Editor's score 4.4 out of 5
2 best Semrush alternatives in 2026 (tested and compared)
OSI Affiliate Reviews DeskEditorial team
Semrush is on our SEO & Marketing Tools shortlist for a reason: the widest SEO and marketing toolkit in one subscription: keywords, competitors, site audits, rank tracking and paid-search data. But it is not the right pick for everyone, and the people who leave it tend to leave for the same few reasons.
Below are the 2 tools we would look at instead, each with a full review on this site, and the honest reasons Semrush might still be the better choice.
Scores on this page are provisional until our staff testing round is complete.How we score
Why people look for a Semrush alternative
Skip Semrush if you only need one of these jobs done. Buying the whole toolkit for backlink data or rank tracking alone is the most expensive way to get either.
- You only need one job done. This is the most common reason a reader writes to us about leaving Semrush.
- Backlinks or ranks alone. This is the most common reason a reader writes to us about leaving Semrush.
The 2 best Semrush alternatives
1. Ahrefs: Strongest backlink and referring-domain data
Ahrefs earns its slot on link data. Its index of backlinks and referring domains is the strongest of the tools here, and if your work involves digital PR, link building or working out why a competitor outranks you on authority rather than content, that is the number you live in.
The interface is unusually direct for the category: paste a domain, get the picture. Less time spent assembling a report is a real feature when the report is weekly.
Choose Ahrefs over Semrush if link-led growth plans, digital pr and outreach, seo specialists and agencies matter more to you than one person doing all seo. No general free plan; free Webmaster Tools give audit and backlink data for sites you can verify as your own. Read our Ahrefs review or visit ahrefs.com.
2. Moz Pro: Friendlier learning curve; good rank tracking
Moz Pro is on this list because it is the gentlest entry point to SEO tooling that still does real work. Rank tracking, site crawls and keyword research are laid out for someone who is learning the discipline, not someone who already thinks in link graphs.
It comes with the clearest teaching material in the category, which matters more than it sounds: most small businesses do not need a better tool, they need to understand the one they have.
Choose Moz Pro over Semrush if first serious seo tool, learning the discipline, consistent rank tracking matter more to you than one person doing all seo. No lasting free plan; a time-limited trial of the full product, plus free limited tools on the Moz site for quick lookups. Read our Moz Pro review or visit moz.com.
When Semrush is still the right choice
Best for in-house marketers and agencies who need to cover several jobs and report on them. The free account is real but narrow — enough to look something up, not enough to work in.
Read our full Semrush review before you switch.
Questions people ask
Is Semrush free?
There is a free account, and it is real but narrow: a handful of lookups a day and one small project. It is enough to check a keyword or a competitor, not to run an SEO programme. The paid tiers are where the toolkit actually opens up.
Is Semrush worth it for a small business?
Worth it when one person has to cover several jobs — keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, competitor and paid-search analysis — and report on them. If you only need one of those, buying the whole toolkit is the most expensive way to get it.
Semrush or Ahrefs?
Semrush for breadth: more jobs covered in one subscription, including paid search and local listings. Ahrefs for link data, where its index is the strongest of the tools we list, and for a more direct interface. Many agencies end up with both; a small business should pick the one that matches its main job.
Written by
OSI Affiliate Reviews DeskEditorial team
The staff desk behind every review, shortlist and comparison on this site. We sign up for the tools ourselves, read the pricing page rather than the press release, and say plainly which links pay us. Where a finding rests on documentation rather than our own daily use, the page says so.