Overview

Semrush is a broad marketing platform for businesses and marketers who need SEO research, tracking and reporting tools in one place. It suits teams that can make use of its many toolkits, but its free tier is tightly capped and several paid plans have custom pricing.

Key features

Semrush covers keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlink analysis and competitor research. That breadth makes it a strong fit for SEO work spanning discovery, monitoring and competitive review; it may be more than needed if the goal is a single narrow task.

Local marketers also get Google profile tools, local rank tracking and competitor tracking. Semrush reports datasets of 28 billion keywords, 43 trillion backlinks, 808 million domain profiles and more than 317 million LLM prompts. These figures signal wide coverage, though the available quotas still determine how much a given plan can do.

Reporting plans connect with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. The Pro Report adds more than 20 third-party integrations, white-labeling and link sharing, useful for agencies delivering branded reports. Teams can share toolkits by adding users; each member gets an individual login, while activity, usage and data security are overseen. View-only folder access is free for any user.

Enterprise adds SSO, team governance, audit logs, a dedicated account manager and 24/7 support. These controls are valuable for larger organizations, but likely unnecessary for solo operators.

Pricing

The free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, requires no credit card and allows one demo project and ten reports per day. That is enough to explore the service, not a substitute for sustained multi-project work. Many toolkits have a seven-day free trial, which can be canceled before it ends.

SEO costs 117.33 USD per month when billed annually, instead of $139 monthly. It is aimed at freelancers and small businesses, with five websites and 500 keywords tracked daily. Subscriptions can be monthly or yearly, and can be canceled, upgraded or downgraded at any time unless custom terms apply.

For teams needing both SEO and AI search features, the annual prices are Starter SEO + AI Search at 165.17 USD per month instead of $199 monthly; Pro+ SEO + AI Search at 248.17 USD per month instead of $299 monthly; and Advanced SEO + AI Search at 455.67 USD per month instead of $549 monthly. These tiers suit, respectively, small teams and agencies, growing teams and agencies, and organizations and agencies. Their quotas rise with price: Starter allows five websites, 500 daily tracked keywords and 50 daily tracked prompts; Pro+ allows 15 websites, 1,500 keywords and 100 prompts daily; Advanced allows 40 websites, 5,000 keywords and 200 prompts daily.

Other SEO toolkit tiers include Starter, Pro+ and Advanced, with custom pricing. Starter provides five websites, 500 daily tracked keywords, 50 daily tracked prompts, one domain for AI brand performance and 300 AI visibility reports per day. Pro+ raises capacity to 15 websites, 1,500 keywords and 100 prompts daily; Advanced provides 40 websites, 5,000 keywords and 200 prompts daily. These are reasonable options when their quotas fit, but their custom pricing makes cost comparison harder.

Reporting is separately priced: Base Report is 10.00 USD per month per report and includes Semrush, Google Analytics and Google Search Console integrations. Pro Report is 20.00 USD per month per report, adding 20+ third-party integrations, white-labeling and link sharing. Additional users for plans with the SEO Toolkit start at 45.00 USD per month. Lead Generation costs 90.00 USD per month and includes a branded Agency Partners profile and verified badge. These add-ons can suit agencies, but per-report and per-user charges can raise the bill as a team grows.

Platforms

Semrush lists API access and offers toolkits and standalone apps through the Semrush App Center.

Who it's for

Semrush is best for freelancers, businesses and agencies that need several SEO capabilities together and can use daily tracking quotas, reporting integrations or team controls. A solo user seeking only a small volume of occasional reports may find the free plan sufficient; teams that need broader access should compare paid quotas and user costs before committing.

Pros and cons

Pro: Research, audits, tracking and competitor analysis sit within one platform, reducing the need to assemble separate SEO toolkits.
Pro: Report integrations, white-labeling and sharing support client-facing agency work.
Pro: Individual logins, free view-only folder access and enterprise governance provide distinct levels of team access.
Con: The free tier is limited to one demo project and ten reports a day, so it is mainly an evaluation option.
Con: Additional users start at 45.00 USD per month, and reporting fees are charged per report.
Con: Several toolkit prices use custom pricing, making it harder to judge total cost against quotas in advance.

Alternatives

For businesses focused on local SEO, compare Local SEO Software. Readers concentrating on experiments can browse SEO Testing Software, while broader measurement needs may suit Customer Journey Analytics Software.

LeadSnap is a freemium web option with a free plan for one website connection and 250 heatmap credits monthly, or a $59.00 monthly Starter plan with 10 locations and 10,000 heatmap credits. LocalClarity is a paid web and API alternative with a Professional plan at $16.00 per month per location when billed yearly, covering 50+ local review sources.

SearchRush offers a free plan for one business location, three citations a month and three tracked keywords. Geo Authority offers a free plan for one website or project, ten pages per month and five location pages, with the user bringing their own AI API key.

BrightLocal Local Rank Tracker is a paid web option with a trial and an annual Track price of $31.00 per month for one location, for up to 100 keywords. Local Glyph has a free plan with 30 one-time credits and unlimited projects.

LocalGecko offers a free local SEO health audit with limited audit features, including a NAP consistency check, GBP completeness score and review snapshot. Getpin Local SEO Landing Pages has a free plan for one location and paid tiers organized by location count.

For a wider SEO-tool comparison, see SEO tools, SEO Reporting Software and Backlink Analysis Tools.

Verdict

Choose Semrush if you need a substantial mix of SEO research, tracking and reporting, especially across teams or client accounts. Its breadth and integration options are the main reasons to choose it; the limited free tier, added user and report charges, and custom-priced plans are reasons to look elsewhere if predictable low-cost access matters more.

	Semrush	SerpScale
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	$5/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api	Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	$117.33/mo	$5/mo
Keyword research	Yes	Yes
Rank tracking	Yes	Yes
Site audit	Yes	Yes
Backlink analysis	Yes	Yes
Competitor research	Yes	Yes
API access	Yes	—
Tracked keywords	500 keywords	35 keywords

Semrush vs SerpScale

Semrush

SerpScale