So you finally did it. You’ve started your very own online business and everything is looking good. There’s just one problem–you can’t seem to get Google’s attention. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you though because Google processes over 3.5 billion searches in a day, explaining why you’re getting overlooked. So how do you get Google to glance your way? You need to get the help of keyword research tools that will level up your SEO game and make sure you rank in Google searches. This is where SEMRush and SpyFu come in.
While both SEMRush and SpyFu are considered powerful legends in the internet marketing arena, they do have some important differences and it’s crucial that you understand them so that you can determine which system is best for your needs. To help you out, here’s an in-depth comparison of SEMRush and SpyFu.
Contents
SEMRush vs SpyFu Comparison Chart
| Model | SEMRush | SpyFu |
 |  | |
| Domain & Keyword Analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Competitive Analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Link Reviews | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes | Yes |
| Charts | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Pro plan – $99.95 per month Guru plan – $199.95/month Business plan – $399.95/month | Basic – $33 month for the annual plan; $39/month for the monthly plan Professional – $58/month for the annual plan; $39 for the first month and $78 for the succeeding months for the monthly plan Team – $199/month for the annual plan; $299/month for the monthly plan |
Keyword Analysis
SEMRush and SpyFu are similar when it comes to keyword analysis provisions.
SpyFu is all about keyword research and it’s obvious from the very moment you log into the system. On the Overview tab, you’re presented with your site’s SEO outlook, featuring organic keywords and their corresponding click values. If you’re wondering how you stack up against the competition, SpyFu has that covered as well. It will let you in on who your top rivals are as well as their respective organic keywords. What’s great is that you can compare multiple sites at the same time, allowing you to learn about their keyword strategies and how they’re able to rank. You can even go back in time and look through past records. If you’re worried about numbers overwhelming you, you can relax because SpyFu presents the data in the form of Venn diagrams, making it easier for you to take it all in.
SEMRush is a little bit harder to navigate just because everything is placed in one big package. If you’re feeling lost, just take a look at the Keyword Analytics tab, the Organic Research tab, and the Position Changes tab and there you’ll find everything you need to know about keyword research. You’ll then realize that SEMRush offers pretty much the same provisions as SpyFu. It will show you what kind of keywords a particular website is ranking for as well as how a specific keyword affects the website’s ranking. If you’re not sure which keywords you should be maximizing, you’ll be given a bunch of suggestions that rank well, allowing you to pick out primary and secondary keywords. If the lists are confusing to you, you can always use the filter tool to zone in on specific keywords.
Competition Analysis
SEMRush is slightly more detailed than SpyFu when it comes to competition analysis.
As you can probably tell by its name, SpyFu is able to tap into data that your competitors work hard to keep away from you. Aside from giving you a glimpse of what keywords they rank for, SpyFu will actually reveal the SEO strategies they employ to get ahead. This includes the backlinks they use to increase their visibility, how their ads and marketing campaigns are performing, as well as which of your PPC AdWords they’re bidding for. The great thing is that you don’t have to keep on manually refreshing the data to see what’s going on because you’ll be notified directly whenever your rivals change up their SEO strategies. Again, SpyFu makes everything easy to digest by using lists, graphs, and diagrams.
Similar to SpyFu, SEMRush also goes beyond keyword analysis and delves into your competitors’ SEO game plans. You’ll be given a clear idea of who your main competitors are in terms of ranking and how well their organic and paid search campaigns are doing. You’ll also be given updates on up and coming competitors. All of this allows you to seek out opportunities that you can capitalize on to get ahead of the pack. As similar as SEMRush is to SpyFu, it does seem to be more detailed when it comes to competition analysis. Instead of just stopping at lists, it dives deeper into the specifics that SpyFu might have overlooked along the way.
Link Review
SpyFu provides more detailed inbound link reports than SEMRush.
Every business owner should be putting effort into link building if they want to be successful. That said, it’s one of the most difficult SEO tactics to master. Fortunately, SpyFu makes it a little bit easier with its link review provisions. Not only does it let you assess your own links but it gives you an idea of your competitors’ link framework as well. You get to see the outbound links on a specific website as well as the inbound links that point to it. SpyFu even goes one step further by breaking down the inbound links into several types. You’ll also be privy to the strength of each link. If you want to zero in on the most important links, you can always use the filter tool to organize the data for you.
As for SEMRush, it’s also able to generate very detailed reports on inbound and outbound links for your website as well as that of others. You’ll be able to see the exact IP addresses of your site’s inbound links, the type of content that creates them, and if your inbound links are actually real or if they’re spam. You’ll also be able to know where your competitor’s strong inbound links are coming from. That said, it does seem as though SpyFu is slightly ahead of the game when it comes to their inbound link reports because it goes on to show the domain and page organic clicks as well as the equivalent keywords aside from just the URL and anchor text.
Pricing
SEMRush is more flexible with their pricing but SpyFu is the more affordable option.
If you’re planning to go with SpyFu, you get to choose from three pricing plans. There’s the Basic plan ($33 month for the annual plan; $39/month for the monthly plan), the Professional plan ($58/month for the annual plan; $39 for the first month and $78 for the succeeding months for the monthly plan) and the Team plan ($199/month for the annual plan; $299/month for the monthly plan). The not-so-great thing about SpyFu is that you can’t take it out for a test drive. You have to pay right away to be able to use it. That said, you can always ask for your money back within thirty days if you’re not completely satisfied with its provisions.
SEMRush also gives you three pricing plans to choose from, namely the Pro plan ($99.95 per month) for freelancers and start-ups, the Guru plan ($199.95/month) for small to medium businesses, and the Business plan ($399.95/month) for agencies and businesses with a larger web presence. Fortunately, SEMRush is a little bit more flexible than SpyFu, allowing users to try the Pro and Guru plans for free for a period of two weeks. That said, it’s pretty clear that SpyFu is the more affordable and value-for-money option and this is enough to justify their lack of a trial period.
Verdict
The biggest deciding factor between SEMRush and SpyFu is pricing.
SEMRush and SpyFu are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to their provisions, with a few differences here and there. SEMRush, for example, is a bit more comprehensive than SpyFu when it comes to competitive analysis. SpyFu, however, is more detailed when it comes to link reports. As for keyword analysis, it’s safe to say that they’re tied. These are some of the things you can take into consideration when you’re choosing between the two. That said, the biggest deciding factor would have to be their prices. It can’t be denied that SpyFu has more affordable plans, making it the more ideal option if you’re sticking to a tight budget. You get to save money, plus you wouldn’t really be missing out on any features.
