Best Semrush Alternatives (6 Free and Paid Competitors)

If you dream of an all-purpose SEO tool to skyrocket your rankings, Semrush is the king. However, not everyone can afford it. While this is the daily driver of our SEO strategy, we understand that it doesn’t fit everyone’s budget. Some of you will seek Semrush alternatives for this reason; or any other.

We found that some people dislike its “overwhelming” interface. It’s feature-rich and drastically more complex than, let’s say Mangools. Apart from these rather redundant nitpicks, Semrush is used by millions who want nothing but the best for their SEO.

Still, you want alternatives.

You know why you’re interested in the best alternatives and competitors to Semrush, so we won’t try to reason with you. We’re here to deliver the choices based on our experts’ opinions. Today, we’ll mention free and paid options to hopefully meet all your demands.

Best Free and Paid Alternatives to Semrush for 2026

Before we start, we want to clarify that none of the tools will be superior to Semrush. However, some of these come close, so you can expect plenty of exciting features and tools to capitalize on. If it’s not clear yet, our SEO experts’ team stands behind these picks.

We tested all and directly compared them to Semrush to carefully gauge their quality. Now that everything is out of the way, here are the top 6 free and paid Semrush competitors to consider:

1. SE Ranking

In a recent SE Ranking vs Semrush duel, we stated that SE Ranking is the closest competitor to Semrush.

Simultaneously, it’s one of the best, offering a nearly identical set of features. However, SE Ranking is much more affordable, making it an excellent SEO tool for those with a limited budget.

SE Ranking vs Semrush

So, why choose this Semrush alternative? For one, you’ll be getting amazing features, such as domain analysis, keyword research, and lots of keyword suggestions. We love SE Ranking’s site audits that are in-depth and crucial for detecting stubborn site errors.

Unlike, let’s say Mangools, SE Ranking includes an on-page SEO audit tool. This aids page fixing and lets you improve each individually. SE Ranking’s cheapest plan is already packed with features. For example, there’s an impressive Rank Tracker with daily ranking updates.

Compared to Semrush’s Pro plan, SE Ranking’s Essential plan can track 500 keywords, which is the same but at a 50%+ lower price. Another perk for SE Ranking is the ability to crawl 100,000 pages per account or 15,000 per project; enough for mid-sized websites.

Even picking SE Ranking’s Pro plan – cheaper than Semrush – will grant you a lot more. Features like historical data, content marketing, SoV metric, and Looker Studio integration are there. Not to mention you’ll be able to track at least 2,000 keywords each day.

SE Ranking doesn’t beat Semrush despite everything we said. It still lacks cannibalization reports, advanced link-building, and a larger backlink database. Semrush is a few steps ahead, especially when it comes to SEO reporting and SEO competitor analysis.

As the #1 alternative to Semrush, SE Ranking is still phenomenal and worth looking into.

Price

As said, the highlight is the price. While Semrush starts at $117/mo, SE Ranking’s Essential plan is only $52/mo for the annual plan. We’d opt for the Pro plan at $95.20, which is still a lot less. This plan includes an AI writer with 5,500+ AI words to aid your content creation.

SE Ranking’s Pro plan also includes 3 user seats; more than Semrush’s Pro/Guru/Business plans. Explore SE Ranking’s plans below and pick one that suits you the most. You can also try it for free thanks to a nifty 14-day free trial without a credit card.

Try SE Ranking

2. Ahrefs

We have to mention Ahrefs on this list of the best Semrush alternatives of 2026. If we exclude SE Ranking, this is another close competitor to Semrush.

In fact, SEO experts are divided over which one is better. We’re on Semrush’s side but Ahrefs is a fierce opponent that doesn’t hold back its punches.

Ahrefs vs Semrush

Ahrefs is similar to Semrush if we compare their features. You can use it for comprehensive keyword analysis, filling the keyword gaps, and obtaining helpful suggestions and questions. Ahrefs is particularly strong for backlinks, where it can often display more than Semrush.

Our team appreciates its multi-search-engine support, which complements SEO tremendously. Moreover, there’s an essential Page Inspect tool, which highlights errors related to indexing, SEO, and other technical aspects. We’re fond of its Rank Tracker, too.

It’s one of the best tools to track ranking if you exclude its weekly updates. More about that in a second. Good to know is that Ahrefs tracks 750 keywords in the cheapest plan and offers 6 months of historical data; two times more than SE Ranking’s 3 months.

Unfortunately, this great Semrush alternative is let down by a few aspects. You have to pay $100/mo to get daily rank-tracking updates (they’re FREE in Semrush). It’s also pricey, yet, lacks many features of Semrush, such as an AI writer and more capable content marketing.

Ahrefs also doesn’t look as good and is slightly less intuitive than Semrush, at least for us. Semrush’s Content Kit, which is essentially content marketing, includes a few features only but costs $99/mo on TOP of your standard subscription. Ahrefs is like Apple for SEO.

Price

This brings us to its price. You’ll pay at least $108/mo for the annual plan. This plan, however, excludes useful features like AI suggestions, keyword clusters, and an AI content helper. The Standard plan is a great value but this one starts at $208/mo, which is roughly 100% more.

Ahrefs is beefed up at this price but so is Semrush, making the two pretty similar. You can do a lot with Ahrefs if you pay a tad more – like $374/mo for the Advanced plan.

3. Moz Pro

Moz is an amazing option whose price has dropped significantly in the past few months. Being so affordable, it looks like a crafty Semrush competitor to try in 2026. Moz Pro has brought some improvements to the table lately, so let’s see how it stacks up.

Moz Pro vs Semrush

Moz Pro follows Semrush when it comes to basic SEO tools. Again, keyword research, rank-tracking, and domain analyses are there. You can use Moz Pro to discover various website statistics and even find errors when you crawl the website or only specific pages.

This SEO tool suite is praised for its simplicity. Indeed, it’s easy to set up and get started, especially with its 30-day free trial. Users get countless keyword suggestions and use Moz to analyze their domain’s backlinks. It’s not the world’s best link-building tool, however.

Compared to Semrush, it can only analyze backlinks; not “endorse” them through a dedicated Link-Building tool. One thing to mention is Semrush’s superiority in terms of content marketing, which Moz Pro lacks. Semrush also includes better local SEO tools.

More importantly, you can do a lot more with Semrush for social media presence. Moz Pro is limited to SEO, which isn’t bad, as long as it satisfies your needs. We think you’ll find plenty of value in Moz, as it has all the basics – and more – to get you up and running.

Price

Moz Pro starts at around $35/mo for the annual plan for those on a shoestring budget. With 50 trackable keywords, we recommend bumping it up to Standard or Medium plans. Moz Pro’s Medium plan at $114/mo tracks 1,500 keywords and crawls 2M pages a month.

At this price, it’s pretty close to Semrush’s Pro plan, which is still superior in our opinion. If you’re picking this Semrush alternative for money-saving, go for the Standard plan. You’ll get less but also pay only $63 instead of $117/mo.

4. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a free alternative to Semrush you can test now; no credit card or anything. Of course, it’s far from the best Semrush competitor but it has a few witty tools crafted by Neil Patel.

Ubersuggest vs Semrush

We can’t directly compare the two because the latter is miles ahead. Still, once you create a free account on Ubersuggest, you’ll be able to get many keyword suggestions, track keyword rankings, and even perform technical audits. Ubersuggest is very intuitive.

Its interface looks like it’s been made with love and to satisfy each user – ideal for beginners! Ubersuggest has a great Domain Overview tool that discovers organic and paid keywords, with traffic estimations and fluctuations graph. Another useful feature is the SEO audit tool.

You can use Ubersuggest to inspect your website’s nooks and crannies, resolving critical SEO problems quickly. While Ubersuggest is free, we strongly suggest upgrading to its paid plan. You’ll alleviate the limits and be able to track up to 300 keywords, compared to a few.

Numbers like 300 searches daily and 10,000 page scans per domain sound ridiculously low compared to Semrush. However, Ubersuggest isn’t heavy artillery. It’s a beginner-friendly Semrush alternative. It’s pointless to be too harsh because Ubersuggest lacks proper local SEO features, social media management, link-building prowess, etc.

Price

Having in mind its rank-tracking, site audits, keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor analysis tools, Ubersuggest isn’t that expensive. Its best-value Lifetime plans are the safest bet. At $120 paid once for the Individual plan, you can enjoy this tool forever.

If you’re unsatisfied with its limits, Neil Patel lets you buy more daily searches, tracked keywords, and even user seats. Alternatively, you may inspect its Lifetime Business and Enterprise plans at $200 and $400 for more features and greater limits.

5. Mangools

Okay, so Mangools is both a free and paid competitor to Semrush. We know it’s inferior but still has a few redeeming qualities keeping it afloat. Most notably, Mangools is very affordable and includes 5 SEO tools that aren’t only insightful but pretty simple to use.

Mangools vs Semrush

Mangools was reviewed by our experts and compared to Semrush there. It falls short of many things but the low price makes up for it. Mangools includes KWFinder to help you pinpoint keyword opportunities and analyze keywords to see if you can rank for them.

One of its strong points is LinkMiner; a backlink analysis tool. You can set it up in seconds and analyze the domain’s backlink profile. The SERPWatcher tool is your rank tracker. Users employ it for daily rank tracking with daily updates for each analyzed keyword.

Mangools comes with SERPChecker, which allows you to analyze SERP features and gather new opportunities. The fifth tool, SiteProfiler, is your Domain Overview, letting you get all the site-related information on one page. You’ll agree this is a bit basic; perhaps too much.

Pinned against Semrush, Mangools loses big time. You’ll notice the lack of site audits, content-optimization features, and keyword/backlink gap tools. Mangools’ basic nature makes it suitable only for minor SEO tasks but luckily, you won’t have to pay much.

Price

Mangools starts at only $29.90/mo, ranking it as one of the most affordable Semrush alternatives today. Its Basic plan is self-explanatory and doesn’t allow for much freedom. You’ll get more with the Premium plan at only $44.90 a month for the 1-year plan.

500 trackable keywords, 3 user seats, and unlimited competitor keywords per search are its highlights. Of course, there’s the Agency plan at $89.90/mo but it’s dangerously near to SE Ranking, which, as explained, is a superior competitor to Semrush.

6. SpyFu

When looking for an alternative to Semrush, users often encounter SpyFu. SpyFu is similar to Semrush in the sense that it provides several SEO tools. Unlike Semrush’s all-aroundness, SpyFu mostly specializes in competitive analysis, which is one of the key SEO aspects.

SpyFu vs Semrush

Semrush’s competitive analysis is one of the best around. However, SpyFu costs a lot less and is still phenomenal, providing tools for PPC analysis, plenty of historical data, and competitive information such as domain comparison and traffic analysis.

SpyFu looks a tad outdated but is still easy to set up and use. After you subscribe to it, you’re given access to its excellent backlink builder, which helps pave the way for new linking opportunities. There’s also the rank-tracking tool, which works similarly to Semrush.

We’re fond of its keyword research, which provides ample data for each keyword, including volumes, difficulty, and CPC. SpyFu domain comparison reveals important strengths and weaknesses, which is vital for overtaking your rivals. This SEO tool isn’t almighty.

It still lacks in-depth SEO audits and is pretty weak for backlink analysis because it lacks a larger database. Semrush is also a better tool for keyword suggestions, on top of which, its SEO Content Template feature even discovers LSI keywords where SpyFu usually stumbles.

If you need more details to make your decision, check out our SpyFu vs. Semrush comparison.

Price

SpyFu is a paid alternative to Semrush; no free version here. Luckily, the price is kept in check and the Basic plan at $33/mo is a good value. A better value is the Pro plan at $37 monthly, with unlimited data, 10+ years of historical data, and, multiple user accounts.

SpyFu includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so don’t feel obligated to use it if you’re not fond of it. Request a refund if you so desire and you’ll be reimbursed in a day.

Best Semrush Alternatives: Rundown

With the 6 choices we listed above, you’ll be able to find something to your liking.

We said these are free and paid Semrush competitors because most can at least be tested for free. SE Ranking has a 14-day free trial without a credit card, while Ahrefs offers 14+ free SEO tools comparable to Semrush.

Moz Pro has a 30-day free trial, Ubersuggest lets you register for free, and Mangools comes with a non-paid version with limited daily searches. SpyFu is risk-free for 30 days as well! There you are; go ahead, pick your preferred competitor, and start working on your SEO.

Need more tips? Perhaps our comprehensive SEO improvement tutorial can help.

Get SE Ranking: The Best Semrush Alternative