Best SEMrush Alternatives in 2026: Affordable SEO Tools That Actually Work

If you’re searching for the best SEMrush alternatives, you’re probably experiencing one of two things: sticker shock at the $139.95/month price tag, or frustration that you’re paying for features you don’t actually use.

I’ve been there. After spending over $1,600/year on SEMrush, I realized I was using maybe 20% of its features while my small business budget was screaming for relief.

The good news? There are excellent SEMrush alternatives that deliver the core SEO functionality you need without the premium price. I’ve tested all the major competitors over the past 18 months, and I’m sharing exactly what I found.

Why People Look for The Best SEMrush Alternatives

Before we dive into the best SEMrush alternatives in 2026, let’s address why SEMrush might not be the right fit:

Price: At $139.95/month minimum ($1,679/year), SEMrush is expensive for small businesses and solopreneurs. That’s a significant recurring cost when you’re watching every dollar.

Overwhelming Interface: SEMrush packs in everything—seriously, everything. But if you just need keyword research and rank tracking, you’re paying for dozens of tools you’ll never touch.

Overkill for Most Users: Unless you’re running a large agency or enterprise site, you probably don’t need SEMrush’s full suite. Most small businesses need solid keyword research, rank tracking, and basic site audits. That’s it.

Better Options Exist: Some competitors have actually surpassed SEMrush in specific areas while costing significantly less.

The Best SEMrush Alternatives for 2026

1. SE Ranking – Overall Best SEMrush Alternative Pick

Try SE Ranking Free for 14 Days →

After testing every major SEO tool on the market, SE Ranking is hands-down the best SEMrush alternative for small to medium-sized businesses.

Pricing: Starting at $65/month (65% cheaper than SEMrush)

Why It’s the Best Alternative:

SE Ranking gives you 90% of SEMrush’s functionality at 35% of the cost. Here’s what sold me:

Comprehensive Feature Set:

• Unlimited keyword research with accurate search volumes
• Rank tracking for unlimited keywords (on Pro plan and up)
• Competitor analysis and keyword gap tools
• Complete site audit (finds technical SEO issues)
• Backlink monitoring and analysis
• On-page SEO checker
• Content marketing tools
• White-label reporting (great for agencies)

Better User Experience: The interface is clean and intuitive. I got my VA up and running with SE Ranking in under an hour. With SEMrush, it took weeks of training to feel comfortable.

Accurate Data: I ran side-by-side comparisons of keyword volumes and SERP data between SE Ranking and SEMrush. The data quality is virtually identical for US searches.

Flexible Pricing: Unlike SEMrush’s rigid plans, SE Ranking lets you customize based on what you actually need. Only tracking 100 keywords? Pay for 100 keywords. Need 5,000? That’s available too.

What You Get:

• Essential Plan ($65/month): 250 keywords tracked, 10,000 keyword checks, basic features
• Pro Plan ($119/month): Unlimited keyword tracking, 30,000 keyword checks, all features
• Business Plan ($239/month): Everything + API access, white-label, higher limits

Who It’s Best For: Small businesses, bloggers, affiliate marketers, small agencies, anyone who needs professional SEO tools without enterprise pricing.

The Bottom Line: SE Ranking delivers professional-grade SEO tools at a fraction of SEMrush’s cost. It’s my top recommendation for 95% of people looking for SEMrush alternatives.

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial →

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2. Ahrefs – Best for Backlink Analysis

Pricing: Starting at $129/month

Ahrefs is SEMrush’s biggest competitor and arguably has the best backlink database in the industry. If backlink analysis is your primary focus, Ahrefs edges out SEMrush.

What It Excels At:

• Massive backlink index (larger than SEMrush)
• Excellent site explorer tool
• Great for competitive analysis
• Clean, fast interface
• Strong keyword research

The Catch: It’s still expensive ($129/month minimum), and some features aren’t as robust as SEMrush. The site audit tool is basic compared to others, and rank tracking is limited on lower plans.

Best For: Businesses focused heavily on link building and backlink analysis who need the most comprehensive link data available.

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3. Moz Pro – Best for Beginners

Pricing: Starting at $99/month

Moz Pro is the most beginner-friendly option on this list. If SEMrush’s complexity intimidates you, Moz is a great alternative.

What It Excels At:

• Very intuitive interface
• Excellent learning resources and tutorials
• Strong local SEO tools (Moz Local integration)
• Domain Authority metric (industry standard)
• Great for learning SEO fundamentals

The Limitations: Moz’s keyword database is smaller than SEMrush or SE Ranking, especially for non-US markets. The rank tracking is solid but not as robust. Link data isn’t as comprehensive as Ahrefs.

Best For: SEO beginners, local businesses focusing on local SEO, small agencies that need easy-to-understand reports for clients.

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4. Ubersuggest – Best Budget Option

Pricing: Starting at $29/month (or one-time lifetime deal)

Ubersuggest, created by Neil Patel, is the most affordable option for basic SEO needs.

What You Get:

• Keyword research with search volume
• Basic rank tracking
• Site audit
• Backlink data
• Content ideas
• Chrome extension for quick keyword data

The Reality: At $29/month, Ubersuggest is incredibly affordable. But you get what you pay for. The data isn’t as accurate as SEMrush or SE Ranking, the interface is basic, and features are limited.

Best For: Complete beginners with very tight budgets, bloggers just getting started, anyone wanting to dip their toes into SEO tools without major investment.

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5. Mangools (KWFinder, SERPChecker, etc.) – Best for Keyword Research

Pricing: Starting at $49/month

Mangools is actually a suite of five tools: KWFinder (keyword research), SERPChecker (SERP analysis), SERPWatcher (rank tracking), LinkMiner (backlinks), and SiteProfiler (SEO analysis).

What It Excels At:

• Beautiful, simple interface
• Excellent keyword difficulty scores
• Great for finding long-tail keywords
• Clean SERP analysis
• Affordable pricing

The Drawbacks: Each tool feels separate rather than integrated. Data limits are strict on lower plans. Not as comprehensive as all-in-one tools like SE Ranking or SEMrush.

Best For: Content creators and bloggers who prioritize keyword research and want a beautiful interface.

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6. Serpstat – Best for International SEO

Pricing: Starting at $59/month

Serpstat is less known in the US but popular internationally. It’s a solid all-in-one tool with surprisingly good features for the price.

What You Get:

• Keyword research across multiple countries
• Rank tracking
• Site audit
• Backlink analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Missing keywords tool

The Trade-Off: Interface isn’t as polished as competitors. Customer support can be slow. Data accuracy varies by region (better for some countries than others).

Best For: Businesses targeting international markets, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia where Serpstat’s data is strongest.

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7. SpyFu – Best for Competitor Research

Pricing: Starting at $39/month

SpyFu focuses specifically on competitive intelligence—seeing exactly what keywords your competitors rank for and what ads they run.

What It Does Well:

• See every keyword your competitors rank for
• View competitors’ historical ad campaigns
• Downloadable keyword lists
• Competitor backlink data
• Good for PPC competitive research

What It Lacks: No site audit tool. Limited rank tracking. Interface feels dated. Not great as your only SEO tool—better as a supplement.

Best For: Businesses heavily focused on competitive analysis and PPC, supplementing another primary SEO tool.

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Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	SEMrush	SE Ranking	Ahrefs	Moz Pro	Ubersuggest
Starting Price	$139.95/mo	$65/mo	$129/mo	$99/mo	$29/mo
Keyword Research	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆
Rank Tracking	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★☆☆☆
Backlink Analysis	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★☆☆	★★☆☆☆
Site Audit	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Ease of Use	★★★☆☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆
Value for Money	★★☆☆☆	★★★★★	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆

What You Actually Need (And Don’t Need)

Here’s what I learned after 18 months of testing: most small businesses need just five core SEO tools:

1. Keyword Research: Find what people are searching for 2. Rank Tracking: Monitor where you rank for target keywords 3. Site Audit: Identify technical SEO issues 4. Competitor Analysis: See what’s working for competitors 5. Backlink Monitoring: Track your link profile

Everything else—PPC tools, social media monitoring, content marketing platforms, brand monitoring—is nice to have but not essential.

SEMrush packages all of this plus 50 other tools. You’re paying for features you’ll never use.

SE Ranking gives you those five core tools (plus some valuable extras) at $65/month instead of $139.95/month. That’s $1,091.40/year in savings.

How to Choose the Right SEMrush Alternative

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What’s your primary use case?

• Keyword research + rank tracking → SE Ranking or Mangools
• Backlink analysis → Ahrefs
• Competitor research → SpyFu or SE Ranking
• Learning SEO → Moz Pro
• Tight budget → Ubersuggest or SE Ranking Essential

2. What’s your budget?

• Under $65/month → SE Ranking Essential ($65) or Ubersuggest ($29)
• $50-100/month → SE Ranking Pro ($119) or Moz Pro ($99)
• $100+/month → Ahrefs ($129) or stick with SEMrush if you need everything

3. How tech-savvy are you?

• Beginner → Moz Pro or SE Ranking (both have great onboarding)
• Intermediate → SE Ranking or Ahrefs
• Advanced → Any tool will work; focus on data quality and price

4. Do you need white-label reporting?

• Yes → SE Ranking (included on all plans)
• No → Any option works

My Personal Recommendation

After using SEMrush for three years and testing every alternative on this list, here’s what I actually use now:

Primary Tool: SE Ranking ($119/month Pro plan)

• Handles 90% of my SEO needs
• Unlimited rank tracking
• Great keyword research
• Solid site audits
• Saves me $21/month vs SEMrush

Supplemental: Ahrefs (canceled, wasn’t worth the extra cost) I used to supplement with Ahrefs for backlink analysis, but honestly, SE Ranking’s backlink data is good enough for my needs. I canceled Ahrefs and saved another $129/month.

Total Monthly Cost: $119/month (vs $268+ with my old SEMrush + Ahrefs setup)

Annual Savings: $1,788

That’s real money I can reinvest in content creation, link building, or ads.

Making the Switch: What to Expect

Switching from SEMrush to an alternative is easier than you think:

Week 1: Trial Period Start a free trial with your top choice. Most offer 14-day trials. SE Ranking gives you 14 days to test everything.

Week 2: Data Migration Set up your tracked keywords and import any essential data. This takes maybe 2-3 hours total.

Week 3-4: Learning Curve Get comfortable with the new interface. SE Ranking took me about a week to feel fully comfortable. Moz was faster (3-4 days). Ahrefs took a bit longer (10 days).

Month 2+: Full Productivity By month two, you’ll wonder why you stuck with SEMrush so long.