OpenSEO vs Semrush (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, OpenSEO grades higher than Semrush: 2.8 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
OpenSEO grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OpenSEO
Open-source, usage-priced SEO platform built for AI agents
Semrush
SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking and AI search visibility
Which one is for you
Pick OpenSEO if
- Fits if you already do your SEO work through Claude, Codex or another AI agent
- Works for developers who want to self-host or build on open-source SEO code
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you research a lot, as $10 of usage is about 200 keyword searches and more is bought as top-ups
- Watch out: plan credits reset each billing cycle, and top-ups only work while you have an active subscription
- Watch out: the hosted service adds a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests
- Skip it if you want self-hosting to be free, as you still pay DataForSEO, with a $50 minimum top-up
- Skip it if you need AI tracking beyond ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews
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
| 2.8GPAOpenSEOGood | 2.2GPASemrushFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$10 a month with $10 of usage included, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. The vendor's estimate is about $0.05 per keyword search and $0.08 per domain overview. Heavier use is bought as top-ups, with a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests. | 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 | CSelf-hosting is free, but you pay DataForSEO for the data, with a $50 minimum top-up. The hosted trial gives $0.50 of credits with no card, about ten keyword searches. | 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 | BKeyword research, domain and backlink research, rank tracking by location and device, site audits, AI answer tracking and an MCP server for agents, all on one plan. It covers the whole job, though AI tracking names only ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews. | 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. The web app and agents both run on usage credits you'll want to watch, and self-hosting means Docker or Cloudflare plus a DataForSEO key. | 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, connected to Search Console, DataForSEO, Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and Gemini through its MCP server. No desktop or phone app. | 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 | SEO research through AI agents like Claude | 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: OpenSEO and Semrush. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenSEO starts at $10 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Semrush starts at $117.33 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and OpenSEO starts $107.33 a month lower. Of the other SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than OpenSEO for less, and none scores higher than Semrush for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- OpenSEO is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- OpenSEO also covers AI search visibility.
- Semrush also covers reports.
At a glance
| OpenSEO | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month, including $10 of usage | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Self-hosted: the open-source app is free to run with Docker or on Cloudflare, but you bring your own DataForSEO API key and pay DataForSEO for the data. | 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 | Free trial with $0.50 of usage credits, no credit card required | 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Every App, Inc. | Semrush Holdings |
| Price read from | openseo.so | semrush.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OpenSEO
- The $10 plan covers $10 of usage a month; the vendor estimates about $0.05 per keyword search, $0.08 per domain overview and $0.002 per AI prompt check.
- Usage credits in the plan reset each billing cycle; only bought top-up credits roll over, and using them still needs an active subscription.
- Self-hosting needs your own DataForSEO account, with a $50 minimum top-up; the hosted service adds a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests.
- AI visibility tracking names ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews; the site lists no other AI engines.
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
OpenSEO
- Keyword research
- Keyword ideas with search volume, difficulty, intent and live SERPs, saved into keyword lists for content planning and tracking.
- Domain overview and backlinks
- Estimate any domain's organic traffic and ranking keywords, and inspect its backlinks, referring domains and link quality.
- Rank tracking
- Track keywords by domain and location, optionally on desktop and mobile, with the ranking URL, position changes and SERP features.
- Site audit
- Crawls a site's pages and lists technical and page-level SEO problems.
- AI visibility and Prompt Explorer
- Research prompts, then track brand mentions, cited pages and competitors in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, and compare answers across models.
- MCP server and agent skills
- Connect Claude, Codex, ChatGPT and other agents; skills for audits, keyword and competitor research save their findings as reports in the app.
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
OpenSEO
Self-hosted$0
The open-source app, hosted yourself with Docker or on Cloudflare. You pay DataForSEO directly for data; its minimum top-up is $50.
Base Plan$10
per month, including $10 of usage
Every feature, with $10 of usage credits each month. Extra credits can be bought at any time and never expire; Search Console data uses no credits.
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
OpenSEO
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, OpenSEO or Semrush?
As of Oct 23, 2026, OpenSEO is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $117.33 a month for Semrush. OpenSEO starts at $10 per month, including $10 of usage, and Semrush starts at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, OpenSEO or Semrush?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both OpenSEO 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.