Semrush vs SEOptimer
We give Semrush a 2.2 GPA and SEOptimer a 2.6, out of 4.0. Semrush grades higher on features. SEOptimer grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan 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
SEOptimer
SEO audit tool with white-label reports and a lead-generation widget
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASemrushFair | 2.6GPASEOptimerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BDIY SEO is $21.75 a month on yearly billing ($29 monthly), right on the line of this category's cheapest quarter. The limits are tight for the money: 4 crawls of 1 site, 20 tracked keywords and 25 keyword searches. |
| 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. | CFree single-page audits from the Chrome extension with no account, limited per day, plus a 14-day trial with the plan's full features. Fine for checking pages, not for running your SEO. |
| 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. | CPage audits, a site crawler, keyword and backlink research, rank tracking, an AI writer, white-label reports and a lead-capture audit form. Broad, but the listing shows the gaps: 4 crawls and 20 tracked keywords on DIY SEO. |
| 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. | BNo rating on record, but there's little to set up: paste a URL or click the extension and you get an audit with fixes in priority order. |
| 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 plus a Chrome extension, with Zapier and webhooks on Lead Generation and an SEO Audit API as a paid add-on from $100 a month. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | the broadest all-in-one SEO suite | branded SEO audits for agencies |
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 SEOptimer. 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. SEOptimer starts at $21.75 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and SEOptimer starts $95.58 a month lower. Of the other SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than Semrush for less, and none scores higher than SEOptimer 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 starts at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly). SEOptimer starts at $21.75 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly).
- Only SEOptimer lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| Semrush | SEOptimer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) | $21.75 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) |
| 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. | Free SEO audits of any page from the Chrome extension, with no account needed; free users are limited in how many audits they can run a day. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once | 14-day free trial with full access to the plan's features |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Semrush Holdings | SEOptimer Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | semrush.com | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Semrush
- Freelancers and in-house marketers who want research, tracking and audits in one account
- Agencies comparing many client sites against their competitors
- Brands that want to watch their visibility in AI chat answers alongside Google rankings
SEOptimer
- Agencies sending branded SEO audit reports to clients
- Collecting leads with an audit form on an agency's own site
- Small sites wanting a list of on-page fixes
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.
SEOptimer
- Limits are tight on DIY SEO: 4 crawls of one site, 20 tracked keywords and 25 keyword searches.
- White-label reports need the White Label plan, and the embeddable lead form, webhooks and Zapier need Lead Generation.
- Local SEO packs (from $29 a month), extra GEO audits and the SEO Audit API (from $100 a month) are separate add-ons.
- Payment is by credit card only; PayPal is not accepted.
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.
SEOptimer
- SEO and GEO audits
- Checks a page's on-page elements, crawlability, speed and Core Web Vitals, backlinks, social and local details, and signals AI search engines use.
- White-label PDF reports
- Reports carry your logo, colors and company details, can be produced in 15 languages and scheduled; from the White Label plan.
- Lead-generation audit form
- An audit widget for your own website that collects visitors' contact details with each audit and sends leads by email, webhook or Zapier.
- Site crawler
- Crawls every page of a site to find problems in depth, with the number of crawls set by plan.
- Keyword and backlink research
- Keyword research, rank tracking, backlink research and backlink change monitoring, each with monthly limits by plan.
- Chrome extension
- Runs a full audit of the page in the current tab, with prioritized recommendations, without needing an account.
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.
SEOptimer
DIY SEO$21.75
per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
SEO audits for your own site, 4 crawls of 1 site, 20 tracked keywords, 25 keyword and 25 backlink searches, 20 AI articles a month.
White Label$29.25
per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
Branded PDF audit reports, 10 crawls, 100 tracked keywords, 100 keyword and 50 backlink searches, and 3 users.
Lead Generation$44.25
per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
Adds the embeddable audit form for leads, webhooks and Zapier; 50 crawls, 250 tracked keywords and 6 users.
CustomCustom
Custom limits, requirements and API integration for enterprises, arranged by chat with the sales team.
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.
SEOptimer
- Annual discount
25% off with annual billing
SEOptimer's pricing FAQ offers annual billing on every plan at 25% off the monthly price, which it likens to three months free.
