Best SEO tools for agencies
Tracking many client sites at once — rankings, audits and reporting — without a separate tool for each job.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semrush Top pick | £113/mo | Teams that want every SEO and AI-search job in a single suite and can justify the price. | | Visit |
| 2 | Ahrefs | Free, then £23/mo Free tier | Anyone whose SEO work centres on links and competitor research. | | Visit |
| 3 | SE Ranking | £95/mo | Freelancers and small agencies who want most of a full suite at a fraction of the price. | | Visit |
| 4 | Moz Pro | $49/mo | Small businesses and marketers who want an established SEO suite with AI-search tracking at a mid-range price. | | Visit |
| 5 | Mangools | $61/mo | Bloggers and beginners who mainly need keyword research and a simple rank tracker. | | Visit |
| 6 | Surfer SEO | $59/mo | Content teams that want to write pages that rank and track how AI answers mention their brand. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards rank tracking and site audits. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | Semrush | Ahrefs | SE Ranking | Moz Pro | Mangools | Surfer SEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank tracking | ×3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Site audits | ×3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Breadth of features | ×3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Backlink data | ×2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| AI-search tracking | ×1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Weighted total | 97 | 83 | 82 | 80 | 48 | 42 |
Capability scores are 1–5 per dimension. Weights reflect what matters for this use case. A tool we have not assessed on a dimension scores 3, not 0.
Why Semrush wins here
Strengths
- +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.
Limitations
- −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.
- −The sheer number of tools makes it slow to learn for a first-time user.
The case for Ahrefs
The SEO suite best known for its backlink index, powered by one of the most active crawlers on the web. Anyone whose SEO work centres on links and competitor research.
Full Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison →
Common questions
Best SEO tools for agencies?
Semrush scores highest for agencies, at 97 out of 100 when weighted for rank tracking and site audits. Ahrefs is second on 83.
Sources & verification
- ahrefs.com — checked 23 September 2026Ahrefs Free covers data for sites you own; researching competitors needs a paid plan.
- mangools.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan, though Mangools publishes several free standalone SEO tools.
- moz.com — checked 24 September 2026No free Moz Pro plan; Medium has a free trial. Moz also offers separate free SEO tools.
- seranking.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial with no card required.
- surferseo.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan is listed on the pricing page.
- semrush.com — checked 23 September 2026Free trial available on paid plans; no free plan listed on the pricing page.