Semrush has a ton of useful features. With it, you can:
- Do competitor analysis
- Find the right keywords to rank
- Augment your paid advertising campaigns
- Analyze other pages on the SE ranking
- Get insights on your social media presence
And many other things.
But, it’s not a perfect tool.
It has a cumbersome interface, it’s lacking tools here and there, and there are a lot of strong Semrush alternatives out there.
Below you’ll find the best ones.
1 Ahrefs
Impressive keyword explorer
Largest crawler after Google
Useful filtering
Expensive
Recent updates make it more inaccessible
There are many people out there unhappy with Ahref‘s recent pricing update.
And we understand where they’re coming from. But even with its higher barrier of entry, Ahrefs remains the best Semrush alternative in our book.
And the best all-in-one SEO tool.
Let’s dig deeper to see why.
Ahrefs Features
Ahrefs might lack some of Semrush’s PPC tools. And yeah, it’s not as good of a rank tracker for some people.
But overall, Ahrefs has a more robust feature set.
Here’s what you get with an Ahrefs subscription:
Advanced Keyword Explorer – To find the best organic traffic opportunities.
SERP Analysis – To augment in-depth keyword research.
Site Audit – Not the most comprehensive one, but good enough.
Backlink Data – To kickstart your link-building efforts.
Useful Browser Extension – To use most of those features while browsing the web.
Data Quality
VS
Ahrefs’ dataset is probably the best of all SEO tools. It’s the second largest crawler on the internet, after Google, and it can help you discover the most minute details about keywords, ranks, SERPS, and backlinks.
It’s better than Semrush.
And it’s the main reason we stick with Ahrefs, even after its recent updates pissed a lot of people off.
Ahrefs vs Semrush
Semrush and Ahrefs are pretty similar SEO tools.
Sure, there are slight differences. Ahrefs doesn’t have any tools to help with PPC or social media.
And it’s not as well-suited for agencies as Semrush is.
But Ahrefs’ data quality makes up for that, in my opinion.
Not to mention, Ahrefs’ interface is better. For more on this comparison check our traffic estimates data study.
User Interface And Our Experience
Ahrefs can be confusing for a beginner. There are A LOT of features, views, data filters, and tricks that can quickly overwhelm new SEOs.
But that doesn’t mean it’s bad for beginners.
Ahrefs is intuitive enough to become digestible for anyone after a few days of consistent use.
It’s well designed, and it manages the steep learning curve pretty well.
Pricing
Ahrefs has received a lot of bad press over its recent pricing updates.
It hasn’t changed much in the prices of each tier – they’re the same as they’ve always been. And on-par with popular competitors like Semrush, or Moz Pro.
However, they’ve changed what you get for each tier.
Now, if you want to make the most out of Ahrefs, you need to at least get their Standard plan.
Which will set you back $199/month.
Conclusion
Ahrefs is, in our book, the best overall Semrush Alternative.
It will not come cheap. And if you don’t have SEO tools experience, it’ll take a while before you can make the most of it.
But with some training, you’ll be reaping organic traffic rewards in no time.
Give it a go:
2 Ubersuggest
Affordable (even the free tools are helpful)
Beautiful interface
Decent data quality
Not as comprehensive as Ahrefs
Not qualitative data for low volume keywords
Ubersuggest doesn’t have a complex rank tracker, or any SMM and PPC features.
So if those are the reasons you were interested in Semrush, look for something else.
However, if keyword research and SERP analysis are your game… keep reading.
Ubersuggest Features
Ubersuggest is an affordable SEO tool focusing on keyword analysis and plenty of other types of data.
All in a pretty interface.
These are Ubersuggest’s key features:
Keyword Research Tool – To unearth worthwhile SEO opportunities.
Site Analysis – To understand what’s working, what you need to change, and study your competition.
Backlink Data- Perfect to kickstart your link-building efforts.
Data Quality
VS
Ubersuggest has come a long way since it was released. Back then, it was just a budget alternative if you wanted to bootstrap your site.
Now, it’s a worthy tool.
It can provide valuable insights with its data quality. Whether you want to see who’s linking to a page, how much volume a keyword has, or who’s ranking for a query, it’s all here.
It’s not always on par with big names like Semrush and Ahrefs.
But it’s a very good alternative, and it’s catching up quickly.
Ubersuggest vs Semrush
Ubersuggest is prettier and cheaper than Semrush. And by prettier, I also mean it’s easier to use, which is a big plus in my book.
However, those are the only categories where Ubersuggest takes the win.
For everything else – feature set, data quality, feature count – Semrush is the winner.
User Interface And Our Experience
Ubersuggest is well-designed. Out of all Semrush alternatives, it’s probably one of the easiest keyword research tools to use. Bar from KWFinder.
It packs all the features you’d expect from an SEO tool of its level, and they’re all intuitive to navigate.
Beginners will have an easy time getting into Ubersuggest. And if you’re an experienced SEO, you’ll be right at home when you open Ubersuggest.
Pricing
Ubersuggest’s free version is excellent, both in how many features it offers, how easy it is to use, and how good the data quality is.
However, it’s not a sustainable long-term option. Like most keyword research tools, it has annoying caps.
If you want to use Ubersuggest for longer, you’ll need to invest in its paid plans. But even then, with a starting price point of $12/month, it’s a good deal.
Conclusion
Ubersuggest is one of the best Semrush alternatives, from all points of view.
If you want an affordable alternative to Semrush, give it a closer look:
3 SERPStat
Affordable
Great feature match (including SMM and PPC)
Pretty good data
Not good at keyword research
Not as generally qualitative as Semrush
SERPStat‘s data, dashboards, and features might not be on the same level as what Ahrefs and Semrush offer.
But it does cover all of your bases. More so than Ubersuggest.
And it’s pretty cheap.
For a discount Semrush, keep reading.
SERPStat Features
SERPStat is a good compromise of data quality and interface, for a small price. Out of all Semrush alternatives, it’s the best value-for-money SEO tool.
These are its main features:
Keyword Research – Not that advanced, but good enough for most sites.
Page Audits – To improve technical and on-page SEO.
SERP Crawler – To understand who you’re competing against.
Multichannel Support – To study your competition in SEO, SEM, PPC, SMM and more.
Data Quality
VS
It’s not as easy to find what you’re looking for in SERPStat.
And that’s mainly because of its lack of data filters. This makes it hard, for example, to identify good keywords easily.
So for any one specific feature, there are better Semrush alternatives out there. If you need keyword research, for example, you can use Ubersuggest, or LongTail Pro.
However, SERPStat’s the only choice that packs so many useful features, for such a low price.
So data quality notwithstanding, SERPStat’s still one of the best Semrush alternatives.
SERPStat vs Semrush
Semrush does a better job than SERPStat in most cases.
It has a prettier interface, more features, and even more data filters to help you find what you’re looking for.
So the only thing going for SERPStat in this comparison is its price.
User Interface And Our Experience
SERPStat’s interface is cluttered.
If you’re a beginner, that can make it hard to start scraping data for your site.
Even if you’re an experienced webmaster, SERPStat can give you some headaches.
So great visuals are obviously not why you’d get this tool.
Pricing
SERPStat’s Lite plan will only cost you $48/month. For the number of features you get and the decent data quality, that’s an excellent price.
It’s the only Semrush alternative that has a decent keyword research tool, a rank tracker, AND paid advertising tools.
And even for the pricier tiers, it’s still an well-priced tool.
Conclusion
Semrush is popular thanks to its versatility.
From one tool, you can study organic opportunities, track ranks and brand mentions, and optimize advertising efforts.
All of that is usually much more expensive.
So if you want cheaper Semrush alternatives that can help with all of that…
4 The Mangools Suite
Beginner-friendly
Well-designed web app
Affordable
Data quality can be lacking at times
Not that useful for bulk research
Third Point
If you’re a beginner, look no further than Mangools‘ Suite of SEO web apps.
From the KWFinder, to the Link Miner, they’re all powerful, cheap, and beginner-friendly.
If you’re new to the world of SEO, keep reading.
Mangools Features
Mangools has plenty of individual tools that you can use for specific SEO purposes.
While their system may seem disjointed from the outside, it’s not. All of these tools mix together pretty well. For example, when you analyze a query in the KWFinder, a SERP Checker dashboard will pop-up in the corner.
If you want further analysis of the SERP, you can click on it and you’ll be taken to SERP Checker’s main dashboard.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s cover what’s under Mangools’ hood first.
Here are the Mangools tools:
KWFinder – A strong keyword research web app.
SERP Checker – Perfect for SERP crawling and analysis.
SERP Watcher – Useful rank tracker.
Link Miner – To help you kickstart the link-building process.
Site Profiler – To get a reliable audit of your site, or competition.
Data Quality
VS
Mangools might trip over itself when it comes to bulk research for big sites.
And it doesn’t have a dataset as big as Semrush or Ahrefs.
But that doesn’t mean it’s unreliable. In most cases (and especially for beginners) the data quality and quantity is good enough to help you get started.
Mangools vs Semrush
Mangools might not be as comprehensive as Semrush. And it lacks a lot of the things that set Semrush apart, like social media and paid advertising tools.
But if you’re looking to get started with SEO, affiliate marketing, or organic traffic overall…
The Mangools Suite is better than Semrush when it comes to usability and interface.
User Interface And Our Experience
We have a lot of experience with the Mangools suite.
In fact, we used it exclusively when we started one of our previous sites. For more on that story, check out our KWFinder review.
Throughout our time using Mangools, one thing was clear: It’s a smooth tool, extremely fast, and easy to use.
Most of its perks come from the well-designed interface. And if you’re a beginner, we couldn’t recommend it enough.
Pricing
Mangools is good for beginners – and not just because of its approachable interface.
It’s also pretty affordable.
Don’t get me wrong, at $35/month it’s not a cheap tool. But considering the number of features it packs, it’s well worth the money.
Conclusion
Semrush can be confusing at times. Especially if you’re a beginner.
If you ever opened a complex tool like Semrush, Ahrefs, or SERPStat and thought “what now?” don’t worry.
Mangools has you covered:
5 SEO Power Suite
Useful for agencies
Good overall feature match
Decent data quality
Desktop app
Backlink data is not ideal
Semrush’s agency growth kit – which comes with white label, and plenty of other useful features for agencies – is $150/month. That’s on top of the price of the Semrush subscription itself.
Not the cheapest option out there…
And that’s exactly why SEO Power Suite is a great choice for agencies that want to migrate away from Semrush.
SEO Power Suite Features
SEO Power Suite is not a web app, and it’s not like most other entries on this list.
But that doesn’t mean it’s lacking anything important.
Quite the opposite. Besides its agency-friendly features, the SEO Power Suite comes with:
Rank Tracker – To help you stay on top of changes on the SERP.
Keyword research – To find queries with lots of potential.
Website Auditing – To understand your site’s technical and on-page needs.
Link Assistant – To help your link building processes.
SEO Spyglass – To see what your competitors are doing.
Data Quality
SEO Power Suite is clunky, and a bit hard to install.
But if you’re after qualitative and quantitative data – it’s worth it.
The SEO Power Suite has exhaustive data. And it’s really good at providing insights about your competitors, and what works for them.
It’s basically on-par with Semrush here.
SEO Power Suite vs Semrush
The SEO Power Suite is a desktop app, which means it’s slightly harder to get started with. And it doesn’t come as in handy as a tool like Semrush.
Beyond that, the comparison is pretty simple: Semrush is better for the average online business thanks to its multichannel versatility. SEO Power Suite is better for an agency, because its agency support is much cheaper than what you get from Semrush.
User Interface And Our Experience
I used to poke fun at SEO Power Suite for its ugly interface.
But credit where it’s due – SEO Power Suite got much prettier after its recent overhaul.
It’s still not the best-looking app. And it might take longer to get started with it than a web app.
But it’s easy enough so that anyone can make the most out of SEO Power Suite, with some training and time spent learning the tool.
Pricing
For the exhaustive toolset it offers, the SEO Power Suite is very affordable.
It will cost you $500/year for its agency plan, which is around $40/month. That’s almost as cheap as SERPStat.
And it’s MUCH more affordable than Semrush
Conclusion
The SEO Power Suite is perfect for agencies or experienced SEOs that want a strong desktop app, and don’t want to spend a fortune on Sermush’s higher tiers or add-ons.
If that’s you, check it out:
6 Moz Pro
Top-notch competition analysis
Complete SEO toolkit
Moz Bar is a great aid
Keyword analysis could be improved
Interface is not always top-notch
Moz Pro is a world-class choice when it comes to competition analysis.
But there’s more to this tool than a fancy name and a cool bar extension.
If you want to see what it’s capable of, and why it’s one of our picks for the best Semrush alternatives, keep reading.
Moz Pro Features
Moz Pro is famous for its competitiveness metrics, and site analysis.
But it can do more or less everything that Semrush can. The only difference is that Moz has no tools for PPC.
Here are the main features of Moz Pro:
Competition Analysis – In-house metrics and advanced tools to get the scoop on your competition.
Keyword Research – To identify organic traffic opportunities.
SERP analysis – To understand your competitors and queries.
Link Research – To provide valuable insights for link building.
Data Quality
Moz Pro’s site audits could go more in-depth, especially considering its position in the market. And its keyword research could be improved to reach Semrush’s filtering capabilities and accuracy.
However, Moz Pro still has qualitative data.
Especially when it comes to gauging your competitors and understanding their presence on search engines.
Moz Pro vs Semrush
Moz Pro has, on paper, the same tools that Semrush.
Bar for the SMM and PPC features.
They’re also priced more or less the same.
So if you need all-in-one SEO tools, and you’re angling for something with great competition research, Moz Pro is one of the best Semrush alternatives.
User Interface And Our Experience
Moz Pro is very popular for its Moz Bar, which helps you analyze sites in a matter of seconds, without navigating to a crowded dashboard in a different tab.
And that’s very useful.
But the main web app is not to bad either.
Overall, Moz Pro is well designed, and easy to get into.
Pricing
Moz Pro’s pricing is the same as Ahrefs and Semrush.
A starter plan for $99/month. And a fancier plan, with bigger limits and more features, for $179/month.
It’s not a tool for the bootstrapping affiliate site.
But if you have the budget for it, it’s worth the money.
Conclusion
If you find yourself studying competitors more often than checking new keyword clusters, Moz Pro is probably the best Semrush alternative for you.
If you want to check it out, you can try it for free for 30 days with our link:
7 Majestic
Super useful backlink data
All-in-one SEO toolkit
Large database of URLs
Not as comprehensive as Ahrefs
Not qualitative data for low volume keywords
Majestic is another all-in-one SEO suite with a lot of history and a few special perks.
With this tool, it’s not about keyword research or competitor analysis.
Instead, Majestic does backlink research really well.
And a few other things as a bonus.
Majestic Features
While backlink analysis is Majestic’s biggest perk, it’s not the only feature it can boast. It’s actually an all-in-one SEO tool.
Here are Majestic’s key features:
Link Data – With a huge database and helpful metrics.
Keyword Research – To explore lucrative queries in your niche.
Site Explorer – Perfect to analyze your presence and your competition.
Rank Tracker – To stay on top of changes on the SERP.
Data Quality
Majestic’s data quality is average for things like the SERP, or keyword exploration.
However, their backlink analysis is based on a database of over 8 trillion URLs. That’s a big sample size. And it’s the main reason why its backlink data quality is outstanding.
Majestic vs Semrush
Semrush and Majestic have similar suites. Both offer SEO tools for keyword research, link analysis, site auditing, SERP crawling, and more.
So what are the main differences?
Majestic can provide more insightful backlink data, while Semrush has more tools for a multichannel approach to online marketing.
So it’s all a matter of what you value more.
User Interface And Our Experience
At the time of writing, Majestic is going through a visual upgrade.
So depending on when you read this, it might be slightly better.
But as it stands, Majestic’s interface has some room for improvement. Semrush, Ahrefs, and plenty of entries on this list do a much better job.
Pricing
Majestic’s lite plan is affordable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feature plenty of the tools we praised in this mini-review. If you want to make the most out of Majestic, you’ll need to at least pay for its Pro plan, which costs over $100/month.
That’s a lot.
But even then, it’s more or less on par with similar SEO tools like Semrush, or Ahrefs. The only similar tool that’s drastically cheaper is SERPStat.
Conclusion
If you want qualitative link data but won’t mind some extra SEO tools, Majestic is a great Semrush alternative.
And if you just want to try it out, it does have an affordable monthly plan:
8 Screaming Frog
Very affordable
Good data quality
Desktop app
Need some experience to make the most of it
Screaming Frog isn’t everyone’s first pick. The fact that it’s a desktop app, as well as its somewhat outdated interface, make it harder to get into.
However, it’s a great choice if you need complete site audits.
Screaming Frog Features
While we recommend it for its site analysis capabilities, Screaming Frog can do a lot more.
Here are its main features:
In-depth site crawls – To understand your online presence as well as possible.
Find broken links- To stay in Google’s good graces.
Generate XML Maps – Handy if you need to submit it to Google’s Search Console.
Schedule audits – To automate checking your site.
Data Quality
Screaming Frog’s data quality is pretty good.
It actually unearths details about your site that you won’t find anywhere else. Ahrefs, Semrush, SERPStat – neither of them can delve as deep as Screaming Frog.
And for all of its other SEO tools – they’re pretty much on-par with Semrush.
So if you want a great aid in analyzing your site, and finding technical SEO issues, give it a try.
Screaming Frog vs Semrush
Screaming Frog can’t help you with data for social media marketing and paid advertising. It’s also harder to install and use.
Semrush won’t provide the site insights that Screaming Frog can.
So at a glance, Semrush is the better choice.
But if you want a cheaper alternative that’ll help you check every nook and cranny in your site, Screaming Frog is a good choice.
User Interface And Our Experience
Screaming Frog is a desktop app, which might steer some people away. However, it’s not THAT bad. Once you install it and spend some time learning how Screaming Frog works, it’s more or less the same as using a web app.
A problem though – Screaming Frog’s interface is a bit outdated.
So we can’t give it points for a good interface.
But it’s also not the worst thing in the world.
Pricing
If you want to try Screaming Frog without committing to anything, you’ll be happy to know it has a robust free version.
It’s not enough to cover your needs on the long term.
But it’s a good option to trial this Semrush alternative.
If you like what you see and you want the paid tool, you’re in luck. Screaming Frog is pretty affordable. You can get it for as little as $209/year.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for strong Semrush alternatives that can do site analysis, Screaming Frog is a great choice.
And you can try it for free:
9 SE Ranking
Affordable
Beautiful interface
Excellent feature match with Semrush
Keyword research could be better
Database is not that big
SE Ranking is a newcomer in the SEO tools scene.
But it’s not a weak tool. It’s actually an all-in-one SEO tool with a lot of useful features.
Let’s see what those are.
SE Ranking Features
SE Ranking is popular for its website rank tracker.
But it can do more or less what Semrush can, except for the PPC tools.
These are SE Ranking’s main features:
Advanced Rank Tracker – To observe your keywords progression over time.
Keyword Research – To find organic traffic opportunities.
On-page SEO checker – To improve your pages and posts.
Multichannel Marketing – SE Ranking helps you manage social media as well.
Data Quality
VS
Besides Ahrefs, all Semrush alternatives can sometimes drop the ball with low-volume keywords.
SE Ranking is no different.
But besides that issue, SE Ranking’s data quality is decent. And its rank tracker is above most competitors.
SE Ranking vs Semrush
SE Ranking is one of the few Semrush competitors that can help with social media data and publishing. Which is a big plus if SMM is a part of your growth strategy.
Other than that, Semrush has more accurate data at times. And more features for SEOs.
But SE Ranking’s interface is better IMO.
User Interface And Our Experience
SE Ranking’s interface is on the same level as SEO tools like Ahrefs, Mangools, and Ubersuggest.
And in my opinion, slightly better than Semrush.
So if you’re looking for something that’s easy to use and well-designed, SE Ranking is a solid choice.
And an affordable choice at that.
Pricing
SE Ranking is not the cheapest tool on this list.
But it’s affordable. And $30/month for its stacked toolset is very good.
Conclusion
SE Ranking might be a new tool, but it’s not bad. And people are starting to catch on. So if you want to be early to the party, you can check it out here:
10 Google Ads
Free research tools
Data from the source
You need a campaign running to access Google’s research features
Google Keyword Planner estimates are off sometimes
Semrush has a lot of useful tools to help you with paid advertising.
The free version of Google Ads won’t cover all of that. For example, it won’t help you spy on your competitors as effectively.
But it’s still a strong alternative for ads keyword research, for example.
And it’s completely free to use.
Google Ads Features
Google Ads is mainly for direct ad publishing.
However, it has a lot of other tools that can help you study and improve your ads. And we’re not just talking about Google Analytics.
Here are its main features:
Google Ads Editor – To publish your ads, adjust your bidding, and plenty more.
Google Keyword Planner – To understand the queries you can target.
Detailed breakdowns – Accurate data about your campaigns, right from the source.
Data Quality
If you need help with your paid advertising campaigns, there’s no better place to get your data than right from the source.
Granted, volume estimates in the Keyword Planner can sometimes be way off.
But once you get a campaign rolling, you’ll get highly accurate data.
Google Ads vs Semrush
Google Ads has a great start up guide, and more accurate data for running campaigns.
In that sense, it’s a better choice for paid advertising.
However, Semrush also has useful spying tools for PPC. These will give you insights into what works for your competition.
And of course, Semrush also has tons of other tools for organic traffic and social media marketing.
Realistically, you’ll use these two tools together. But if you were looking into Semrush to help you with PPC data, just know a lot of it is available from Google too.
User Interface And Our Experience
Google Ads is really complicated. So don’t worry if you’re overwhelmed the first few times you open the app.
A gripe I have with the tool is that it won’t let you access some of its free features (like the Keyword Planner) until you’ve set up a campaign, complete with billing information.
I guess it makes sense for Google… but it’s annoying. If you don’t have a campaign up at a given moment, you can’t just check out some keyword traffic.
On the other hand, this makes you go through Google’s onboarding guide and streamlined setup process.
And this helps ease you into the platform.
Pricing
Free for the tools.
But you’ll have to pay for a campaign.
Conclusion
Google Ads might not offer all the support for paid ads that Semrush does.
But it gives you enough data to get started.
To Wrap It Up
Semrush was a bit of a roller coaster.
First, it hit hard as a good way to reverse-engineer your competition and find good keyword ideas.
Then it lagged a bit behind Ahrefs in terms of user interface and features.
But now it seems to be back on track.
For us, it’s still not as good as Ahrefs.
Whether you want to find the best keywords, do a site audit, analyze the SERP or spy on your competitors, Ahrefs is a better SEO tool when compared to Semrush.
But that doesn’t mean you should always go for Ahrefs.
Digital marketing is a large field, and there are alternatives to Semrush in all niches of it.
We hope you found some of them here today.
FAQs
The best alternative to Semrush depends on your needs. If you’re looking for an all-in-one SEO tool with a robust feature set, Ahrefs is the best choice. If you’re looking for a more affordable option with a user-friendly interface, Ubersuggest is a great choice.
Both Ahrefs and Semrush are excellent SEO tools with their own strengths and weaknesses. Ahrefs has a more robust feature set and better data quality, while Semrush is better suited for agencies. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your specific needs.
Yes, Ubersuggest offers a free version of its SEO tool that includes keyword research, site analysis, and backlink data. While it’s not as comprehensive as Semrush’s paid version, it’s still a great option for those on a budget.
Both Semrush and Ubersuggest are excellent SEO tools with their own strengths and weaknesses. Semrush has a more comprehensive feature set and better data quality, while Ubersuggest is more affordable and easier to use. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your specific needs.
