SE Ranking vs Semrush

by Gralio Feb 19, 2025

SE Ranking and Semrush are both SEO software suites, but they target different user groups. SE Ranking focuses on core SEO features with a user-friendly interface and affordable pricing, making it a good starting point for smaller businesses or those new to SEO. Semrush, while more expensive, offers a more extensive suite of tools and deeper analytics, catering to larger enterprises, agencies, and experienced marketers seeking advanced features and broader marketing functionalities.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5885 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 9 hours, 11 minutes of reading.

SE Ranking

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Semrush

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About

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO software suite designed to help businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a wide range of tools, including keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, backlink monitoring, and rank tracking. SE Ranking is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of features, making it suitable for both SEO beginners and experienced professionals. It aims to provide actionable insights and data-driven recommendations to optimize website content, improve visibility, and attract more organic traffic.

Semrush is an online visibility and marketing platform that helps businesses improve their online presence. It offers a wide range of tools for SEO, content marketing, competitor analysis, social media management, and paid advertising. With a massive database, Semrush provides insights into keywords, backlinks, website traffic, and competitor strategies, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions to enhance their online visibility and achieve marketing goals. Many Fortune 500 companies utilize Semrush's comprehensive suite of digital marketing tools.

Summary

Main difference

SE Ranking is a more affordable and user-friendly option ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and individual SEO professionals starting with SEO. Semrush offers a broader range of marketing tools and deeper analytical capabilities, making it better suited for larger businesses, agencies, and experienced marketers with advanced needs and larger budgets.

Relative strengths of SE Ranking (compared to Semrush)

More affordable pricing plans, especially for smaller businesses or individual users.
User-friendly interface praised for its ease of navigation and simplicity.
Comprehensive SEO toolset covering essential SEO needs, including rank tracking, competitor analysis, and website auditing.

Relative weaknesses of SE Ranking (compared to Semrush)

Less extensive marketing tools compared to Semrush, which offers broader functionalities like social media management and paid advertising tools.
Limited social media integrations compared to Semrush.
Lacks the depth of data and advanced analytical capabilities offered by Semrush, such as competitor traffic analysis.

Who is using SE Ranking and Semrush?

No data

Kevin Indig

SEO Authority | Growth Advisor | Hypergrowth Partner

Gaetano Di Nardi

Growth Advisor for B2B SaaS Companies

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Anna York

Digital Marketing Consultant at Anna York Consulting

Brendan Hufford

SaaS Marketing - Growth through Content, Community & SEO

Show all 9 stacks

Who should use SE Ranking VS. Semrush

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO tool perfect for businesses looking to boost their online visibility. It's praised for its user-friendly design and comprehensive features, from keyword research and competitor analysis to website audits and backlink monitoring. Users love its affordability and excellent customer support. While some find the backlink tool lacking and the mobile app underwhelming, its ease of use and robust features make it a strong choice for those new to SEO or seeking a cost-effective solution.

Semrush is a powerful online visibility and marketing platform ideal for businesses seeking to improve their online presence and achieve marketing goals. It offers a wide range of tools for SEO, content marketing, competitor analysis, and more. Users love Semrush's comprehensive insights and actionable recommendations, but some find the pricing steep. The platform is best suited for businesses focused on data-driven digital marketing strategies.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and agencies.
Ideal for marketing & advertising, software/IT, and e-commerce.

Best fit for small, medium, and enterprise businesses.
Ideal for E-commerce, Media, Marketing, and Software companies.

SE Ranking and Semrush features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Rank Tracker

Supported

SE Ranking supports rank tracking across Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Supported

Semrush supports Rank Tracker for Google, Bing, and Yahoo, with daily updates and performance insights.
AI Overviews Tracker

Supported

SE Ranking provides AI Overviews Tracker for analyzing website ranking performance and identifying improvement areas.

Supported

Semrush tracks website performance in AI Overviews, offering insights into trends and areas for improvement.
Keyword Research

Supported

SE Ranking supports keyword research with comprehensive metrics and a large database.

Supported

Semrush supports keyword research with tools and a large database.
Competitor Traffic Analysis

Supported

SE Ranking supports competitor traffic analysis, including traffic trends and dynamics.

Supported

Semrush supports competitor strategy analysis using traffic data and trend analysis over time.
Enterprise SEO Solutions

Supported

SE Ranking offers enterprise-grade SEO features like scalability, custom solutions, and API integration.

Supported

Semrush offers an Enterprise SEO platform with advanced features for large organizations.
SERP Analysis

Supported

SE Ranking supports analyzing search engine results pages with competitor analysis.

Supported

Semrush provides tools for SERP analysis, including competitor analysis features such as identifying competing websites, analyzing keyword gaps, and comparing backlink profiles.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+0.64

Rather positive sentiment

-0.64

Rather negative sentiment
Customer Service

+0.67

Rather positive sentiment

+0.43

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.91

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.67

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.56

Rather positive sentiment

+0.55

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.89

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.19

Neutral sentiment
Scalability

+0.43

Rather positive sentiment

-0.56

Rather negative sentiment

SE Ranking and Semrush Pricing

SE Ranking offers a tiered subscription model with three plans: Essential for individual SEO professionals, Pro for agencies and small teams, and Business for large agencies and enterprises. They offer add-ons like Content Marketing, Local Marketing, and Agency Pack to enhance functionality. A free trial is available, and annual subscriptions receive a 20% discount.

Plans

User sentiment

Rather positive

+0.64

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Rather negative

-0.64

See full Pricing page

SE Ranking and Semrush review insights

5825 reviews analysed from and

Users love

User-friendly interface
Comprehensive SEO tools
Affordable pricing
Excellent customer support

SEMrush is great in that it provides not only insights and metrics but clear actions to improve a given page or an entire site!
Semrush takes 70% of the time off designing campaigns that rely on keywords, competitor behavior, or site insights.
I love the way how it shows the analytics of authority score as well as the detailed traffic report of the site.
Domain Overview, Technical SEO auditing, Keyword Research

Users dislike

Backlink tool is lacking
False "free" claims: Many users feel the "free" service is a misleading bait-and-switch
Mobile app is underwhelming with limited functionality
Limited social media platform integrations

The pricing for SEMrush can be steep, especially since the social media calendar posting feature, now costs an additional $29 per month.
SEMrush has a robust monetization system that adds up very quickly.
Price was a little high for the smallest package.
The cost - we used to be able to share accounts, but now have to register separate accounts for all users.

SE Ranking and Semrush Ratings

G2

4.8/5

(1324)
Capterra

4.7/5

(284)
TrustPilot

4.0/5

(60)
Glassdoor

5.0/5

(10)

G2

4.5/5

(2095)
Capterra

4.7/5

(2131)
Glassdoor

4.0/5

(272)

Company health

Employee growth

25% increase in the last year

13% increase in the last year

Web traffic

1% increase in the last quarter

5% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

June 2021 - $0

January 2018 - $40M

How do SE Ranking's backlink analysis features compare to Semrush's?

Semrush's backlink analysis is generally considered more robust and comprehensive than SE Ranking's. While SE Ranking offers backlink monitoring, users have reported it as a weaker area. Semrush provides a larger backlink database, more in-depth metrics, and stronger analytical tools for exploring backlink profiles, making it better for competitive analysis and link building strategies.

Which platform provides more intuitive reporting for competitor rank tracking?

SE Ranking provides a more intuitive reporting interface for competitor rank tracking. While Semrush offers extensive competitor analysis features, its reporting can be overwhelming due to the sheer volume of data. SE Ranking focuses on presenting rank tracking data in a clear and concise manner, making it easier to quickly grasp competitor performance and identify trends.

What are the advantages of SE Ranking?

SE Ranking offers a more user-friendly interface and more affordable pricing than Semrush, making it a better choice for beginners or budget-conscious users. While Semrush has a broader range of features, SE Ranking focuses specifically on SEO tools, providing a comprehensive suite for keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, and rank tracking. SE Ranking also receives consistently higher user ratings for customer service.

What are the disadvantages of SE Ranking?

SE Ranking's backlink tool is considered lacking by some users. The free trial has been criticized as misleading. The mobile app has limited functionality and there are fewer integrations with social media platforms compared to competitors. Some users also mention reliability and performance issues.

Alternatives to SE Ranking and Semrush

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a suite of online tools designed to improve a website's search engine ranking and visibility. It provides data and insights on competitors, keywords, backlinks, and website content. Businesses use Ahrefs to research competitor strategies, discover relevant keywords, find link-building opportunities, audit their website for SEO issues, and track their ranking progress against competitors. Ahrefs is known for its large database and focus on data accuracy for marketing professionals.

Dragon Metrics

Dragon Metrics is a global SEO software platform designed to help businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including rank tracking, competitor analysis, reporting, and technical SEO auditing. Dragon Metrics is known for its in-depth data, user-friendly interface, and global coverage, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to boost their online visibility. It promises simplified reporting, clear insights, and ultimately, better rankings.

Moz Pro

Moz Pro is a suite of SEO tools designed to improve your website's visibility on search engines. It offers features such as keyword research, competitor analysis, site auditing, and rank tracking, all within a single platform. Moz Pro aims to help businesses of all sizes understand their website's SEO performance, identify areas for improvement, and track their progress over time. It is known for its user-friendly interface and educational resources.

Similarweb

Similarweb is like a giant spyglass for the internet. It helps you understand what people are doing online, so you can make smarter decisions for your own website and marketing. Want to know who your competitors are online? Similarweb shows you. Want to see which websites are sending traffic to your competitors (so you can try to get them to send traffic to you)? Similarweb shows you that too. You can even see what keywords people are using to find your competitors, and which online ads are working best for them. Basically, if you want to know how your website stacks up against the competition and find new opportunities to grow online, Similarweb gives you the information to do it.

Serpstat

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO toolkit designed to give businesses a competitive edge online. It helps you track your website's performance in search engines, analyze competitors, research valuable keywords, and develop an effective content strategy. Serpstat offers tools to audit your website, identify technical issues, and track your progress over time. Its features include competitor analysis, keyword research, content creation and analysis, and search engine results page (SERP) tracking. Serpstat is used by businesses of all sizes who want to improve their online visibility and attract more customers.

Ranktracker

Ranktracker is a cloud-based SEO tool that helps businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a suite of features including keyword research, competitor analysis, and rank tracking. Ranktracker allows you to monitor your website's ranking position for chosen keywords across multiple search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It also helps identify technical SEO errors on your website and provides recommendations to fix them. Ranktracker is designed for both small businesses and large agencies looking to improve their online visibility and get more traffic.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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