SE Ranking vs Semrush
Both are SEO tools aimed at marketers, freelancers, agencies and site owners. They differ most on value for money, backlink data and site audits.
At a glance
| SE Ranking | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 78/100 | 84/100 Higher |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Paid from | £95/mo monthly; £76/mo billed annually; 2,000 tracked keywords, 100 AI prompts | £113/mo monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords |
| Positioning | value suite | full suite |
| Launched | 2013 | 2008 |
| Best for | Freelancers and small agencies who want most of a full suite at a fraction of the price. | Teams that want every SEO and AI-search job in a single suite and can justify the price. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | SE Ranking | Semrush | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 3/5 | SE Ranking |
| Value for money | 4/5 | 2/5 | SE Ranking |
| Keyword research | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Free plan | 1/5 | 1/5 | Tie |
| Rank tracking | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Site audits | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Breadth of features | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Backlink data | 3/5 | 4/5 | Semrush |
| AI-search tracking | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. SE Ranking leads on 2 dimensions, Semrush on 5. The overall figure weights these for SEO tools generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking | Core | £95 | monthly; £76/mo billed annually; 2,000 tracked keywords, 100 AI prompts |
| Growth | £209 | monthly; £167.20/mo billed annually; 5,000 tracked keywords, 250 AI prompts | |
| Semrush | SEO | £113 | monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords |
| Starter (SEO + AI) | £161 | monthly; £133.84/mo billed annually; 50 AI prompts | |
| Pro+ | £242 | monthly; £201.09/mo billed annually; 1,500 tracked keywords | |
| Advanced | £444 | monthly; £369.23/mo billed annually; API access |
Pricing checked 23 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. SE Ranking: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves 20% and includes free migration. Semrush: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves up to 17%.
Verdict
SE Ranking
- +Core gives twice the projects and four times the tracked keywords of Semrush's entry plan (10 and 2,000), for less — £95 a month.
- +AI-search tracking comes built in: 100 prompts a day on Core, 250 on Growth.
- +Unlimited keyword, competitor and backlink research on every plan.
- −API use is capped — 25,000 credits a month on Core.
- −White-label reporting for agencies is a £49-a-month add-on, annual billing only.
Semrush
- +The widest toolset in the category — keyword research, rank tracking, audits, competitor analysis and AI-search tracking in one login.
- +Every plan includes some AI-search tracking; Starter and above add daily prompt tracking, starting at 50 prompts.
- +Tracks rankings daily and supports multi-location and device tracking on Pro+ and above.
- −Expensive — £113 a month for the entry SEO plan, and extra users cost from £36 a month each.
- −Historical SEO data and content optimisation tools start at Pro+, £242 a month.
Common questions
Is SE Ranking cheaper than Semrush?
SE Ranking starts at £95/mo (monthly; £76/mo billed annually; 2,000 tracked keywords, 100 AI prompts), and Semrush starts at £113/mo (monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords) — so SE Ranking is the cheaper entry point. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Which is better, SE Ranking or Semrush?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Semrush comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- seranking.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial with no card required.
- semrush.com — checked 23 September 2026Free trial available on paid plans; no free plan listed on the pricing page.