Somebody asked me last month whether Semrush was the only serious option, and the honest answer is no. I have tested most of the field over the last few years, usually because a client already paid for something else and I had to work inside it.
Here are the alternatives worth your time, who each one suits, and where each one let me down. I have put the price next to each so you can rule things out quickly.
1. Ahrefs, from $129 a month
The closest competitor and the better tool for link building. Its backlink index picks up new links a little faster than anyone else, and the interface is calmer to work in.
The catch is there is no real free trial, so you pay before you know. Keyword idea volume is also thinner than Semrush when you want a large list to plan a quarter of content from. I go into the detail in my Semrush vs Ahrefs vs Moz comparison.
2. Moz Pro, from $99 a month
The friendliest one to learn on and strong for local SEO. Domain Authority is still the number clients recognise, which makes reporting easier.
The index is smaller and the data refreshes more slowly. I would pick it for a local business and not for a competitive national campaign.
3. Ubersuggest, from around $29 a month
The budget choice. For a new blogger who needs keyword volumes and basic competitor data, it does the job for a fraction of the price, and there is a cheap lifetime option that people genuinely use.
Data accuracy is looser. I have seen it report volumes that were clearly off when I checked the same terms elsewhere. Good enough to start, not good enough to bet a client budget on.
4. SE Ranking, from around $65 a month
This is the one I recommend most often to people who find Semrush too expensive. Rank tracking is excellent and accurate, the interface is clean, and white label reports for clients are included rather than sold as an add on.
Keyword database size and backlink depth do not match Semrush. If your work is mostly tracking and reporting rather than deep research, the saving is real.
5. Serpstat, from around $59 a month
An all in one tool that covers keywords, backlinks, audits and rank tracking at a lower price. Solid value if you want breadth on a budget.
Its data in smaller markets can be patchy, and the interface feels a step behind. Fine for solo work, harder to defend in front of a client.
6. Mangools, from around $29 a month
KWFinder and the tools around it are the nicest looking in this list, and easily the simplest to understand. If you get anxious opening a busy dashboard, start here.
Limits arrive quickly and there is no serious site audit. It is a research tool, not a full platform.
7. Screaming Frog, free up to 500 URLs
Not really a competitor, but it deserves a place. For technical crawling it is still the tool I trust most, and the free version covers small sites completely. The paid licence is about 259 pounds a year, which is cheap next to everything above.
It does no keyword research at all, so it sits alongside another tool rather than replacing one.
8. Google Search Console and Keyword Planner, free
Real data straight from Google about your own site, with nothing to pay. Every SEO should have Search Console connected before buying any paid tool.
The limitation is obvious. You see your own site and nothing about competitors, and Keyword Planner shows volume ranges rather than precise numbers unless you are spending on ads.
9. Sitebulb, from around $13 a month
A technical audit tool that explains problems better than almost anyone. The reports are readable by people who are not SEOs, which makes handover easier.
Again, technical only. No keywords, no competitor research.
How to choose without wasting money
I would ask two questions.
First, what is the bottleneck in your work right now? If it is deciding what to write, you need a keyword database, which points at Semrush, Ahrefs or Mangools. If it is proving progress to a client, rank tracking and reports matter more, which points at SE Ranking. If it is a site that technically misbehaves, Screaming Frog or Sitebulb will help more than any all in one platform.
Second, can you test it before paying? This is where Semrush has a straightforward advantage. It is the only tool in the list that hands you the complete paid product for a week at no cost, so you can answer the first question with your own data instead of guessing.
Test before you spend on any of them
Run your own site through the full Semrush product free for 7 days, then compare it honestly with anything else on this list. If it does not fit, you have lost nothing but a week.
Start the free trial Takes about 60 seconds. Card needed to verify, no charge during the trial.What I actually use
Semrush daily, Screaming Frog for technical work, Search Console always open in a tab, and Ahrefs for a couple of months a year when a link heavy project lands.
If budget were the deciding factor tomorrow, I would run SE Ranking plus Screaming Frog plus Search Console and be perfectly functional for around half the cost. It would be slower, and I would miss the gap reports more than anything else, but the work would still get done.
If you want the numbers side by side before you decide, my pricing guide lays out what each Semrush plan includes, and this guide covers what the free account can do without any payment at all.