SE Ranking vs Semrush

SE Ranking

SE Ranking is the mid-market pick for agencies that need rank tracking, audits and client reports without paying Semrush or Ahrefs prices, and in 2026 it is one of the few suites where AI-answer visibility is tracked in the same project as organic rankings. Solo site owners will find the Core plan generous but still a three-figure monthly bill, and the keyword and backlink databases are smaller than the two market leaders'.

Pros

• +Daily rank tracking with Google top-100 and share-of-voice reporting is included on the entry plan, not an upsell
• +AI-visibility tracking across AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity is built into the same projects as keyword tracking
• +Every plan includes API credits and an MCP server, so reporting can be automated without a separate data subscription
• +The 14-day trial runs the full product with no card, and annual billing takes 20 percent off
• +Agency Pack adds white-label platform and reports, client seats and a lead generator for a flat add-on rather than a plan jump

Cons

• −The pricing page quoted euros only from our location, so the USD cost could not be read without starting a trial
• −The Core plan has a single manager seat; extra seats and extra keywords are each billed on top
• −Most add-ons (Agency Pack, API) are annual-only, so the real commitment is a year's prepayment
• −The Core plan keeps only six months of history; lifetime history needs Growth

Semrush

Semrush is still the broadest single subscription for anyone who needs competitor traffic estimates, keyword gaps, rank tracking and a site crawler in one login, and its 2026 plans fold AI-answer tracking into the same projects. It is priced for marketing teams and agencies: at $139 a month before extra users and add-ons, a solo site owner pays for a great deal they will never open, and the Adobe acquisition makes the roadmap and pricing a question for a much larger company.

Pros

• +Keyword, traffic-estimate and backlink databases are Semrush's own, with historical data back to 2012 on higher tiers
• +AI-visibility tracking (ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode) is in the same project as keyword rankings from the $199 Starter plan
• +An API, a Chrome extension and an official Claude connector let the data leave the dashboard
• +A $0 plan and a seven-day trial on paid tiers mean the interface can be judged before paying
• +Terms name a single Delaware entity at a Boston address and were updated in August 2026 after the Adobe deal

Cons

• −Every plan is single-user; each extra seat starts at $45 per month on top
• −Keyword and prompt caps (500 keywords on the $139 and $199 plans) run out quickly across several sites
• −Traffic figures are estimates from clickstream models, and the gap from real analytics can be wide on small sites
• −Now part of Adobe, so pricing, packaging and data-sharing terms may change with the parent's enterprise strategy

Is SE Ranking cheaper than Semrush?

Semrush starts at $139/mo. An entry price for SE Ranking is not confirmed by us yet, so check its pricing page before you compare.

Does SE Ranking or Semrush have a free tier?

Semrush has a free tier; SE Ranking has paid plans only.

Which has a public API, SE Ranking or Semrush?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.