If you are choosing between Semrush and SE Ranking for your agency, the short answer is this: Semrush is a broader, more data-rich platform with stronger AI visibility and competitor-intelligence tooling, while SE Ranking is a leaner, more affordable option that covers the core SEO workflow well and adds white-label client tools through its Agency Pack add-on. Neither is universally better — the right choice comes down to your client mix, your reporting needs, and how much you want to spend per month.
How we researched this comparison
Everything in this article is drawn from Semrush and SE Ranking's published pricing pages, plan comparison tables, and help-center documentation, all checked in October 2026. We have not run both platforms side by side on live client accounts for this article; where we describe features, we are working from the vendors' own published specifications. See our research methodology for how we approach every comparison on this site.
What Semrush is and who it fits
Semrush is one of the most comprehensive SEO and digital-marketing intelligence platforms available. Its core SEO and AI Search plans cover keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, competitor analysis, backlink research, AI visibility tracking (monitoring how your clients' brands appear in ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and more), and white-label reporting. It is built for teams that need deep data across many channels and are willing to pay for it.
Semrush plans and pricing (as of October 2026)
- SEO plan: $139/month, or $117.33/month billed annually — 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily, basic keyword research and competitor analysis, plus AI search monitoring and sentiment reports.
- Starter plan: $199/month, or $165.17/month billed annually — 5 websites, 500 keywords daily, 50 AI prompts tracked daily, 1 domain for AI brand performance, 300 AI visibility reports per day, MCP access.
- Pro+ plan: $299/month, or $248.17/month billed annually — 15 websites, 1,500 keywords daily, 100 AI prompts tracked daily, historical SEO data, content optimization, multi-location tracking.
- Advanced plan: Custom pricing — 40-plus websites, 5,000-plus keywords daily, unlimited AI prompts, full API access, team user management, advanced reporting.
- Free plan: $0, 1 demo project, 10 reports per day across all tools — no credit card required.
- Free trial: 7 days on paid plans; cancel any time.
Semrush agency add-ons
- Additional users: from $45/month each.
- Base Report: $10/month — data from 20-plus Semrush tools, Google Analytics and GSC integrations, PDF export, scheduled delivery.
- Pro Report: $20/month — everything in Base Report plus 20-plus external integrations, branding and white-labeling, AI-generated summaries, shareable links.
- Lead Generation: $90/month — branded agency profile and Semrush verified badge.
Prices are from Semrush's pricing page and may change.
Semrush strengths for agencies
- Among the largest keyword and backlink databases available at this price point, based on published specifications.
- AI visibility suite tracking how brands appear in ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Copilot and more — a differentiator in 2026 as agencies add GEO services.
- White-label reporting available via the Pro Report add-on ($20/month), with custom branding, external integrations and AI summaries.
- Broad toolset beyond SEO: content, social, advertising and traffic-and-market intelligence modules (note: prices for these additional toolkits were not readable from the pricing page, so confirm them directly).
Semrush downsides
- Entry price is relatively high — the lowest paid plan is $139/month, rising quickly once you add users and reporting features.
- White-label reporting is an add-on, not included in base plans.
- The 7-day trial is shorter than SE Ranking's 14-day trial.
- Keyword and website limits on the SEO and Starter plans (500 keywords, 5 sites) can feel restrictive for multi-client agencies without upgrading to Pro+.
What SE Ranking is and who it fits
SE Ranking is a focused SEO platform that covers the full agency workflow — rank tracking, keyword research, site audit, backlink monitoring, on-page optimization, competitor research and now GEO (generative engine optimization) tracking — at a notably lower price point than Semrush. Its Agency Pack add-on layers on white-label branding, client-facing portals, scheduled reporting and lead-generation tools, making it a strong choice for agencies that want a dedicated SEO stack without paying for features they do not use.
SE Ranking plans and pricing (as of October 2026)
- Core: $129/month, or $103.20/month billed annually (save 20%) — 10 projects, 1 manager seat, 2,000 keywords tracked daily, 100 GEO prompts daily, 250,000 pages per month in audit, 25,000 API credits, MCP access.
- Growth: $279/month, or $223.20/month annually — 30 projects, 3 manager seats, 5,000 keywords daily, 250 GEO prompts daily, 2 million audit pages per month, 100,000 API credits, historical data for the full project lifetime.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — flexible terms, custom limits, full API and advanced integrations.
- Free trial: 14 days, no credit card required.
- Extra manager seats: from $16/month.
SE Ranking Agency Pack add-on
The Agency Pack is available at $69/month, billed annually only, and must be added on top of a Core or Growth subscription. It includes:
- 30 client seats (rising to 50 or 100 at higher tiers, per the pricing page).
- White-label branding for both the platform and reporting.
- Unlimited scheduled reporting with AI summaries.
- Agency Catalog placement and a Lead Generator tool.
See full details at SE Ranking's pricing page. The Agency Pack is annual-only, so factor that commitment into your decision. You can read a deeper breakdown of SE Ranking's plan structure in our SE Ranking Review 2026.
SE Ranking strengths for agencies
- Lower entry price than Semrush on both monthly and annual billing.
- 14-day free trial with no credit card — twice the trial length of Semrush.
- Agency Pack bundles white-label reporting, client seats and a lead-generation tool in one add-on at a defined annual price.
- GEO tracking built into base plans (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini and more), so you get AI visibility data without a separate add-on at the Core and Growth tier.
- Unlimited keyword, competitor and backlink research on all plans.
SE Ranking downsides
- Smaller database scale than Semrush, based on publicly stated limits.
- White-label features require the Agency Pack, which is an additional annual-only commitment on top of the base plan.
- The Starter-level Core plan caps at 10 projects and 1 manager seat — agencies with large client rosters will need Growth or multiple extra seats.
- Some advanced research tools and historical data are Growth-only or limited on Core.
Head-to-head: the key differences
Here is a plain-facts comparison based solely on verified published specifications.
- Starting price (monthly billing): Semrush SEO $139/month vs. SE Ranking Core $129/month.
- Starting price (annual billing): Semrush SEO $117.33/month vs. SE Ranking Core $103.20/month. The difference between these two annual prices, based on the stated figures, is $14.13/month in SE Ranking's favor.
- Free trial: Semrush 7 days vs. SE Ranking 14 days — both require no credit card.
- Keywords tracked daily (entry plan): Semrush SEO 500 vs. SE Ranking Core 2,000 — SE Ranking's entry plan tracks four times as many keywords at a lower price.
- Websites/projects (entry plan): Semrush SEO 5 websites vs. SE Ranking Core 10 projects.
- White-label reporting: Semrush via Pro Report add-on at $20/month; SE Ranking via Agency Pack at $69/month annually (which also includes client seats, lead tools and catalog placement).
- AI visibility tracking: Semrush includes AI brand monitoring on all paid SEO plans; SE Ranking includes GEO tracking (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) in Core and Growth base plans.
- Client-facing seats: Semrush does not publish a client-seat feature on its base plans; SE Ranking Agency Pack includes 30 client seats.
- Users: Semrush charges from $45/month per extra user; SE Ranking Core includes 1 manager seat with extras from $16/month.
- Broader toolset: Semrush offers content, social, advertising and market-intelligence modules (prices not readable from the page — check directly); SE Ranking's scope is focused on SEO and GEO.
Pricing in practice for a typical agency
Comparing the two platforms honestly requires you to think about what you actually need. Here is how to frame the cost question:
If you only need SEO reporting and rank tracking
SE Ranking Core billed annually ($103.20/month) gives you 10 projects and 2,000 keywords per day. Adding the Agency Pack ($69/month, annual) brings white-label reporting, client seats and a lead generator. You can calculate the combined annual total from those two stated figures. Semrush's equivalent combination — Starter or Pro+ plus the Pro Report add-on plus extra user seats — starts higher, based on the published prices. Confirm current totals on each vendor's page before committing.
If you need competitive intelligence and market data at scale
Semrush's Pro+ plan ($248.17/month billed annually) covers 15 websites and 1,500 keywords, with content optimization and multi-location tracking included. SE Ranking Growth ($223.20/month annually) covers 30 projects and 5,000 keywords but does not include the breadth of market-intelligence and advertising research tools that Semrush bundles. Which represents better value depends on which tools you actually use.
Watch for costs outside the base plan
Both platforms have usage-based or add-on costs that can raise your bill significantly:
- Semrush extra users start at $45/month each; extra reports and white-label branding are add-ons.
- SE Ranking extra keywords, extra audit pages and extra manager seats each carry their own per-unit pricing — check the plan table on their pricing page for current rates.
- SE Ranking's Agency Pack is annual-only, so if you cancel the base plan you lose the add-on too.
White-label and client reporting compared
For most agencies, white-label reporting is not optional — it is how you demonstrate value to clients under your own brand. Here is how each platform handles it.
Semrush white-label reporting
The Pro Report add-on ($20/month) adds branding, custom colors, external integrations beyond the 20-plus Semrush tools, AI-generated summaries and shareable links. The Base Report ($10/month) covers Semrush tool data, Google Analytics and GSC, PDF export and scheduling — but without white-label branding. Neither is included in the base plan price. If you want a purpose-built white-label SEO reporting tool, you may also want to review the options in our White Label SEO Reporting guide.
SE Ranking white-label reporting
The Agency Pack ($69/month, annual) includes white-label branding for both the SE Ranking platform interface and the reports, unlimited scheduled reporting with AI summaries, and 30 client seats so clients can log in under your brand. The lead-generator tool and Agency Catalog placement are also included. This is a more comprehensive agency bundle than Semrush's reporting add-ons — but it costs more per month and locks you into an annual commitment.
GEO and AI visibility: how each platform handles it
Tracking how clients appear in AI-generated answers — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and others — has become a genuine agency service in 2026. Both platforms have responded, but differently.
Semrush includes AI visibility monitoring on all paid SEO plans: you can monitor AI sentiment, track custom prompts, and pull AI visibility reports for any domain. The Starter plan adds 50 prompts tracked daily and one domain for AI brand performance; Pro+ adds 100 prompts daily. This is built into the plan price.
SE Ranking includes GEO research in its base plans: Core tracks 100 prompts daily across 5 AI sources (AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot listed as coming soon), with 5 domains in GEO research; Growth raises this to 250 prompts and 15 domains. There is also a separate AI Search add-on ($89/month monthly or $71.20/month annually) for deeper AI tracking if you need more capacity. The GEO inclusion in base plans is a meaningful differentiator for budget-conscious agencies adding AI visibility services.
Who should choose Semrush
Semrush is a stronger fit if:
- You run competitive-intelligence, advertising research or market-analysis services alongside SEO and want everything in one platform.
- Your clients operate in highly competitive verticals where database depth and data freshness matter.
- You need AI visibility and brand-sentiment monitoring at scale and want it tightly integrated with your keyword and rank data.
- You are already in the Semrush ecosystem and the incremental upgrade cost to Pro Report white-labeling is manageable.
- You can absorb a higher per-month cost in exchange for a broader toolkit.
Visit Semrush's pricing page to start a 7-day free trial or compare plan details.
Who should choose SE Ranking
SE Ranking is a stronger fit if:
- Your primary service is SEO delivery and reporting, and you do not need the broader market-intelligence suite.
- You manage a high volume of client projects and want more keywords tracked per dollar — the Core plan's 2,000-keyword daily limit at $103.20/month (annual) is notably higher than Semrush's entry-plan 500-keyword limit.
- You want a 14-day trial with no credit card before committing.
- White-label client portals and automated reporting are priorities — the Agency Pack bundles these more completely than Semrush's add-ons.
- You are building a white-label SEO software offering under your own brand, which you can read more about in our White Label SEO Software guide.
Visit SE Ranking's pricing page to start a 14-day free trial.
Alternatives worth knowing
If neither platform fits your needs exactly, a few other tools are worth considering:
- AgencyAnalytics: $20 per client per month (billed annually) with unlimited staff accounts and 90-plus integrations — strong for reporting if you use multiple data sources rather than one SEO platform. See our reporting tools guide for context.
- BrightLocal: Focused on local SEO, starting at $41/month for 1 location — excellent if your clients are local businesses rather than national or e-commerce brands.
- HighLevel: If your agency needs a full CRM, funnel builder, email, SMS and SEO tooling in one platform, HighLevel's SEO powered by Search Atlas add-on is $79/month per sub-account on top of the base plan. We use HighLevel daily and have detailed coverage in our GoHighLevel Review 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SE Ranking cheaper than Semrush for agencies?
Based on published prices checked in October 2026, SE Ranking Core billed annually is $103.20/month and Semrush's SEO plan billed annually is $117.33/month — a difference of $14.13/month based on those stated figures. However, adding white-label features and client seats shifts the comparison: SE Ranking's Agency Pack adds $69/month (annual only), while Semrush's Pro Report adds $20/month. The total cost depends on which add-ons you need. Always confirm current prices on each vendor's page before deciding.
Which platform tracks more keywords at entry level?
SE Ranking's Core plan tracks 2,000 keywords daily; Semrush's SEO plan tracks 500 keywords daily. Both prices are within $15/month of each other on annual billing, based on published figures. If keyword volume is a priority — common for agencies running rank tracking for multiple clients — SE Ranking's entry plan covers more ground at a comparable price.
Does SE Ranking include white-label features in its base plan?
No. White-label branding, client-facing portals and unlimited scheduled reporting are available only through the Agency Pack add-on, which is priced at $69/month billed annually and must be purchased alongside a Core or Growth subscription. The Agency Pack also includes 30 client seats and lead-generation tools.
Does Semrush include AI visibility tracking?
Yes. All paid Semrush SEO plans include AI search monitoring and AI sentiment reports at a base level. The Starter plan adds 50 tracked AI prompts daily and one domain for AI brand performance; Pro+ raises this to 100 daily prompts. The Advanced plan includes unlimited AI prompts. SE Ranking also includes GEO tracking in its base plans, covering AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and ChatGPT.
How long are the free trials for each platform?
SE Ranking offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, on both Core and Growth plans. Semrush offers a 7-day free trial on paid plans with no credit card required. Semrush also has a permanent free plan with 1 demo project and 10 reports per day, which lets you explore the interface before committing to a paid plan.
Can I use both Semrush and SE Ranking together?
Some agencies do run more than one SEO tool to cross-reference data or use different tools for different workflow stages. Whether that makes sense depends on your budget and whether the incremental data quality justifies the combined subscription cost. Both platforms offer trials, so you can evaluate them in parallel before committing. Our white-label SEO software guide covers how agencies typically structure their SEO stack.
Are there long-term contracts for either platform?
Semrush does not mention long-term contracts on its pricing page — annual billing is available at a discount. SE Ranking's base plans are available monthly or annually (annual saves 20%); however, the Agency Pack is annual billing only. Confirm cancellation terms with each vendor before signing up.
The bottom line
Choose Semrush if your agency delivers competitive intelligence, advertising research and broad digital-marketing analysis alongside SEO, and you need one platform to cover all of it. The Pro+ plan at $248.17/month (annual) with the Pro Report add-on at $20/month gives a capable multi-client SEO and AI visibility stack — check current totals at Semrush's pricing page and use the 7-day trial to test the data depth on your clients' niches.
Choose SE Ranking if you run a focused SEO and reporting operation, manage a high volume of projects, and want more keywords tracked per dollar with stronger built-in agency tools. The Core plan at $103.20/month plus Agency Pack at $69/month (both annual) gives you white-label reporting, 30 client seats and a lead generator. Start with the 14-day free trial at SE Ranking's pricing page — no credit card required.
For context on how either platform fits into a broader agency software stack, see our Best CRM for Marketing Agencies guide and our GoHighLevel Pricing breakdown if you are also evaluating all-in-one platforms.