Semrush review

Semrush is the research heavyweight on this list. Content teams use it to find keywords, study competitors' pages, track rankings and audit sites, and its newer plans add AI visibility reports and prompt monitoring for ChatGPT, Gemini and Google. The entry SEO plan is $139 a month, or $117.33 a month billed annually, and covers 5 websites, 500 tracked keywords, Position Tracking and Site Audit. The $199 Starter SEO + AI Search plan adds keyword optimization tools, competitor insights, MCP access and 50 AI prompts tracked daily. For on-page writing work, note that content optimization and keyword cannibalization analysis are listed on Pro+ at $299. A free plan with 10 reports a day lets you test the data first. Semrush is less focused than Surfer or Frase for writers, but it answers the keyword and competitor questions that come before a brief.

Who it is for

Marketing teams that want keyword research, competitor data and AI visibility tracking in the same platform as their content work.

Price

Free plan; SEO plan $117.33 per month billed annually or $139 monthly; 7-day trial.

$ 117 . 33 /mo billed annually instead of $ 139 monthly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Keyword research and competitor analysis
• Position Tracking for 500 keywords daily on SEO and Starter
• Site Audit, with an AI-ready Site Audit on Starter
• AI visibility reports and custom prompt monitoring
• Content optimization and keyword cannibalization analysis on Pro+

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free plan with 10 reports per day for trying the platform
• Strength: Broad research data alongside content and AI visibility tools
• Strength: MCP access from the Starter SEO + AI Search plan
• Weakness: Content optimization is listed on Pro+, not the entry plans
• Weakness: Additional users start at $45 per month
• Weakness: More setup than a single-purpose content editor

Key facts

• SEO plan: $139 monthly or $117.33 per month billed annually
• Starter SEO + AI Search: $199 monthly, 50 AI prompts tracked daily
• Pro+: $299 monthly, 15 websites and 1,500 keywords
• Free trial: 7 days

Where it ranks

Semrush is No. 5 in our Best AI SEO Tools verdict.