The Best Semrush Alternative for Rank Tracking

semrush alternative

Rank tracking, SEO audits and competitor analysis? Semrush was probably the first SEO tool that came to your mind because many SEO professionals claim it’s the best one. 

However, when you tried to use it, you’ve probably found the amount of features overwhelming and started to question whether its high price is a good fit for you.

I’ve been in the same position, wanting to find an easy way to track keyword rankings and do advanced SEO, without having to pay a fortune for a single tool.

That’s why I personally tested the 6 most popular rank-tracking tools to find the best Semrush alternative, with the right balance between features and price.

Keep reading for an overview of my favorites.

Table of Contents

Overview of Semrush

semrush overview

Source: G2.com

Semrush is a comprehensive digital marketing tool that mostly focuses on search engine optimization and search engine marketing, so you can track both organic and paid traffic. 

The software is most popular among enterprises and large SEO agencies with big budgets since it is one of the most expensive SEO tools on the market ( starting at $129.95 per month).

Here are its main features:

  • Keyword research
  • Rank tracking
  • Keyword opportunity predictions
  • Competitive analysis
  • Backlink analysis
  • Link building
  • On-page optimization
  • Local SEO
  • Site audit
  • Historical data
  • Search engine marketing
  • Plenty of integrations (Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google ads, multiple social networks, etc)

Pros 

  • Extensive database: With over 25 billion keywords, Semrush is one of the keyword research tools with the most extensive database.
  • Keyword Magic Tool: This built-in tool provides an effective way to group, filter and sort large amounts of keywords, so you can track them easier.
  • On-page SEO checker: This feature gives you personalized tips on improving the rankings of specific pages on your website, including content ideas, link building and optimizing for SERP rankings, considering all factors to rank higher on Google.

Cons

  • Steep learning curve: This SEO tool is specifically designed for SEO professionals, and its complexity may be challenging if you don’t have much experience.
  • High price: With a starting price of $129.95 per month, this tool may not be accessible to everyone, especially if you want to unlock all features, such as  multi-location rank tracking and historical data.
  • Overstuffed with features: It has various features, from content marketing to paid advertising and SEO, so smaller teams and individuals like myself end up using just a small part of them.

Pricing 

  • Pro: $129.95 per month (500 daily tracked keywords)
  • Guru: $249.95 (1,500 daily tracked keywords)
  • Business: $499.95 per month (5,000 daily tracked keywords)
  • semrush pricing

User ratings

While many SEO professionals are praising this tool for its versatile set of features, another group of users wrote that it’s not always as accurate as they thought, and it requires a big budget and some time for exploring.

G2: 4.5

Capterra: 4.7

semrush user ratings

Why look for Semrush alternatives?

  1. User-friendliness: If you haven’t used Semrush before, you will have a hard time figuring out where the features are and how to use them, which is frustrating and prevents you from getting the most out of this SEO tool.
  2. Accuracy: Semrush isn’t always completely accurate, as it measures keyword difficulty based on domain authority instead of search volume, which would be more precise.
  3. Value for money: There are many SEO tools that offer similar functionalities starting at $19–30, which is just a fraction of the price of Semrush’s cheapest plan, starting at $129.95.  

The best Semrush alternative

Serpple 

serpple dashboard

Serpple is one of the best keyword rank-tracking software of the latest generation, known for its supreme accuracy and ease of use, along with many SEO features that help you target the right keywords, outrank competitors and optimize your website.

The reason why I put Serpple #1 is because it has the best balance between advanced features and price among all Semrush competitors – for $19 per month, you unlock all necessary SEO-related features.

In the Keyword Insights section, apart from standard keyword metrics such as search volume and difficulty, you can find a comprehensive keyword search history as well as keyword predictions and trends that will help you rank your website.

Serpple’s user-friendly interface allows you to track search engine rankings and get valuable insights with only a few clicks.

serpple keyword insights

There’s also a Keyword Opportunities section based on competitive research, helping you rank for high-impact keywords that your competitors might have overlooked.

Talking about competitors, Serpple is one of the best competitor keyword analysis tools because of our focus on accuracy and timely updates.

The AI Competitor tracker feature allows you to automate search engine position tracking and competitor analysis by updating you about any changes in rankings and SERP positions daily, enabling you to be one step ahead of others in your industry.

AI competitor tracker

If you loved Semrush’s on-page SEO checker, you need to check out our SEO Content Audit feature that does a detailed audit of each page, providing you with a score summary, specific tips on issues that need to be fixed and a checklist to avoid common SEO mistakes.

SEO Content Audit

Features 

  • Accurate rank tracking
  • Keyword analysis
  • Keyword opportunities
  • AI-powered competitor analysis
  • SERP analysis
  • Content audit
  • Backlink research
  • Advanced reporting

Pros 

  • Supreme accuracy: With a 99.9% accuracy rate and daily ranking updates, Serpple always gives you fresh data, so you can be at the forefront in your industry.
  • Intuitive interface: Our tool is user-friendly and well-organized, both beginners and professionals will learn how to navigate it instantly, without any special training or support.
  • Value for money: You can get all of the features mentioned above and more for only $19 per month. In fact, you’d have to pay almost 10x more to get the same features with Semrush.

Cons

Pricing

  • Side Hustler: $19 per month (up to 100 keywords, ideal SEO tool for freelancers and solopreneurs)
  • Entrepreneur: $29 per month (up to 500 keywords, great for small and medium agencies)
  • Agency: $99 per month (up to 3,000 keywords, suitable for enterprises)

*If you purchase an annual subscription, you’ll get two months for free.

serpple pricing

UI/UX

I’m a bit biased here, but out of all the tools I’ve tried, I think that Serpple has the best user interface and design. It is a feature-rich tool with a super user-friendly interface, making it the best keyword rank-tracking software for beginners and users who need an easy transition from other SEO tools.

serpple UI UX

User ratings

Serpple has a high rating on review platforms, and many users admitted that it exceeded their expectations. It’s by far the best value for money, offering advanced features and supreme accuracy at a very convenient price.

Capterra: 5

G2: 4.5

serpple user ratings

AccuRanker

accuranker dashboard

Source: G2.com

AccuRanker is an excellent tool for rank tracking, but it doesn’t have as many other general SEO features as Semrush or other tools on the list, which I discovered while writing a detailed AccuRanker review.

Features

  • Daily reports
  • Geo-location tracking
  • Ranking distribution graph
  • In-depth SERP analysis
  • Competitor research

Pros

  • Good data accuracy: AccuRanker has really accurate results when it comes to rank tracking and keyword research, unlike Semrush which has data discrepancies from time to time.
  • Regular updates: AccuRanker updates its database every 24 hours, so you get valuable insights every day.
  • Speed: This is one of the fastest rank-tracking tools I’ve ever tried, which is a plus for user experience.

Cons

  • Lack of SEO features: This tool is focused mostly on rank tracking and has much fewer SEO features compared to Semrush.
  • Confusing reports: AccuRanker is not the best reporting tool – its reports are confusing and difficult to understand because they lack detailed explanations.
  • High price: With a limited number of features and a starting price of over €100 per month, this tool may not be worth it for small and medium businesses.

Pricing

The pricing is flexible, and it depends on the number of keywords you want to track.

It starts at €116 per month for up to 1,000 keywords and can go up to €2,492 per month for up to 50,000 keywords.

accuranker pricing

UI/UX

I was impressed by AccuRanker’s loading speed but a bit disappointed by its design, especially considering the price.

accuranker UI UX

Source: G2.com

User ratings

Users are really satisfied with the speed and accuracy of this tool, but they still believe it’s a pretty high price for a simple rank tracker without more advanced SEO features.

G2: 4.8

Capterra: 4.8

user ratings

Mangools

mangools dashboard

Source: G2.com

Mangools is a user-friendly SEO tool that might have slightly fewer features than Semrush, but it could be a much better option for small businesses due to its ease of use and convenient price.

Features

  • SERP watcher
  • Local SERP simulator
  • Benchmarking
  • Keyword opportunities
  • Browser extension

Pros

  • Beginner-friendly: Even if you’ve never used an SEO tool before, you won’t have any problems navigating its interface.
  • Local results: You can check SERP previews for over 52.000 locations worldwide, more than most other SEO tools offer.
  • Interactive reports: Unlike some reporting tools that are difficult to understand, Mangools has interactive reports allowing you to browse and sort data in different ways.

Cons

  • Limited database: Although Mangools is pretty accurate, I noticed that it provides you with fewer keywords than Semrush due to its limited database.
  • No paid keywords: Unlike Semrush, Mangools can’t be used for PPC campaigns and tracking paid traffic.

Pricing

  • Entry: $29/month
  • Basic: $49/month
  • Premium: $69/month
  • Agency: $129/month
  • mangools pricing

UI/UX

The interface is modern and intuitive, while color-coding makes it easy to distinguish between different features.

mangools UI UX

Source: G2.com

User ratings

Users generally like the design, interface and ease of use of this app, but some of them mentioned its limited keyword database and analytics.

G2: 4.6

Capterra: 4.7

mangools user ratings

serpple cta

Rank Tracker

rank tracker dashboard

Source: G2.com

Rank Tracker is a tool that you can use both for tracking organic rankings and PPC data, just like Semrush. However, it has fewer features than Semrush and its interface is a bit slow and outdated.

Features

  • The SEO/PPC diagram
  • SERP analysis
  • White-label reports
  • Local rank tracking
  • Keyword research

Pros 

  • The SEO/PPC diagram: This feature shows the cost savings of your SEO strategy compared to getting equivalent traffic through Google ads.
  • Accurate local results: Rank Tracker is available in 50+ countries
  • Local SEO pack: Local small businesses can track their rankings on Google My Business specifically.

Cons

  • Unresponsive interface: SEO/PPC diagram take too long to load, which can be frustrating.
  • Outdated design: It’s not too bad, but personally I prefer more modern apps such as these Rank Tracker alternatives.

Pricing

  • Starter: $24/month
  • Double data: $59/month
  • Quad data: $109/month
  • Hex data: $209/month
  • rank tracker pricing

UI/UX

The user interface could be more responsive, as it’s really frustrating waiting for results to load.

rank tracker UI UX

Source: G2.com

User ratings

Most positive reviews come from small business owners who love the accuracy of the local results. However, many users mentioned bugs and unresponsiveness, together with the difficulty of canceling subscriptions.

G2: 3.2

Capterra: 4

rank tracker user ratings

Long Tail Pro

long tail dashboard

Source: Capterra.com

If you need a tool for long-tail keyword research, this might be the one. It’s great for finding lower-competition keywords that other tools often overlook, however, its interface is a bit clunky.

This tool can help you avoid one of the top SEO mistakes, which is over-focusing on keywords with large search volumes and underestimating keyword difficulty and competition.

Features

  • Keyword research
  • SERP analysis
  • Backlink monitoring
  • Rank tracking
  • Site audit

Pros

  • Low-competition keywords: This tool provides you with uncommon keyword ideas that are difficult to find in other tools and that can help you rank a new website on Google much faster.
  • Site audit: It can be used for quick website audits, as scans and fixes most technical SEO issues.
    Speed: It’s great for generating long lists of keywords faster than most other tools.

Cons

  • Unintuitive interface: The tool is hard to navigate, it could be more user-friendly.
  • No in-depth metrics: While it’s great for finding keyword ideas, you may need to double-check their search volumes and intents using some other keyword research tool.
  • Unstability: The tool sometimes crashes, and you risk losing your data.

Pricing

  • Starter: $59.99 per month
  • Pro: $89.99 per month
  • Agency: $299.99 per month
  • long tail pro pricing

UI/UX

The user interface is a bit clunky and outdated, compared to other tools I’ve listed.

long tail pro UI UX

Source: Capterra.com

User Ratings

Many users said they found unique keyword ideas they couldn’t find in other places, however, when they wanted to do in-depth keyword research, they needed to combine it with another SEO software.

long tail pro user ratings

G2: 4.3

Capterra: 4.5

SE Ranking

se ranking dasboard

Source: Capterra.com

SE Ranking is a tool that can track rankings on different search engines. Thanks to a combination of AI algorithms and historical data, it can also estimate future rankings pretty accurately.

Its content marketing module provides you with practical insights on how keyword tracking informs your content strategy and optimization.

Features

  • AI-powered insights
  • Multi-engine tracking
  • Keyword segmentation
  • Ranking predictions
  • Historical data

Pros

  • Multiple search engines: While Semrush mainly focuses on Google, SE Ranking works for Yahoo, Bing, YouTube etc.
  • AI-based predictions: Accurate future ranking estimations, thanks to SE Ranking AI algorithms.
  • Historical data: Access historical data for a much cheaper price (starting at €79.20 per month), while with Semrush you’d have to get at least a $249.95 monthly plan for it.

Cons

  • Limited keyword database: SE Keyword has a more modest database compared to Semrush, especially when it comes to some specific niches.
  • Missing features: SE Keyword has fewer advanced SEO features compared to Semrush, especially when it comes to local SEO and monitoring backlinks.

Pricing

  • Essential: $44/month
  • Pro: starting at $87.20/month
  • Business: starting at $191.20/month 
  • se ranking pricing

UI/UX

The interface is clear and user-friendly. However, it would be nice to have a comprehensive dashboard to visualize all your keywords and rankings in one place.

se ranking UI UX

Source: Capterra.com

User Ratings

Users are overall satisfied with this tool and its interface, but they noted that the keyword database is limited and that it’s missing some features that other SEO software have.

G2: 4.8

Capterra: 4.8

se ranking user ratings

Comparison table

Tool

Serpple

AccuRanker

Mangools

Rank Tracker

Long Tail Pro

SE Ranking

Instant daily refresh

Not mentioned

Real-time reporting

Feature updates

Periodically

Periodically

If needed

Not often

Not often

If needed

Data accuracy

Supreme

Excellent

Average

Good

Not great

Average

User-friendliness

Supreme

Not great

Excellent

Not great

Not great

Good

Pricing

$19

€129

$29

$24

Not great

$44

User ratings

4.75

4.8

4.65

4.1

4.4

4.8

Best for

Digital marketing specialists, small and mid-sized SEO agencies, copywriters, website owners, CEOs

Agencies with bigger budgets

SEO beginners and individuals

Small businesses with a limited budget

Those looking specifically for  long-tail keyword ideas

Marketing agencies

Conclusion

You now have an overview of the top Semrush alternatives and I hope it will help you choose the best SEO software for you.

I know it can be challenging to find an alternative to Semrush that offers similar features and qualities while being more budget-friendly, but it’s not impossible.

Serpple has similar features when it comes to improving your SEO performance and search engine results while having a better interface and being more user-friendly.

Not to mention Serpple’s price is just a fraction of what Semrush charges you.

Try it out for free, and you will never go back.

serpple cta

Everything depends on what you’re looking for. For example, Serpple has similar features to Semrush, while being  more affordable and easier to use.

There are many powerful SEO tools that are much cheaper than Semrush. For example, Serpple, whose price starts at only $19 per month.

Semrush is that expensive because it was one of the first all-in-one SEO tools on the market and it attracted its customers through an extensive set of features that were advanced for that time. Today the impact of their branding is part of the reason for such a high price

It depends. If you’re a large business or agency with a big budget, its advanced features might be worth the price. However, there are many more affordable tools that offer similar features for less money.

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