Semrush
SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking and AI search visibility
Semrush report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for the broadest all-in-one SEO suite
Semrush is the SEO suite that tries to do everything: keyword research from a huge database, competitor and backlink checks, daily rank tracking, site audits, and AI answer tracking from Starter up. The catch is the price. The SEO plan it pitches at small businesses is $117.33 a month on yearly billing, for one user, and it leaves the AI tracking out.
Who Semrush is for
- Great if you want research, rank tracking and audits in one account and the budget is there
- Handy when you need keyword data for lots of countries, not just the US
- Good for agencies comparing client sites against their competitors
Who Semrush is not for
- Pricey if you're one person with one site, at $117.33 a month even on yearly billing
- 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 doesn't include it
Why Semrush gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyThe 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.
- CFree plan and trialA 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.
- BFeaturesKeyword 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.
- CEase of useNo 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Semrush's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/semrush#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/semrush.svg" alt="Semrush: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Semrush stands among SEO tools
Semrush's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 6 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 14 of 21) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $117.33 a month, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 19 of the 21 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Semrush’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 21, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 21, level with 17
- BFeaturesAbove 14 of 21, level with 7
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 18
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 21, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Semrush, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Semrush you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 21 other SEO tools grade higher. It costs $1,407.96 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date.
- An index of the links between billions of web pages.
- Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results.
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- It plugs into other products, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Wix among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Semrush’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a web-based search marketing suite. Its SEO plans cover keyword research, competitor and backlink analysis, daily rank tracking and site audits, and from the Starter plan up they also track how a brand appears in AI chat answers. Local, content, social, advertising and PR tools are sold as separate toolkits.
Semrush has a free plan. Paid plans start at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Semrush pricing
- Starts at
- $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 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 trial
- 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 project, 10 analytics reports a day and 10 tracked keywords, for trying the tools. |
| SEO | $117.33per 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 | $165.17per 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+ | $248.17per month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly) | 15 websites, 1,500 keywords, historical data, content optimization, cannibalization checks, multi-location tracking and 100 AI prompts. |
| Advanced | Custom | 40+ websites, 5,000+ keywords, share of voice, API access, team users, reporting and unlimited AI prompts. Sold after a demo. |
Read from semrush.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Semrush before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on semrush.com
Works with
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Wix
- Yoast
- AIOSEO
- Storyblok
- Supermetrics
- Monday.com
Semrush alternatives
- Semrush vs Ahrefs
Free plan · from $29/mo
- Semrush vs SE Ranking
Free trial · from $103.20/mo
- Semrush vs Moz Pro
Free plan · from $49/mo
- Semrush vs Serpstat
Free trial · from $50/mo
- Semrush vs Similarweb
Free plan · from $125/mo
Common questions
Is Semrush free?
Semrush has a 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. Paid plans start at $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly).
How much does Semrush cost?
Semrush lists 5 plans. Free: $0. SEO: $117.33 per month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly). Starter: $165.17 per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly). Pro+: $248.17 per month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly). Advanced: custom pricing. Prices were read from semrush.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Semrush work on?
Semrush is available on Web.
Does Semrush offer any discounts?
Semrush publicly lists the following: Save up to 17% with annual billing.
Does Semrush have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Semrush is listed for Web.
Does Semrush have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Semrush is listed for Web.
Is Semrush open source?
Semrush is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Semrush have an API?
Yes. Semrush offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Semrush integrate with?
Semrush's listing names Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Wix, Yoast, AIOSEO, Storyblok, Supermetrics and Monday.com. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Semrush have a free trial?
Yes. 7-day free trial of paid plans; a card is checked with a small charge that is refunded at once.
Who makes Semrush?
Semrush is made by Semrush Holdings.
What are the alternatives to Semrush?
The closest alternatives to Semrush in our directory are Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Moz Pro, Serpstat and Similarweb. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Semrush.
How does Semrush compare with other SEO tools?
Semrush's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 6 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 5. It stands best on features (B, above 14 of 21) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Is Semrush good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Semrush D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $117.33 a month, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 19 of the 21 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of Semrush?
To replace Semrush you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 21 other SEO tools grade higher. It costs $1,407.96 a year. What you could not make: Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. An index of the links between billions of web pages. Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results. A crawler that checks every page of a site. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.