Semrush vs Serpstat
We give Semrush a 2.2 GPA and Serpstat a 2.0, out of 4.0. Semrush grades higher on the free plan and features. Serpstat grades higher on value for money. 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
Serpstat
All-in-one SEO platform for research, rank tracking and site audits
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASemrushFair | 2.0GPASerpstatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CIndividual is $50 a month on yearly billing ($69 monthly), at the top of this category's middle range, for 1 user, 100 searches a day and 10,000 position checks a month. Team, with 3 users and the API, is $100. |
| 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. | DNo free plan. The 7-day trial of Individual or Team checks your card with a $1 charge that comes back, then renews into a paid plan unless you cancel. |
| 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. | CKeyword and site research with organic and paid rankings, backlinks, daily rank tracking and audits. The gaps are on Individual: no API, AI tools, keyword lists, batch analysis or JavaScript rendering, and one pool of daily searches for everything. |
| 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 rating on record. Daily search credits shared across site, keyword and backlink lookups take some planning, and the reports have a learning curve. |
| 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 browser extension, with an API and an MCP connection for ChatGPT and Claude from the Team plan. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | the broadest all-in-one SEO suite | a cheaper all-in-one SEO suite |
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 Serpstat. 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. Serpstat starts at $50 a month and scores 2.3.
Semrush scores higher, and starts $67.33 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 7 score higher than Serpstat 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). Serpstat starts at $50 per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly).
- Semrush has a free plan. Serpstat does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Serpstat lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| Semrush | Serpstat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) | $50 per month, billed annually ($69 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. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once | 7-day free trial of Individual or Team; card verified with a $1 charge that is returned |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Semrush Holdings | Serpstat (part of Fractal) |
| Price read from | semrush.com | serpstat.com |
| 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
Serpstat
- Freelancers who want research, tracking and audits at a lower price
- Small agencies that need several users and an API on one plan
- Teams that track paid and organic rankings together
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.
Serpstat
- Individual is for one user and has no API, AI tools, keyword lists, batch analysis or JavaScript rendering.
- The trial renews into a paid plan automatically after 7 days unless cancelled.
- White-label reports are only on the Agency plan.
- Daily search credits are shared across site, keyword and backlink lookups.
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.
Serpstat
- Keyword and site analysis
- Research keywords and see a domain's organic and paid rankings, with 2,000 to 100,000 results per report by plan.
- Backlink analysis
- Look up a site's backlinks, with the same daily search credits shared across site, keyword and link lookups.
- Rank Tracker
- Daily updates of organic and paid rankings on desktop and mobile, including competitors, from 10,000 checks a month.
- Site Audit
- Audit 30,000 to 1.5 million pages a month; JavaScript rendering starts on the Team plan.
- API and MCP
- Team and above include API credits for search, backlink, rank tracking and audit data, and an MCP link for ChatGPT and Claude.
- LLM Brand Monitor
- See how ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI models talk about your brand and competitors, with trends over time.
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.
Serpstat
Individual$50
per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
1 user, 5 projects, 100 searches a day, 10,000 position checks and 30,000 audit pages a month, 50,000 export rows.
Team$100
per month, billed annually ($129 billed monthly)
3 users, unlimited projects, 500 searches a day, 50,000 position checks, API, MCP, AI tools, batch analysis and scheduled reports.
Team x2$169
per month, billed annually ($209 billed monthly)
6 users, 1,000 searches a day, 100,000 position checks, 300,000 audit pages and 500,000 export rows.
Agency$410
per month, billed annually ($499 billed monthly)
30 users, 5,000 searches a day, 500,000 position checks, 1.5 million audit pages, white-label reports and phone support.
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.
Serpstat
- Annual discount
Save up to 27% with annual billing
Serpstat's pricing page lists Individual at $50 a month billed annually instead of $69, a $228 saving a year, and Agency at $410 instead of $499.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for nonprofits on request
Serpstat's pricing FAQ says it offers discounts for nonprofits, enterprises and longer contracts, arranged through its sales team.
