Semrush alternatives, matched to why you're switching
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Moz Reviews · Updated October 5, 2026 · Grounded in 100 recent Semrush reviews
Disclosure: this site reviews Moz and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. Moz is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Why buyers look past Semrush
We read Semrush's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews (August 11 to October 5, 2026) and 50 recent G2 reviews. On Trustpilot, 48 of the 50 are unprompted and average 1.52 out of 5; the 2 invited reviews average 3.0. About 40 of the 50 are about billing: a 7-day trial that became a charge, a cancellation that needed one more confirmation step, add-ons the reviewer didn't expect to pay for, and refund requests turned down. Semrush's refund page says refunds are not available for month-to-month subscriptions.
“The product is fine. The billing process is not.”theo m, Trustpilot, September 2026
On G2, where the 50 reviews average 4.24, people rate the software well and complain about cost. About 20 of the 50 name price as a drawback, about 10 say useful features sit behind add-ons or higher tiers, and about 10 say the platform is overwhelming at first.
“the price for a subscription is excessive for what you get”Ian, Trustpilot, August 2026
“The pricing is super high for a small agency.”Jadah D., G2, June 2026
If billing is why you're leaving, Moz is not a clean fix. Among Moz's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews (March 2025 to July 2026), the 34 unprompted ones average 1.29, lower than Semrush's 1.52, and most of them are also about trial charges and refused refunds. Moz's terms say it offers no refunds of any kind. Where Moz does lead Semrush like for like is price, AI prompt tracking on the mid-tier plan, and ease of use.
Match the Semrush alternative to your reason for leaving
| Compared on | Best alternative | Check before switching |
|---|---|---|
| Semrush costs too much | Moz: Starter $49 a month for one site, Standard $99, against $139 for Semrush SEO | Moz tracks rankings weekly, and reviewers find its keyword and link data smaller |
| AI prompt tracking without an upgrade | Moz: Standard includes 150 tracked AI prompts; Semrush starts prompts on the $199 Starter plan | SE Ranking Core ($129) also includes 100 AI prompts a day |
| Too many tools to learn | Moz: reviewers praise how easy it is to learn | Fewer advanced features for technical SEO and competitor research |
| Larger link data | Ahrefs: about 35 trillion backlinks, index updated every 15 to 30 minutes | No free trial, weekly rank tracking, and reviewers report credit limits |
| Trial charges and refunds | SE Ranking: 14-day trial with no card, or Mangools: free plan and a 48-hour refund | Moz is not the fix here: its trial needs a card and it gives no refunds |
| Daily rank tracking at a lower price | SE Ranking: 2,000 keywords tracked daily on the $129 Core plan | No free plan; payments are non-refundable |
| Lowest cost | Mangools: free plan, SEO-only plans from $49 a month | 200 tracked keywords on Basic, weekly tracking except on Agency |
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.
The 4 best Semrush alternatives
Moz
Lower price, AI prompts includedMoz Pro Starter costs $49 a month for one person and one website, and Standard costs $99 a month ($79 billed yearly), against $139 for Semrush's SEO plan. Standard includes 150 tracked AI prompts across GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity; on Semrush, AI prompt tracking starts with the $199 Starter plan. Reviewers on G2 and Capterra praise how easy Moz is to learn. Caveats: Moz Pro updates rankings weekly (daily tracking is a separate product, STAT, from $360 a month), reviewers find its keyword and link data smaller than Semrush's, the 7-day trial needs a card and rolls into the $179 Medium plan, and Moz gives no refunds. Its 34 most recent unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.29, below Semrush's 1.52, and on G2 it scores 4.3 to Semrush's 4.4.
Full Moz vs Semrush comparison →Ahrefs
Large link indexAhrefs reports about 35 trillion external backlinks and 28.7 billion filtered keywords, with its index updated every 15 to 30 minutes. Lite costs $129 a month for 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, and one user, and it scores 4.5 on G2 from 717 reviews. Caveats: there is no free trial, refunds are limited to monthly plans you haven't used (and Ahrefs may decline), rankings update weekly on every plan, and AI tracking (Brand Radar AI) starts at $199 a month. Its 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews are all unprompted and average 2.1, with repeated complaints about credit limits and accounts blocked for suspicious activity.
Semrush vs Ahrefs compared →SE Ranking
Daily tracking, trial without a cardSE Ranking's Core plan costs $129 a month ($103.20 billed yearly) for 10 projects, 2,000 keywords tracked daily, and 100 AI prompts a day. Its 14-day trial needs no credit card, and it scores 4.7 on G2. On Trustpilot its 29 most recent invited reviews average 4.83 and its 21 unprompted ones average 2.29. Caveats: there is no free plan, payments are non-refundable unless the service wasn't delivered as promised, Core includes one seat, and its backlink index (2.9 trillion by its own count) is smaller than Semrush's.
Moz vs SE Ranking compared →Mangools
Lowest cost, free planMangools has a free plan with no card, SEO-only plans from $49 a month, and a bundle with its AI Search Watcher from $61 a month ($37.70 a month billed yearly). It refunds in full within 48 hours of a payment. Its 43 most recent unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 4.81, the highest of any tool here. Caveats: Basic tracks 200 keywords and allows 100 keyword lookups per 24 hours, rankings update weekly except on Agency, and its backlink data is licensed from Majestic. Its G2 score of 4.7 comes from 96 reviews.
Moz vs Mangools compared →
When to stay with Semrush
Stay if you rely on daily rank tracking (500 keywords across 5 websites on the SEO plan) or on the size of Semrush's data: over 28 billion keywords across 142 country databases and more than 43 trillion backlinks, by its own count. Semrush scores 4.4 on G2 from 4,052 reviews, and its 7-day money-back guarantee covers first subscriptions of 12 months or longer. If you stay on a monthly plan, keep the confirmation email whenever you cancel a trial or an add-on.
If you mostly need keyword research, site audits, Domain Authority, client reports, and AI prompt tracking, Moz covers them for less: $99 a month for Standard against $139, with 150 AI prompts included. Read the full Moz review record, critical reviews included, check the Moz plans and prices, and if you try it, note how the 7-day trial converts.
See Moz pricingHow we sourced this: on October 5, 2026 we pulled Semrush's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews (August 11 to October 5, 2026) and 50 recent G2 reviews. Trustpilot labels each review as invited or unprompted, and we used that label to split the averages. Theme counts are approximate, from reading each review. Moz's figures come from the same kind of pull of its own 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews. Prices come from each company's pricing page on the same date. Quotes are verbatim. See also the best SEO software compared.
Semrush alternatives FAQ
What are the best Semrush alternatives?+
Moz for a lower price and AI prompt tracking on its $99 Standard plan, Ahrefs for a large link index, SE Ranking for daily rank tracking with a no-card trial, and Mangools for the lowest cost and a free plan. Moz gives up daily tracking and data size to Semrush, so pick by your reason for leaving.
What do Semrush reviews say?+
Of Semrush's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews (August 11 to October 5, 2026), 48 are unprompted and average 1.52; the 2 invited ones average 3.0. About 40 of the 50 describe trial charges, cancellations that didn't go through, add-on charges, or refused refunds. On G2, a sample of 50 recent reviews averages 4.24, and the common complaints are price, features behind add-ons, and a crowded interface.
Is Moz better than Semrush?+
Moz costs less ($99 for Standard against $139 for Semrush's SEO plan), includes 150 tracked AI prompts on Standard, and reviewers find it easier to learn. Semrush has the larger keyword and backlink data and tracks rankings daily. Neither wins on billing: Moz's unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.29 against Semrush's 1.52, and Moz gives no refunds.
Does Semrush publish pricing?+
Yes. SEO costs $139 a month, Starter $199, Pro+ $299, and Advanced $549 ($117.33, $165.17, $248.17, and $455.67 a month billed yearly). Extra users start at $45 a month. There is a free plan with 10 reports a day, and the 7-day trial needs a card.