Semrush Alternatives Compared: Find the Right SEO Tool for Your Needs

Semrush is a premier SEO platform that helps entrepreneurs and marketers accelerate growth and measure success.

But what about Semrush alternatives? Perhaps you’re seeking budget options or are simply curious about what’s available.

This guide will explain alternatives for the key features in Semrush.

What Is Semrush Used For?

Semrush is a broad platform with 55+ tools.

It’s used for SEO, content marketing, advertising, and social media.

Market and trend analysis tools are on offer, too. And you can filter by 190 countries and countless e-commerce metrics.

Because Semrush is so comprehensive, it attracts huge international brands like Tesla and Amazon.

It’s difficult to find an overall alternative to Semrush because it’s the most comprehensive tool of its kind. So I’ve listed alternatives based on use cases.

Semrush Alternative for Keyword Research

There are plenty of SEO keyword research tools available. But few offer comprehensive features like Semrush.

Ahrefs is an exception.

Both Ahrefs and Semrush come bundled with multiple keyword research tools.

For instance, both offer:

• Competitor analysis
• Backlink analysis
• Position tracking
• Website authority
• Search volume
• Keyword difficulty
  Keyword gap analysis
• Rankings for Google AI Overviews (AIO)

Both platforms have dashboards that are easy to use. You’ll find that some people prefer one or the other just because they’re more used to the interface.

Ahrefs doesn’t have the AI-powered keyword difficulty score that Semrush has. I use this whenever I’m researching keywords in Semrush.

Personal keyword difficulty (PKD) shows me the likelihood that I can rank for a keyword, based on my site’s topical authority.

I also like EyeOn, which tracks the content your competitors are publishing.

(We dive deeper into EyeOn in our Semrush Review.)

I’ve used Ahrefs and Semrush professionally for years. And I’ve found them both to be excellent.

If you don’t have a need for a specific tool in one platform vs the other, your choice may come down to the interface you prefer.

Ahrefs Pricing

When paid annually, Ahrefs paid plans start at $108/month. Compare that to $117.33/month for Semrush. There isn’t much difference.

And Semrush and Ahrefs have limits that increase as you step up through the different plans.

Pay close attention to Ahrefs’ usage limits, though. You'll need to pay to get more if you exceed your monthly “credit” allotment.

This is an important difference between Ahrefs and Semrush.

Ahrefs credits are actions like:

• Opening some reports
• Applying filters

The Lite paid plan gives you 500 credits a month. If you use Ahrefs every day, you’ll likely use these credits quickly.

Moving up to the next plan can result in a considerable increase in the price you’ll pay.

Semrush doesn’t have this credit system, so the pricing is easier to understand.

Cheap Semrush Alternatives: Ubersuggest, Keywords Everywhere

Before looking for cheap alternatives, remember that the Semrush free account provides access to some of the tools in the platform.

But if finding a budget-friendly alternative to Semrush is your goal, consider Ubersuggest. Individual plans start at $16/month.

While the data isn’t as detailed as Semrush, it’s a suitable option for generating content ideas.

I like the $5/month add-ons that let you increase the number of daily searches, domains, and keywords.

Paying for the features you need is a good way to expand the functionality of your Ubersuggest account without spending a ton of money on things you don’t need.

Keywords Everywhere is another budget option and starts at $6/month.

You can add the extension to your browser and it will suggest keywords as you search.

Best Alternative for Competitor Analysis

Grounding your SEO strategy in solid competitor analysis is essential for climbing the rankings.

The insights you can glean from a good tool are remarkable.

For instance, you can identify money-making keywords your competitor is ranking for that you aren’t.

If you successfully target just a handful of these, you’ll begin to siphon off your competitor’s online sales.

The best Semrush alternative for competitor analysis is Ahrefs.

You can filter and search by metrics like:

• Keyword difficulty
• Search volume
• CPC (Cost-per-Click)

Additionally, Ahrefs has a Content Gap tool (similar to the Semrush Keyword Gap tool). And you can perform detailed backlink analysis and position tracking.

Sistrix, Similarweb, and Spyfu vs Semrush

Sistrix and Similarweb are also good picks for competitive research.

Sistrix provides robust competitor analysis, including search volumes, trends, and organic ranking positions. Plans start at €139/month.

Similarweb offers “behind the scenes” analytics for “every site online.”

I’ve found Similarweb useful for finding link-building opportunities by researching topics. It also provides insider information on companies in your niche.

Plans start at $125/month, billed annually.

For the budget-conscious, consider SpyFu. Plans begin at $39/month. During promotions, you can get the Basic plan for as little as $9/month.

You can use SpuFu to discover your competitors’ SEO and PPC strategies. This includes estimated ad spend.

Best Alternative for Backlink Analysis

Backlink analysis is a key step for staying ahead of the competition.

Once you discover a competitors' backlink profile, you can use that data to get more backlinks for your own site.

For instance, you can get links from your competitors’ top referring domains to boost your traffic and rankings.

Semrush makes it easy to do this. It has a full link building tool to support the process, including outreach.

Again, Ahrefs is a viable alternative to Semrush since it also has a backlink analytics tool.

The Ahrefs credit system can be limiting when looking at backlink data. Extensive research may cause you to exceed your plan limit.

If you have a large agency, you may want to stay with Semrush. With its bulk analysis feature, you can enter up to 200 domains simultaneously. This can be a big time saver.

Backlinks Database: Semrush vs. Ahrefs

How many backlinks are in their respective databases?

As reported by both companies:

• Semrush backlinks database: >43 trillion
• Ahrefs backlinks database: >35 trillion

So, in theory, Semrush will give you more complete data.

Budget-Friendly Backlinks Analysis

Although Ahrefs is great for backlinks analysis, if you’re on a tight budget, consider Majestic and Moz Pro.

Majestic plans start at $49.99/month for a “small group of sites.” And Moz Pro starts at $39/month for 1 tracked site.

Both software products will provide expected metrics, such as:

• Referring domains
• Spam score
• Domain authority.

How do these 2 tools differ?

• Majestic is a specialty tool focused on backlinks
• Moz Pro is a suite of SEO tools: the higher the price plan, the more tools you get access to

The Lamborghini of Backlinks Analysis

If you need the most in-depth tool available for backlinks analysis, consider Link Research Tools (LRT).

This Austrian-based platform has impeccable data and granular filters.

In fact, there are 150+ metrics for each link.

I’ve used Link Research Tools as part of a successful link-building project and was impressed with its capabilities.

However, Link Research Tools starts at $599/month, which is more than the Semrush Guru plan.

Choosing a Semrush Alternative for Backlinks

Admittedly, most small business owners don’t need the “Lamborghini option”. So here’s how you can narrow down the choice.

• E-commerce entrepreneurs and agencies: Choose Semrush or Ahrefs for industry-leading data and tools
• Link-building specialists on a budget: Use Majestic
• Marketers or business owners with a small budget: Choose Moz Pro or Ubersuggest

Semrush Alternative for Rank Tracking (150 words)

Being able to track keyword rankings is foundational for good SEO.

Who needs rank tracking? Digital marketers and agencies use this data to craft strategies. And monitoring results is essential for client retention.

You can use this data to:

• Pinpoint existing content that needs to be improved
• Target keywords your competitors are trying to rank for
• Monitor results of your SEO and PPC campaigns

Solopreneurs need that same data to compete effectively with larger competitors.

SE Ranking vs. Semrush

The best Semrush alternative for rank tracking is SE Ranking.

Like Semrush, SE Ranking comes with various keyword research tools, depending on the package you pick.

The lowest-cost plan is $52/month. In addition to their Rank Tracker, you’ll get:

• Competitive and keyword research tools
• Backlink checker and monitor

Both tools offer:

• AI Overview trackers
• On page SEO checkers

SE Ranking offers unlimited reports and claims to have more accurate ranking data than Semrush.

That said, SE Ranking credits Semrush with “more advanced” backlink analysis tools and a “bigger keyword database.”

Although SE Ranking doesn’t offer everything Semrush provides, it’s a very affordable alternative.

Dimension	Semrush	SE Ranking
Keyword database	26+ billion	4.3 billion
Backlinks database	45+ trillion	2.9 trillion
Geo databases	142	188
Domain profiles	808 million	2.2 billion

Plus, you can add content marketing and local SEO features ‘à la carte’.

SE Ranking has published case studies explaining how small businesses outranked Walmart and Amazon.

Best Semrush Alternative for Site Audits

Site audit tools are easy to come by, and they are usually affordable. Plenty of SEO software companies offer these tools for free to attract potential buyers.

You enter a URL, and the software runs a basic check for things like:

• Presence of meta description
• Character length of title and description
• Structured data presence or errors

Semrush and Ahrefs also have built-in Site Audit tools. They’re more robust than most free tools.

For instance, a site audit in Semrush will display:

• Site health score
• Crawlability metrics
• Internal links data
• Top errors
• HTTPS data
• HTTP status codes for crawled pages
• Basic analysis of hreflang use
• List of broken links

Ahrefs’ site audit tool is very similar, so there isn’t much to differentiate them.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

If you need to do an in-depth technical SEO audit, Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the go-to tool for most professional SEO specialists.

You’ll download it to your desktop, enter a URL, and get near-instant analysis of your site structure and performance.

It also has powerful tools to help you filter and sort the data.

Chris Long, VP of Marketing at Go Fish Digital, uses AI with Screaming Frog to automate e-commerce category page text.

You can also run advanced accessibility checks using Screaming Frog’s integration with the Axe rules from Deque.

These are the same rules used by Google Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights to calculate accessibility scores.

For beginners and in-house marketers, Semrush Site Audit will help you to discover important warnings and errors on your site.

But for more in-depth analysis, Screaming Frog gives you a lot more technical data.

Just keep in mind that the free version of Screaming Frog is capped at 500 URLs per domain. You can get an annual subscription for $259.

Semrush Alternative for On-Page SEO Analysis

Content optimization tools help you improve your web pages so they rank higher in search results.

These platforms analyze things like:

• Readability
• Title and meta description
• Keyword usage

But do you really need a dedicated tool for this?

Semrush includes an SEO Writing Assistant that does all the above and more, including:

• Analyzing tone for type and consistency
• Recommending semantically related keywords
• Measuring originality with a plagiarism check

Ahrefs is a practical alternative for on page optimization, but it doesn’t recommend secondary keywords to include to improve rankings.

And here’s an easy SEO tip: if you’re using WordPress, your SEO plugin probably includes some content optimization features, so you may find they’re adequate for basic optimization.

Let’s look at alternative to Semrush that specialize in content optimization.

Clearscope, SurferSEO, MarketMuse

Clearscope, SurferSEO, and MarketMuse all provide recommendations for creating content that ranks.

Here’s a brief overview of their key differences.

Tool	Standout feature	Price
Clearscope	Helps you to optimize content	Starts at $139/month
SurferSEO	Built-in AI to generate articles	Starts at $79/month
MarketMuse	Builds your site’s topical authority	Starts at free for 10 queries/month

Using a dedicated content optimization tool only makes sense for agencies or businesses with sizable content teams.

The greatest benefit is saving time on repeat tasks necessary for creating excellent content.

Best Alternative Tool for Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your target audience at any funnel stage.

As you may know, Semrush comes with keyword research tools that are essential for content marketing.

These include:

• Keyword Magic Tool to generate ideas
• Keyword Gap for competitor analysis
• Keyword Overview with detailed metrics
• SEO Content Template
• SEO Writing Assistant

So what’s the best alternative? For content marketing, Ahrefs is the best option.

Add a keyword to the Ahrefs Content Explorer, and you’ll get a list of top-performing content. From that, you can glean topic ideas and link prospects.

The Ahrefs Content Gap is similar to the Semrush Keyword Gap. Both will help you prioritize keywords based on competitor data.

If you need a different Semrush alternative, consider Serpstat.

This Ukrainian-based alternative starts at $59/month. Unlike Ahrefs, Serpstat offers a 7-day free trial.

Serpstat capabilities include:

• Keyword research
• Backlink data
• Competitor analysis

Tool	Selling point	Pricing
Semrush	Comprehensive content marketing toolkit plus optimization and writing tools	Starts at $139/month
Ahrefs	Comparable to Semrush but with fewer content marketing features	Starts at $129/month
Serpstat	Fairly comprehensive and cheaper. Smaller database.	Starts at $59/month

Semrush Alternative for Trends Analysis (225)

Say you’re an online store owner who wants to get ahead of trending products or keywords.

How do you get this data? Once you discover these trends, how would you know whether the trend is just beginning, has peaked, or is slated to continue for another year?

This is where Exploding Topics Pro comes in.

Enter a seed keyword to discover related trending keywords and products.

Say you own an online store selling organic food products. You’re thinking of offering a new line of mushroom coffee.

You could use that as your seed keyword.

Exploding Topics Pro shows strong growth for keywords like “mushroom coffee”, “mushroom creamer”, and “chagaccino”.

But check the forecast first. This tool analyzes the future growth curve and current opportunities. 

The Trends database is a great way to find new product ideas and trending keywords for content marketing.

Exploding Topics Pro includes:

• Trend tracking
• Trend analysis
• Trending products
• Trending startups
• Meta Trends

How does Exploding Topics Pro compare with Semrush?

• Semrush .Trends is designed to generate content ideas from existing data and content. It’s helpful for topic research, but it doesn’t track or predict emerging trends.
• Exploding Topics is designed to give you a first-mover advantage before a topic hits its peak.

Exploding Topics Pro starts at $39/month for the Entrepreneur plan. You can try it for $1.

Semrush Free Alternative for PPC Analysis

Semrush has long been the go-to platform for PPC analysis.

Whether it’s discovering competitor ad strategies, drilling down to see their paid keywords and results, or using AI for ad creative, Semrush offers a ton of value.

But what if you need PPC insights without the Semrush price tag?

Here, the clear alternative is Google Ads.

With Google Ads, you can:

• Track ad metrics
• Optimize your budget
• Discover profitable keywords.

You’ll need to add your credit card and set up a campaign, but you don’t need to run ads.

If you do want to advertise, Google Ads often offers free ad credits to new users.

Semrush Alternative for Social Media Analysis

Semrush Social Media tools come bundled with any paid plan. They provide a convenience factor since you can manage everything from one dashboard.

If you value having this capability built into your SEO platform and want a budget-friendly alternative to Semrush, consider SE Ranking.

With SE Ranking, you can:

• Auto-post updates to your channels
• Analyze best times to post
• Monitor engagement
• Run Facebook and TikTok ads

SE Ranking also includes an AI generator for captions and social content. You can analyze competitors. And you get a single inbox for social messages.

You can sign up for a free trial of SE Ranking. No credit card is required.

To get SE Ranking’s social tools, you’ll need to sign up for their $95/month Pro plan.

RivalIQ provides more detailed analytics but starts at $239/month.

Smarter Social Media Marketing

Many social media management tools simply repackage the vanity metrics contained in social platforms.

In my experience, True Social Metrics has the smartest analytics.

This is the only social media tool based on metrics developed by marketing visionary Avinash Kaushik. Those metrics include “economic value.”

True Social Metrics plans start at $30/month. And you can get a free trial.

Best Budget-Friendly Alternative to Semrush

Serpstat is the best all-around SEO platform for those who want a cheaper Semrush alternative.

The Individual plan starts at $59/month. But you can also get a limited Freemium account.

Inside Serpstat, you’ll see all the metrics you’d expect from SEO software. These include those for keyword, competitor, and PPC research.

The Serpstat interface isn’t as easy to use as the interface in Semrush. But this budget SEO tool has the most options at a low price.

As with most software tools, you can save on Serpstat or Semrush pricing by paying annually.

Compare Semrush Alternatives

Product	For those who need	Alternative to Semrush for:	Starts at
Ahrefs	Comprehensive SEO platform	Keyword research, Backlinks analysis, Content marketing, Competitor analysis	$129/month
Ubersuggest	Comprehensive SEO platform	Keyword research	$29/month Also offers low-cost “lifetime” access.
Moz Pro	Comprehensive SEO platform	Backlinks analysis	$39/month
Majestic	Backlink analysis	Backlinks analysis	$49.99/month
Link Research Tools	In-depth backlink Analysis	Backlink analysis	$599/month
SERPstat	Comprehensive SEO platform	On-page SEO analysis, content marketing	$59/month. Also offers low-cost “lifetime” access.
MarketMuse	Content optimization	On-page SEO analysis	Free for 1 user, 10 queries
Clearscope	Content optimization	On-page SEO analysis	$189/month
SurferSEO	Content optimization	On-page SEO analysis	$79/month
SE Ranking	SEO tools plus social media management	Rank tracking, social media tools	$95/month (to get social tools included)
True Social Metrics	Smart social metrics including economic value	Social media tools	$30/month
RivalIQ	In-depth social media analysis	Social media tools	$239/month
Google Ads	Advertising analytics	PPC analysis	Free tools Paid campaigns
Exploding Topics Pro	Emerging trends analysis, forecasts	Trends analysis	$39/month
Screaming Frog SEO Spider	In-depth technical SEO	Website audits	Free up to 500 URLs, $259/year for larger sites
SpyFu	Comprehensive SEO platform	Competitor analysis	$39/month
SimilarWeb	Competitor analysis	Competitor analysis	$125/month, billed annually
Sistrix	Competitor analysis	Competitor analysis	119€/month, (approx: $150/month)

Ready to Test Some Semrush Alternatives?

Now that you have a list of Semrush alternatives, be sure to identify the problems you want your software to solve before signing up for a full year.

Keep in mind that Semrush is a huge platform, so you’ll likely need a combination of tools to achieve the same data.

Then try before you buy. Most platforms listed here (except Ahrefs) offer free trials, so it’s worth testing them before committing to a long subscription.

Real-world usage is the best way to confirm if a tool fits your needs and if you like the interface.

If you haven’t tried Semrush yet, sign up for a free account so you can compare it with the alternatives.