Category by category
| Category | Semrush | SpyFu |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Stronger | – |
| Keywords | – | Stronger |
| Backlinks | Stronger | – |
| Starting price | from £113.40/mo | from $39/mo |
Category calls are editorial judgements, not lab test results. Swipe sideways if the table is cut off.
- Features
- Semrush covers keyword research, rank tracking, audits, backlinks, content and PPC research. SpyFu centres on competitor PPC and organic keyword research, with weekly rank tracking and a site audit
- Keywords
- On published limits, SpyFu's Basic plan tracks 5,000 keywords weekly against 500 on Semrush's SEO plan
- Backlinks
- Both list backlink tools; Semrush's backlink analysis is part of a broader link research toolset
- Pricing
- Cheapest paid plans: Semrush £113.40/mo, SpyFu $39/mo. The vendors publish prices in different currencies, so neither is called cheaper here. Plan limits are in the tables below.
Side by side
| Detail | Semrush | SpyFu |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | SEO, £113.40/mo | Basic, $39/mo |
| Paid plans | 3 | 3 |
| Sites or projects (that plan) | 5 | 1 Live Site tracking project |
| Tracked keywords (that plan) | 500 | 5k weekly tracked keyword rankings |
| Users included (that plan) | not published | 1 user ($15 per additional user, comparison table) |
| Audit or crawl allowance (that plan) | not published | 50k crawl pages / month (max 500 pages per crawl) |
| Other limits (that plan) | Basic keyword research and competitor analysis; AI search tracking | 10k row search results and exports; 10 automated reports; 1,000 AI fixes / month; 1 connected site; 250 advanced sales leads exports; RivalFlow 0 sites; ChatGPT integration and AI Brand Monitoring 'Limited'; weekly audit schedule; annual card: 'Save $120 per year' |
| Free plan | Yes | not published |
| Free trial | 7 days, card needed | not published |
| Money-back guarantee | not published | 30-Day Money Back Guarantee on the pricing page: "just let us know at any time in the first 30 days". Cancel anytime via email, livechat, phone or MyAccount page; "No contracts." |
| Currency shown | GBP | USD |
| 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 Semrush and SpyFu 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 | Semrush | SpyFu |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 userSolo blogger or one business site | SEO: £1,140.84 | Basic: $348 |
| 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords, 1 userFreelancer with a few clients | SEO: £1,140.84 | Pro + AI: $1,068 |
| 15 sites, 1,500 tracked keywords, 2 usersSmall agency | Limits not published | Team / Agency: $2,244 |
"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 Semrush and SpyFu plan
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| SpyFu Basic | $39 | $29 | 1 Live Site tracking project | 5k weekly tracked keyword rankings | 1 user ($15 per additional user, comparison table) |
| SpyFu Pro + AI | $119 | $89 | 10 Live Site tracking projects | 15k weekly tracked keyword rankings | 1 user included ($30 for each additional) |
| SpyFu Team / Agency | $249 | $187 | Unlimited Live Site tracking projects | 50k weekly tracked keyword rankings | 5 users included ($30 for each additional) |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published, before tax. Swipe sideways to see every column.
- 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.
- Checked on vendor siteSpyFu: prices read from spyfu.com on .
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.
SpyFu Black Friday 2026
Not announced yet. Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Which should you pick?
Pick Semrush if
You want one subscription for most SEO jobs, including audits, backlinks and content research
Semrush plans and catchesPick SpyFu if
Your focus is what competitors buy in Google Ads and how their keywords changed over time, on a smaller budget
SpyFu plans and catchesThe verdict
Semrush is the broader suite: keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlinks, content and PPC research in one place. SpyFu is narrower and cheaper to start, built around competitors' Google Ads keywords, ad copy and organic rankings over many years. On published limits SpyFu's entry plan tracks far more keywords, though weekly rather than as a daily feed. SpyFu also states a 30-day money-back guarantee. For an agency running client SEO end to end, Semrush covers more. For PPC-led research or a tight budget, SpyFu is the practical choice.