MarketingComparison
SE Ranking vs Semrush (2026): Pricing, Limits & Who Wins
SE Ranking vs Semrush: SE Ranking from $103/mo tracks 2,000 keywords daily, Semrush from $117/mo tracks 500. Compare pricing, limits, seats and fit.
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SE Ranking vs Semrush is not a question of which tool is “better” but which one fits your workflow and budget. The short answer: choose SE Ranking if you mainly need rank tracking, site audits, and client reporting at a lower price, and choose Semrush if you need its deeper content, competitive, and market-intelligence tooling and can pay for it. Prices and plan limits below were checked against both vendors’ official pricing pages on October 9, 2026, and all prices are in USD. Read SE Ranking Review for Marketers: Rank Tracking and SEO Toolkit and Semrush review for full depth on each tool.
Quick verdict
- Choose SE Ranking if you are a freelancer, small agency, or in-house marketer tracking many keywords or several domains and want the lowest cost per tracked keyword. Its Core plan costs $103.20 per month on annual billing and tracks 2,000 keywords daily across 10 projects.
- Choose Semrush if content optimization, historical SEO data, keyword cannibalization analysis, and a wider product ecosystem matter more than tracking volume. Its entry SEO plan costs $117.33 per month on annual billing and tracks 500 keywords daily across 5 websites.
- Choose neither if a lighter tool already covers most of your job. Both platforms are built for ongoing SEO work, so do not overbuy breadth you will not use.
Comparison table
| Factor | SE Ranking | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price (annual billing) | Core: $103.20/mo ($129 monthly) | SEO: $117.33/mo ($139 monthly) |
| Next tier (annual billing) | Growth: $223.20/mo ($279 monthly) | Pro+: $248.17/mo ($299 monthly), after the $165.17 Starter plan that adds AI search tracking |
| Keywords tracked daily (entry tier) | 2,000 | 500 |
| Projects / websites (entry tier) | 10 projects | 5 websites |
| Users included (entry tier) | 1 manager seat; extra seats from $16 | 1 user; extra users from $45/mo |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 7 days; a limited free account also exists |
| Historical data | Limited on Core, full project history on Growth | Historical SEO data starts at Pro+ |
| Content optimization | Content marketing articles included (25 on Core) | Content optimization starts at Pro+ |
| White-label reporting | Agency Pack add-on, +$69/mo (annual billing only) | Pro Report add-on, $20/mo |
| API access | 25K API credits on Core; API add-on from +$45/mo | API data integration on the Advanced plan |
| Best for | Cost-effective monitoring and client reporting | Deep competitive and content marketing modules |
SE Ranking pricing
SE Ranking has two standard plans plus a custom Enterprise option, and it offers a 20% discount on annual billing. Annual plans are billed upfront.
| Plan | Annual billing | Monthly billing | Projects | Manager seats | Keywords tracked daily | AI prompts daily | Site audit pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $103.20/mo | $129/mo | 10 | 1 | 2,000 | 100 | 250,000/mo |
| Growth | $223.20/mo | $279/mo | 30 | 3 | 5,000 | 250 | 2 million/mo |
Growth adds all-time historical data, guest links, page changes monitoring, and dedicated customer support. Extra keywords start at $22.40 on Core and $32 on Growth, and extra manager seats start at $16. Add-ons include the Agency Pack (+$69/mo, annual only, white-label reporting and 30 client seats), AI Search (+$71.20/mo annual or $89 monthly, for expanded AI visibility tracking), and API (+$45/mo, annual only). Free migration is included with annual subscriptions, and you can cancel anytime, although payments are non-refundable except where the service was not delivered as promised.
Semrush pricing
Semrush’s pricing page now centers on SEO plans that combine classic SEO with AI search visibility. Annual billing saves up to 17%, and Semrush also sells separate toolkits for traffic and market analysis, local, content, social, advertising, and AI PR.
| Plan | Annual billing | Monthly billing | Websites to monitor | Keywords tracked daily | Notable additions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | $117.33/mo | $139/mo | 5 | 500 | Position Tracking, Site Audit, basic keyword research, AI search tracking |
| Starter | $165.17/mo | $199/mo | 5 | 500 | 50 daily AI prompts, 1 domain for AI brand performance, MCP access |
| Pro+ | $248.17/mo | $299/mo | 15 | 1,500 | Historical SEO data, content optimization, keyword cannibalization analysis, multi-location and device tracking |
| Advanced | $455.67/mo | $549/mo | 40 | 5,000 | SEO share of voice, API data integration, 200 daily AI prompts |
Every plan includes one user. Additional users start at $45 per month. Reporting add-ons are available: Base Report at $10/mo and Pro Report at $20/mo, which adds branding and white-labeling and AI-generated summaries. Semrush offers a 7-day free trial and a limited free account with one demo project and 10 reports per day. Enterprise pricing is custom.
What you get per dollar
Tracking volume is the clearest place where the two differ on price. The table below divides each plan’s daily tracked keywords by its annual-billing monthly price. It measures tracking capacity only, not data depth, accuracy, or the other tools in the suite.
| Plan | Keywords tracked daily | Monthly price (annual billing) | Keywords per $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Core | 2,000 | $103.20 | 19.4 |
| SE Ranking Growth | 5,000 | $223.20 | 22.4 |
| Semrush SEO | 500 | $117.33 | 4.3 |
| Semrush Pro+ | 1,500 | $248.17 | 6.0 |
| Semrush Advanced | 5,000 | $455.67 | 11.0 |
At the same 5,000-keyword tracking level, SE Ranking Growth costs roughly half of Semrush Advanced, though Advanced adds share of voice and API data integration.
What a team actually pays
- Solo SEO or small site owner: SE Ranking Core is $103.20 per month, against $117.33 for Semrush SEO. Core also gives you four times the daily keyword tracking and twice the project count.
- Three-person small agency: SE Ranking Growth is $223.20 per month with three manager seats included, or $292.20 with the Agency Pack for white-label reporting. On Semrush, Pro+ is $248.17 per month for one user; adding two extra users (listed as starting at $45 each) and the $20 Pro Report add-on brings the estimate to roughly $358 per month. Confirm the exact add-on billing at checkout, since the seat price is listed as a “starting at” figure.
Where SE Ranking is stronger
SE Ranking’s advantage is straightforward value for monitoring-heavy work. Its entry plan tracks more keywords and projects than Semrush’s entry plan at a lower price, includes extra seats at $16 rather than $45, and its Growth plan includes three manager seats. The interface is approachable for part-time SEOs, and the plan structure is simple enough that you can see what you are buying: two tiers, a handful of add-ons, and a 14-day trial with no credit card required. Agencies that want white-label reporting get it through a single add-on rather than a separate product.
Where Semrush is stronger
Semrush’s advantage is breadth and depth beyond tracking. Content optimization, keyword cannibalization analysis, and historical SEO data arrive at Pro+, and the company sells dedicated toolkits for market analysis, local, content, social, advertising, and AI PR alongside the core SEO suite. Teams that run content programs and competitive research as a core part of their strategy, or that need a platform with enterprise options, will find more room to grow on Semrush. The trade-off is price: entry-level tracking volume is lower, extra users cost more, and the most useful features sit one or two tiers above the entry plan.
Decision guide
Choose SE Ranking when you need strong value for rank-tracking volume, you manage several client sites on a modest budget, and you want an approachable interface for regular reporting.
Choose Semrush when your bottleneck is content strategy, competitive research, or market-level insight, and you can justify Pro+ pricing or above to unlock the features that matter most.
Who should choose which
SE Ranking suits freelancers, small agencies, and in-house marketers monitoring multiple domains without Semrush-scale spend. Semrush suits content-led teams, larger agencies, and organizations that want one vendor for SEO, content, and market intelligence and can pay for it.
Neither if a lighter tool already covers 80% of the job — do not overbuy platform breadth. See SE Ranking pricing for a closer look at its plan costs and add-ons.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, SE Ranking or Semrush?
SE Ranking is cheaper at the entry level: Core is $103.20 per month on annual billing, against $117.33 for Semrush’s SEO plan, and Core tracks four times as many keywords daily. The gap holds at the next tier too, where SE Ranking Growth is $223.20 against $248.17 for Semrush Pro+. Compare live tiers at your usage band rather than relying on “starting at” prices, since extra seats, add-ons, and AI features change the total.
Can I switch from Semrush to SE Ranking?
Yes. SE Ranking offers built-in options to import projects and keyword ranking history, and free assisted migration is available with annual subscriptions. Plan the move during a low-traffic window, and export your Semrush data before you cancel, since exports and billing differ by product.
Does SE Ranking or Semrush have a free plan?
Neither has a full free plan. SE Ranking offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required, and Semrush offers a 7-day free trial plus a limited free account with one demo project and 10 reports per day.
Which is better for agencies?
SE Ranking’s Growth plan includes three manager seats, and its Agency Pack adds white-label reporting and client seats for +$69 per month. Semrush works for agencies that need content and competitive depth, but extra users and reporting add-ons raise the cost. For monitoring-focused agencies, SE Ranking is usually the lower-cost option.
Do both tools track AI search visibility?
Yes. SE Ranking’s Core and Growth plans include daily AI prompt tracking, with an AI Search add-on for expanded capacity. Semrush’s plans include AI search tracking, and its Starter, Pro+, and Advanced plans add daily prompt limits. Check the prompt limits against how many topics you need to monitor before choosing.