Moz vs Semrush: Moz costs less to start, Semrush has more data and daily rank tracking
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Moz Reviews · Updated October 5, 2026
Moz is the cheaper way in. Moz Pro starts at $49 a month for a single site, Standard is $99, and every plan we checked from Standard up includes AI prompt tracking (150 prompts on Standard). Semrush's first plan is $139 a month and has no AI prompt tracking; that starts on its $199 Starter plan.
Semrush is the stronger data tool. It claims over 28 billion keywords against Moz's 1.25 billion+, tracks rankings daily where Moz Pro tracks weekly, and rates higher on G2 and with unprompted Trustpilot reviewers. Pick Semrush if you run SEO for several sites, need daily rank movement, or research keywords in many countries. Pick Moz if you are learning SEO, want Domain Authority as your link metric, or need AI visibility tracking on a smaller budget.
Moz vs Semrush at a glance
| Compared on | Moz | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo (Starter); Standard $99/mo | $139/mo (SEO plan) |
| Yearly price | Standard $79/mo billed yearly (save 20%); Starter yearly price not published | SEO plan $117.33/mo billed yearly (save up to 17%) |
| Entry plan | Starter: 1 person, 1 website. Standard: 1 user, 3 sites, 300 tracked keywords | SEO plan: 5 websites, 500 tracked keywords; extra users from $45/mo |
| Rank tracking updates | Weekly (daily only through STAT, from $360/mo) | Daily |
| AI prompt tracking | 150 prompts on Standard (GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity) | None on the SEO plan; 50 prompts tracked daily from the $199 Starter plan |
| Free plan / trial | Free Moz account (limited); 7-day Pro trial on Medium, payment details at signup | Free plan (10 reports a day, no card); 7-day trial needs a card |
| Refund policy | No refunds of any kind | 7-day money-back on first annual (12-month+) plans only; none on monthly |
| Keyword database (vendor's claim) | 1.25 billion+ keywords | Over 28 billion keywords, 142 databases |
| Backlink index (vendor's claim) | 40 trillion+ links | More than 43 trillion backlinks, 390 million referring domains |
| G2 rating | 4.3 (608 reviews, Moz Pro) | 4.4 (4,052 reviews) |
| Trustpilot TrustScore | 2.4 (242 reviews) | 1.7 (1,407 reviews) |
| Trustpilot unprompted, latest 50 reviews | 1.29 average (34 of 50 unprompted) | 1.52 average (48 of 50 unprompted) |
| Ownership | Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD), via iContact, since June 2021 | Adobe, since April 28, 2026 |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-05. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
Trustpilot samples: each company's 50 most recent reviews, off-topic ones left out. Moz: March 2025 to July 2026 (34 unprompted averaging 1.29; 16 invited averaging 5.0). Semrush: August 11 to October 5, 2026 (48 unprompted averaging 1.52; 2 invited averaging 3.0). Pulled October 5, 2026. Moz's API page puts its link index at 44 trillion; some Semrush pages say 26 billion keywords.
Moz vs Semrush on price and entry plans
Moz has the lower floor. Moz Pro Starter costs $49 a month for one person and one website, and Standard costs $99 a month, or $79 a month billed yearly. Semrush's cheapest paid plan, SEO, costs $139 a month, or $117.33 a month billed yearly.
Semrush gives more for its first plan: 5 websites and 500 tracked keywords, against 3 sites and 300 keywords on Moz Standard. Moz Standard does include 150 tracked AI prompts across GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. On Semrush, AI prompt tracking starts on the $199 Starter plan, with 50 prompts. Extra users cost $49 a month on Moz and from $45 a month on Semrush. Full Moz plan details are on our Moz pricing page.
“The main thing I dislike about Semrush is that the pricing can feel high for smaller teams.”Harshit v., G2, September 2026
Moz vs Semrush on keyword and link data
This is the largest gap. Moz says Keyword Explorer covers 1.25 billion+ keywords. Semrush says its database holds over 28 billion keywords across 142 geographic databases. If you research keywords in many markets or languages, Semrush has far more to draw on.
On links the vendor claims are closer: Moz says 40 trillion+ links, Semrush more than 43 trillion backlinks and 390 million referring domains, refreshed at least hourly. Each company counts its own way, so treat these as rough. Across our 1,834 Moz reviews, a recurring complaint is that Moz's keyword and link data is smaller than Semrush's or Ahrefs'. Moz's strength here is Domain Authority, a score many SEOs and clients already use as shorthand for a site's link strength.
Moz vs Semrush on rank tracking
Semrush updates tracked keywords daily on every plan. Moz Pro updates them weekly. Moz sells daily tracking through STAT, a separate product that starts at $360 a month for 3,000 daily keywords. If you report day-to-day ranking moves to clients or watch volatile results, Semrush covers that on its $139 plan.
Where Moz does well with its own reviewers is ease of use. They praise how quickly the tools can be learned, the reports, and Moz's learning resources:
“Easy enough for beginners but robust enough for power users.”Jake H., G2, January 2026
Moz vs Semrush on trials, refunds, and billing
Both companies offer a free tier. A free Moz account gives limited access to Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, and MozBar. Semrush's free plan allows 10 reports a day with no card.
Both 7-day trials take payment details. Moz's trial runs on the Medium plan and rolls into a paid Medium subscription ($179 a month) unless you cancel; Moz asks for cancellation at least 24 hours before renewal. Moz offers no refunds of any kind. Semrush refunds within 7 days only on a first subscription of 12 months or longer, and never on month-to-month plans. Unprompted Trustpilot reviewers of both companies describe trial charges and refused refunds, so set a reminder before day 7. Our guide to cancelling Moz lists the steps, and the Moz free trial page covers what the trial includes.
Where Semrush wins
- Over 28 billion keywords in its database, against Moz's 1.25 billion+.
- Daily rank tracking on every plan; Moz Pro updates weekly.
- More on the first plan: 5 websites and 500 tracked keywords for $139 a month.
- A free plan with 10 reports a day and no card required.
- A 7-day money-back guarantee on first annual plans. Moz offers no refunds.
- Higher review scores: 4.4 on G2 from 4,052 reviews, and a 1.52 unprompted Trustpilot average against Moz's 1.29.
Other Moz and Semrush comparisons
See Moz vs Ahrefs, Semrush vs Ahrefs, and Semrush alternatives for more options, or is Moz legit for the billing complaints in detail.
Moz vs Semrush FAQ
Is Moz or Semrush cheaper?+
Moz. Moz Pro Starter is $49 a month for one person and one website, and Standard is $99 a month ($79 a month billed yearly). Semrush's SEO plan is $139 a month ($117.33 a month billed yearly). Semrush's SEO plan covers more for the money, though: 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily, against 3 sites and 300 keywords tracked weekly on Moz Standard.
Is Semrush better than Moz?+
For data depth and rank tracking, yes. Semrush says its keyword database holds over 28 billion keywords; Moz says 1.25 billion+. Semrush updates tracked rankings daily on every plan, while Moz Pro updates weekly. Semrush also scores higher with reviewers: 4.4 on G2 (4,052 reviews) against Moz Pro's 4.3 (608). Moz is the better fit if you want a lower entry price, AI prompt tracking on a $99 plan, and a tool reviewers describe as easy to learn.
How do Moz and Semrush reviews compare?+
Semrush leads on G2 (4.4 vs 4.3). On Trustpilot, compare like for like: among each company's 50 most recent reviews, unprompted reviews average 1.52 for Semrush (48 reviews) and 1.29 for Moz (34 reviews). Both sets are dominated by billing complaints. Overall TrustScores (Moz 2.4 from 242, Semrush 1.7 from 1,407) mostly reflect how many reviews each company invites.
Does Moz or Semrush track rankings daily?+
Semrush does, on its $139 SEO plan and up. Moz Pro updates rankings weekly. Moz sells daily tracking through STAT, its separate enterprise rank tracker, from $360 a month for 3,000 daily keywords.