Best tools for finding profitable SEO niches?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on a few new SEO projects recently and ran into a common issue — finding a reliable way to do proper niche research and keyword clustering without spending hours manually sorting data.

I’ve tried a mix of tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and a few free options, but I still feel like there’s always a gap when it comes to actually identifying profitable niches instead of just keywords.

Recently, I came across a newer platform called Rankar.ai. It seems to focus more on niche discovery and structured SEO planning rather than just raw keyword data.

I’m still testing it, but so far it looks promising for:

• finding low-competition niches
• grouping keywords into clusters
• planning content strategies

That said, I don’t want to jump to conclusions yet.

So I wanted to ask:

👉 What tools or methods are you currently using for niche research?
👉 Do you rely more on manual analysis or AI tools?
👉 Has anyone here tried newer tools like Rankar.ai or similar platforms?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks!