Buying guide

Best SEO software for one website

By Joonas Rotko, ex-agency co-owner, 10+ years spending real marketing budgets

Prices verified 2 Oct 2026 · How I choose, and how I earn from this page

For a small business with one website, I'd start with SE Ranking. Its Core plan covers keyword tracking, site audits and AI search tracking for $103.20/month billed annually. Mangools costs less if keyword research is the main job. Ahrefs and Semrush are worth their price only when you need the extra data. I checked every price against the vendor's own page on 2 Oct 2026.

Every price on this page is for

1 site
100 tracked keywords
1 user
AI search visibility

Who this is for. Owners and solo marketers who run SEO for their own site and pay for the tool themselves. I priced one site, because the real decision is which single subscription covers rankings, site health and AI search without agency features you will never open. Whichever you pick, you will open it every week and act on what it flags: none of these tools fixes your pages for you.

Looking for something else?

Different job, different guide.

I want to improve my AI visibility

I'm choosing for my agency

I need one specific job done

My picks for different needs

Find the line that sounds like you. Each pick links to the full reasoning below.

One tool for keywords, rank tracking, site audits and AI search
Everything for one site on a single plan, with room to grow.
Why this one
SE Ranking
My default
$103.20/moannual
See SE Ranking plansAffiliate link
Keyword research is most of what I do, and I want the lowest price
The cheapest annual price here, with AI search tracking included.
Why this one
Mangools
$37.70/moannual
See Mangools plansAffiliate link
I want to start free and check my site's health first
A free Basic plan and strong audits, priced in euros.
Why this one
Seobility
€47.92/moannual
See Seobility plansAffiliate link
Backlinks and competitor research matter most
Built for backlink and competitor data, but you pay before you can try it.
Why this one
Ahrefs
$108/moannual
With more AI prompts, Standard: $208/mo annual, 10 AI prompts
See Ahrefs plans
I already have a site and want better articles
Scores and briefs your content. It is not a rank tracker.
Why this one
Surfer
$49/moannual
See Surfer plansAffiliate link

The tools side by side

Each row is the cheapest plan that covers one site with AI search tracking, worked out for monthly and annual billing separately.

Ahrefs: I priced Lite, the cheapest plan that covers one site. Lite includes only 5 AI prompts, so it falls short of the AI search tracking above. Standard meets it.

one site: plan priced, monthly and annual cost, Sites, Keywords, AI search tracking, Free start
Tool and plan	Cost per month	Sites	Keywords	AI search tracking	Free start
SE RankingCore	$103.20annual $129 monthly	10	2,000	Google AI Overviews plus 100 AI prompts	14-day trial
MangoolsBasic	$37.70annual $61 monthly	Unlimited domains	200	500 AI prompts	Free plan
SeobilityPremium	€47.92annual €59.90 monthly	3	300	Google AI Overviews, prompt tracking coming soon	Free plan and a 14-day trial
SemrushSEO	$117.33annual $139.95 monthly	5	500	Google AI Overviews	Free plan and a 7-day trial
AhrefsLite	$108annual $129 monthly With more AI prompts, Standard: $208/mo annual, 10 AI prompts	5	750	5 AI prompts	Free account, no trial
MozStandard	$79annual $99 monthly	3	300	Google AI Overviews plus 150 AI prompts	Free tier and a 7-day trial on Medium only

Prices are in each vendor's own currency. Seobility charges in euros. Those rows are never ranked against, or subtracted from, the dollar prices.

A content tool, priced on its own workload

Surfer scores and briefs articles. It isn't a rank tracker or a site audit, so it isn't priced against the platforms above.

A content tool, priced on its own workload: plan priced, cost, Articles, AI search tracking, Free start
Tool and plan	Cost	Articles	AI search tracking	Free start
SurferDiscovery	$49annual $59 monthly	10 a month	Not on this plan	7-day trial

Seven picks, in the order I'd consider them

Each one says who it is for, what it costs for one site, and what you give up.

SE Ranking

Best value all-rounder

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want one subscription for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits and AI search tracking, with room to grow.

Consider Mangools instead if

Keyword research is most of what you do. You'd pay $37.70/month billed annually instead and skip the audit tools you would not open.

Why it fits one site

Core covers 10 sites and 2,000 tracked keywords, so one small site never gets near a limit. It tracks Google AI Overviews and 100 AI prompts on the same plan, so you don't need a second tool for AI search.

The plan I priced

I priced Core: $129/month billed monthly, or $103.20/month billed annually if you pay yearly. Growth is only needed above 10 sites or 2,000 tracked keywords.

Closest alternative

Semrush becomes the better choice when you want the bigger toolbox, including content and ad research, and paying $10.95/month more on monthly billing doesn't bother you.

SE Ranking homepage, captured 2 Oct 2026

One site: Core

Billed annually

$103.20/mo

Billed monthly

$129/mo

Above 10 sites: Growth (+$120/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

You pay for the whole toolbox. If keyword research is all you do, you're paying for tracking and audits you won't open.

What my review says

Best for: Small businesses and solo marketers who want keyword tracking, audits and AI tracking in one plan.

Skip it if keyword research is all you do and a lighter tool would cost less.

Strengths

Google AI Overviews plus 100 AI prompts on Core.
Keyword tracking, site audits and content editor in one plan.
A 14-day trial, no card needed.

Limits

No refunds once you have paid.
Core keeps 6 months of history.
You pay for the whole toolbox even if you only use keyword tracking.

See SE Ranking plans My SE Ranking review SE Ranking pricingAffiliate link

Mangools

Easiest keyword research, lowest annual price

Hands-on

Choose it if

Keyword research is the main job and you want AI search tracking included without paying suite prices.

Consider SE Ranking instead if

You need site audits in the same plan. Mangools is strongest on keyword research and tracking, and its Basic plan lists no site audit.

Why it fits one site

Basic tracks 200 keywords and includes 500 AI prompts a month across ChatGPT and other engines. Billed annually it's the lowest-priced plan on this list.

The plan I priced

I priced Basic, which covers the workload on both billing bases. The first limit you would hit is 200 tracked keywords.

Closest alternative

Seobility becomes the better choice when you care more about site audits than keyword research and are happy with a euro price list.

One site: Mangools Basic

Billed annually

$37.70/mo

Billed monthly

$61/mo

Above 200 tracked keywords: Mangools Premium (+$15/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

Almost all of the saving needs a year's commitment: $61/month billed monthly against $37.70/month billed annually. The refund window is only 48 hours.

What my review says

Best for: Keyword research on a small budget, with AI tracking bundled in.

Skip it if site auditing, not keyword research, is the main job.

Strengths

The lowest annual price on this list: $37.70/month billed annually.
AI Search Watcher, 500 prompts, on Basic.
A genuine free plan, separate from Basic.

Limits

Basic lists no site audit.
Whether it tracks Google AI Overviews specifically is unverified.
Refunds only within 48 hours of paying.

See Mangools plans My Mangools reviewAffiliate link

Seobility

Free start, strong site audits

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want to start free, you care about site audits, and a euro price list suits you.

Consider SE Ranking instead if

You need AI prompt tracking now. Seobility has announced multi-engine prompt tracking, but it isn't on sale yet.

Why it fits one site

Premium covers 3 projects and 300 tracked keywords with Google AI Overview tracking. The free Basic plan lets you see the audit on your own site before you pay anything.

The plan I priced

I priced Premium: €59.90/month billed monthly, or €47.92/month billed annually, in euros. Seobility also publishes a separate dollar price list. I use the euro list only and never convert between the two.

Closest alternative

SE Ranking becomes the better choice when you want AI prompt tracking included today and don't mind paying in dollars.

One site: Premium

Billed annually

€47.92/mo

Billed monthly

€59.90/mo

Above 3 sites: Premium with Additional project (+€14.90/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

There's no AI prompt tracking you can buy yet, and white label only starts at Professional. For one site the second doesn't matter. The first does if AI search tracking is why you're buying.

What my review says

Best for: The owner of one site who wants a euro price list and a free plan to start on.

Skip it if you need live multi-engine AI prompt tracking now.

Strengths

A real free Basic plan, no card needed.
Google AI Overview tracking from €59.90/month billed monthly.
A 14-day trial on paid plans.

Limits

AI prompt tracking is announced but still coming soon.
Premium stops at 3 projects and 300 keywords.
Prices are in euros, so they are not comparable with the dollar tools.

See Seobility plans My Seobility review Seobility pricingAffiliate link

Semrush

Biggest toolbox

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want keyword, competitor, content, ad and local research in one place and expect to grow beyond one site.

Consider SE Ranking instead if

AI prompt tracking matters to you. SE Ranking includes it in its entry plan, while Semrush adds it from Starter at $199/month billed monthly.

Why it fits one site

The SEO plan covers 5 sites and 500 tracked keywords with Google AI Overview tracking, and there's a limited free plan to look around first.

The plan I priced

I priced the SEO plan: $139.95/month billed monthly, or $117.33/month billed annually. Refunds are only available on annual plans.

Closest alternative

Ahrefs becomes the better choice when the main job is backlink and competitor research, where Ahrefs is built for exactly that.

One site: SEO

Billed annually

$117.33/mo

Billed monthly

$139.95/mo

Above 5 sites: Pro+ (+$130.84/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

AI prompt tracking is not on the SEO plan, and the entry plans stop at 5 sites and 500 keywords. Going past either costs a step up to the next plan.

What my review says

Best for: A small business that expects to grow past one site and wants the widest toolbox in one place.

Skip it if you want AI prompt tracking on the cheapest plan, or you only need keyword tracking.

Strengths

A limited free plan to look around first.
A 7-day trial.
Content, ad and local research alongside SEO in one login.

Limits

No AI prompt tracking on the SEO plan.
The SEO plan stops at 5 sites and 500 keywords.
Refunds only on annual plans, first 7 days.

See Semrush plans My Semrush review Semrush pricingAffiliate link

Ahrefs

Backlink and competitor research

Hands-on

Choose it if

Backlinks and competitor research drive your SEO, and you're sure enough to pay without a trial.

Consider Semrush instead if

You want a trial before committing. Semrush has a 7-day trial, and Ahrefs offers none.

Why it fits one site

Lite covers 5 projects and 750 tracked keywords, so one site fits easily. It includes only 5 AI prompts, so it suits you if backlinks and keywords matter more than AI tracking. Standard includes 10.

The plan I priced

I priced Lite: $129/month billed monthly, or $108/month billed annually. Standard is $249/month billed monthly, or $208/month billed annually. Paying yearly is cheaper per month on both, and the costs section shows by how much.

Closest alternative

Semrush becomes the better choice when you want a wider toolbox and a trial period, and backlink depth is less important to you.

One site: Lite

Billed annually

$108/mo

Billed monthly

$129/mo

With more AI prompts, Standard: $208/mo annual, 10 AI prompts

Lite tracks only a handful of AI prompts. Move up if AI visibility matters to you.

Above 5 AI prompts: Standard (+$100/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

No free trial and no standing refund policy, so you pay first. Lite doesn't include much AI prompt tracking, and one step up costs a lot more.

What my review says

Best for: Backlink and competitor research on your own site, if you are happy to pay before you can try it.

Skip it if you want to try the tool before you pay.

Strengths

Built around backlink and competitor research.
AI prompt tracking is included on every paid plan.
Paying yearly lowers the monthly price on Lite and Standard.

Limits

No free trial of any kind, only a free account with limited data.
No standing refund policy beyond a discretionary review for non-use.
Lite includes only 5 AI prompts.

See Ahrefs plans My Ahrefs reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

Moz

AI tracking from the entry plan

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want an established brand with AI visibility tracking included from the entry plan, and you're comfortable committing without a refund.

Consider SE Ranking instead if

You want to try the plan you'll actually buy, and higher limits. Moz's 7-day trial covers Medium, not Standard, and Standard stops at 3 campaigns and 300 tracked keywords.

Why it fits one site

Standard tracks Google AI Overviews and up to 150 AI prompts across 4 AI models. That's more AI cover than Semrush's SEO plan, at a lower price.

The plan I priced

I priced Standard: $99/month billed monthly, or $79/month billed annually.

Closest alternative

SE Ranking becomes the better choice when you want higher limits and a 14-day trial for a similar annual price.

One site: Standard

Billed annually

$79/mo

Billed monthly

$99/mo

Above 3 sites: Medium (+$64/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

Moz doesn't offer refunds of any kind, and its 7-day trial only covers the Medium plan on monthly billing, so you can't trial the Standard plan I priced.

What my review says

Best for: One site that needs AI Overview and prompt tracking from the entry plan.

Skip it if you need a stated refund window before committing.

Strengths

AI Overviews by Keyword and prompt tracking on every plan, Standard included.
Tracks 4 AI models (GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity) at every tier.
A separate free Moz Community tier to start with no card.

Limits

Moz does not offer refunds of any kind.
The 7-day free trial only covers the Medium plan on monthly billing, not the Standard plan I priced.
Standard caps at 3 campaigns and 300 tracked keywords.

See Moz plans My Moz reviewAffiliate link

Surfer

Improves the content you already have

Desk research

Choose it if

You already have a site and want each article scored and briefed before you publish, and tracking rankings isn't your problem.

Consider SE Ranking instead if

You want rank tracking and site audits too. SE Ranking's Core plan includes a content editor for 25 articles a month.

Why it fits one site

Discovery covers 10 articles a month for one user, more than a blog posting weekly needs. Its Content Score and guidelines are competition-based, drawn from the pages already ranking for your term.

The plan I priced

Surfer is priced on its own workload, a few articles a month, because it is a content tool and not a platform for the one-site workload the tools above are priced on: $59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually.

Closest alternative

SE Ranking becomes the better choice when you'd rather have one subscription that tracks, audits and scores content.

Content workload: Discovery

Billed annually

$49/mo

Billed monthly

$59/mo

Above 10 articles a month: Standard (+$50/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

Discovery has no AI search tracking. That starts at Standard, $119/month billed monthly. The 7-day trial needs a card and converts to a paid plan.

What my review says

Best for: A solo owner or small team that already publishes articles and wants each one scored before it goes live.

Skip it if you want rank tracking or AI search tracking on the cheapest plan.

Strengths

10 articles a month on Discovery for one user.
Guidelines are competition-based and update in real time.
A standalone AI Search Analytics plan for $95/month billed monthly if you skip content tools.

Limits

Discovery has no AI search tracking and no WordPress or Google Docs.
The 7-day trial needs a card and converts to a paid plan.
AI search tracking starts at Standard, $119/month billed monthly.

See Surfer plans My Surfer review Surfer pricingAffiliate link

What one site really costs

The same workload on every plan, so the prices are comparable. The bar is the annual-billing price per month.

One exception: Ahrefs is priced on Lite. Lite includes only 5 AI prompts, so it falls short of the AI search tracking the others meet. Standard meets it at $208/mo billed annually.

Dollar prices, per month (billed annually where sold)

Mangools$37.70/mo
Moz$79/mo
SE Ranking$103.20/mo
Ahrefs$108/mo
Semrush$117.33/mo

Other currencies, per month (billed annually where sold)

Seobility€47.92/mo

Other currencies are not converted to dollars and are not compared with the bars above.

Pay monthly or yearly?

What yearly billing saves on the same plan.

SE Ranking$129 monthly, $103.20 yearly: 20% less
Mangools$61 monthly, $37.70 yearly: 38% less
Seobility€59.90 monthly, €47.92 yearly: 20% less
Semrush$139.95 monthly, $117.33 yearly: 16% less
Ahrefs$129 monthly, $108 yearly: 16% less
Moz$99 monthly, $79 yearly: 20% less
Surfer$59 monthly, $49 yearly: 17% less

When you'll outgrow the plan

The first limit you hit, and the next plan up.

SE Ranking: above 10 sites, Growth (+$120/mo)
Mangools: above 200 tracked keywords, Mangools Premium (+$15/mo)
Seobility: above 3 sites, Premium with Additional project (+€14.90/mo)
Semrush: above 5 sites, Pro+ (+$130.84/mo)
Ahrefs: above 5 AI prompts, Standard (+$100/mo)
Moz: above 3 sites, Medium (+$64/mo)
Surfer: above 10 articles a month, Standard (+$50/mo)

How I calculated this

Workload: 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 user, AI search visibility.

For AI search tracking, either Google AI Overview tracking or ten tracked AI prompts counts. The plan that satisfies it first is the one priced.

SE Ranking qualifies through Google AI Overview tracking and AI prompt tracking.
Mangools qualifies through AI prompt tracking.
Seobility qualifies through Google AI Overview tracking.
Semrush qualifies through Google AI Overview tracking.
Moz qualifies through Google AI Overview tracking and AI prompt tracking.
Ahrefs is priced on Lite by choice, which is below the AI search tracking requirement. Standard meets it.

Other options, and why they missed the list

I kept the list short on purpose. To make it a tool had to cover SEO for your own site, publish its plan limits and fit one site without agency pricing. Competitor-research, crawl-only and backlink-only tools are useful, but they answer a different question.

KeySearch
A low-priced keyword research tool. A good fit if keyword research is the whole job.
Ubersuggest
A budget suite with keyword research, site audits and an AI writer. Worth a look if price decides it.
LowFruits
Finds keywords where weak pages rank. A specialist add-on for keyword research.
Morningscore
A simpler all-in-one with rank tracking, backlinks and audits, if the toolbox above feels like too much.
Screaming Frog
A desktop crawler for technical audits. Audit only, with no rank tracking or keyword research.
SpyFu
Competitor and ad research. It studies other sites, not yours.
SISTRIX
A German SEO suite built around its Visibility Index, with European data hosting.

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Who is behind this guide

Joonas Rotko

I co-ran a marketing agency in Finland and spent more than ten years buying SEO and marketing software with real client budgets. I write these guides for the person who has to pay for the tool and use it.

Hands-on with 6 of these 7 tools
Prices checked 2 Oct 2026
How this page earns

More about me and how I review

Affiliate disclosure

Some of these links are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you buy through them, at no cost to you. That never moves a price or a verdict. Order follows fit for one site first, and where two tools fit about equally the affiliate partner goes first. Ahrefs sits above Moz even though I have no affiliate link for Ahrefs: it is the one pick built around backlink data, while Moz offers no refunds and its trial does not cover the plan I priced.

How this guide was prepared

What I did

I priced one small business site with AI search tracking. Every figure comes from a vendor pricing page I checked on the date shown beside its source link.
For each tool I picked the cheapest plan whose published limits cover that site, once for monthly billing and once for annual. A plan with unpublished limits is not priced.
Seobility prices in euros, so it appears in euros and is never ranked against or subtracted from the dollar tools.
Surfer is the one desk-research pick here and rests on its published plans. The other cards carry a Hands-on label because I use those tools myself.

What to keep in mind

Vendors reprice without warning, so read each figure as true on its source date and check the vendor's page before you pay.
Moz's trial is limited to its Medium plan on monthly billing, so it doesn't let you try the Standard plan I priced.
Seobility has announced multi-engine AI prompt tracking but doesn't sell it yet, so it isn't counted.
Mangools doesn't say whether its AI Search Watcher tracks Google AI Overviews, so I only count the prompts it lists.

Sources and verification dates

SE Ranking pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026
Mangools pricing and limits checked 1 Oct 2026
Seobility pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026
Semrush pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026
Ahrefs pricing and limits checked 30 Sep 2026
Moz pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026
Surfer pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026

Prices and limits checked on 18 vendor pages. Oldest check: 29 Sep 2026.

2 Oct 2026: First Best V2 version: the ranked list is rebuilt from verified plan facts for one site, with costs worked out for monthly and annual billing.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

Questions people ask

How much does SEO software cost for one small business website?

Billed annually, the dollar-priced tools run from $37.70/month billed annually (Mangools) to $117.33/month billed annually (Semrush) for one site with AI search tracking. Seobility is €47.92/month billed annually, in euros. Monthly billing costs more, and the gap is biggest at Mangools.

Is Google Search Console enough on its own?

It's free and shows how your own site performs in Google, so use it either way. The tools here add keyword research, competitor data, rank tracking and site audits. If you only want free tools, my guide to free SEO tools is the place to start.

Which of these track AI search?

SE Ranking tracks Google AI Overviews and 100 AI prompts on Core. Moz tracks Google AI Overviews and up to 150 AI prompts on Standard. Mangools includes 500 AI prompts on Basic. Semrush's SEO plan tracks Google AI Overviews only, and prompt tracking starts at Starter, $199/month billed monthly. Seobility tracks Google AI Overviews on Premium. Ahrefs includes AI prompt tracking on every paid plan, 5 prompts on Lite.

Can I try these tools before paying?

SE Ranking offers a 14-day trial. Seobility has a free Basic plan and a 14-day trial on paid plans. Semrush has a 7-day trial and a limited free plan. Moz has a free tier and a 7-day trial, though the trial only covers its Medium plan. Mangools has a free plan. Ahrefs has no trial, only a free account with limited data. Surfer's 7-day trial needs a card.

When will I outgrow the plan?

Each card shows the first limit you'd hit. On SE Ranking Core it's above 10 sites or 2,000 tracked keywords. On Seobility Premium it's 3 projects or 300 keywords. On Semrush's SEO plan it's 5 sites or 500 keywords.

Do I need SEO experience to use these tools?

Enough to act on a report: knowing what a title tag, an internal link and a broken page are is plenty. The wider the toolbox, the more there is to learn, so a first-time user usually gets further with SE Ranking or Mangools than with the biggest suite. None of them edits your site for you.

Do I need SEO software, or an AI SEO autopilot?

These tools give you data and you do the work. An autopilot researches, writes and publishes content for you, so it replaces the writing, not the tool you check rankings with. If SEO will not get your weekly time, look at the autopilot guide first.

Best SEO software for one website

Looking for something else?

I want to improve my AI visibility

I'm choosing for my agency

I need one specific job done

My picks for different needs

The tools side by side

A content tool, priced on its own workload

Seven picks, in the order I'd consider them

SE Ranking

Mangools

Seobility

Semrush

Ahrefs

Moz

Surfer

What one site really costs

Pay monthly or yearly?

When you'll outgrow the plan

Other options, and why they missed the list

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Joonas Rotko

Affiliate disclosure

Questions people ask

Compare two of them head to head

The SEO and AI visibility software worth your money, and the ones that are not