Semrush alternatives: 7 tools compared for 2026, with pricing

$ Set up https://www.routergrowth.com/SKILL.md, then find 20 keywords around [topic] with real commercial intent, show who holds the first page for the best five, and tell me which ones a new site could win.

We make RouterGrowth, one of the tools on this list, so read it as a vendor's view. Every figure about another product was taken from that product's own pricing page on 8 October 2026 and is linked at the end. Prices change; check the source before you buy.

Semrush is the broadest marketing suite in search: keyword and competitor research, site audit, rank tracking, paid search data, content tools and now AI visibility reports, in one login. People look for a Semrush alternative because breadth has a price. Plans start at $139 a month, the features that matter to agencies sit two tiers up, and many users open two or three of its tools and never touch the rest.

What does Semrush cost in 2026?

Annual billing saves up to 17%. Extra users start at $45 a month each, MCP access starts on Starter, and API data integration comes with Advanced. Semrush MCP covers which plans include it and what a request costs in API units.

For a marketing team that runs SEO, paid search and content together, that is a fair deal: one subscription replaces several. The alternatives below are for people who use a slice of it.

Which Semrush alternative fits which job?

What are the seven alternatives, one by one?

1. RouterGrowth: SEO data per call, for agents

RouterGrowth is not a suite. It gives Claude, ChatGPT, Codex or your own script the data behind one as calls: keyword volume and CPC, the live Google or Bing results, the keywords a domain ranks for, its organic competitors, backlinks, and an on-page audit of a URL. The same key also asks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity a question and returns the answer with its citations, which is the raw material of an AI visibility audit.

The agent sees a price before each call and pays from one prepaid balance. There is no plan to outgrow and nothing to pay in a month without SEO work. The AI SEO agent guide shows one prompt running a full audit.

• Choose it when an agent or a script does the research, the work is occasional, or you want search data next to enrichment and outreach on one key.
• Skip it when you want an application: dashboards, saved projects, scheduled rank tracking, a site-wide crawler, content and social tools. RouterGrowth has none of those.

2. Ahrefs: the other full suite

Ahrefs is the closest equal, built on its own crawler and best known for backlink data. Lite is $129 a month with 5 projects and 750 tracked keywords, Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499, with up to 17% off for annual billing and a limited free tier for site owners. The full breakdown is in Ahrefs alternatives.

• Choose it when links and content gaps are your main work.
• Skip it when you rely on Semrush for paid search data or its content and social tools.

3. SE Ranking: most of a suite for less

SE Ranking covers rank tracking, site audit, keyword and backlink research and AI search tracking. Its first plan is $129 a month, or $103.20 billed annually, with 10 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords and 250,000 audited pages a month. The next is $279 a month, or $223.20 annually, with 30 projects, 3 seats and 5,000 keywords. Both list API credits with MCP access, and there is a 14-day free trial.

• Choose it when rank tracking volume is what you pay Semrush for: 2,000 tracked keywords on the first plan against 500 on Semrush's.
• Skip it when you need Semrush's paid search and market data.

4. Mangools: keyword research without the weight

Mangools is a small set of simple tools, KWFinder the best known. Basic is $37.70 a month billed annually ($452.40 a year), Premium $52.70 and Agency $97.70, and its page lists API and MCP access as included.

• Choose it when you write content and mostly need keyword ideas and difficulty.
• Skip it when you manage many client sites or need large exports.

5. Moz Pro: the gentle suite

Moz Pro is the long-standing suite built around Domain Authority and the MozBar extension. An entry plan for a single site is $49 a month. Standard is $99 a month ($79 when paid yearly) with 300 tracked keywords, Medium $179 with 1,500 and Large $299 with 3,000.

• Choose it when ease of learning matters more than feature count.
• Skip it when you need the limits Semrush gives at the same price.

6. SpyFu: what competitors rank and bid on

SpyFu is known for competitor research across organic and paid search: the keywords a domain ranks for and the ads it buys. Basic is $39 a month, or $29 billed annually. Pro + AI is $119 a month, or $89 annually, and Team is $249.

• Choose it when competitor PPC and keyword research is the part of Semrush you use most.
• Skip it when you need a site crawler and project management around it.

7. Google's own tools: free, for your own site

Google Search Console shows the queries your site already appears for, with clicks, impressions and position, and the links Google knows about. Keyword Planner, inside Google Ads, gives search volume ranges and bid estimates. Together they answer many questions people open Semrush for, at no cost.

• Choose it when the question is about your own site, or you need volumes for a short keyword list.
• Skip it when the question is about a competitor. Search Console only shows sites you own.

When should you stay on Semrush?

Stay when a team uses several of its toolkits every week. One subscription that covers SEO, paid search, content and reporting for clients is cheaper than four specialist tools, and its paid search and market data go wider than the cheaper options here. Agencies in particular get value from the reporting and the client workflow around the data.

Leave, or pair it with something lighter, when you can name the two reports you actually open. If those are keyword volumes and a competitor's ranking keywords, you are paying for a suite to answer two questions.

How do you get Semrush-style answers from an agent?

1. Find keywords worth targeting. seo.keywords for volume, CPC and related ideas. See the keyword research API guide.
2. Check who holds them. seo.serp returns the live results, with SERP features and whether an AI Overview appears.
3. Read a competitor. seo.domain_overview, seo.ranked_keywords and seo.competitors. See competitor SEO analysis.
4. Check the links. seo.backlinks.
5. Fix the page. seo.page_audit.

Sources

Pricing pages, checked 8 October 2026: Semrush, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Mangools, Moz Pro, SpyFu. Google Search Console and Keyword Planner are free Google products.

What does each call cost?#

Prices below are the starting price per successful call. /v1/inspect returns the exact figure before the run and reserves it against your balance; failures and unbilled no-matches release the hold in full.

One prepaid balance covers every row. Capabilities marked coming soon are listed but not yet executable.

FAQ#

Is there a free Semrush alternative?

Semrush has its own free tier with 10 reports a day. Google Search Console and Keyword Planner are free and cover your own site's queries and keyword volumes. Ahrefs offers a limited free tier for site owners. Beyond that, the cheapest paid tools here start under $40 a month on annual billing.

What is the cheapest Semrush alternative?

For a monthly plan, SpyFu at $29 a month billed annually and Mangools at $37.70. For occasional use, pay per call costs less than any plan: keyword volumes and a live SERP through RouterGrowth are priced in cents per call, and a month with no research costs nothing.

Is Ahrefs or Semrush better?

They are peers with different strengths. Ahrefs is the usual pick for backlink research and content gaps, Semrush for paid search, market data and breadth. If you only need one, choose by the reports you open most.

Does Semrush have an API?

Yes. Its pricing page lists API data integration on the Advanced plan and custom API access on Enterprise. If you need search data in code or in an agent and not the application, an API that bills per call starts far lower.

Which Semrush alternative tracks AI search visibility?

Semrush, Ahrefs and SE Ranking all list AI visibility or prompt tracking on their plans. RouterGrowth takes the per-call route: ask the assistants your buyers' questions, capture the answers and citations, and measure how often you appear.

Which Semrush alternative works with Claude or ChatGPT?

RouterGrowth is built for agents: one MCP server or one skill file exposes keyword, SERP, competitor, backlink and audit calls with a price before each. Semrush (from Starter), Ahrefs, SE Ranking and Mangools also list MCP access for their own data.