SEMrush is powerful but costly. Here are the SEO tools people switch to, with prices, strengths and who each one suits.
Most people leave SEMrush for one reason: price. Its entry plan (SEO, formerly Pro) costs about $140 a month per user, and the tools agencies use most sit on higher tiers. Ahrefs Lite ($129/mo) is the usual pick for backlinks and SE Ranking ($129/mo, about $103 billed yearly) for rank tracking with client reports; for keyword research on a budget Ubersuggest (about $29/mo) or Mangools ($49/mo, about $30 billed yearly) cover the basics; and Google Search Console is free for your own site. We.Inc is listed because it builds the website itself with SEO basics (titles, meta, sitemap, schema) set up for you, not because it replaces a keyword research tool.
Disclosure: We.Inc makes one of the products in this list.
AI website and app builder. Describe what you want in chat and advanced Claude models generate a live, editable site or web app in your browser. Refine visually with click-to-edit or in a full code editor.
Best for: Anyone who wants to build a website or web app by describing it, then refine it visually or in code
Pricing: Free plan: 3 template sites, no AI. AI plans from $20/mo.
Pros: Chat-to-build: describe it, AI builds a live site or app; Visual click-to-edit plus a real code editor (Monaco); Publish instantly with free SSL on a we.inc subdomain or custom domain; Export the full React/Vite/TypeScript/Tailwind code to GitHub, no lock-in; White-label reseller option for agencies (keep 100% of revenue)
Cons: Newer platform with a growing template library; Advanced e-commerce features still expanding
SEO toolset best known for its backlink index, with keyword, content and rank tracking tools.
Best for: SEO specialists focused on links and content
Pricing: Lite $129/mo; a limited Starter plan is $29/mo
Pros: Excellent backlink data; Content Explorer for topic research; Clean, fast interface
Cons: Entry plan has tight usage limits; Add-ons cost extra; No free trial
Lower-cost all-in-one SEO platform with rank tracking, audits, keyword and backlink research.
Best for: Small agencies that want rank tracking and client reports in one tool
Pricing: From $129/mo, or about $103/mo billed yearly
Pros: Cheaper than SEMrush on annual billing; Accurate rank tracking; White-label reports for agencies
Cons: Smaller databases outside the US; Fewer PPC features; Entry plan now costs about the same as Ahrefs Lite
SEO software from the company behind the Domain Authority metric.
Best for: Beginners and small teams learning SEO
Pricing: From about $49/mo
Pros: Domain Authority benchmark; Good local SEO add-on; Strong learning resources
Cons: Smaller keyword index; Slower data refresh; Fewer competitive research tools
Budget SEO toolkit (KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner) focused on keyword research.
Best for: Bloggers and small businesses doing keyword research
Pricing: From $49/mo, or about $30/mo billed yearly
Pros: Affordable; Very easy to use; Good keyword difficulty scores
Cons: Limited site audit; Smaller backlink index; Daily lookup caps
Neil Patel's keyword and site audit tool with a lifetime-license option.
Best for: Solo owners who want basic SEO data cheaply
Pricing: From about $29/mo
Pros: Low monthly or one-off lifetime price; Simple keyword ideas; Basic site audit
Cons: Shallower data than the big suites; Limited backlink research; Few team features
Competitor research tool that shows the keywords and ads your rivals rank and bid on.
Best for: Businesses spying on competitor keywords and ads
Pricing: From $39/mo, or $29/mo billed yearly
Pros: Strong competitor PPC history; Low entry price; Years of historical ranking data
Cons: US and UK focus; Dated interface; Weaker backlink data
Google's free tool showing the queries, clicks, impressions and index status of your own site.
Best for: Every site owner, alongside any paid tool
Pricing: Free
Pros: Free; Real Google data for your site; Index and Core Web Vitals reports
Cons: Only your own site, no competitor data; 16 months of history; No keyword ideas beyond your queries
Prices come from each vendor's public pricing page and are not individually dated, so they may have changed. Confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.
If price is the reason you are leaving, match the tool to the one job you use SEMrush for most. Backlink research points to Ahrefs, rank tracking with client reports points to SE Ranking, and light keyword research is covered by cheaper tools such as Mangools or Ubersuggest. Always pair any of them with Google Search Console, which is free. We.Inc does not replace an SEO suite; it is on this list for people whose real problem is the website itself.
For a full SEO suite, SEMrush and Ahrefs are the closest matches; SE Ranking suits agencies that want rank tracking and client reports, Mangools and Ubersuggest cover budget keyword research, and Google Search Console is free for your own site. If you also need the website itself, We.Inc builds it with SEO basics set up.
Yes, several alternatives offer free plans. We.Inc has a free plan for up to 3 template sites published on a we.inc address, no card needed; the AI builder starts on Starter at $20/month. Google Forms, Tawk.to, and some other tools on this list also offer free options.
Most alternatives, including We.Inc, offer import tools and migration assistance to help you switch. The process typically takes a few hours to a few days depending on the complexity of your setup.
How we research, test and update this page: our editorial policy. We.Inc is our own product.
We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans start at $99 a month for 25 client sites, with a 7-day free trial and no per-site fees.
