7 Best Semrush Alternatives in 2026, With Prices Checked

What are Semrush alternatives?

Semrush alternatives are SEO platforms that replace some or all of what Semrush does: keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlink analysis and competitor research. Some are full suites, while others do one job well for less money.

The difference matters. Replacing Semrush does not always mean finding one tool that does everything. For many teams, the better move is dropping the toolkits they never open and paying only for the two or three jobs they run each week.

Why are teams looking for a Semrush alternative?

Cost is the main reason teams look for a Semrush alternative, because the entry price has climbed as the product has expanded. Semrush's SEO plan lists at $139 a month, or $117.33 a month billed annually, with 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily.

Moving up gets expensive quickly:

• Starter costs $199 a month, and adds 50 AI prompts tracked daily.
• Pro+ costs $299 a month for 15 websites and 1,500 keywords tracked daily.
• Extra users start at $45 a month, according to Semrush's pricing page.

An agency running 10 client sites has outgrown the 5-website plan on day one. That is where the alternatives below start to look better.

How do the best Semrush alternatives compare?

Ahrefs leads on backlink data, SE Ranking on value and Mangools on simplicity. The table compares the lowest self-serve plan that is useful for professional work, using prices billed monthly unless noted.

Serpstat's monthly price is worked out from the annual saving on its pricing page. Seobility lists prices in euros, before VAT. Mangools quotes "from $37.70" without stating the billing period, so the annual column is our best reading.

1. Ahrefs: best for backlink research

Ahrefs is the best Semrush alternative if links are the center of your work. Its data page lists 29 billion filtered keywords and 35 trillion external backlinks in its history, and it reports crawling 5 million pages every minute.

Ahrefs pricing starts at $29 a month for Starter, then $129 for Lite, $249 for Standard and $449 for Advanced. Lite includes 750 tracked keywords, one user and 6 months of history.

The trade-off is that history and users are tied to your plan. Teams that need long trend lines or several seats should budget for Standard.

2. SE Ranking: best value for agencies

SE Ranking is the best value for agencies because its entry plan covers more clients and more keywords than Semrush's. Core costs $129 a month, or $103.20 billed annually, with 10 projects and 2,000 keywords tracked daily.

Growth costs $279 a month, with 30 projects, 3 manager seats and 5,000 keywords tracked daily. AI visibility tracking is included too. A 14-day trial needs no credit card, according to SE Ranking's pricing page.

Its database is smaller than the largest suites, at more than 5 billion keywords. Check coverage in your niche during the trial.

3. Serpstat: best budget all-rounder

Serpstat is the best budget all-rounder for people who want a suite without a suite's price. Its Individual plan is $69 a month, or $50 billed annually, with 5 projects, 100 searches a day and 30,000 audit pages.

The Team plan is $129 a month, or $100 billed annually, and adds unlimited projects, 500 searches a day and 3 users. Details are on Serpstat's pricing page.

Daily search limits are the catch. Heavy research days can hit them on Individual, so agencies usually start at Team.

4. Mangools: best for simple keyword research

Mangools is the best choice if you want keyword research without a steep learning curve. Its tools, including KWFinder, are built around one job at a time, which suits solo consultants and small in-house teams.

Mangools lists pricing from $37.70 a month on its Semrush comparison page, and it offers a free account with no card needed. Its full plan table loads dynamically, so confirm the current plans before you buy.

It is not a full agency platform. Choose it for research, and look elsewhere for heavy client reporting.

5. SpyFu: best for paid search research

SpyFu is the best alternative if you care most about what competitors bid on. It has long focused on competitor keywords and ad history, which makes it useful for teams running paid search alongside SEO.

Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 billed annually. Pro + AI costs $119 a month, and Team/Agency costs $249 a month. Every paid plan includes unlimited searches and a 30-day money-back guarantee, according to SpyFu's pricing and blog pages.

It is lighter on technical SEO than a full suite, so pair it with a separate audit tool if you need one.

6. Seobility: best for site audits

Seobility is the best alternative when technical audits are your main job. Premium costs €59.90 a month and crawls up to 25,000 pages for 3 website projects, with 300 keywords for ranking monitoring.

Professional costs €99.90 a month for 7 projects and 50,000 pages per crawl. There is a free Basic plan and a 14-day trial on paid plans, according to Seobility's pricing page.

Prices are in euros and exclude VAT, so US buyers should check the final amount at checkout.

7. Ubersuggest: best for solo site owners

Ubersuggest is the best fit for solo site owners who want a simple dashboard. Plans run from $29 to $99 a month on its pricing page, with a one-time 7-day trial on monthly plans.

Limits scale from 1 project and 150 reports a day to 15 projects and 900 reports a day. Tracked keywords run from 125 to 300 per project.

It also sells lifetime plans, but those purchases are final and non-refundable. Try a monthly plan first.

Why isn't Moz Pro on this list?

Moz Pro is a well-known option, but we left it out because we could not confirm its current pricing on Moz's own site. We would rather omit a tool than print a price we have not checked. Look at its pricing directly if you are considering it.

What is the best free Semrush alternative?

The best free Semrush alternative is a small stack of free tools, because no single free product covers everything. Start with these:

1. Google Search Console for the queries and pages that already earn impressions.
2. Ahrefs Free for data on sites you own.
3. Google Keyword Planner for keyword ideas and rough volume.
4. Seobility Basic for a small site audit.
5. Seowly's free SEO tools for quick checks on Open Graph tags and llms.txt files.

Semrush's own free plan gives you 1 demo project and 10 reports a day, which may be enough for occasional lookups.

How do you choose the right Semrush alternative?

Choose by the job you run most often, not by the length of the feature list. Follow these steps:

1. List what you actually used last month. Most teams rely on two or three toolkits.
2. Count your sites and keywords. Project limits rule out more tools than price does.
3. Check seats. Add the cost of each extra user to the plan price.
4. Test data on a site you know. Compare estimates with your Search Console numbers.
5. Run one real workflow in a trial. Build a report you would send a client.

What mistakes should you avoid when switching?

The biggest mistake when switching is comparing entry prices without comparing limits. A cheaper plan that tracks a third of your keywords is not cheaper once you upgrade.

• Ignoring history. Rank data rarely moves with you. Export it before you cancel.
• Switching mid-reporting cycle. Run both tools for a month so client reports stay comparable.
• Comparing metrics across tools. Each vendor calculates authority and difficulty its own way, so a score from one tool means little in another.
• Buying lifetime plans too early. Test the monthly plan first, because refunds may not apply.
• Expecting a suite to build links. Suites find opportunities, but the outreach is still your job.

When should you stay on Semrush?

You should stay on Semrush if your team uses several of its toolkits every week and the combined cost of separate tools would match it. Bundling keyword research, audits, tracking and AI search monitoring in one login has real value for larger teams.

Staying also makes sense if clients expect its reports, or if your workflows are already built around it. Switching has a cost too, and it should be weighed against the savings.

What does an SEO tool not do for you?

An SEO tool finds opportunities, but it does not earn the links for you. Every tool above can show you who links to your competitors. None of them will find the right contact, write the pitch, send it and follow up.

That gap is what Seowly works on. It is an autonomous link building agent that runs outreach from your own inbox, so it sits alongside an SEO suite and does not replace one. You can see what sustained outreach built in our Love Tales link building case study, and our directory submission service covers the foundation links.

The bottom line on Semrush alternatives

Most teams can pay less than Semrush by matching a tool to the job they run most. Pick Ahrefs for links, SE Ranking for agency value and Mangools for simple research, then test one real workflow during a trial. Prices change often, so confirm them on each vendor's page before you buy.