SEO Tools

What Are the Best Semrush Alternatives in 2026?

Published 2026-07-17 · Updated and price-checked 2026-07-20 on official sources

Semrush now markets a combined SEO + AI Search lineup alongside its separately documented Classic SEO Toolkit plans. The right alternative depends on the work you need to do: Ahrefs for competitor and backlink research, Moz for a lower-cost traditional SEO workflow, or SE Ranking for a different mix of rank tracking and AI-search features.

Key facts

What matters

Semrush's combined lineup is SEO ($117.33/mo annual), Starter ($165.17/mo), Pro+ ($248.17/mo), and Advanced ($455.67/mo). The Classic SEO Toolkit's Pro, Guru, and Business plans are still documented separately.
The SEO plan already includes AI-search performance tracking, sentiment, reports for any domain, and custom-prompt monitoring. Starter adds 50 prompts per day and one domain for AI brand performance.
Ahrefs has Free access for verified sites, a constrained $29/mo Starter plan, and Lite at $129/mo with five projects and five tracked prompts.
Moz and SE Ranking use different limits and feature bundles, so compare the current vendor pages instead of choosing from price alone.

What Changed in Semrush Pricing?

Semrush's combined SEO + AI Search lineup sits alongside the Classic SEO Toolkit described in Semrush's own knowledge base. It should not be described as a simple rename in which Pro, Guru, and Business disappeared. The combined lineup, verified on the official pricing page on July 20, 2026, is:

SEO ($117.33/mo annual, $139/mo monthly): 5 websites, 500 keywords, Position Tracking, Site Audit, AI-search performance tracking, AI sentiment, AI visibility reports for any domain, and custom-prompt monitoring.
Starter ($165.17/mo annual, $199/mo monthly): the same 5-website and 500-keyword limits, plus 50 prompts per day, one domain for AI brand performance, 300 AI visibility reports per day, and an AI-ready Site Audit.
Pro+ ($248.17/mo annual, $299/mo monthly): 15 websites, 1,500 keywords, historical SEO data, content optimization, and 100 AI prompts per day.
Advanced ($455.67/mo annual, $549/mo monthly): 40 websites, 5,000 keywords, Share of Voice, API integration, and 200 AI prompts per day.

The practical distinction is not “SEO has no AI and Starter has AI.” SEO already includes several AI-search measurements; Starter adds a dedicated brand-performance workspace with explicit prompt, domain, and report limits.

Semrush Alternatives Compared: Pricing and Limits

Below is a side-by-side comparison of Semrush against three alternatives, using public pricing checked on official vendor pages through July 20, 2026. Annual rates are identified separately from monthly prices because the billing terms differ.

1. Ahrefs: Competitor, Keyword, Backlink, and Content Research

Ahrefs is an alternative for buyers focused on competitor, keyword, backlink, content, and technical-site research. Its current public plans include:

Starter: $29/mo monthly. 200 monthly credits, one unverified project, limited rows, no exports, 50 tracked keywords, and 10,000 monthly crawl credits for an unverified project.
Lite: $129/mo monthly. 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 6 months of historical data, 5 tracked prompts, and 100,000 monthly crawl credits.
Standard: $249/mo monthly. 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, and 2 years of historical data.
Advanced: $449/mo monthly. 50 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, and 5 years of historical data.

Starter is a low-price but credit-constrained research plan; it should not be compared to Semrush SEO as if the bundles were equivalent. Lite is a closer price-position comparison, while Ahrefs' separate Brand Radar and custom-prompt options mean its AI-search capabilities should be compared by exact platform, prompt, and quota requirements rather than a yes/no label.

Read our full breakdown: Ahrefs vs Semrush comparison.

2. Moz Pro: Budget-Friendly SEO Basics

Moz Pro offers a traditional SEO toolset with annual discounts. Verified on moz.com/products/pro/pricing on July 20, 2026:

Standard: $79/mo annual ($99/mo monthly). 1 user, 3 tracked sites, 300 keywords, and 400,000 pages crawled per month.
Medium: $143/mo annual ($179/mo monthly). 2 users, 10 tracked sites, and 1,500 keywords.
Large: $239/mo annual ($299/mo monthly). 3 users, 25 tracked sites, and 3,000 keywords.

Where Moz fits: buyers who want a lower-cost, established SEO workflow and do not need the exact AI-search workspace Semrush sells. Moz also advertises a lower-priced Starter option, so Standard should not be presented as Moz's cheapest paid entry.

Where Moz is narrower: its Standard keyword limit is lower than Semrush SEO's, and the products package AI-search work differently. Compare the current feature tables against your exact reporting requirements.

3. SE Ranking: The GEO-Aware Budget Pick

SE Ranking packages rank tracking, site audit, and GEO research differently from Semrush. Its official pricing page advertised the following annual-billing limits when checked on July 17, 2026:

Core: $103.20/mo annual ($129/mo monthly), 10 projects, one manager seat, 2,000 keywords, and five domains in GEO research.
Growth: $223.20/mo annual ($279/mo monthly), 30 projects, three manager seats, 5,000 keywords, and 15 GEO research domains.
Enterprise: custom pricing and limits.

SE Ranking also advertises separate agency and AI-search add-ons. Check the current checkout because the base-plan and add-on limits are not directly equivalent to Semrush's SEO or Starter workspaces.

Where SE Ranking fits: teams that value its project and keyword limits and want GEO research in the same product family. Do not infer feature parity from the price alone; compare tracked platforms, prompt limits, report limits, seats, and add-ons.

Who Should Switch Away From Semrush

You mainly need competitor, backlink, and keyword research. Ahrefs may be a better fit if its datasets and workflow match your work; Semrush SEO should not be ruled out on the false premise that it has no AI-search features.
You are a solo SEO or small team on a tighter budget. Moz and SE Ranking advertise lower entry points than Semrush's combined lineup, but their limits and AI-search packages are not equivalent.
You manage many client sites. Compare project, keyword, seat, report, and API limits together. A lower per-project price can be offset by add-ons or missing workflow features.

Who Should Stay With Semrush

You already use Semrush and need integrated SEO and AI-search reporting. SEO includes baseline AI-search measurements; Starter adds one AI brand-performance domain and 50 tracked prompts per day.
You need several marketing workflows in one account. Semrush combines SEO research with paid-search, content, local, and other modules, although some capabilities and limits vary by plan or add-on.
You need API access and Share of Voice. Advanced explicitly includes both. Compare its full annual commitment and seat needs with competing agency plans before buying.

At a glance

Tool (selected plan)	Annual price	Monthly price	Projects/sites	Keywords	AI-search note
Semrush SEO	$117.33/mo	$139/mo	5 websites	500	Performance, sentiment, any-domain reports, custom prompts
Semrush Starter	$165.17/mo	$199/mo	5 websites; 1 AI brand domain	500	50 prompts/day; 300 AI reports/day
Ahrefs Starter	Monthly only	$29/mo	1 unverified	50	200 monthly credits; constrained plan
Ahrefs Lite	Annual discount available	$129/mo	5 projects	750	5 tracked prompts
Moz Pro Standard	$79/mo	$99/mo	3 sites	300	Check current AI feature table
SE Ranking Core	$103.20/mo	$129/mo	10 projects	2,000	Check current GEO limits

Selected prices and limits checked on official pages, July 20, 2026. The rows are not feature-equivalent; billing terms and regional offers can change.

FAQ

Does Semrush still offer Pro, Guru, and Business?

Semrush still documents the Classic SEO Toolkit's Pro, Guru, and Business plans separately from its combined SEO + AI Search lineup. Treat them as parallel offerings and compare the checkout attached to the product you intend to buy.

Is there a free Semrush alternative?

Ahrefs Free provides limited access for verified site owners. Semrush's pricing page also links to free usage, while other vendors may offer trials or constrained entry products. Check each current signup page because duration and limits can change; none should be assumed equivalent to the paid plans compared above.

Which Semrush alternative is best for agencies?

There is no universal agency winner. Compare SE Ranking Growth's project, seat, keyword, and GEO limits with Ahrefs' research workflow and Semrush's combined marketing tools, then include any agency, reporting, API, or AI-search add-ons in the total cost.