Bing Webmaster Tools vs Semrush (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Bing Webmaster Tools grades higher than Semrush: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bing Webmaster Tools grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Semrush grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bing Webmaster Tools
Free Bing reports on search traffic, indexing and AI answer citations
Semrush
SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking and AI search visibility
Which one is for you
Pick Bing Webmaster Tools if
- Fits if you want Bing search data next to Google's
- Makes sense if you publish and want to see whether Copilot and Bing AI answers cite you
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want Google, ChatGPT or other engines, as it covers Bing and Microsoft's AI answers only
- Not for you if you can't verify the site, as nothing appears until you do
- Watch out: AI Performance is a public preview, and its Topics Portfolio beta only shows once a site has enough data
- Watch out: grounding query figures are a sample of citations, and opportunity volumes come as ranges
Pick Semrush if
- Fits if you want research, rank tracking and audits in one account and can pay $117.33 a month or more
- Works for agencies that need keyword data for many countries and compare client sites with competitors
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're one person with one site, at $117.33 a month even yearly, and the trial checks your card with a small charge
- Tight if your team is more than just you, since every extra user is from $45 a month
- Skip it if AI answer tracking is the point, as the SEO plan leaves it out and Starter is $165.17 a month
- Watch out: the API and share of voice need the custom-priced Advanced plan, and scheduled PDF reports are $10 to $20 a month extra
- Watch out: local, content, social and ad tools are separate toolkits with their own prices, and the free plan allows 10 reports a day
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABing Webmaster ToolsVery good | 2.2GPASemrushFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree from Microsoft, with search and AI citation reports, URL Inspection, IndexNow, Site Scan, keyword research, backlinks and the API. No paid plan. | DThe SEO plan, the one Semrush aims at freelancers and small businesses, is $117.33 a month billed yearly ($139 monthly). That's in this category's dearest tenth, for one user. AI search tracking needs Starter at $165.17, and each extra person is from $45 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free once you verify a site, signing in with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook account. No caps on record. | CA free account with no card: 1 project, 10 reports a day and 10 tracked keywords. Fine for a look around, but you'll hit the wall in an afternoon. The 7-day trial of the paid plans checks your card with a small charge that's refunded at once. |
| Features | CSearch performance, AI citation reports, URL Inspection, sitemaps and IndexNow, an on-demand Site Scan, keyword research and backlinks for your site and competitors. The gap: it's Bing's view only, and the listing shows no speed or structured data reports. | BKeyword research from a database it puts at 29 billion keywords across 142 countries, competitor and backlink analysis, daily rank tracking and Site Audit. It covers the whole job, though the SEO plan only gets the basic research tools and no AI visibility. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You verify the site by DNS, a file, a meta tag or an import from Google Search Console before any data appears. | CNo rating on record. It's a big suite with a lot of reports, and there are projects to set up and plenty to learn before it all makes sense. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a Search Console import, IndexNow, WordPress and an API for submitting URLs. | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It connects to Google Analytics, Search Console, Wix, Yoast, AIOSEO, Supermetrics and Monday.com, has MCP from Starter, and the API comes with the custom-priced Advanced plan. |
| Best for | Bing search data and Copilot citations | all-in-one SEO research for teams with a budget |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bing Webmaster Tools and Semrush. How we grade
Where they differ
- Bing Webmaster Tools also covers AI search visibility.
- Semrush also covers reports and rank tracking.
At a glance
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook sign-in for any site you verify: search performance, AI Performance, Site Scan, keyword research, backlinks and the API. | Free account: 1 project, 10 analytics reports a day across the main tools and 10 keywords in Position Tracking. No credit card needed. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Semrush Holdings |
| Price read from | bing.com | semrush.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bing Webmaster Tools
- Reports cover Bing and Microsoft's own AI answers only, not Google, ChatGPT or other engines.
- You must verify the site, by DNS, a file, a meta tag or an import from Google Search Console, before data appears.
- AI Performance is a public preview, and its Topics Portfolio tab is a beta shown only when a site has enough data.
- Grounding query figures are a sample of citation activity, and opportunity queries show volumes as ranges.
Semrush
- Each plan includes one user; extra users start at $45 a month each, priced by plan level.
- Scheduled PDF reports are an add-on at $10 a month, or $20 with white-labeling; Advanced includes reporting.
- API access and share of voice come only with the custom-priced Advanced plan.
- Local, content, social, advertising, AI PR and traffic tools are separate toolkits with their own prices.
Key features
Bing Webmaster Tools
- Search performance
- Impressions, clicks and average position across pages and keywords, with up to 16 months of data.
- AI Performance (preview)
- Counts citations of your pages in Microsoft Copilot and Bing's AI summaries, with the grounding queries behind them and a Topics Portfolio beta of opportunity queries.
- URL Inspection, sitemaps and IndexNow
- Check a URL's indexing and crawl status, submit sitemaps, and notify Bing of new, changed or deleted pages at once through IndexNow or the URL submission API.
- Site Scan and Site Explorer
- An on-demand crawl that flags technical problems such as broken links, duplicate tags and missing metadata, plus a view of your site's structure as Bing sees it.
- Keyword research and backlinks
- Look up what searchers type and their search volumes, and review referring domains and anchor text for your own site and for competitors.
- Copilot assistant
- A built-in AI assistant that helps troubleshoot issues and find your way around the reports.
Semrush
- Keyword research
- Look up search volume, difficulty and intent from a database Semrush puts at 29 billion keywords across 142 country databases.
- Competitor and backlink analysis
- See which keywords and pages bring a rival site its traffic, and inspect any domain's backlink profile.
- Position Tracking
- Track daily rankings for 500 to 5,000+ keywords depending on the plan; Pro+ adds tracking by location and device.
- Site Audit
- Crawl your sites for technical SEO problems. From the Starter plan the audit also checks how ready a site is for AI search.
- AI visibility tracking
- Starter and above track daily whether set prompts in AI chat tools mention your brand, with sentiment monitoring. The SEO plan has none of this.
- MCP and API access
- Starter and above can query Semrush data from AI assistants through MCP; the API itself comes with the Advanced plan.
Plans
Bing Webmaster Tools
Free$0
Search and AI citation reports, URL Inspection, IndexNow and sitemaps, Site Scan, keyword research, backlinks and Copilot help.
Semrush
Free$0
1 project, 10 analytics reports a day and 10 tracked keywords, for trying the tools.
SEO$117.33
per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly)
1 user, 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily, basic keyword and competitor research, and Site Audit. No AI search tracking.
Starter$165.17
per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
5 websites and 500 keywords, full keyword research tools, MCP access, 50 AI prompts tracked daily and 300 AI visibility reports a day.
Pro+$248.17
per month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly)
15 websites, 1,500 keywords, historical data, content optimization, cannibalization checks, multi-location tracking and 100 AI prompts.
AdvancedCustom
40+ websites, 5,000+ keywords, share of voice, API access, team users, reporting and unlimited AI prompts. Sold after a demo.
Ways to pay less
Bing Webmaster Tools
No public discounts listed.
Semrush
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
Semrush's pricing page lists annual billing at up to 17% less: Starter is $165.17 a month billed annually instead of $199 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bing Webmaster Tools or Semrush?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Bing Webmaster Tools is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $117.33 a month for Semrush. Bing Webmaster Tools is free, and Semrush starts at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Bing Webmaster Tools or Semrush?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Bing Webmaster Tools and Semrush have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.