Category by category
| Category | SE Ranking | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Features | – | Stronger |
| Backlinks | – | Stronger |
| Keywords | – | Stronger |
| Ease of use | Stronger | – |
| Starting price | from £95/mo | from £113.40/mo |
Category calls are editorial judgements, not lab test results. Swipe sideways if the table is cut off.
- Features
- Semrush adds PPC research, .Trends market intelligence, content marketing tools and social tools that SE Ranking does not match on published features
- Backlinks
- Both maintain their own link indexes. Our call favours Semrush's backlink toolset for depth of analysis, based on published features
- Keywords
- Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool and SERP context make it the stronger keyword suite in our view. SE Ranking covers the core keyword research most users need
- Pricing
- Cheapest paid plans: SE Ranking £95/mo, Semrush £113.40/mo. SE Ranking has the lower entry price. Plan limits are in the tables below.
- Ease of use
- In our view SE Ranking has a cleaner interface. Fewer modules make it easier to navigate for teams new to all-in-one platforms
Side by side
| Detail | SE Ranking | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Core, £95/mo | SEO, £113.40/mo |
| Paid plans | 2 | 3 |
| Sites or projects (that plan) | 10 | 5 |
| Tracked keywords (that plan) | 2,000 | 500 |
| Users included (that plan) | 1 | not published |
| Audit or crawl allowance (that plan) | 250,000 pages/month | not published |
| Other limits (that plan) | 25K API credits and MCP access; 25 AI prompts daily | Basic keyword research and competitor analysis; AI search tracking |
| Free plan | not published | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days, card needed |
| Money-back guarantee | No; payments are non-refundable except where the service was not delivered as promised | not published |
| Currency shown | GBP | GBP |
| Prices checked | 31 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
"Not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not show it on the check date; it is not assumed to be zero or unlimited. Swipe sideways to see both tools.
What SE Ranking and Semrush cost for the same workload
The cheapest plan on each tool whose published limits cover the workload, and what the first year costs at list price. Yearly billing is used where the vendor publishes it.
| Workload | SE Ranking | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 userSolo blogger or one business site | Core: £912 | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords, 1 userFreelancer with a few clients | Core: £912 | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 15 sites, 1,500 tracked keywords, 2 usersSmall agency | Growth: £2,006.40 | Limits not published |
"Limits not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not list a limit needed to judge the plan. Try your own numbers in the plan finder.
Every SE Ranking and Semrush plan
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Core | £95 | £76 | 10 | 2,000 | 1 |
| SE Ranking Growth | £209 | £167.20 | 30 | 5,000 | 3 |
| Semrush SEO | £113.40 | £95.07 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Starter | £161.25 | £133.84 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Pro+ | £242.28 | £201.09 | 15 | 1,500 | not published |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published, before tax. Swipe sideways to see every column.
- Checked on vendor siteSE Ranking: prices read from seranking.com on . Shown in GBP as the vendor displayed it; not converted.
- Prices read from vendor site; some terms not published thereSemrush: prices read from semrush.com on . Shown in GBP as the vendor displayed it; not converted.
SE Ranking Black Friday 2026
Coming, no terms yet. SE Ranking’s Black Friday page says “Coming soon”, with no terms yet. (seranking.com)
Last confirmed offer (2024): 20% off yearly plans plus an extra 20% Black Friday saving (first-time customers). Source.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Semrush Black Friday 2026
Not announced yet. Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
No Black Friday offer from Semrush has been found on its own site for 2024 or 2025.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Which should you pick?
Pick SE Ranking if
You want all-in-one SEO features at a lower price, or you're an agency needing white-label reporting on a budget
SE Ranking plans and catchesPick Semrush if
You need PPC competitive data, .Trends market intelligence, deep keyword tooling, or enterprise-level reporting
Semrush plans and catchesThe verdict
SE Ranking is the obvious candidate for buyers who want 'Semrush but cheaper.' On published features, it covers the core SEO workflow: site audit, rank tracking, keyword research and backlink analysis, with white-label reporting on higher tiers that suits agencies. Semrush keeps the edge on breadth (PPC, content and market intelligence) and keyword tooling depth. Our view: for SEO-focused freelancers and small agencies, SE Ranking covers most needs; choose Semrush if you need those extra modules.