Semrush vs Telescope (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Semrush grades higher than Telescope: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Semrush grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Telescope grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
Telescope
Low-cost SEO toolkit with pay-per-request keyword and backlink data
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 Telescope if
- Fits if you do keyword research now and then and would rather pay per search
- Works for small teams sharing one site's tracking, since seats aren't charged for
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no trial, only a money-back guarantee
- Skip it if you need rank tracking or audits on the $0 plan, as they start with Growth at $29 a month
- Tight if you run more than one site, since Growth covers 1 website and 200 keywords and Scale is $99 for 5
- Watch out: research costs 3 to 6 credits a request, and use beyond a plan's monthly credits is paid on top
- Watch out: no integrations or API are on record, so the data stays in Telescope
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASemrushFair | 1.8GPATelescopeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CGrowth is $29 a month for 1,000 research credits, 200 tracked keywords and 30 audits, between this category's cheaper quarter and its middle. Seats are unlimited. The $0 plan charges per request: about $3 for 50 keyword pages and 20 keyword overviews. |
| 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. | FNothing free: the $0 plan only runs on credits you buy first, and there's no trial. The money-back guarantee and refunds on unused credits within 30 days aren't a trial. |
| 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. | BKeyword research from a database it puts at over 5 billion keywords, clustering, competitor and backlink gaps, daily rank tracking, scheduled site audits and internal linking. It covers the whole job, though the $0 plan has no tracking or audits. |
| 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. Research costs 3 to 6 credits a request, so there's a meter to watch, and tracking and audits need a project set up first. |
| 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. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API on record, and no desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | all-in-one SEO research for teams with a budget | paying per search for keyword and backlink data |
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 Telescope. 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. Telescope starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3.
Semrush scores higher, and starts $88.33 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 6 score higher than Telescope 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.
- Telescope also covers internal linking.
At a glance
| Semrush | Telescope | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) | $29 per month for 1,000 research credits |
| 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 | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Semrush Holdings | Blank Page Studio |
| Price read from | semrush.com | withtelescope.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 23, 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.
Telescope
- Research costs 3 to 6 credits a request; the pricing page estimates 50 keyword pages plus 20 keyword overviews at about $3.
- Rank tracking, site audits, competitor tracking and internal linking need Growth at $29 a month or Scale at $99.
- There is no free trial; the FAQ offers a money-back guarantee, and unused credits can be refunded within 30 days of purchase.
- Growth covers one website and 200 tracked keywords; more projects need Scale, which allows 5.
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.
Telescope
- Keyword research and clustering
- Search a database Telescope puts at over 5 billion keywords, see difficulty, volume and the live SERP, and group saved keywords into clusters.
- Competitor and backlink research
- Overview any website's keywords and backlinks, find keyword and backlink gaps against rivals, and follow competitors over time on paid plans.
- Rank Tracker
- Daily positions for up to 500 keywords per project, organized with tags, with history charts and a breakdown by ranking bucket.
- Site Audit
- Crawls every page on a manual or scheduled basis and reports a health score, errors and warnings, each with an explanation of how to fix it.
- Internal Linking Tool
- Finds internal linking opportunities across a website; it is included on the Growth and Scale plans.
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.
Telescope
Pay as you go$0
per month, plus research credits bought in advance
1 project and 1 seat with every research tool, paid per request; no rank tracking, site audits or competitor tracking.
Growth$29
per month for 1,000 research credits
1 project, unlimited seats, 200 tracked keywords updated daily, 30 site audits a month, 10 competitors and the internal linking tool.
Scale$99
per month for 3,000 research credits
5 projects, 500 tracked keywords per project (2,500 in all), 150 audits a month, 15 competitors per project, Slack support and onboarding.
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.
Telescope
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Semrush or Telescope?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Telescope is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $117.33 a month for Semrush. Semrush starts at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly), and Telescope starts at $29 per month for 1,000 research credits.
Which has a free plan, Semrush or Telescope?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Semrush has a free plan. Telescope does not.
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.