People look for a Semrush alternative when the plan limits start to bind (five websites and 500 tracked keywords on the entry plans), when extra users and add-ons raise the bill, or when they only use one part of the suite. They move to a cheaper all-in-one, to a specialist for backlinks, rank tracking or crawling, or to a European vendor.
Short answer: The closest replacements for Semrush in our SEO tool ranking are Ahrefs, SE Ranking and Mangools. Choose Ahrefs if you want a comparable all-in-one with a strong backlink index. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best SEO Tools in 2026, and each says where it differs from Semrush.
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Pricing: Free plan; per month per plan, published; extra users and add-ons billed
Established in: United States
Built for: Marketing teams who accept a large vendor and want everything in one place
Not for: Buyers who want an independent supplier without add-on billing
01
Why buyers look past Semrush
01
Entry plans come with tight limits
On the EU pricing page we checked, the SEO and Starter plans (listed at EUR 112.52 and EUR 158.40 a month on annual billing) allow five websites and 500 tracked keywords. Pro+ raises that to 15 websites and 1,500 keywords at EUR 238, and Advanced to 40 websites and 5,000 keywords at EUR 436.99. An agency with a dozen clients reaches the second tier quickly.
02
Users and extras are billed separately
Additional users start at EUR 43 a month, and Semrush lists Lead Generation (EUR 86.31) and Base and Pro Reports (EUR 9.59 and EUR 19.18) as separate add-ons. The headline plan price is therefore a floor for a team, not the total, and the add-ons are what teams usually compare when they go shopping.
03
A large suite, when you use one tool in it
Semrush bundles keyword research, competitor analysis, content tools and AI visibility tracking. If you only crawl sites, track rankings or check backlinks, a specialist tool costs less and does that one job in more depth. The free plan is a single demo project, so it works as a preview, not a working tier.
A link index sold in analysis units rather than seats
backlink research is what you need and the rest of Semrush goes unused
#7
03
What each one does differently
1
Ahrefs
Singapore · Per month per plan, published; extra users billed
The most direct rival: keyword research, site audit, backlinks and rank tracking in one subscription. Lite is EUR 119 a month, Standard EUR 229 and Advanced EUR 419 on the EU page. Extra users cost EUR 37 to 75 a month, and the AI-search Brand Radar is a separate add-on from EUR 179. A free tier, Ahrefs Free, and a EUR 27 Starter plan also exist.
Switch from Semrush if you want a comparable all-in-one with a strong backlink index.
Not stated by the vendor · Per month per plan, published; add-ons extra; 14-day trial
An all-in-one with a lower entry price: Core is EUR 87.20 a month on annual billing with 10 projects and 2,000 daily tracked keywords. A 14-day trial needs no credit card. AI search tracking is an add-on at EUR 63.20, and white-label reporting is a separate Agency Pack at EUR 59.
Switch from Semrush if you want broad coverage with higher keyword limits at a lower entry price.
Slovakia · Free plan; per month or year per plan, published
Five focused tools (KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, SiteProfiler) instead of a sprawling suite. The vendor stresses ease of use, and rank tracking updates weekly in SERPWatcher. Its listed tools do not include a content or AI visibility suite like Semrush's.
Switch from Semrush if you do mostly keyword research and local SERP checks and want a simple interface.
Germany · Per package per month, published; 14-day trial
A German vendor with four packages from EUR 119 to EUR 799 a month, all cancellable monthly, and a 14-day trial. Plus (EUR 239) allows 15 projects and Professional (EUR 419) 40. Additional accounts are EUR 24.90 a month. It is built around visibility data and long histories, not around a broad marketing toolkit.
Switch from Semrush if you track visibility over years and want a European vendor with monthly cancellation.
Germany · Free plan; per month per plan, published; 14-day trial
Website audit, rank monitoring, backlink monitoring, keyword research and white-label PDF reports in one tool, with free tools that need no registration and a 14-day trial. Aimed at small businesses, freelancers and agencies. AI visibility tracking is marked as coming soon, so it does not yet match Semrush's.
Switch from Semrush if you want a plain audit-and-monitoring tool with white-label reports for clients.
United States · Per month per plan, published; 7-day trial
Keyword research across 230 countries, rank tracking, site audit, clustering and an API in one platform, with a 7-day trial. The vendor lists 8.62 billion keywords and 529 billion backlinks in its index. Pricing is tiered and not shown in this review.
Switch from Semrush if you want one platform with keyword clustering and API access across many countries.
Poland · Per month per plan, published; trial available
Centres on a content editor with optimisation guidelines, with plans from EUR 49 (Discovery, 120 documents) to EUR 299 (Peace of Mind, unlimited documents). It also tracks AI search prompts. Its pricing is built around documents, so it suits a writing workflow more than a site-wide research one.
Switch from Semrush if your main use of Semrush is writing and optimising content.
United Kingdom · Free to 500 URLs; annual licence per user, published
A desktop crawler, not a suite. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs, and the paid licence is $279 a year per user with volume discounts, for Windows, macOS and Linux. It has no keyword database or rank tracking, and it crawls from your own machine.
Switch from Semrush if you mainly run technical audits and want a yearly per-seat licence.
United Kingdom · Desktop licence per user and cloud plans, published; 14-day trial
Audit software sold as a desktop app (Lite crawls 10,000 URLs, Pro 500,000) or as cloud plans from GBP 95 a month, with a 14-day Pro trial and no card needed. Extra desktop Pro users cost GBP 7 a month. It focuses on prioritised audit hints and has no keyword or backlink research.
Switch from Semrush if you want audit reports that explain and prioritise the issues for clients.
Denmark · Per month by keyword tier, published; Enterprise quoted
Specialises in rank tracking, with Professional at $224 a month for 2,000 to 5,000 keywords, Expert at $764 for 10,000 to 25,000, and quoted Enterprise. Annual payment is 10 percent cheaper. It is based in Aarhus, Denmark. It does not offer site audits or backlink analysis.
Switch from Semrush if rank tracking at larger keyword volumes is the part of Semrush you use.
United Kingdom · Per month per plan, published; 7-day money-back
A backlink specialist: Lite is EUR 46.99 a month, Pro EUR 94.99 and API EUR 379.99, with a 7-day money-back guarantee on Lite and Pro. It has a Fresh Index and a Historic Index going back to 2006. It has no rank tracker or on-page tools.
Switch from Semrush if backlink research is what you need and the rest of Semrush goes unused.
Semrush remains the right choice when your team uses most of the suite: keyword research, competitor analysis, site audit, content tools and AI visibility tracking together, with several client projects. Moving to separate specialist tools adds integration work and several bills, and the Pro+ and Advanced plans spread cost across many functions. If you need the free plan only to preview the interface, that is also a reasonable reason to stay put for now.
05
What moving off Semrush involves
01
Export your tracking data first
Keyword lists, tracked rankings and project settings live in Semrush. Export them before cancelling, and check whether the new tool imports keyword lists. Historic ranking data rarely transfers, so keep the exports as a record of your baseline.
02
Run both tools for one reporting cycle
Keep Semrush active for a month while the new tool collects data. Search volume and difficulty scores differ between vendors, so compare trends and not absolute numbers. Most alternatives here have a trial of 7 to 14 days or a free plan, which covers part of that overlap.
06
Questions about replacing Semrush
6 answers
How much does Semrush cost?
On the EU pricing page we checked, the SEO plan was EUR 112.52 a month, Starter EUR 158.40, Pro+ EUR 238 and Advanced EUR 436.99, all on annual billing.
Extra users start at EUR 43 a month. Prices can differ by region, so check the page for your country.
Does Semrush have a free plan?
Yes, but it is limited to one demo project with basic features.
What is the closest all-in-one alternative?
Ahrefs and SE Ranking are the nearest in scope. Ahrefs starts at EUR 119 a month on its Lite plan, and SE Ranking Core at EUR 87.20 on annual billing, both with project and keyword limits.
Is there a European alternative?
SISTRIX is a German vendor with monthly-cancellable packages from EUR 119, Seobility has a 14-day trial, and AccuRanker is based in Aarhus, Denmark.
Which alternative is cheapest for technical audits?
Screaming Frog is free up to 500 URLs and $279 a year for the licence. Sitebulb Lite crawls up to 10,000 URLs.
Can I replace Semrush with one tool?
Only partly. Specialists such as Majestic (backlinks), AccuRanker (rank tracking) and Screaming Frog (crawling) each cover one function. Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Serpstat and SISTRIX cover several.
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Sources
Checked 8 October 2026
Semrush prices: Plan prices, limits, free plan, add-ons and extra users.
Ahrefs pricing: Lite, Standard, Advanced prices, extra users, Brand Radar.
