On this page
- Why look for Semrush alternatives?
- Semrush alternatives compared
- Ahrefs as a Semrush alternative
- SE Ranking as a Semrush alternative
- Moz Pro as a Semrush alternative
- Serpstat, Mangools and Ubersuggest
- Specialist tools that replace parts of Semrush
- Best alternative by use case
- Free alternatives to Semrush
- How to choose
- Features to compare in any SEO tool
- Tool stacks by business size
- How to test tools fairly
- Mistakes when switching SEO tools
- Which alternative matches each Semrush toolkit
- Plan your move away from Semrush
- Ways to save on SEO tools
- Semrush alternatives for local businesses
- Semrush alternatives for agencies
- Semrush alternatives for content teams
- Walk through: replacing Semrush for a three person team
- Signs you should stay with Semrush
- Testing data quality across tools
- Semrush alternatives for online stores
- Features that matter more than price
- Our short list
- Do you need a paid SEO tool at all?
- FAQs
Semrush is one of the most popular SEO platforms, but it is not the only good option. Some teams want deeper backlink data, others need a lower price or a simpler interface.
This guide compares the leading Semrush alternatives in plain terms, so you can pick the right tool for your needs. Features and pricing change often, so check each vendor before buying. For a head to head of the big three, see Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz.
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Get my SEO quote Chat on WhatsApp- List the Semrush features you use before comparing alternatives.
- Ahrefs is the closest all round competitor, especially for links.
- SE Ranking and Mangools offer good value for smaller teams.
- Free Google tools cover a lot for small sites.
- Many teams combine one paid suite with free tools.
Why look for Semrush alternatives?
Budget
All in one suites can be expensive for small businesses, especially with extra users or projects.
Specific needs
You may only need rank tracking or keyword research, not a full suite.
Data preferences
Different tools have different data sources, and some teams prefer one tool's backlink or keyword data.
Ease of use
Simpler tools can be faster for owners who are not full time SEOs.
Semrush alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | Backlinks and content research | Large link index, Site Explorer, Content Explorer |
| Moz Pro | Easy all round SEO | Clear interface, Keyword Explorer, Domain Authority metric |
| SE Ranking | Value for agencies and small teams | Rank tracking, audits, white label reports |
| Mangools | Beginners and small budgets | Simple keyword research with KWFinder |
| Ubersuggest | Low cost basics | Keyword ideas, site audit, simple interface |
| Similarweb | Traffic and market research | Competitor traffic estimates |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Technical audits | Deep crawling and data export |
| Google Search Console and Keyword Planner | Free essentials | Your own search data and keyword ranges |
Ahrefs as a Semrush alternative
Ahrefs is the closest all round rival to Semrush. It is especially strong for backlink research, content gap analysis and seeing which pages drive a competitor's traffic. Its Keywords Explorer shows clicks per search as well as volume, which helps judge real opportunity when AI answers take clicks.
Where it differs: Ahrefs has fewer local SEO and advertising features than Semrush, and its plans have usage limits that teams should check carefully. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for sites you own, which makes it easy to try the audit and backlink features first.
SE Ranking as a Semrush alternative
SE Ranking covers rank tracking, site audits, keyword research, backlinks and competitor analysis at a lower price than most premium suites. Its rank tracker is accurate and flexible, with city level tracking that suits local businesses and agencies.
Where it differs: its keyword and backlink databases are smaller than the biggest suites in some markets. For many small businesses and agencies, the trade off is worth the savings.
Moz Pro as a Semrush alternative
Moz Pro offers keyword research, rank tracking, site crawls and link research with a clean, beginner friendly interface. Domain Authority, Moz's link strength score, is widely recognized by clients and partners.
Where it differs: Moz has a smaller feature set and link index than Semrush or Ahrefs, so it suits smaller sites and teams who value simplicity over depth.
Serpstat, Mangools and Ubersuggest
Serpstat
A budget friendly all in one platform with keyword research, rank tracking, audits and backlink data. Good value for agencies watching costs.
Mangools
A set of simple tools, including KWFinder for keyword research, SERPChecker and a rank tracker. Very easy to use and popular with bloggers and small businesses.
Ubersuggest
Low cost keyword ideas, site audits and rank tracking with a simple interface. A sensible starting point for owners who want basic data without complexity.
Specialist tools that replace parts of Semrush
Screaming Frog and Sitebulb
Desktop crawlers for in depth technical audits. They go deeper than most cloud audit tools and suit technical SEO work on larger sites.
SpyFu
Focused on competitor research for paid and organic keywords, with a long history of competitor data.
Similarweb
Best known for traffic estimates and market analysis across channels, useful for competitive benchmarking.
BrightLocal
Built for local SEO: local rank grids, citation building and audits, and review monitoring.
Surfer and Clearscope
Content optimization tools that compare drafts with top ranking pages and suggest topics to cover.
Best alternative by use case
| If you mainly use Semrush for | Consider |
|---|---|
| Backlink research | Ahrefs |
| Keyword research on a budget | Mangools, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner |
| Rank tracking | SE Ranking |
| Site audits | Screaming Frog plus Search Console |
| Competitor traffic | Similarweb |
| Client reporting | SE Ranking or a dashboard tool |
Free alternatives to Semrush
- 1Google Search Console for your real clicks, impressions, queries and indexing.
- 2Google Keyword Planner for keyword ideas and volume ranges. See how to use Google Keyword Planner.
- 3Google Trends for seasonal and rising searches.
- 4PageSpeed Insights for speed and Core Web Vitals.
- 5Free tiers of Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, Moz and others for limited link and audit data.
How to choose
- 1List the reports you use each week.
- 2Shortlist two or three tools that do those well.
- 3Use free trials on the same keywords and domains to compare data.
- 4Check user, project and keyword limits for your team size.
- 5Consider support, training and integrations.
Not sure which data you need? Our SEO consulting service can set up the right tool stack for your team.
Features to compare in any SEO tool
| Feature | What to check |
|---|---|
| Keyword research | Database size for your country, intent and difficulty data |
| Backlink analysis | Index size, freshness and lost link tracking |
| Rank tracking | Update frequency, local and mobile tracking |
| Site audit | Crawl limits, JavaScript rendering, issue explanations |
| Competitor research | Traffic estimates and keyword gaps |
| Reporting | White label options, scheduling, integrations |
| Limits | Users, projects, keywords tracked and credits |
Tool stacks by business size
Solo business owner
Free Google tools plus a low cost keyword tool such as Mangools or Ubersuggest.
Small marketing team
One all in one suite such as SE Ranking or Moz Pro, plus Search Console.
Agency
A suite with white label reporting, a crawler like Screaming Frog and a rank tracker for clients.
Enterprise
A full suite such as Ahrefs or Semrush, a crawler, log analysis and data warehouse reporting.
How to test tools fairly
- 1Pick five keywords you already rank for and compare position data with Search Console.
- 2Pick one competitor and compare keyword and backlink counts across tools.
- 3Run a site audit on the same site and compare the issues found.
- 4Check how easy it is to build a report you would actually send.
- 5Note limits that would affect you in a normal month.
Mistakes when switching SEO tools
Losing rank history
Export historical rankings before cancelling.
Comparing metrics across tools
Authority and difficulty scores differ by tool and cannot be compared directly.
Paying for features you never use
Match the plan to the reports you open each week.
Ignoring Search Console
No paid tool replaces your own first party search data.
Prefer not to manage tools at all? Our SEO services include professional tool data and reporting.
Which alternative matches each Semrush toolkit
| Semrush toolkit | Closest alternatives |
|---|---|
| SEO toolkit (keywords, audits, backlinks) | Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Moz Pro, Serpstat |
| Local toolkit | BrightLocal, SE Ranking local features, Moz Local |
| Content toolkit | Surfer, Clearscope, Ahrefs content tools |
| Competitive research | Similarweb, SpyFu, Ahrefs |
| Rank tracking | SE Ranking, Ahrefs Rank Tracker, AccuRanker |
| Site audit | Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools |
You do not need one tool for everything. Many teams combine one main suite with one or two specialist tools.
Plan your move away from Semrush
- 1List the Semrush features you use every month and the ones you never open.
- 2Export your tracked keywords, projects, position history, keyword lists and audit results.
- 3Choose the alternative that covers your monthly features, and test it during a trial.
- 4Set up rank tracking in the new tool with the same keywords and locations, ideally before you cancel.
- 5Run both tools in parallel for a month if possible, so you have overlapping history.
- 6Update report templates and dashboards to the new data source.
- 7Tell clients or stakeholders that numbers may shift slightly because each tool estimates differently.
- 8Cancel Semrush after confirming nothing important is missing.
Ways to save on SEO tools
Use free tools first
Search Console, Analytics, Keyword Planner, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools cover a lot for free.
Pay annually once you are sure
Annual plans usually cost noticeably less per month, but commit only after a trial.
Share one account carefully
Check each tool's terms on users. Some allow extra seats cheaply, others charge per user.
Buy specialist tools only when needed
A local rank grid or content optimizer can be added for a month or two during a project, then paused.
Compare more options in our best SEO tools guide and our Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz comparison.
Semrush alternatives for local businesses
Local businesses often pay for features they never use in a large suite. What they really need is local rank tracking across their service area, citation management, review monitoring and basic keyword research. A combination of Google Business Profile, Search Console, a local rank grid tool such as BrightLocal and a low cost keyword tool usually covers this at a fraction of the price.
If you also want competitor and backlink research, SE Ranking or Moz Pro add those without the cost of the biggest plans. Our local citation building service uses a similar mix of tools.
Semrush alternatives for agencies
Agencies care about client reporting, seat costs, project limits and rank tracking accuracy. SE Ranking and Serpstat are popular with smaller agencies because of their white label reports and lower pricing. Larger agencies often pair Ahrefs for research with a dedicated rank tracker and Looker Studio for reports.
Before switching, check how many projects, keywords and users each plan includes, and whether reports can carry your agency's branding. Moving client reporting is the hardest part of a switch, so plan it carefully.
Semrush alternatives for content teams
Content teams use Semrush mostly for keyword research, topic ideas and content optimization. Ahrefs covers research and content gaps well. Surfer and Clearscope focus on optimizing individual drafts against top results. Paired with a keyword tool and Search Console, these cover the content workflow without a full suite.
Walk through: replacing Semrush for a three person team
Imagine a small in house team at a regional home services company. They pay for a Semrush plan but use only rank tracking, keyword research and the site audit. Reviewing usage, they find they never open the advertising, social or content marketing toolkits.
They test SE Ranking for rank tracking and audits, and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for backlinks on their own site, running both alongside Semrush for a month. Rank tracking results match closely, the audit finds the same main issues and keyword research covers their local markets well enough. For local map rankings across their service area, they add a local rank grid tool for a few months a year when planning new location pages.
After the trial, they export their history, move dashboards to Looker Studio and cancel Semrush. Their tool costs drop, and they still have everything they use each month. The lesson is not that one tool is better, but that matching tools to real tasks avoids paying for features that sit unused.
Signs you should stay with Semrush
You use several toolkits
If your team relies on SEO, local, content and competitive research features together, one suite may be cheaper and simpler than several tools.
Your reports depend on its data
Switching means rebuilding dashboards and explaining changed numbers. If reports work well, that cost may outweigh savings.
You need very large databases
For big international sites, the size of keyword and backlink databases can matter more than price.
Testing data quality across tools
Every tool estimates search volume, keyword difficulty and traffic differently. The fairest test is to compare each tool's figures for your own site against Search Console. Pick twenty keywords you rank for, note your real clicks and positions, then check what each tool reports. The tool whose estimates sit closest to your real data, for your country and niche, is likely to be most useful for planning.
Semrush alternatives for online stores
Stores need keyword research at scale for categories and products, competitor product research, site audits that handle thousands of URLs and rank tracking for many terms. Ahrefs and SE Ranking handle large keyword sets well, while Screaming Frog or Sitebulb give deeper technical crawls of large catalogs. Pair these with Google Merchant Center and Search Console to see how products perform in shopping results.
Check audit limits closely. A store with 20,000 URLs can hit page caps on lower plans, which makes a desktop crawler a cost effective addition. See our eCommerce SEO checklist for what to check.
Features that matter more than price
Data for your country
A tool with a huge US database may be weak in your market. Test keywords in your own country and language.
Rank tracking accuracy
Compare a tool's tracked positions with what you see in a private search from the right location.
Support and documentation
Good help guides and responsive support save hours when you are learning a new tool.
Export options
Being able to export data freely makes it easier to report and to switch tools later.
Our short list
Best overall alternative
Ahrefs, for research depth, backlinks and content gaps.
Best value all in one
SE Ranking, for strong rank tracking and audits at a lower price.
Best for simplicity
Moz Pro or Mangools, for clean interfaces and easy learning.
Best for local SEO
BrightLocal, for rank grids, citations and reviews.
Best free option
Google Search Console with Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, for real data on your own site.
If you would rather not manage tools at all, our SEO services include professional tool access as part of the work.
Do you need a paid SEO tool at all?
Small local businesses can do a lot with free tools. Paid tools become valuable when you need competitor data, many keywords tracked, backlink research or regular audits across large sites. If you hire an agency, they usually provide tool data as part of the service, so you may not need your own subscription.