SEMrush is often considered as the one of the best SEO tools around. That’s because it has a comprehensive set of features, from keyword rank tracking to backlink analysis. It does its job so well that millions of users turn to it for their SEO needs.
That doesn’t mean other similar tools should be overlooked, though. Some can even perform better than SEMrush when it comes to certain functions. However, we’re taking a look at other well-rounded options that can compete across the board here. These are Serpstat, SE Ranking, Ahrefs, and Moz.
SEMrush Competitors Comparison Chart
| Name | Serpstat | SE Ranking | Ahrefs | Moz |
 |  |  |  | |
| Price | Check Price at Website | Check Price at Website | Check Price at Website | Check Price at Website |
| Projects | Lite: 10 Standard: 50 Advanced: 75 Enterprise: 100 | Optimum: 10 Plus: Unlimited Enterprise: Unlimited | Lite: 5 Standard: 10 Advanced: 25 Agency: 100 | Standard: 3 Medium: 10 Large: 25 Premium: 50 |
| Keyword Tracking (Frequency Varies) | Lite: 15,000 Standard: 60,000 Advanced: 150,000 Enterprise: 300,000 | Optimum: 250, 500, or 750 Plus: 1,000 or 1,750 Enterprise: 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 | Lite: 500 Standard: 1,500 Advanced: 5,000 Agency: 10,000 | Standard: 300 Medium: 800 Large: 1,900 Premium: 4,500 |
| Page Crawls (Frequency Varies) | Lite: 150,000 Standard: 400,000 Advanced: 1.25 Million Enterprise: 2.5 Million | Optimum: 25,000 Plus: 150,000 Enterprise: 250,000 | Lite: 10,000 Standard: 500,000 Advanced: 1.25 Million Agency: 2.5 Million | Standard: 100,000 Medium: 500,000 Large: 1.25 Million Premium: 2 Million |
| Users | Lite: 1 Standard: 3 Advanced: 5 Enterprise: 7 | Unlimited Subaccounts | Lite: 1 Standard: 1 Advanced: 3 Agency: 5 | Standard: 1 Medium: 1 Large: 3 Premium: 5 |
| Mobile Rankings | Yes | No | Lite: No Standard: No Advanced: Yes Agency: Yes | Yes |
| Social Media Tracking | No | Yes | No | No |
Serpstat
While Serpstat is more affordable than SEMrush, it can’t really compare in traffic analytics.
What makes Serpstat a decent alternative to SEMrush is its features. It has a ton to work with, and it’s even available at a lower cost. On top of that, you can track more keywords on it.
That said, this is arguably one of the better options for digital marketers and startups on a budget. Case in point, you can track 15,000 keywords on its entry-level subscription, which is $69 per month.
However, it’s not perfect. For starters, it doesn’t have social media tools to elevate your campaigns, nor does it have listing management. It also falls short in traffic analytics compared to SEMrush.
SE Ranking
SEMrush has a better keyword research tool than SE Ranking.
Similar to Serpstat, SE Ranking is one of the most affordable options around. Putting it side by side with SEMrush, the first thing that’ll probably jump out at you is the price difference. After all, a monthly subscription can go all the way down to $18.6 per month, granted you take advantage of all its discounts. For comparison’s sake, SEMrush’s cheapest option is $99.95 per month.
From the look of things, it had to cut corners here and there to keep the cost down. Sure, it has plenty of features, but it seems lacking in comparison. For instance, it doesn’t provide rank tracking data as comprehensive as SEMrush. It also doesn’t perform that well in keyword research. To top it all off, several features are available only in the pricier subscriptions.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs’ keyword research tool is decent, but it can’t hold a candle to SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
As an all-rounder, Ahrefs can compare to SEMrush in more ways than one. In fact, it’s safe to say that it’s the biggest rival of SEMrush around. It even performs better in backlink analysis, though not so much in keyword research and keyword rank tracking.
To be exact, SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool is just out of reach for Ahrefs’ tool in terms of performance. Not to mention that its keyword rank tracker gets updates more often.
The takeaway here is that Ahrefs is the pick of the two for backlink analysis, while SEMrush is for researching keywords and tracking keyword ranks.
Moz
Moz’s keyword research tool can’t provide data as detailed as SEMrush’s.
Moz is among the go-to SEO tools for digital marketers because of its many features. At that, it’s considered as one of the best alternatives to SEMrush. It’s got the essentials such as keyword research, backlink analysis, and keyword tracking, to name a few. The two services even start at the same price.
The thing is, its features aren’t as extensive as SEMrush’s. Its biggest downside is its keyword research tool. It leaves a lot to be desired since it doesn’t provide that much data, such as keyword difficulty, for example.
SEMrush Competitors Free
You don’t always have to pay to get acceptable if not good results.
If you want to dip your toes into the whole SEO world but don’t have cash to spend, you can always start with free SEMrush alternatives. Google Keyword Planner and Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest are two SEO tools worth considering.
While Google Keyword Planner is excellent for keyword research and suggestions, it doesn’t provide precise metrics. It only offers rough estimates for things like keyword traffic, competition, and such. On the other hand, Ubersuggest does provide more accurate metrics, but it lags behind in keyword suggestions.
When used alone, neither of the two can compare to SEMrush. However, when used together, they have a fighting chance. That’s because they can compensate for what the other is lacking and vice versa.
Verdict
Ahrefs and SE Ranking stand out from the pack as viable alternatives to SEMrush.
Without a doubt, SEMrush is hard to top, but it’s not the only tool out there that can get the job done.
All in all, Ahrefs is your best bet if you want to break away from SEMrush. As mentioned earlier, it can even do backlink analysis better. Meanwhile, you can rely on SE Ranking if you’re on a budget. Serpstat and Moz are worth giving a shot too, but that depends on whether they have all the features you’re looking for or not.
