🖼️

Thumbnail A/B Predictor

Upload 2-3 thumbnail options and find out which one is likely to get the most clicks. Get detailed analysis of composition, readability, and emotional impact for each option.

Paste YouTube video URLs (we'll grab the thumbnail) or direct image URLs. You need 2-3 thumbnails to compare.

A
B

Results

Improvement Tips

    The full product

    One video here. Your whole channel in ChannelGrade.

    Connect your channel and every upload is pulled in on its own, no pasting links.

    Scored against your usual
    Where viewers drop off
    Checked before you post
    Check my channel, free See plans

    Free to connect. A plan adds the written read of each upload: why viewers left, what comments ask for, what to make next.

    See it on an example channelTrail Kitchen
    I cooked only with a campfire for 7 daysVideo, 6 days old184K3.1xHit
    Cast iron mistakes everyone makesShort, 9 days old62K1.6xAbove usual
    Rainy day ramen at 2,000mShort, 12 days old21K0.92xUsual
    Packing my whole kitchen in one bagVideo, 15 days old19K0.38xBelow usual
    Trying the 1-pan breakfast trickShort, 1 day old8.4K-Too early

    Every video against the middle of your own others of the same kind, at the same age. Shorts with Shorts.

    1
    At 0:41: 71% to 52% still watching

    On screen: one still shot of the pan while the voice-over explains the rule. Said: "so the reason this works is". Likely why: the payoff already happened, and the explanation is slower than everything before it.

    Why: Starter
    sourdough for beginners
    The only sourdough guide you needCrumb Club · 2.1M views
    My first sourdough, day by dayTrail Kitchen · Yours, not posted yet
    Sourdough mistakes I made for 2 yearsBake With Noor · 640K views
    Title fits on phones52 characters, nothing cut off
    Text reads at the smallest size2 words, tall enough for Up next
    Darker than 8 of the 10 around itA lighter background would stand out
    Says what people search for"sourdough", like 9 of the top 10

    Your title and thumbnail in real YouTube search, next to the videos you are up against. Checks that give the same answer every time, no made-up scores.

    Crumb Club412K subscribers · Took off: The 3-ingredient loaf6.2xHit
    Bake With Noor88K subscribers · Newest: Sourdough in a hotel room1.4xAbove usual
    Weekend Oven23K subscribers · Newest: Rye, but easy0.6xBelow usual

    Channels like yours, each video against that channel's own usual. You see the moment one of theirs takes off.

    Mostly excited and asking for more. A few viewers say the music drowns out your voice in the middle.

    They ask you to make
    A winter version23 comments
    do this in the snow next PLEASE
    The full recipe9 comments
    what spices did you use at 2:10?
    They ask
    What pan that is14 comments
    where is that pan from??
    How long it took6 comments
    how many hours was the hike in
    Starter · example
    VideoI cooked only in the snow for 3 days23 comments asked for a winter version, and your campfire video got 3.1x your usual.
    ShortThe pan everyone keeps asking aboutYour most asked question: 14 comments across 3 videos.
    Starter · example

    See your thumbnail in real YouTube search before you post, next to the videos you are up against.

    Paste your channel and see your newest videos compared with each other, in seconds. Free, no sign-in.

    FAQ

    How does this thumbnail A/B test work?

    Upload 2 or 3 thumbnail options and the tool scores each on the things that drive clicks: contrast, a clear focal point, text readability at small sizes, facial emotion, and how it reads on a phone. It predicts which one is most likely to win and explains why.

    Is this a real A/B test?

    No. A true A/B test needs live traffic, which only YouTube can run after you publish. This is a pre-publish prediction so you can pick your strongest option before you upload, not a guarantee of real-world click-through rate.

    What makes a thumbnail score well?

    High contrast, one clear focal point, large readable text (3 to 5 words), a visible expressive face when relevant, and an image that still makes sense shrunk to mobile size. The tool flags which of these each thumbnail is missing.

    How many comparisons can I run per day?

    Up to 5 per day on the free tier, no signup needed. ChannelGrade's paid plans remove the daily cap and grade the thumbnail on every video you publish automatically.

    Should I always pick the highest-scored thumbnail?

    Use it as strong guidance, not gospel. Nobody can know your real audience response before publishing. Treat the score as a tie-breaker and a checklist of fixes, then trust what you know about your own viewers.

    ChannelGrade plans

    Get the full read of every video you upload

    Thumbnail A/B Test stays free here. A plan reads every video on your channel for you: what to change, where viewers left and why, what your comments ask for, and what to make next. It also follows channels like yours and checks every title and thumbnail before you post.

    Free
    For one channel, forever
    $0
    • 1 channel, every video compared with your usual
    • Views per day and the retention curve (with YouTube Studio)
    • Where viewers came from and who watched
    • 5 free runs a day of every tool
    Start free
    Starter
    Perfect for solo creators
    $9/month
    • 1 channel, every new upload read for you
    • Where viewers stop watching and why (with YouTube Studio)
    • What to change on each video, from its own numbers
    • What your comments ask for, counted and quoted
    • What works on your channel, and what to make next
    • Follow 10 channels like yours and see what takes off for them
    • Check every title and thumbnail before you post
    • A weekly email: what moved and what to make next
    • 30 tool credits/month
    Popular
    Pro
    For serious creators
    $19/month
    • 3 channels, every new upload read for you
    • Where viewers stop watching and why (with YouTube Studio)
    • What to change on each video, from its own numbers
    • What your comments ask for, counted and quoted
    • What works on your channel, and what to make next
    • Follow 30 channels like yours and see what takes off for them
    • Check every title and thumbnail before you post
    • A weekly email: what moved and what to make next
    • 100 tool credits/month
    • Priority support
    Agency
    For agencies & multi-channel creators
    $49/month
    • 20 channels, every new upload read for you
    • Where viewers stop watching and why (with YouTube Studio)
    • What to change on each video, from its own numbers
    • What your comments ask for, counted and quoted
    • What works on your channel, and what to make next
    • Follow 100 channels like yours and see what takes off for them
    • Check every title and thumbnail before you post
    • A weekly email: what moved and what to make next
    • 500 tool credits/month
    • Priority support

    Monthly, cancel anytime. Payment by Stripe. Plans include more runs of every tool.

    Want to try Starter first? Get it free for 30 days by following ChannelGrade on X.

    Related Free Tools

    YouTube Thumbnail TesterTest your YouTube thumbnail before you post: see it on a phone, in Up next and on the home feed next to the videos that rank for your search today, with checks for text size, brightness, color and look-alikes. Free, no sign-in.Video Intro & Hook ScorerFind out if your first 30 seconds keep viewers watching. Get a hook score, line-by-line feedback, and a stronger rewritten opening for your video.Thumbnail AnalyzerAnalyzes your actual thumbnail image: contrast, text readability, face visibility, color composition, and emotional impact. Get a score and specific fixes.Title A/B PredictorGenerate 5 title variants for your video and see which would likely get the highest click-through rate. Each variant shows estimated CTR with detailed reasoning, so you pick the winner before publishing.