SE Ranking vs. Semrush in 2026: Pricing, Limits and AI Tracking Compared
SE Ranking vs Semrush in 2026: plan prices, keywords and AI prompts tracked daily, site audit, users, free trial and refunds, checked on official pages Oct. 21.
Contents
At entry level, SE Ranking costs less and tracks more: Core is $129 a month ($103.20 billed yearly) for 2,000 keywords and 100 AI prompts tracked every day. Semrush’s first plan with AI prompt tracking, Starter, costs $199 a month ($165.17 billed yearly) for 500 keywords and 50 prompts; its cheaper SEO plan (about $140) tracks no AI prompts. Semrush keeps a permanent free plan, and its Pro+ plan ($299) adds historical data and JavaScript rendering in the site audit; SE Ranking keeps full history from Growth ($279) and documents a JavaScript rendering option in its audit settings. SE Ranking’s 14-day trial needs no card; Semrush’s 7-day trial does, and becomes a paid subscription unless canceled.
Prices and limits come from both vendors’ pricing pages, help centers and refund terms, checked Oct. 21, 2026, without an account. Neither tool’s data quality (database size, accuracy, freshness) is measured here. This site is an SE Ranking affiliate; it isn’t a Semrush affiliate (Semrush’s affiliate program requires at least 1,000 unique monthly visitors, which this site doesn’t have). The commission doesn’t change the comparison: every figure comes from the vendors’ own pages.
SE Ranking or Semrush: Which Fits Your Use Case?
| What you need | Where to start | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Track many keywords daily on a small budget | SE Ranking Core | 2,000 keywords for $129 a month, vs. 500 at Semrush up to $199 |
| See whether ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews cite you | SE Ranking | Core ($129) tracks both in one prompt tracker (100 prompts a day); Semrush reports AI Overview citations in Position Tracking (by keyword, every plan) but tracks ChatGPT prompts only from Starter ($199) |
| Historical data and a site audit that renders JavaScript | Compare SE Ranking Growth and Semrush Pro+ | Semrush includes both from Pro+ ($299); SE Ranking keeps full history from Growth ($279) and its help center documents a JavaScript rendering option, without saying which plans include it |
| An API on a self-serve plan | SE Ranking | 25,000 API credits from Core; Semrush’s API starts at Advanced (custom price) |
| Trying before paying | SE Ranking for a trial, Semrush for a free plan | 14 days, no card, vs. 7 days with a card; Semrush also keeps a free plan (10 reports a day) |
How Much Do SE Ranking and Semrush Cost in 2026?
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Keywords tracked daily | Projects / websites | AI prompts tracked daily | Users included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Core | $129 | $103.20 | 2,000 | 10 | 100 | 1 |
| SE Ranking Growth | $279 | $223.20 | 5,000 | 30 | 250 | 3 |
| Semrush SEO | about $140 | $117.33 | 500 | 5 | None | 1 |
| Semrush Starter | $199 | $165.17 | 500 | 5 | 50 | 1 |
| Semrush Pro+ | $299 | $248.17 | 1,500 | 15 | 100 | 1 |
| Semrush Advanced | Custom | Custom | 5,000 | 40 | 200 (help center) | 1 |
Sources: SE Ranking pricing commission and Semrush pricing, checked Oct. 21, 2026. SE Ranking’s dollar prices are confirmed by the commission calculator on its affiliate page (30% of $129, $279 and their yearly equivalents). Viewed from France, Semrush only shows euros, converted from its dollar prices at a rate written in the page’s code (0.959). Reversed, the yearly euro prices give $117.33, $165.17 and $248.17–$248.18, the yearly prices quoted by U.S. reviews. Monthly euro prices appear to be rounded down ($199 × 0.959 = €190.84, shown as €190; $299 × 0.959 = €286.74, shown as €286), consistent with the $199 Starter price read on Oct. 12, 2026, and with a $299 Pro+ price; both equal the yearly prices divided by 0.83 (Semrush’s “save up to 17%”). For the SEO plan, €134 corresponds to $139.73–$140.77 by the same calculation, hence “about $140.” Semrush’s Advanced card says “unlimited prompts”; its plan comparison table and prompt tracking help page say 200.
What You Pay per 1,000 Tracked Keywords
On monthly billing, a calculation from the prices above: SE Ranking costs $64.50 per 1,000 keywords tracked daily on Core and $55.80 on Growth; Semrush costs about $280 on SEO, $398 on Starter and $199.33 on Pro+. Rank tracking is only one part of what each plan buys, but it’s the line item where the gap is widest.
What Does Each Plan Include?
| SE Ranking Core | SE Ranking Growth | Semrush SEO and Starter | Semrush Pro+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site audit | 250,000 pages a month | 2 million | 100,000 pages a month (20,000 per site) | 300,000, with JavaScript rendering |
| Keyword, competitor and backlink research | “Unlimited” | “Unlimited” | 3,000 reports a day, 10,000 results per report | 5,000 a day, 30,000 results |
| Historical data | 6 months of keyword research history | Full project history | No | Yes |
| API | 25,000 credits | 100,000 credits | No (Advanced only) | No (Advanced only) |
| MCP server (query your data from an AI assistant) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extra users | From €14.40 a month on the French page (no dollar price found) | Same | About $45 a month each | About $80 a month each |
From SE Ranking’s pricing page and help center, and Semrush’s plan comparison table (Expand details), checked Oct. 21, 2026. Semrush’s extra-user prices are euro prices (€43.16 and €76.72) converted back at the page’s rate. SE Ranking describes its research tools as unlimited in number of lookups; it doesn’t publish a results-per-report cap on its pricing page.
Client reporting. SE Ranking sells white labeling (interface, reports, domain) in its Agency Pack, billed yearly only, from $69 a month (Agency Pack, checked Oct. 18, 2026). Semrush’s Pro Report add-on, with branding and white-labeling of reports, costs about $20 a month (€19.18 on Oct. 21, 2026).
AI Tracking: Which One Tracks ChatGPT and AI Overviews?
Both track a list of prompts every day and record whether your brand is mentioned or linked. They don’t cover the same engines:
- SE Ranking: Core includes 100 prompts a day, Growth 250. Its help center lists AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and Gemini (AI Results Tracker, updated Oct. 15, 2026); on Oct. 21, the pricing page listed AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT for its AI Search add-on, and 5 “LLMs to track” in its plan comparison. Official pages don’t agree on the exact count.
- Semrush: prompt tracking starts with Starter (50 prompts) and covers ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini, not AI Overviews (help center, checked Oct. 21, 2026). The standalone AI Visibility Toolkit includes 25 prompts. Separately, Position Tracking reports AI Overview citations for tracked keywords on every plan (help center).
For more AI tracking, SE Ranking sells an AI Search add-on, listed as “200 prompts” on its pricing page but described by its help center as 200 checks a month, one check being one prompt on one engine ($89 a month or $71.20 billed yearly, checked Oct. 21, 2026). The help center adds that each plan has a monthly check quota, not published for Core or Growth, and a Semrush prompt tracking campaign follows one engine: the prompt counts above may not cover the same scope. SE Ranking’s separate SE Visible tool starts at $99 a month for 200 prompts. Our AI visibility tools comparison prices 100 tracked prompts across SE Ranking, Ahrefs, Otterly, Peec AI and Semrush.
Free Trial, Free Plan and Refunds
| SE Ranking | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card, doesn’t turn into a paid plan (750 keywords, 20 prompts a day, 10 projects) | 7 days; a card is required (small validity charge, refunded right away), and the trial turns into a paid subscription unless canceled before it ends |
| Permanent free plan | No (two free tools: 5 keywords and 5 AI tests a day) | Yes: 1 demo project, 10 reports a day |
| Refunds | No, unless the service wasn’t delivered as promised or a promotion says otherwise | Within 7 days, only for a first yearly subscription (or first add-on) paid by card on semrush.com; never for monthly plans |
| Cancellation | Anytime, effective at the end of the paid period | Anytime, effective at the end of the committed term |
Sources: SE Ranking’s pricing page FAQ and terms of service (sec. 5.7); Semrush’s pricing page FAQ and refund policy (updated Aug. 20, 2025), checked Oct. 21, 2026. In practice, Semrush’s trial is the time to decide: a monthly plan won’t be refunded afterward.
Switching from Semrush. SE Ranking offers free assisted migration with a yearly subscription; on a monthly plan, you import projects and ranking history yourself with its built-in tools (pricing page FAQ, Oct. 21, 2026).
Which One Should You Choose?
- Freelancer, blogger or small site owner: SE Ranking Core. It tracks four times as many keywords as Semrush’s entry plans, includes AI prompts, and the no-card trial lets you check its data on your own site first. See our SE Ranking review of plans and limits.
- You want AI Overviews and ChatGPT in the same prompt tracker: SE Ranking. Semrush’s prompt tracking leaves AI Overviews out; Semrush reports AI Overview citations by keyword in Position Tracking.
- In-house team that needs long history and JavaScript-heavy audits: compare Semrush Pro+ ($299), which includes historical data and JavaScript rendering, with SE Ranking Growth ($279), which keeps full project history and has a JavaScript rendering option in its audit settings; check how far back each history goes during the trials.
- Agency with client reporting: compare SE Ranking Growth plus the Agency Pack (yearly) with Semrush Pro+ plus Pro Report and $80 per extra user. Count seats: Growth includes three, every Semrush plan one.
- You already run your workflows in Semrush: switching mostly pays off if tracked keywords or AI prompts are what drive your bill.
Limits of This Comparison
These are published prices and quotas, not a measure of data quality, which matters as much in an SEO tool. Both vendors change their plans often: Semrush has replaced its former Pro and Guru plans with SEO, Starter, Pro+ and Advanced, and SE Ranking’s pages listed different AI engines within the same week in October 2026. SE Ranking’s help center says VAT is added in the EU and UK; Semrush’s pricing page doesn’t say whether taxes are included.
FAQ
Is SE Ranking cheaper than Semrush?
Yes, at entry level: SE Ranking Core costs $129 a month for 2,000 keywords and 100 AI prompts tracked daily, versus about $140 for Semrush SEO (500 keywords, no AI prompts) and $199 for Starter (500 keywords, 50 prompts). Prices checked Oct. 21, 2026.
Does Semrush have a free trial?
Yes: 7 days, with a credit card, and it turns into a paid subscription unless you cancel before it ends. Semrush also keeps a free plan limited to one demo project and 10 reports a day. SE Ranking’s trial lasts 14 days without a card but has no permanent free plan.
Which one tracks Google’s AI Overviews?
Both, in different ways. SE Ranking’s AI Results Tracker follows prompts on AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and Gemini, per its help center. Semrush’s prompt tracking covers ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini, not AI Overviews, but its Position Tracking shows whether your site is cited in the AI Overview of each tracked keyword (Semrush help center).
Can you get a refund from Semrush or SE Ranking?
Rarely. Semrush refunds within 7 days only a first yearly subscription paid by card, never a monthly plan. SE Ranking doesn’t refund unless the service wasn’t delivered as promised.
Can you move from Semrush to SE Ranking?
Yes. SE Ranking offers free assisted migration with a yearly subscription and self-serve imports of projects and ranking history on monthly plans.
