Semrush is the SEO tool most people end up comparing everything else to, and in 2026 it changed more than it has in years. New owner, new plan names, and a big push into AI search. Here’s my honest take on whether it’s worth your money.
Last updated: 22 October 2026 · By Alan Spicer, YouTube Certified Expert
Part of the Semrush series.
Short version: Semrush is easy to use, easy to understand and does more than any single tool I’ve tried for website SEO. The 7-day free trial gives you a proper look at all of it. The catch is price, and the new plan line-up confuses people. I’ll cover both.
Why listen to me? I’ve been a YouTube Certified Expert since 2017, I spent 2020–2021 on the vidIQ customer success team, and I’ve run 500+ channel audits. I’ve also been self-employed for 20 years and run my own content sites, so I judge SEO tools on one thing: do they help you get found and paid.
Jump to a section
- What is Semrush?
- Is Semrush easy to use?
- What does Semrush do well?
- How much does Semrush cost in 2026?
- Semrush pros and cons
- Who should use Semrush, and who shouldn’t?
- How does Semrush compare with Ahrefs and the alternatives?
- How do you test Semrush for free?
- My verdict: should you buy Semrush in 2026?
- People also ask
- Frequently asked questions
⚡ QUICK ANSWER: Is Semrush worth it in 2026?
Yes, if you run a website you want to grow from Google or AI search. Semrush covers keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, rank tracking and AI visibility in one place, and it’s easy to learn. Plans start at $139 a month, so test it on the 7-day free trial first.
My verdict: 4.5 / 5 ★★★★½
Semrush is the easiest all-in-one SEO tool to learn and the most complete for website SEO plus AI search. Price is the only real drawback.
Affiliate link: if you start a trial or subscribe through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The trial lasts 7 days and you can cancel before it ends.
What is Semrush?
Semrush is an online SEO and marketing platform that shows you what people search for, which websites rank for those searches, and what you need to fix to rank higher yourself. You log in through a browser, type a keyword or a website address, and it gives you search volumes, competitor data, backlinks and a to-do list for your own site.
It started as a keyword tool and grew into a full marketing suite. In 2026 it sells “toolkits” for SEO, AI visibility, content, local listings, traffic analysis, social media, advertising and digital PR. Most people only need the SEO side, and that’s what this review focuses on.
Semrush also has a new owner. Adobe completed its purchase of Semrush on 28 April 2026, so the company now describes itself as “an Adobe company”. Day to day, the product and the login are the same.
28B
keywords in the database
43T
backlinks tracked
808M
domain profiles
142
country databases
Is Semrush easy to use?
Semrush is easy to use once you know which three or four reports matter, and that’s the part most reviews skip. My honest view after using it: it’s a great tool, very easy to understand, and the free 7-day trial gives you a full overview of what it can do before you pay anything.
The dashboard looks busy on day one because there are over 50 tools in the menu. You don’t need most of them. For a small business site, a blog or a creator’s website, the work happens in five places:
- **Keyword Overview and Keyword Magic Tool** to find what people search and how hard it is to rank.
- **Domain Overview and Organic Research** to see any competitor’s traffic and top pages.
- **Site Audit** to find technical problems on your own site.
- **Position Tracking** to watch your rankings move each day.
- **Backlink Analytics** to see who links to you and to your competitors.
Every report has the same layout: a search bar at the top, headline numbers in cards, then a table you can filter and export. Learn one and the rest feel familiar. Semrush Academy, the free course platform, covers each tool if you prefer video lessons.
What does Semrush do well?
Semrush does five jobs well enough that most small teams can drop two or three other subscriptions. Here’s what I’d use it for and why.
Keyword research
The Keyword Magic Tool takes one seed word and returns thousands of related searches, grouped by topic, with volume, keyword difficulty and search intent for each. The intent label (informational, commercial, transactional or navigational) saves you writing a sales page for a keyword where people only want an answer. Filter for difficulty under 30 and you’ve got a list of long-tail keywords a newer site can rank for.
Competitor analysis
Type a competitor’s domain into Organic Research and you see the keywords it ranks for, its estimated traffic, and which pages bring that traffic in. Keyword Gap compares up to five sites and shows the searches they rank for and you don’t. For a new site, that gap list is often the whole content plan for the next six months.
Site Audit
Site Audit crawls your site and flags broken links, slow pages, missing titles, duplicate content and crawl errors, sorted by severity. On the Semrush One plans it also checks “AI readiness”, including whether AI crawlers can reach your pages. You get a health score out of 100 and a plain-English explanation of how to fix each issue.
Position Tracking
Position Tracking checks where your pages rank for a keyword list every day, on desktop and mobile, for a country or a city. The SEO plan tracks 500 keywords across 5 websites. It’s the report I’d look at weekly to see whether new content is working.
AI visibility
The newest part of Semrush tracks how often ChatGPT, Google’s AI features, Gemini and Perplexity mention your brand, and for which prompts. It’s included in the Semrush One plans and sold as a separate AI Visibility toolkit. If customers ask AI tools for recommendations in your industry, this is the only way I know to measure whether you show up.
Affiliate link: if you start a trial or subscribe through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The trial lasts 7 days and you can cancel before it ends.
How much does Semrush cost in 2026?
Semrush costs $139 a month for the SEO plan, $199 for Semrush One Starter and $299 for Pro+, with up to 17% off if you pay yearly. There’s also a free account limited to 10 reports a day and a custom-priced Advanced plan for large teams.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Websites / keywords tracked | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | $139 | $117.33 | 5 / 500 | Freelancers, bloggers, small business SEO |
| Semrush One Starter | $199 | $165.17 | 5 / 500 + 50 AI prompts | SEO plus AI search tracking |
| Pro+ | $299 | $248.17 | 15 / 1,500 + 100 AI prompts | Growing teams and agencies |
| Advanced | Custom | Custom | 40+ / 5,000+ | Larger organisations |
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 project / 10 keywords | Trying the interface |
Source: Semrush pricing page, checked 20 October 2026. Prices in US dollars; UK customers are billed in pounds and VAT may be added.
If you’ve read older reviews mentioning Pro, Guru and Business, those plans have been renamed. The daily report limits on the old Pro, Guru and Business plans (3,000, 5,000 and 10,000) now sit on SEO, Pro+ and Advanced. Starter is new and adds AI visibility to the SEO plan.
Extra users cost from $45 a month each on the SEO and Semrush One plans, which adds up fast for a team. For a one-person business, the SEO plan is enough. If you care how AI tools talk about your brand, Starter is the one I’d pick.
**Price check:** Ahrefs, the closest rival, starts at $129 a month for Lite and $249 for Standard, with a $29 Starter plan for basic research. So Semrush isn’t the cheap option, but the gap is smaller than most people assume.
Semrush pros and cons
Semrush’s biggest strength is breadth: one login covers research, auditing, tracking and AI visibility. Its biggest weakness is cost, especially once you add users.
What it does well
- Very easy to learn: every report follows the same layout
- The largest keyword database I’ve seen (28 billion keywords)
- Keyword intent labels and difficulty scores save hours of guesswork
- Site Audit explains each fix in plain English
- Tracks AI search visibility, which most rivals only started adding recently
- 7-day free trial on every main plan
Where it falls short
- $139 a month is a lot for a hobby blog
- Extra users from $45 a month each
- Traffic numbers for other sites are estimates, not exact figures
- YouTube data is limited; it’s built for Google web search
- The menu is overwhelming until you know the five reports that matter
Who should use Semrush, and who shouldn’t?
Semrush suits anyone who earns money from website traffic: small businesses, bloggers, affiliate site owners, freelancers and agencies. It’s harder to justify if your site makes nothing yet or your audience lives on YouTube.
| You are… | Should you use Semrush? | Plan I’d start with |
|---|---|---|
| A small business owner wanting more enquiries from Google | Yes | SEO |
| A blogger or affiliate site owner | Yes, once the site has 20+ posts | SEO |
| A freelancer or consultant doing SEO for clients | Yes | Starter or Pro+ |
| A brand worried about AI search | Yes | Starter |
| A YouTuber with no website | Probably not; use vidIQ | None |
| A brand-new site with no budget | Use the free account first | Free |
If you’re a creator, YouTube search needs YouTube-specific tools. I cover those in my best YouTube SEO tools guide. Semrush comes into its own when you also run a website, because it shows where your videos and blog posts can rank on Google itself. My guide to ranking YouTube videos on Google explains that crossover.
Not sure Semrush fits your business?
A quick call is cheaper than a year of the wrong subscription. I’ll look at your site or channel and tell you which tools and which reports will move the needle.
- You’re paying for SEO tools you barely open
- You’ve got traffic but no enquiries or sales
- You want a content plan built from real search data
How does Semrush compare with Ahrefs and the alternatives?
Semrush and Ahrefs are the two serious all-in-one SEO tools, and the honest answer is that both are good. Semrush is easier to learn and tracks AI visibility in its main plans; Ahrefs is loved for backlink data and has a cheaper entry plan.
| Tool | Starting price | Free option | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | $139/mo (SEO plan) | Free account, 7-day trial | All-in-one SEO and AI visibility, ease of use |
| Ahrefs | $29/mo Starter, $129/mo Lite | Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | Backlink research |
| Moz Pro | $49/mo Starter, $99/mo Standard | Free trial on Medium plan | Beginners, domain authority |
| SE Ranking | $129/mo Core | 14-day trial, no card | Budget rank tracking |
| Google Search Console | Free | Free | Your own site’s real data |
Source: each provider’s official pricing page, checked 20 October 2026.
Whatever you pick, connect Google Search Console too. It’s free and shows the real clicks and searches for your own site, which no paid tool can see. Semrush lets you plug it in so both sets of data sit side by side.
How do you test Semrush for free?
You can test Semrush free for 7 days on the SEO plan, Semrush One or most toolkits, with full access to the tools. You need a card to start, Semrush runs a small check on it that’s refunded straight away, and you’re not charged until the trial ends. Cancel before day seven and you pay nothing.
Here’s how I’d use the 7 days so you know by the end whether it’s worth paying for:
My 7-day Semrush trial plan
- Day 1: Add your site as a project and run Site Audit. Fix the top three errors.
- Day 2: Put your three biggest competitors into Keyword Gap and export the keywords they rank for and you don’t.
- Day 3: Use the Keyword Magic Tool on your main topic. Filter to difficulty under 30 and save 30 keywords.
- Day 4: Set up Position Tracking for those 30 keywords.
- Day 5: Check Backlink Analytics on your top competitor. Note five sites that link to them and could link to you.
- Day 6: If you’re on Semrush One, check your AI visibility for your brand and top service.
- Day 7: Decide. If you found more than a month’s worth of work, keep it. If not, cancel and keep your exports.
Affiliate link: if you start a trial or subscribe through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The trial lasts 7 days and you can cancel before it ends.
My verdict: should you buy Semrush in 2026?
Semrush gets 4.5 out of 5 from me. It’s the easiest complete SEO tool to learn, it’s the most useful single subscription for growing a website, and it’s ahead of most rivals on tracking AI search. I knock half a star off for price, because $139 a month plus $45 per extra user is a real cost for a small business.
If you’re serious about traffic from Google or AI tools, start the trial, follow the 7-day plan above, and see what it finds on your own site. That will tell you more than any review.
Want help turning the data into a plan?
Tools give you numbers. I help you decide what to do with them. One call and you’ll leave with a short, prioritised list for your site or channel.
- You’ve run an audit and don’t know where to start
- You’re choosing between Semrush and another tool
- You want SEO and YouTube working together
People also ask
Is Semrush free?
Semrush has a free account with 10 reports a day, 1 project and 10 tracked keywords. That’s enough to look around, but not enough to run SEO for a business. The paid plans come with a 7-day free trial.
Who owns Semrush now?
Adobe owns Semrush. The deal was announced in November 2025 at about $1.9 billion and completed on 28 April 2026. Semrush still runs as its own product under its own name.
Is Semrush good for beginners?
Yes. Semrush is one of the easier SEO tools to learn because every report uses the same layout, and Semrush Academy has free lessons for each tool. Start with Site Audit and the Keyword Magic Tool.
Is Semrush better than Ahrefs?
Neither wins outright. Semrush is easier to learn and includes AI visibility tracking on its Semrush One plans; Ahrefs is strong on backlinks and has a cheaper Starter plan. Try both on their trials and keep the one you open more.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Semrush per month?
Semrush costs $139 a month for the SEO plan, $199 for Semrush One Starter and $299 for Pro+ when billed monthly. Paying yearly brings those down to $117.33, $165.17 and $248.17 a month. Advanced is custom-priced, and UK customers may pay VAT on top.
What happened to Semrush Pro and Guru?
Semrush renamed its plans in 2026. The old Pro plan’s limits now sit on the SEO plan, Guru’s on Pro+, and Business’s on Advanced. Semrush One Starter is new and adds AI visibility tracking to the SEO plan.
Does the Semrush free trial need a card?
Yes. Semrush asks for a card to start the 7-day trial and runs a small check that’s refunded straight away. You aren’t charged until the trial ends, and you can cancel before then.
Can Semrush track AI search like ChatGPT?
Yes. The Semrush One plans and the AI Visibility toolkit track mentions of your brand in ChatGPT, Google’s AI features, Gemini and Perplexity, and show which prompts trigger them and which competitors appear instead.
Is Semrush accurate?
Semrush’s data on your own rankings is accurate because it checks the search results directly. Traffic figures for other websites are estimates based on rankings and click rates, so use them to compare sites rather than as exact visitor counts.
Is Semrush worth it for a small business?
Semrush is worth it for a small business that wants more customers from Google and has time to act on the findings. If you won’t publish content or fix issues, the free account and Google Search Console will do.
Can I use Semrush for YouTube?
Only partly. Semrush is built for Google web search. It has paid apps for YouTube keywords in its App Center, but creators get more from YouTube-specific tools like vidIQ and TubeBuddy.
Can I cancel Semrush at any time?
Yes. Semrush says you can cancel, downgrade or upgrade your plan at any time unless you’ve signed custom terms. Cancelling during the 7-day trial means you won’t be charged.
About the author
Alan Spicer has been a YouTube Certified Expert since 2017 and creating on YouTube since 2012. He holds six YouTube Silver Play Buttons, has coached 500+ creators and run 500+ channel audits, and spent 2020–2021 on the vidIQ customer success team. After 20 years self-employed, he runs his consultancy and his own content sites from Huddersfield, usually fuelled by tea. Read client results.
Related reading
Want a second pair of eyes on your SEO plan?
If you’re about to spend money on tools, spend 30 minutes with me first. I’ll tell you which data you need, what to ignore, and where the quickest wins are for your site or channel. I’m a YouTube Certified Expert with six Silver Play Buttons, 500+ channel audits and 20 years of running my own online businesses behind me.
Sources
- Semrush plans and pricing, checked 20 October 2026
- Semrush free trial page, checked 20 October 2026
- Semrush affiliate programme page (database sizes), checked 20 October 2026
- Adobe newsroom: Adobe completes Semrush acquisition, 28 April 2026
- Ahrefs pricing page (ahrefs.com/pricing), checked 20 October 2026
Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you start a Semrush trial or subscription through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I’d use myself, and programme terms and prices change, so check the current details on Semrush’s site before you buy.
