Semrush Alternatives in 2026: 11 Tools Compared by Price and Need

Semrush is one of the best-known all-in-one SEO suites, and most people looking for a replacement are reacting to something on its pricing page. On 8 October 2026 the three common triggers were:

• Entry price. The SEO plan was $139 a month, or $117.33 billed annually. It covers 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily.
• Tiering. Historical SEO data, content optimization and multi-location tracking start on Pro+ at $299 a month. SEO share of voice and API integration start on Advanced at $549.
• Seats and AI tracking. Extra users start at $45 a month. Plans labeled SEO + AI Search start at $199 a month and track 50 AI prompts daily.

Semrush also has a free plan, limited to one demo project and 10 reports a day. The 11 alternatives below are grouped by need: all-in-one suites (1 to 5), budget tools (6 and 7), competitor and paid-search research (8 and 9), and free options (10 and 11).

The alternatives

1. Ahrefs: the closest all-in-one rival

Ahrefs covers the same ground: backlinks, keyword research, rank tracking and site audits. Ahrefs says its index holds 493.9 billion pages and that it crawls 5 million pages a minute.

The Starter plan is $29 a month but limited to 200 credits, 250 rows per report, one month of history and no extra users. Lite is $129 a month with 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords and one user; extra users are $40 each. Rank tracking updates weekly on every plan, which is slower than Semrush’s daily tracking. Ahrefs also says it never runs discounts.

2. SE Ranking: more tracked keywords per dollar

Core is $129 a month, or $103.20 billed annually. It includes 10 projects, one manager seat, 2,000 keywords and 100 AI prompts tracked daily, and 250,000 audited pages a month. Keyword, competitor and backlink research are listed as unlimited. There’s a 14-day free trial with no card.

Growth is $279 a month ($223.20 annual) for 30 projects, 3 seats and 5,000 keywords. Historical data across the project’s lifetime is Growth-only. SE Ranking says it indexes 2.9 trillion backlinks.

3. Moz Pro: Domain Authority and guided workflows

Standard is $99 a month ($79 billed yearly) with one user, 3 tracked sites, 300 tracked keywords and 150 tracked AI prompts. A $49 entry plan covers a single website, though its limits aren’t shown on the pricing page. Moz says its link index holds over 40 trillion links.

Watch the caps. Standard allows 150 keyword queries a month. Medium ($179, or $143 yearly) raises that to 5,000 and adds a second user.

4. Sistrix: Google visibility over time

Sistrix is built around its Visibility Index. Start is €119 a month plus tax, cancelable monthly, with one user, 3 projects, 3 months of data history and 30,000 URLs crawled a month. Plus is €239 with 3 users, 5 years of history and limited API access. Full API access and the full 11-year history start at Professional (€419). Start and Plus offer a free test. It’s priced in euros and costs more than Semrush’s entry plan.

5. Serpstat: a full toolkit for less

Individual is $69 a month ($50 billed annually) for 5 projects, 100 daily searches, 10,000 keyword position checks and 30,000 pages to audit. It includes keyword research, site analysis, rank tracking, site audit and backlink analysis. Individual and Team both offer a free trial.

The API and shared access start on Team ($129, or $100 annual). Individual’s 100 daily searches is the limit heavy researchers hit first.

6. Mangools: simple tools, AI prompt tracking included

Basic is $61 a month, or $37.70 billed annually ($452.40 a year). It bundles keyword research (KWFinder), SERP analysis, rank tracking, backlinks (LinkMiner) and site metrics, plus AI Search Watcher with 500 monitored prompts.

Basic allows 100 keyword research requests per 24 hours, 200 tracked keywords with weekly updates, and no extra seats. Daily rank updates start on Agency ($141 monthly). It doesn’t list a site-audit crawler.

7. Ubersuggest: low price, lifetime option

Ubersuggest’s pricing page lists its own range as US$29 to US$99 a month and sells monthly, yearly and lifetime access. The plan cards read from a Taiwan connection showed $12, $20 and $40 a month, so prices appear to vary by country; check what yours shows.

The lowest plan covers one project and 125 tracked keywords, and Ubersuggest says it has no API access plans at the moment. Its data comes from several providers as estimates. The 7-day trial applies to monthly plans only, and lifetime purchases are non-refundable.

8. SpyFu: competitor keywords and paid search

Basic is $39 a month ($29 billed annually) with 10,000-row results, one tracked site and 5,000 weekly keyword rankings for one user. Pro + AI is $59 for the first month, then $119 ($89 annual), with unlimited results and exports and 10+ years of history. Basic doesn’t include that history. Paid-search research is SpyFu’s strength, and its Site Audit is labeled new on the pricing page.

9. Similarweb: market-level traffic and ads

Similarweb’s self-serve packages are one-user. Competitive Intelligence is $125 a month billed annually ($199 monthly) and has no SEO tools. The SEO & AEO package, with keyword research, rank tracker, site audit, backlinks and 150 tracked AI prompts, is $333 annually ($399 monthly). Adding ad intelligence is $542 ($649 monthly). Business plans need a sales call. History is 3 months on the entry package and 6 months on the SEO package, and Similarweb describes the free data on its site as a high-level sample.

10. Ahrefs Free: free for sites you can verify

Formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, it works on unlimited verified websites. You get Web Analytics, Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits a month per project) and Site Explorer (1,000 backlinks and keywords visible at once). It can’t analyze competitor sites. Ahrefs says that needs a paid plan. Web Analytics covers up to 1 million events per project, Site Audit checks for 170+ issues, and Ahrefs says the data matches paid plans, with lower allowances.

11. Google Search Console: first-party data

Free. It shows queries, impressions, clicks and position, lets you submit sitemaps, inspect URLs and receive issue alerts. It covers only your own site, with no competitor data. Third-party tools estimate traffic from their own data, while Search Console reports what Google recorded for your site. It also includes Core Web Vitals and rich-result reports.

Quick comparison

How to choose

1. Compare limits, not just price. Semrush’s entry plan tracks 500 keywords daily. Ahrefs Lite tracks 750 weekly, SE Ranking Core 2,000 daily, Mangools Basic 200 weekly. The cheapest plan isn’t always the cheapest per keyword.
2. Count seats. Extra Semrush users start at $45 a month and Ahrefs Lite users are $40. Moz Standard, Similarweb and Mangools Basic are one-user, so team costs add up.
3. Match the data to the job. If competitor ads are the point, start with SpyFu or Similarweb. If backlinks are the reason you’re leaving, read our Ahrefs alternatives guide.
4. Try free first. Ahrefs Free and Search Console cover your own sites at no cost. SE Ranking, Sistrix, Serpstat and Moz offer trials or free tests.
5. Check AI tracking separately. Several suites now bundle prompt tracking, but limits differ. For dedicated tools, see best AI visibility tools.