Semrush review: our take
Semrush is the broad option: keyword research, backlink and competitor data, daily rank tracking and site audits sit in one account, and the newer plans add tracking of how AI answers mention your brand. The free plan allows 1 demo project and 10 reports a day, and paid plans have a 7-day trial.
The SEO plan costs $139 a month, or $117.33 billed yearly, for 5 sites and 500 tracked keywords. AI prompt tracking and MCP access start with Starter at $199, and every extra user is an add-on from $45 a month, so team costs climb quickly. For backlink research on its own crawler, look at Ahrefs; for writing articles against the ranking pages, Surfer SEO.
By the Prompt Hackers team · facts checked 4 Oct 2026
What Semrush does
Semrush covers keyword research, competitor and backlink analysis, daily position tracking and site audits. Its SEO + AI Search plans add tracking of custom prompts and brand performance in AI answers, with MCP access from Starter up. The AI Visibility Toolkit sells that tracking on its own across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity, and the Content Toolkit adds content ideas, SEO briefs and writing in a brand voice.
Who Semrush is for
Best for
- SEO agencies tracking several client sites
- in-house teams that want keyword, competitor and audit data in one account
- brands checking how ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity mention them
Not for
- small budgets: paid SEO plans start at $139 a month and each extra user is an add-on from $45 a month
- AI prompt tracking on the entry plan: tracked prompts start with Starter at $199 a month
Semrush features
- F1Keyword research
- F2Backlink and competitor analysis
- F3Position Tracking
- F4Site Audit
- F5AI visibility
- prompt tracking and brand performance
- F6Content Toolkit
- briefs and brand-voice writing
- F7MCP access
- Starter and up
- F8API
- Advanced and Enterprise
Semrush pricing and plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly, per month | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | 1 demo project, 10 reports a day |
| SEO | $139 | $117.33 | 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily, keyword research, competitor analysis, Position Tracking, Site Audit |
| Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199 | $165.17 | 5 websites, 500 keywords, 50 AI prompts tracked daily, 1 domain for AI brand performance, MCP access |
| Pro+ (SEO + AI Search) | $299 | $248.17 | 15 websites, 1,500 keywords, 100 AI prompts, historical data, content optimization |
| Advanced (SEO + AI Search) | $549 | $455.67 | 40 websites, 5,000 keywords, 200 AI prompts, share of voice, API data integration |
| AI Visibility Toolkit | — | $99 | per domain, billed yearly; 25 tracked prompts, 1 domain for Brand Performance, mentions from ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity; 50 more prompts cost $60 a month |
| Content Toolkit | — | $60 | billed yearly; content ideas, SEO Brief Generator, AI and SEO content optimization, content in your brand voice |
| Enterprise | — | — | custom pricing; unlimited projects and custom limits, SSO, API access |
Free plan: yes. Free trial: 7 days. Prices as listed by the vendor in USD, before tax; they change, so check the pricing page before you buy.
Semrush FAQ
- How much does Semrush cost?
- Paid plans start at $139/mo, with a discount for yearly billing. Prices checked on 4 Oct 2026.
- Does Semrush have a free plan?
- Yes, Semrush has a free plan.
- What are the alternatives to Semrush?
- Tools that cover the same jobs include Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, Perplexity, ChatGPT.