3 tools that do the same job as Semrush, compared on checked pricing and features. Semrush's cheapest paid plan is $117.33 a month for one person, and three of the alternatives cost less. Two of the three have a free plan.
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page; Semrush's on October 4, 2026.
Cheapest paid plan that covers the team, per month before tax, at the yearly rate where one is published. Each tool's prices were checked against its own pricing page, most recently on October 4, 2026.
1. Ahrefs
Best for SEO teams and agencies that research competitors' backlinks and keywords
Ahrefs is an SEO platform for marketers and agencies that research backlinks, keywords and competitors on any website. Starter and Lite charge a credit for each report opened or filter applied, while Standard and higher give every user unlimited credits.
One person
$29/mo
Starter · Semrush: $117.33/mo
Team of 10
$1,094.17/mo
Advanced · Semrush: $522.33/mo
Free plan
Ahrefs Free
Choose Ahrefs if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $29/mo on Starter, against $117.33/mo for Semrush.
Stay with Semrush if…
Price matters for a team of 10: Semrush is $522.33/mo, Ahrefs $1,094.17/mo.
You rely on what Ahrefs lacks: white-label reporting.
Moz Pro is an SEO suite for in-house marketers and small agencies, with keyword research, link data, weekly rank tracking and site crawls. Each Campaign tracks one site and three competitors, and Moz doesn't say what yearly plans cost after year one.
One person
$49/mo
Starter · Semrush: $117.33/mo
Team of 10
$490/mo
Starter · Semrush: $522.33/mo
Free plan
Free tools
Choose Moz Pro if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $49/mo on Starter, against $117.33/mo for Semrush.
You want it cheaper for a team of 10: $490/mo on Starter, against $522.33/mo for Semrush.
Stay with Semrush if…
You rely on what Moz Pro lacks: paid search & ad data, javaScript rendering and log file analysis.
Surfer is a content optimization platform for teams that publish articles regularly, scoring drafts against top-ranking pages as they're written. Plans are sized by documents, where each Content Editor counts as one, and Keyword Research starts on Standard.
One person
$49/mo
Discovery · Semrush: $117.33/mo
Team of 10
$299/mo
Peace of Mind · Semrush: $522.33/mo
Free plan
No
Choose Surfer SEO if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $49/mo on Discovery, against $117.33/mo for Semrush.
You want it cheaper for a team of 10: $299/mo on Peace of Mind, against $522.33/mo for Semrush.
Stay with Semrush if…
You need a free plan: Semrush has one; Surfer SEO doesn't.
You rely on what Surfer SEO lacks: backlink index & analysis, competitor traffic analysis and paid search & ad data.
