have:
| Question | Tool to open |
|---|---|
| What will be popular next season? | Pinterest Trends, then Pinterest Predicts for the year ahead |
| Which hashtags are rising in my industry on TikTok? | TikTok Creative Center, Trends |
| What do people search on TikTok that nobody has answered well? | Creator Search Insights, Content gap |
| What does my YouTube audience want next? | YouTube Trends tab |
| What do strong ads in my industry look like? | TikTok Creative Center, Top Ads |
How to use them together
A trend matters only if it fits your audience and you can make something good on it. A practical order: find a rising topic in one tool, check it against your own audience in the platform’s analytics, then look for a gap, a search nobody has answered well, and make that post. Because each tool reflects only its own platform, a topic rising on Pinterest is a reason to check TikTok and YouTube, not proof it is rising there.
Questions
What is the best free tool to find trends?
The one from the platform you post on: Pinterest Trends for Pinterest, TikTok Creative Center and Creator Search Insights for TikTok, and the Trends tab in YouTube Analytics for YouTube. Each reads its own platform’s data.
What is a content gap?
A topic people search for that does not have enough good videos yet. TikTok’s Creator Search Insights and YouTube’s Trends tab both show them.
Do I need a business account for these tools?
Not for most. Pinterest Trends’ audience view needs a free business account, and TikTok’s audience search topics need at least 1,000 followers.
Sources
- Pinterest, Browse Pinterest Trends, checked October 2026.
- Pinterest, Pinterest Predicts: 21 trends for 2026, December 2025.
- TikTok, About Creative Center, checked October 2026.
- TikTok, Finding Creator Search Insights, August 2026.
- TikTok, Raising your Search ratings with the Content gap tab, August 2026.
- YouTube, Explore trends on YouTube, checked October 2026.