Tools & Automation Hub¶
Every tool you'll need for Amazon PPC, organized by what it actually does. This page covers the full ecosystem — from free spreadsheet templates to enterprise suites — with a framework for deciding what to use when.
All-in-One Suites¶
These platforms cover keyword research, campaign management, analytics, and automation in one place.
Helium 10 (with Adtomic) : The most widely used suite among Amazon sellers. Adtomic is their PPC module. Best for: sellers who want keyword research and PPC management in one place. Pricing is per-feature — the full toolkit runs $99-$399/month depending on which tools you need. Adtomic was previously included in the main subscription; as of 2024 it moved to a separate billing model. Check current pricing before committing.
Sellics : All-in-one platform with PPC management, keyword tracking, review monitoring, and inventory management. Best for: sellers who want a single dashboard instead of juggling multiple tools. Slightly higher price point than mixing individual tools.
Perpetua : AI-driven campaign automation with less manual control. Best for: sellers who want the tool to make decisions with minimal oversight. Less ideal if you want granular control over every campaign decision.
Pacvue : Enterprise-grade with advanced automation. Best for: large sellers or agencies managing multiple accounts with dedicated support needs. Overkill for single-account sellers.
SoStocked : Built around inventory-first thinking — PPC is managed within the context of your inventory position and restocking timeline. Best for: sellers who keep running out of stock and want PPC to work within inventory constraints rather than fight against them.
Point Solutions¶
Sometimes you don't need a full suite. These tools do one thing well.
| Tool | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| JungleScout | Keyword research, product database, competitor analysis | Product research and keyword discovery |
| Helium 10 Cerebro | Reverse ASIN keyword research | Finding what keywords competitors rank for |
| Helium 10 Black Box | Product and keyword hunting | Discovering underserved niches |
| Keyword Inspector | Reverse ASIN, rank tracking | Sellers focused on organic + PPC keyword overlap |
| Sonar | Free keyword research tool | Initial keyword brainstorming without a paid account |
| Scope by SellerLabs | Reverse ASIN, keyword analysis | Finding competitor keywords and monthly estimates |
Build vs. Buy Framework¶
Before paying for a tool, answer these questions honestly:
Question 1: Do you have the data volume to justify the cost? - A $200/month tool only makes sense if your ad spend is high enough that the tool saves or earns you more than it costs. Rough rule: if the tool costs 5% of your monthly ad spend, it should be producing at least that much value in improved efficiency.
Question 2: Are you willing to learn the tool deeply? - Most tools take 2-4 weeks to fully learn. If you're going to use 20% of the features, you're paying for the other 80%. Sometimes a simpler tool used fully beats an advanced tool used partially.
Question 3: Does the tool replace judgment or support it? - Automation tools that make decisions without your input are valuable when you don't have time to manage accounts. They're dangerous when you don't understand what the automation is doing. Make sure you can explain why the tool made each decision — if you can't, you're not in control.
Question 4: Will you actually use the data? - Some tools produce beautiful dashboards that nobody reads. If you're not going to check the tool weekly, the data gets stale and the tool becomes a waste of money. A spreadsheet you actually look at beats a fancy dashboard you ignore.
Free Tool Stack¶
You can run competent Amazon PPC without spending anything on software.
Essential Free Tools¶
Amazon Brand Analytics (ABA) : Available to brand-registered sellers. This is the most valuable free data source Amazon offers — search frequency rank, competitive benchmarking, and demographic data. Use it every week. If you have a brand registry account and don't use ABA, start now.
Amazon's Native Campaign Manager Reports : Search term reports, campaign performance reports, placement reports. Download them, put them in a spreadsheet, and analyze them yourself. No tool required. The data is the same data that paid tools use — you just have to do the work.
Google Keyword Planner : Not Amazon-specific but useful for understanding search volume and seasonal trends. Search volume on Google often correlates with Amazon search volume for non-brand terms.
Sonar (keyword tool) : Free Amazon keyword research. Not as deep as paid tools but useful for brainstorming.
Spreadsheet Templates¶
These Google Sheets templates are free and work well:
Automatic Ruler : Free keyword research spreadsheet that pulls data from Helium 10's free tools and organizes it. Good starting point if you're not ready to pay for keyword research software.
Campaign Structure Builder : Template for planning campaign architecture before setting it up in Amazon. Helps you think through campaign naming conventions, budget allocation, and match type strategy before you click anything.
Keyword Harvester : Takes your search term reports and automatically categorizes terms by match type, ACOS, and conversion rate. Saves the manual work of going through search terms line by line.
PPC Performance Dashboard : Pull together your search term reports into a single dashboard view. Track ACOS, TACOS, spend, and revenue by campaign, keyword, and match type. Update it weekly.
Browser Extensions¶
These run in your browser and add useful data to Amazon pages:
JungleScout Extension : Shows estimated sales, revenue, review count, and FBA fees when you browse Amazon search results or product pages. Free tier available. Essential for competitive research.
Helium 10 Chrome Extension : Similar to JungleScout — shows product data, keyword data, and estimates on Amazon pages. Free tier available with limited searches per day.
CamelCamelCamel : Tracks price history on Amazon. Useful for understanding whether a product's sales are seasonal or price-sensitive. Free.
Keepa : More detailed price history than CamelCamelCamel. Free tier available. Useful for deciding when to run deals based on historical price performance.
Tool Evaluation Checklist¶
Before paying for any tool, run through this checklist:
- [ ] Can I export my data if I decide to cancel? (Some tools make this surprisingly difficult)
- [ ] Does it connect to my Amazon account via the official API? (Screen-scraping tools break when Amazon changes their UI)
- [ ] Is the tool actively maintained? (Check when they last released a meaningful update)
- [ ] Does it have responsive support? (Send a question before buying — see how long it takes)
- [ ] Can I start with a free trial? (Always test before paying annually)
- [ ] Will it work for my marketplace? (Not all tools support all 20+ Amazon marketplaces)
- [ ] Does it play well with other tools I'm using? (Export formats matter)