8 Top SEMrush Alternatives: In-Depth Analysis and Comparison
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In the world of SEO, there’s a lot of options in terms of tools to help with your SEO efforts.
That said, Ahrefs and SEMrush are two of the most popular options and for good reason. In this guide, we’ll take a look at some possibly lesser-known SEMrush alternatives and SEO tools you may have never heard of.
The goal of this article is to give you some inspiration to get rolling on that website you’ve been letting go for some time. I get it, I’m right there with you.
Here are the best SEMrush alternatives in terms of price, features, and user-friendliness.
1.Ahrefs 
Pros
Keyword Tracking: Ahrefs offers some of the most powerful keyword tracking on the internet. You can receive a plethora of data about any keyword you’d like to produce content on.
Site Analysis: Comparing your site to your competitors is simple with Ahrefs using the site tracker tool. You can see what your competitors are ranking for, how their positions have changed over time, and more.
Backlink Analysis: The backlink analysis tool is renowned for providing comprehensive insights into your competitors backlink profiles so you can determine your strategy for outreach and link acquisition.
Ease of Use: In my eyes, there’s nothing easier to use than Ahrefs. The dashboard is intuitive and all the information you need is in one place so you don’t have to click between multiple screens.
Cons
Pricing: Ahrefs’ pricing plans can be relatively higher compared to some alternatives, which might not be suitable for budget-conscious individuals.
Learning Curve: Just like SEMrush, Ahrefs can be overwhelming for newcomers due to its wealth of features.
SEMrush vs Ahrefs
In terms of SEMrush alternatives, Ahrefs is the best option by far; that’s why it’s the first recommended option.
The main thing I think SEMrush does better is it provides great PPC and social media marketing options that Ahrefs lacks. Marketers can uncover competitor ad strategies and analyze the performance of their own PPC campaigns.
On the other hand, Ahrefs has it beat in terms of keyword research capabilities and competitor analysis which is what most people are going to come to these SEO tools to do.
Pricing
| Plan | Ahrefs Pricing | SEMrush Pricing |
| Lite/Basic | $99/month | $129.95/month |
| Standard | $179/month | $249.95/month |
| Advanced | $399/month | $499.95/month |
| Agency | $999/month | Custom (Contact sales) |
As far as pricing goes, it’s hard to fight fire with fire here. That said, the basic Ahrefs plan offers very little whereas the basic SEMrush plan offers enough to get you rolling. Either way, I’d still go with Ahrefs based on price, features, and usability.
2. SEO PowerSuite
Pros
Comprehensive Tool: SEO PowerSuite offers a ton of features including rank tracking, site audits, link analysis, and pretty much anything else you want.
Branded Reports: With a premium subscription, you can actually white label the reports you receive from SEO PowerSuite to help your business seem more authoritative.
No Monthly Subscription: The PowerSuite is a desktop client you pay a one time fee for. In fact, it only costs about as much as one month of standard SEMrush.
Cons
Less Intuitive: SEO PowerSuite is definitely less intuitive and more challenging to catch onto compared to SEMrush that has been around for a while and is designed for SEO professionals.
No PPC Features: While SEO PowerSuite covers various SEO aspects, it offers limited features for social media and advertising analysis.
SEMrush vs. SEO PowerSuite
The SEO PowerSuite is one of those tools that really surprised me in the past. I’ve done comparisons of this tool before and put it much lower on the list but it’s earned its way up towards the top.
It offers a comprehensive series of tools for keyword research, rank tracking, audits, link building, and competitor analysis. It does just about everything SEMrush does and it’s not too much more difficult to use.
One of the main things I both love and hate about it is that it’s a desktop application so you only pay one time but you have to run it on your desktop but the branded reports are a premium upcharge of $200 extra. But again, it’s only a one-time fee.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | SEO PowerSuite Pricing |
| Lite/Basic | $129.95/month | $299 (one-time payment) |
| Standard | $249.95/month | – |
| Advanced | $499.95/month | – |
| Agency | Custom (Contact sales) | $499 (one-time payment) |
SEO PowerSuite brings me back to the old days of purchasing desktop clients for various backlink-related services. The product overall is slightly outdated but the advantage is that you gain unlimited access no matter how big your business gets.
With SEMrush, you know there will always be a bigger and better package that you can purchase as your business grows to allow more websites, keywords, and audits.
3. Mangools
Pros
User-Friendly Interface: Mangools offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of expertise.
Affordability: Mangools provides a cost-effective solution with a suite of SEO tools, making it a budget-friendly choice for individuals and small businesses.
Keyword Research: The tool offers robust keyword research capabilities, including keyword difficulty analysis and competitor keyword insights.
Backlink Analysis: Mangools’ backlink analysis provides valuable insights into link profiles, helping users assess the quality of their backlinks.
Cons
Limited Features: The tool doesn’t have quite as many features of Ahrefs and the depth of information within the features is more limited.
Restricted Filtering: When it comes to keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitive analysis you don’t have nearly as many filtering options.
SEMrush vs. Mangools
I think Mangools is a pretty cool option and I find it to be incredibly user-friendly. The part that makes it easy to use is the fact that they’ve packaged five tools into one:
KWFinder – Keyword research
SERPChecker – SERP analysis
SERPWatcher – Rank tracking
LinkMiner – Backlink analysis
SiteProfiler – SEO metrics and insights
So, to use each tool you’ll have to open it up and enter the URL you want to learn more about to find out keyword information, rankings, backlinks and so on.
The main issue is that having all of these tools requires you to learn each one of them so there are a lot of steps involved. Whereas with SEMrush, you get everything you need right from the dashboard.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | Mangools |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $49/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $69/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $129/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | $229/month |
Mangools is much more affordable than SEMrush but it doesn’t offer quite as much in terms of user-friendliness and general features. It’s also important to consider the accuracy of the data you’re getting which you’ll find in future comparisons.
While the accuracy of link and keyword data is somewhat unknown, many suggest that Mangools isn’t quite as accurate as some other options.
4. SE Ranking
Pros
Easy to Use Interface: I don’t personally find SEMrush to be super user-friendly so SE Ranking may be a nice alternative if you’re looking for something a little simpler and cleaner.
Unlimited Reporting and White Labeling: Great choice for marketing agencies that need reporting and white label reports for results and backlink analysis.
Position Tracking: SE Ranking’s position tracking tool remains the market leader because of its ultra-reliable data and unparalleled usability. Its grouping, tagging and filtering options always ensure a top-notch user experience.
Cons
Limited Content Marketing Insights: SE Ranking’s primary focus is on keyword and ranking analysis, which might limit its utility for comprehensive content marketing strategies.
Learning Curve: While SE Ranking is generally user-friendly, some users might still encounter a learning curve with its features.
SEMrush vs. SE Ranking
Deciding between SEMrush and SE Ranking depends on your specific SEO needs. SEMrush offers a broader range of features, particularly in areas such as competitor analysis and content marketing.
On the other hand, SE Ranking is focused on essential SEO functionalities and affordability, making it suitable for those looking for a simpler toolset.
At some point, affordability obviously becomes a factor as well. SEMrush continues to climb the ladder in terms of cost making it one of the more expensive tools out there. SE Ranking is one of the cheapest options on this list.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | SE Ranking |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $39/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $89/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $189/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | $349/month |
As previously mentioned, SE Ranking is a fraction of the cost of SEMrush. While it doesn’t offer the same depth of features, it’s a great option to get you started. If you’re simply looking for some basic keyword research and analytics to see what your competitors are up to, SE Ranking will do the trick on a budget.
5. Moz Pro
Pros
Exceptional Keyword Research: Moz Pro provides in-depth keyword analysis, including search volume, difficulty, and SERP features, assisting users in identifying valuable keywords to target.
Advanced On-Page SEO: The tool assists users in optimizing on-page elements, leading to improved search engine visibility and higher rankings.
Backlink Analysis: The tool provides comprehensive link analysis, enabling users to understand their backlink profiles, identify toxic links, and improve their link-building strategies.
Cons
Limited in Competitor Research: While Moz Pro provides insights into competitors’ link profiles, it might not offer the same depth of competitor analysis as SEMrush.
SEMrush vs. Moz Pro
Moz Pro was the leading SEO research tool at one point but it struggled to keep up with the services and features of more advanced options like Ahrefs and SEMrush. That said, it offers a variety of technical SEO features that can help you crawl your website for indexing and usability.
But, plenty of options can help you do this. Many of them are even free so it might seem unnecessary to pay for Moz Pro.
On the positive side, Moz does have a great keyword research tool that helps you find and generate new keywords to put into your content and it’s one of the better backlink research tools but keep in mind, SEMrush does that too.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | Moz Pro |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $99/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $149/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $249/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | $599/month |
As you can see, SEMrush is more expensive than Moz but it does offer more for the money. If you’re strapped for cash but still need the ability to do a little keyword research and on-page optimization at scale, Moz Pro is a solid option.
6. Ubersuggest
Pros
Optimal Keyword Research: Ubersuggest’s claim to fame is that it’s a great keyword research tool that provides a lot of data on various keywords.
Great Competitor Analysis: Ubersuggest provides a lot of the same information you get with SEMrush in terms of competitor analysis, keywords, pages, and backlink profiles.
Content Ideas: This tool offers a way to generate content ideas by analyzing the top performing pages for different keywords.
Freemium Pricing: You can’t beat the pricing of Ubersuggest that allows you a certain amount of searches for free and their basic plan is only $29 per month.
Cons
Limited Backlink Data: You don’t get a ton of backlink data outside of basic information regarding the total number of backlinks a website has.
Minimal Overall Features: All in all, while this is a more affordable tool than SEMrush, it doesn’t offer as many features and the ones it has aren’t as deep.
SEMrush vs. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest stands out in terms of cost and content marketing. If you’re just starting out and looking for a way to find new content ideas and do basic keyword research, Ubersuggest is a great way to get your business going.
Once you’ve got some content under your belt, you have some experience, and maybe you’re making a little money; you’ll probably want to switch to something more extensive like SEMrush.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | Ubersuggest |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $29/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $49/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $99/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | n/a |
Ubersuggest is cheap and that’s why a lot of people turn to it. It’s unclear how accurate some of the data is but in my experience, you can’t compare anything to the data acquired by SEMrush and Ahrefs.
If you’re trying to keep your costs low but you want to develop a content calendar with good keywords, Ubersuggest will definitely get you off the ground with limited capital.
7. CognitiveSEO
Pros
Premium Backlink Tool: CognitiveSEO is a backlink research tool first and everything else second so it provides a wide spectrum of data.
Great for Rank Tracking: In terms of keywords, the tool offers a lot of information to help you track the rise and fall of keywords over time.
Industry Leading Support: Where CognitiveSEO stands out is in its customer support. It’s highly rated and recommended across the SEO community.
Cons
Less Diverse Features: Like many of the SEMrush alternatives, CognitiveSEO simply can’t hold up in terms of overall features and simplicity of using them.
SEMrush vs. CognitiveSEO
If we stack these two tools side-by-side, there’s one thing that CognitiveSEO does better. It offers a built-in content optimization tool similar to Yoast or RankMath. It provides you with a score and suggests keywords that you should include more often, less often, and so on.
The backlink analysis features are pretty cool as well because they provide advanced data and explain what backlinks are benefiting you the most, the least, and which you should try to disavow because they’re unnatural or spammy.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | CognitiveSEO |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $129/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $199/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $499/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | – |
As far as pricing goes, these two are right on the money. I like the fact that CognitiveSEO refers to each project as a campaign because it allows you to gather and compile data about a specific website because this is great for agencies that want to prepare reports and white label them.
8. Monitor Backlinks
Pros
Backlink Monitoring: Monitor Backlinks specializes in backlink monitoring, providing insights into link profiles, new backlinks, lost backlinks, and link quality.
Competitor Analysis: The tool offers competitor backlink analysis, enabling users to assess competitors’ link strategies and identify potential opportunities.
Link Quality Assessment: Monitor Backlinks helps users identify toxic or harmful links and take appropriate actions to improve link profiles.
Alerts and Notifications: The tool sends alerts for new and lost backlinks, changes in domain authority, and other relevant SEO metrics.
Cons
Limited Overall SEO Features: Since this tool is designed primarily for backlink research, its other SEO functionalities in keyword research, competitor analysis, and site performance are very limited.
SEMrush vs. Monitor Backlinks
We’re comparing apples to oranges here so you’ll need to determine what is most important to you. Monitor Backlinks is obviously much cheaper because it doesn’t do as much but it offers a lot of information that can help you with backlink outreach, brand recognition, broken links, etc.
You can’t beat this tool in terms of link building and it even comes with a built-in disavow tool. But, you can do a lot of the same things with SEMrush too while also getting all the bonus features.
If you’re looking for a great internal linking tool, we recommend Link Whisper. Link Whisper helps you by automatically suggesting internal linking opportunities and providing relevant anchor text.
Pricing
| Plan | SEMrush | Monitor Backlinks |
| Basic | $129.95/month | $25/month |
| Pro | $249.95/month | $47/month |
| Guru | $499.95/month | $97/month |
| Business | Custom (Contact sales) | – |
I think it’s going to come down to pricing for most of you. If you’re prioritizing link building right now and not as worried about overall content, keyword research, and competitor analysis; then Monitor Backlinks will get the job done on a budget.
Long-term, I would recommend using SEMrush because it’s equipped with everything you’ll need to build a successful website or SEO agency.
What to Look For in an SEMrush Alternative?
As I’ve gone through these SEMrush alternatives, you might be thinking – “why bother when SEMrush seems like a better option anyway’?
You’re partially right to say that. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs really dominate the market simply because of the depth of features they offer. You don’t need to go anywhere else to find what you need to build a successful website from the ground up.
That said, not everyone can afford these tools and that’s the main reason why people look elsewhere.
If you want to maximize your money and stretch it as far as you can, I would combine:
- Ubersuggest + Monitor Backlinks
With both basic plans totalling around $50 per month, you’ll get all of the content marketing capabilities of Ubersuggest with the link analysis potential of Monitor Backlinks. These two tools combined will get you as close to the overall features of SEMrush without the price tag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about SEMrush alternatives:
What is the best alternative to SEMrush?
Ahrefs hands-down is the best alternative and in my opinion, is the tool for the job. The data is incredibly accurate and the platform is so easy to use for beginners that it’s impossible to beat.
Are there free alternatives to SEMrush?
Yes, many of the tools recommended in this guide have free options. CognitiveSEO offers a variety of free competitor analysis and keyword research tools as does Ubersuggest.
Final Thoughts
SEO is a tough game and all of these tools can help bridge the gap between falling flat on your face and succeeding more than you’ve ever thought possible. That said, these SEMrush alternatives can help get you there without requiring you to sign up and pay for an expensive SEO research tool.
Do I truly believe that SEMrush is worth the cost? I sure do. You get everything you need in one place instead of having to piece together various tools to get all the features SEMrush offers.
But, you have to do what you have to do. I’ve been there. Tools like Ubersuggest and Monitor Backlinks are affordable enough to get you going until you’re making enough money to afford the more expensive options.
Regardless of your strategy, do what works for you. These are all great SEMrush alternatives so do your research and make it happen!