That Marketing Buddy

Similarweb vs Semrush: competitive intel is not an SEO suite

Traditional SEO suites · Verified · By Joonas Rotko

SimilarWeb logo

SimilarWeb

Desk research

From Competitive Intelligence, billed annually

$125/mo

$199/mo billed monthly

Semrush logo

Semrush

Hands-on

From SEO, billed annually

$117.33/mo

$139.95/mo billed monthly

Quick answer

These solve different jobs. Semrush SEO ($139.95/month billed monthly) tracks keywords, site audits and Google AI Overviews from the entry plan. Similarweb's cheapest tier ($199/month billed monthly) has no SEO or AEO features at all; those only unlock on its second tier at $399/month billed monthly, already pricier than Semrush SEO. Prices verified 30 Sep 2026.

Across the three setups below: Semrush in 3 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

  1. Small business owner, one website

    Semrush logo

    Semrush

    My pick

    $117.33/mo billed annually

    Semrush SEO is $139.95/month billed monthly and tracks 500 keywords plus Google AI Overviews. Similarweb has no plan that publishes a keyword-tracking limit, and its cheapest tier has no SEO features at all.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if competitive and market intelligence, not keyword tracking, is the actual job. Similarweb is built for that, not for this scenario.

    See Semrush plans

  2. Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites

    Semrush logo

    Semrush

    My pick

    $117.33/mo billed annually

    Semrush SEO covers 3 client sites with 3 bundled reports at $139.95/month billed monthly. Similarweb publishes no per-project or per-keyword limit for any self-serve tier, so it cannot be scenario-scored the same way.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Semrush wins by default: Similarweb has no numeric fit to compare against, and its cheap tier has no SEO features regardless.

    Skip it if not really an option here on these terms: Similarweb's packaging does not map onto a per-client-site brief.

    See Semrush plans

  3. Small agency, about 10 clients

    Semrush logo

    Semrush

    My pick

    $608.17/mo billed annually

    Semrush Pro+ with the Pro Report add-on covers a 10-client, AI-prompt-tracking brief at $659/month billed monthly. Similarweb has no published project, keyword or seat data to check against this brief.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Semrush wins by default: Similarweb is not built or priced as a per-client SEO reporting tool.

    Skip it if not really an option here: Similarweb cannot be scenario-scored against a 10-client SEO brief.

    See Semrush plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are SimilarWeb and Semrush really different?

  • SEO features at the entry price

    SimilarWeb
    None. Competitive Intelligence, the cheapest tier, has no SEO or AEO block at all
    Semrush
    500 tracked keywords, site audit, backlink data, all on the SEO plan

    Similarweb's cheapest plan cannot replace an SEO suite; you need its second tier just to get SEO features at all.

  • Where AI search tracking lives

    SimilarWeb
    150 tracked prompts, but only from the $399/month billed monthly-a-month tier up; engines covered are not named
    Semrush
    Google AI Overviews confirmed on every plan; AI prompt tracking from Starter

    Semrush names Google AI Overviews explicitly; Similarweb does not say which AI engines its prompts cover.

  • API and MCP access

    SimilarWeb
    Enterprise-only, not on any self-serve Entrepreneurs tier
    Semrush
    Included on every plan

    Semrush bundles MCP from the entry plan; Similarweb requires an Enterprise deal for any automation access.

  • Trying before you buy

    SimilarWeb
    A 7-day trial, card required
    Semrush
    A limited free plan, then a 7-day trial with a card

    Semrush has a free plan on top of a trial; Similarweb has a trial only.

What will SimilarWeb or Semrush cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Small business owner, one website

1 site · 100 tracked keywords · AI search visibility: Google AI Overview tracking or AI prompt tracking (10 prompts) · 1 user

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

SimilarWeb

No plan fits
No plan fits

Can't be priced from published data

Semrush

My pick
$139.95
$117.33

SEO

Above 6 sites: Pro+ (+$130.84/mo).

See Semrush plans
Usage, limits and billing

SimilarWeb

No published plan fits this setup.

Semrush

  • Uses 1 of 5 sites, 100 of 500 tracked keywords.
  • AI visibility covered by Google AI Overview tracking.
  • On monthly billing: $1,679.40 a year.
  • On annual billing: $1,407.96 a year.
  • Above 500 tracked keywords: Pro+, $130.84/mo more.

Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites

3 sites · 300 tracked keywords · client reports · 1 user

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

SimilarWeb

No plan fits
No plan fits

Can't be priced from published data

Semrush

My pick
$139.95
$117.33

SEO

Above 6 sites: Pro+ (+$130.84/mo).

See Semrush plans
Usage, limits and billing

SimilarWeb

No published plan fits this setup.

Semrush

  • Uses 3 of 5 sites, 300 of 500 tracked keywords.
  • On monthly billing: $1,679.40 a year.
  • On annual billing: $1,407.96 a year.
  • Above 500 tracked keywords: Pro+, $130.84/mo more.

Small agency, about 10 clients

10 sites · 1,000 tracked keywords · 100 AI prompts · 10 white-label reports · client reports · 3 users

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

SimilarWeb

No plan fits
No plan fits

Can't be priced from published data

Semrush

My pick
$659
$608.17

Pro+ with 10 x Pro Report and 2 extra users

Above 16 sites: Advanced with 10 x Pro Report (+$247.50/mo).

See Semrush plans
Usage, limits and billing

SimilarWeb

No published plan fits this setup.

Semrush

  • Uses 10 of 15 sites, 1,000 of 1,500 tracked keywords, 100 of 100 AI prompts, 10 of 10 white-label reports.
  • On monthly billing: $7,908 a year.
  • On annual billing: $7,298.04 a year.
  • Above 1,500 tracked keywords: Advanced with 10 x Pro Report, $247.50/mo more.
  • Above 100 AI prompts: Pro+ with AI Visibility Toolkit (Base) and 10 x Pro Report, $99/mo more.
How I calculated this

For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.

  • Small business owner, one website: One site and about 100 keywords, enough for your core service and location terms. For AI search, either Google AI Overview tracking or 10 tracked AI prompts counts. One login.SimilarWeb, monthly billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published.SimilarWeb, annual billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published.
  • Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites: Three client sites at about 100 keywords each, with client reports. One person does the work.SimilarWeb, monthly billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published.SimilarWeb, annual billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published.
  • Small agency, about 10 clients: Ten clients at about 100 keywords and 10 AI prompts each, with a white-label report for every client. Google AI Overview tracking alone doesn't count here, since clients ask about ChatGPT too. Three people log in.SimilarWeb, monthly billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. White-label reports limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.SimilarWeb, annual billing: Can't be priced from published data. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. White-label reports limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.

SimilarWeb vs Semrush side by side

I compare SEO suites on: Real cost for your setup, both billing bases; AI search visibility: which engines, how many prompts, which plan; Sites and tracked keywords per plan; Client reporting and white label; Users and seat price; Ease of setup for a non-specialist.

SimilarWeb and Semrush compared on the main buying criteria
Real cost for your setup, both billing basesCompetitive Intelligence: $199/mo monthly, $125/mo annually (no SEO features); SEO & AEO tier: $399/mo monthly, $333/mo annuallySEO: $139.95/mo monthly, $117.33/mo annually
AI search visibility: which engines, how many prompts, which plan150 tracked prompts from the SEO & AEO tier up; specific engines not namedAI Overviews on every plan; prompts from Starter
Sites and tracked keywords per planNo published numeric keyword or project limit on any self-serve tier5 sites, 500 keywords on SEO
Client reporting and white labelNot part of the self-serve Entrepreneurs tiersWhite label at $20/month per client report
Users and seat price1 user on every self-serve tier; no published per-seat add-on price1 user included; $45/user per month per extra seat
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for SimilarWeb and Semrush
Ease of setup for a non-specialist7-day trial, card requiredFree plan, then a 7-day trial with a card
Real cost for your setup, both billing bases (full detail)Competitive Intelligence: $199/month billed monthly or $125/month billed annually, 3 months of history, no SEO features. Competitive Intel & SEO & AEO: $399/month billed monthly or $333/month billed annually, 6 months of history. Competitive Intel, SEO & AEO & Ads: $649/month billed monthly or $542/month billed annually.Free: $0/month billed monthly. SEO: $139.95/month billed monthly or $117.33/month billed annually. Starter: $199/month billed monthly. Pro+: $299/month billed monthly. Advanced: $549/month billed monthly.
AI search visibility (full detail)Cheapest tier has no AEO Intelligence block at all. From the SEO & AEO tier up: AI Brand Visibility, 150 tracked prompts, Sentiment Analysis, Citation Analysis, AI Traffic. Which specific AI engines are covered is not published.Google AI Overview tracking on every plan. AI prompts: none on SEO; Starter 50, Pro+ 100, Advanced 200 a day. Engines: Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini & more.
SEO featuresFrom the SEO & AEO tier up: Organic Search Overview, Keyword Research, Rank Tracker, Site Audit & Backlinks. Not present at all on Competitive Intelligence.500 keywords tracked, 100,000 pages crawled a month, backlink data on every plan.
Trial and refunds7-day trial, card required. All fees are non-refundable except as expressly stated in Similarweb's terms.7-day trial, card required. Money-back for 7 days on annual plans only.
Automation and AI workflows: MCP and APIMCP and full API access are Enterprise-only, not on any self-serve Entrepreneurs tierIncluded on every plan; API access Advanced only ($549/month billed monthly)

Who should pick SimilarWeb, and who should pick Semrush?

SimilarWeb logo

SimilarWeb

Desk research

Similarweb's entry Entrepreneurs tier, $199/month billed monthly, is competitive intelligence only, no SEO or AEO features at all. Those only show up on the second tier at $399/month billed monthly, which is where the 150 tracked prompts for AEO live.

Best for: Competitive and AI-visibility data in one place, once you're on the second tier up.

Strengths

  • SEO and AEO bundled into one tier (Keyword Research, Rank Tracker, Site Audit & Backlinks, plus 150 tracked AI prompts).
  • A genuine 7-day free trial, card required.
  • Full API and MCP access on Enterprise.

Limits

  • The cheapest tier has no SEO or AEO features at all.
  • No numeric keyword-tracking limit published for self-serve tiers.
  • API and MCP access are Enterprise-only, not on any self-serve plan.

Skip it if you specifically need Google AI Overview tracking confirmed, since Similarweb doesn't name which engines its tracked prompts cover.

SimilarWeb reviewSimilarWeb alternatives

Semrush logo

Semrush

Hands-on
  • Best for small business owners
  • Best for consultants managing a few sites
  • Best for small agencies

Semrush tracks Google AI Overviews on every plan, but AI prompt tracking starts at Starter ($199/month billed monthly). It suits teams already reporting from Semrush and agencies that need white label without a yearly contract.

Best for: Agencies that want white label on monthly billing.

Strengths

  • A limited free plan to look around first.
  • White label on monthly billing, $20/month per client report.
  • MCP access on every plan.

Limits

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

Skip it if you want AI prompt tracking on the cheapest plan.

Semrush reviewSemrush pricingSemrush alternatives

My pick: Semrush in 3 of 3 scenarios.

See Semrush plansSee SimilarWeb plans

Neither SimilarWeb nor Semrush? Try these

  • Ahrefs logo

    Ahrefs

    From $29/mo billed monthly

    Pick it if backlink depth is the job; it remains the category benchmark for that.

    Ahrefs reviewAhrefs alternatives

  • Moz logo

    Moz

    From $79/mo billed annually

    Pick it if bundled Google AI Overview and multi-model prompt tracking at the entry price matters more than competitive intelligence.

    Moz reviewMoz alternatives

  • Otterly.AI logo

    Otterly.AI

    From $25/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you only want to know whether AI answers mention your brand, not run a full SEO suite or a competitive-intelligence platform.

    Outside this category: A dedicated GEO tracker, closer to what Similarweb's AEO Intelligence add-on does than to Semrush.

    Otterly.AI reviewOtterly.AI alternatives

Switching between SimilarWeb and Semrush

These are not swap-in replacements for each other, so there is little to migrate directly. If you are dropping Similarweb for SEO work, rebuild your keyword lists in Semrush's 7-day trial before cancelling; if you want to keep Similarweb for competitive intelligence, run it alongside Semrush rather than replacing either.

What would change my pick?

  • Similarweb publishing a numeric keyword or project limit for its self-serve tiers would make a direct scenario comparison possible.
  • Similarweb naming which AI engines its tracked prompts cover would let this page confirm or rule out Google AI Overview tracking.
  • A price change on either side. The picks recalculate from the records on their own.

SimilarWeb vs Semrush: questions people ask

Is Similarweb a good alternative to Semrush?

No, not on its own. Similarweb's cheapest plan ($199/month billed monthly) has no SEO features at all; SEO and AEO only unlock on its second tier at $399/month billed monthly, which is already pricier than Semrush SEO ($139.95/month billed monthly) and still doesn't publish a keyword-tracking limit.

Does Similarweb track keywords like Semrush does?

Similarweb's SEO & AEO tier includes a Rank Tracker and Keyword Research module, but publishes no numeric keyword limit. Semrush SEO tracks 500 keywords explicitly at $139.95/month billed monthly.

Does Similarweb track AI search visibility the same way Semrush does?

Similarweb bundles 150 tracked prompts from its second tier up, but does not name which AI engines those prompts cover. Semrush explicitly tracks Google AI Overviews on every plan, including its cheapest.

Which is better for a small business, Similarweb or Semrush?

Semrush, if SEO tracking is the job. Its SEO plan tracks keywords and Google AI Overviews from $139.95/month billed monthly. Similarweb's cheapest plan at the same rough price point has no SEO features at all.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked . SimilarWeb: desk research. Semrush: hands-on.

Sources and changelog

45 facts from 9 source pages, oldest checked 29 Sep 2026.

  • : Built for Batch 1 of the full comparison-page rewrite, priority #6 in the migration queue.

Compare SimilarWeb or Semrush with another tool

SimilarWeb vs …

No editorial comparison yet: Botify, BrightLocal, Keysearch, Mangools, Morningscore, Moz, SE Ranking, Search Atlas, Seobility, Ubersuggest

Semrush vs …

No editorial comparison yet: Botify, BrightLocal, Morningscore, Search Atlas, Ubersuggest

Suggested comparisons

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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

Every week: which SEO and AI visibility tools actually move the needle, what they really cost when the intro discount ends, and which ones to skip. Written for people running their own marketing, not for engineers. No fluff, no daily spam.

Join for free. One email a week, unsubscribe anytime.