Semrush vs SEO Review Tools (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SEO Review Tools grades higher than Semrush: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Semrush grades higher on features. SEO Review Tools grades higher on value for money and the free plan. 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.
Semrush
SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking and AI search visibility
SEO Review Tools
Free SEO and AI visibility checkers, plus a paid data API
Which one is for you
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
Pick SEO Review Tools if
- Fits if you run one-off checks and want no subscription
- Works for developers who want SEO data through an API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want one dashboard that tracks rankings over time, as the free tools are separate checkers
- Pricey if you want the API, at $75 a month for 7,500 credits
- Not for you if you want a point-and-click suite, since the paid product is metered credits
- Watch out: annual API billing is one yearly payment of $720, $1,680 or $4,320
- Watch out: the Chrome extension is the only browser extension named
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASemrushFair | 2.6GPASEO Review ToolsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BThe 84 web tools are free. The paid API starts at $60 a month on annual billing ($720 up front) or $75 monthly, which is dearer quarter territory in a category whose middle is $40. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe web tools are free to use, and the API has a 15-day trial with 500 credits. One person checking a site now and then could live on the free tools. |
| Features | 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. | CMany individual checkers, an AI visibility tool and a content editor. No single project dashboard exists for ongoing tracking, so it is a toolbox rather than a suite. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating is on record. Free tools take a URL or keyword and return a result, but the API needs developer setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, a Chrome extension, an API, an MCP server, Google Sheets and Postman. |
| Best for | all-in-one SEO research for teams with a budget | free one-off SEO checkers |
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: Semrush and SEO Review Tools. How we grade
Price against what you get
Semrush starts at $117.33 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SEO Review Tools starts at $60 a month and scores 2.3.
Semrush scores higher, and starts $57.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than Semrush for less, and 12 score higher than SEO Review Tools 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
- Semrush also covers reports and site audit.
- SEO Review Tools also covers AI search visibility and sERP API.
At a glance
| Semrush | SEO Review Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) | $60 per month, billed annually ($75 billed monthly), for the API |
| Free plan | Free account: 1 project, 10 analytics reports a day across the main tools and 10 keywords in Position Tracking. No credit card needed. | The 84 web tools are free to use; the API has a 15-day free trial with 500 trial credits. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Semrush Holdings | SEO Review Tools |
| Price read from | semrush.com | seoreviewtools.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SEO Review Tools
- The paid product is a metered API, not a dashboard suite; the monthly credits are 7,500, 25,000 or 75,000.
- Free tools are individual checkers, so there is no single project dashboard for ongoing tracking.
- Annual API billing saves 20%, but is billed as one yearly payment of $720, $1,680 or $4,320.
- The Chrome extension is the only browser extension named on the homepage.
Key features
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.
SEO Review Tools
- Free SEO tool collection
- 84 web tools cover keyword research, rank checking, backlink checking, domain authority, readability and an on-page SEO checker.
- AI visibility tools
- Free checkers look at how AI models perceive a brand, and the homepage names Claude among the models. The API lists ChatGPT and Gemini visibility endpoints.
- SEO content editor
- A free writing assistant scores content for search and adds AI optimization feedback.
- Data API
- Backlinks, keywords, rankings, traffic estimates, domain authority and AI visibility are available by API, with every endpoint included on every plan.
- Chrome extension and MCP server
- A Chrome extension gives access to the tools, and an MCP server lets AI agents query the API.
Plans
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.
SEO Review Tools
Free tools$0
The vendor's web tools, such as the keyword tool, rank checker, backlink checker and AI visibility checker. Sign-up is offered.
API Lite$60
per month, billed annually ($75 billed monthly)
7,500 API credits a month, all endpoints, full support and a 15-day free trial. Annual billing is $720 up front.
API Standard$140
per month, billed annually ($175 billed monthly)
25,000 API credits a month and all endpoints. Annual billing is $1,680 up front.
API Advanced$360
per month, billed annually ($450 billed monthly)
75,000 API credits a month and all endpoints. Annual billing is $4,320 up front.
Ways to pay less
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.
SEO Review Tools
- Annual discount
20% off API plans billed annually
Annual billing brings Lite to $60 a month, Standard to $140 and Advanced to $360, billed as one yearly payment.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Semrush or SEO Review Tools?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SEO Review Tools is cheaper to start with: $60 a month, against $117.33 a month for Semrush. Semrush starts at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly), and SEO Review Tools starts at $60 per month, billed annually ($75 billed monthly), for the API.
Which has a free plan, Semrush or SEO Review Tools?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Semrush and SEO Review Tools have a free plan.
Which platforms do Semrush and SEO Review Tools run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SEO Review Tools lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.