Short answer
For a small agency, SE Ranking gives the most for the money. Core plus the Agency Pack is $172.20/mo on annual billing, with 2,000 daily keywords, 30 client seats and white-label reports. Semrush makes sense if you also sell PPC and content. Ahrefs is for agencies whose retainers are mostly link building. This guide is a price calculation from official pricing pages, not a hands-on test.
Top picks
Prices checked November 2026
- Best value
SE Ranking
Best value: projects, client seats and white label in one bill
Starts at $172.20/mo with Agency Pack (annual)
Try free for 14 days - Best for PPC + SEO
Semrush
Agencies that sell SEO plus PPC and content
Starts at $139/mo + $20 Pro Report
Semrush pricing - Best for reporting
AgencyAnalytics
White-label reporting across all channels
Starts at $20 per client/mo (annual)
AgencyAnalytics pricing
On this page
- SEO tools for agencies: comparison table
- What 1, 5 and 20 clients really cost
- SE Ranking
- Semrush
- Ahrefs
- AgencyAnalytics
- Nightwatch
- Screaming Frog
- Hike SEO
- White-label SEO reporting: what you actually get
- Client seats, guest links and access
- How to build a small-agency stack
- How we priced these tools
- FAQ
- The bottom line
SEO tools for agencies compared
Prices below come from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on November 2, 2026. Where a vendor shows annual pricing by default, we say so. Nightwatch and Screaming Frog bill in euros and pounds, and we haven't converted them.
| Tool | Entry price | Projects or sites | Tracked keywords | Extra users | White label | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pickSE Ranking | $129 ($103.20 annual) | 10 on Core | 2,000 daily | From $16/mo | Agency Pack, +$69/mo | Try SE Ranking |
| Semrush | $139 ($117.33 annual) | 5 websites | 500 daily | From $45/mo | Pro Report, $20/mo | Semrush |
| Ahrefs | $129 (Lite) | 5 non-verified | 750 | $40/mo on Lite | Not listed | Ahrefs |
| AgencyAnalytics | $20 per client (annual) | Per client | Add-on, $41.67 per 500 | Unlimited staff | Included | AgencyAnalytics |
| Nightwatch | €79 (billed yearly) | 5 websites | 500 daily | Unlimited seats | From Professional, €159 | Nightwatch |
| Screaming Frog | Free, or £199/yr | Desktop crawler | n/a | £199 per extra licence | No | Screaming Frog |
| Hike SEO | $149 (1 site) | Up to 3 sites for $299 | Up to 300 | Not listed | Multi-site plan | Hike SEO |
What 1, 5 and 20 clients really cost
Entry prices look alike. The bill changes once you add clients, a second login and branded reports. We worked out a monthly total for three typical small agencies, using only list prices from the pricing pages:
- Freelancer, 1 client: one login and white-label reports.
- Small team, 5 clients: two logins and white-label reports.
- Growing agency, 20 clients: three logins, white-label reports and enough projects for every client.
| Setup | 1 client | 5 clients | 20 clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking (annual billing) | $172.20: Core + Agency Pack | $188.20: Core + Agency Pack + 1 seat | $292.20: Growth + Agency Pack |
| Semrush (monthly) | $159: SEO + Pro Report | $204: SEO + Pro Report + 1 user | No list price: Pro+ stops at 15 websites |
| Ahrefs (monthly) | $129: Lite, no white label listed | $169: Lite + 1 user | $369: Standard + 2 users |
| Nightwatch (billed yearly) | €159: Professional | €159: Professional | €159: Professional (25 websites) |
| AgencyAnalytics (annual, reports only) | $20 | $100 | $400 |
A few notes on the math:
- SE Ranking's Agency Pack is sold on annual billing only, so all three SE Ranking totals use annual prices. At 20 clients we priced Growth ($223.20/mo annually) because it includes 30 projects, 3 manager seats and 5,000 daily keywords. Core plus the Pack plus two extra seats ($204.20) also gets three people logged in, but 2,000 keywords spread over 20 clients is only 100 each.
- Semrush at 20 clients: Pro+ ($299/mo) covers 15 websites. More than that moves you to Advanced, which is priced on request. We didn't guess a number.
- Ahrefs: Lite counts 5 non-verified projects. Verified sites, where the client adds you in Search Console, don't count toward the limit. Lite and Standard include 5 Report Builder reports, and the Report Builder add-on is $99/mo for 50 reports. If you need a report for each of 20 clients, the Ahrefs total becomes $468.
- Nightwatch is only a rank tracker with audits and AI tracking. It isn't a full research suite, so it doesn't really compete with the first three on cost.
- AgencyAnalytics is a reporting layer. You still need data from a suite, Search Console or GA4.
SE Ranking: best all-round tool for small agencies
SE Ranking is a full SEO suite: rank tracking, keyword and backlink research, website audits, local SEO and AI visibility tracking. What makes it work for a small agency is how the extras are priced. One add-on covers client seats and white label, and extra logins are cheap.
On the SE Ranking subscription page, Core is $129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed annually. You get 10 projects, 1 manager seat, 2,000 keywords tracked daily and 250,000 audited pages a month. Growth is $279/mo ($223.20 annually) with 30 projects, 3 manager seats, 5,000 daily keywords, guest links and history for the whole life of a project. Both plans include 25 AI prompts a day across 5 AI engines.
The Agency Pack costs +$69/mo, annual billing only. That buys 30 projects, 30 client seats, white label for the platform and reports, unlimited scheduled reports with AI summaries, a listing in SE Ranking's Agency Catalog and a Lead Generator widget for your site. Extra manager seats start at $16/mo.
Pros
- The cheapest white-label setup among the full suites we priced
- 2,000 daily keywords on the entry plan, four times Semrush's 500
- Client seats come with the Agency Pack, so clients can log in without using one of your manager seats
- Free 14-day trial with no credit card
Cons
- The Agency Pack needs annual billing, so you pay a year up front
- Core has a single manager seat, and only one session can be active at a time
- Payments aren't refundable, except where the service wasn't delivered as promised
For plan details, see our SE Ranking review. If you're choosing between the two big suites, read SE Ranking vs Semrush.
Agency Pack +$69/mo on annual plans.
Semrush: best if you also sell PPC and content
Semrush is the biggest marketing suite here. Agencies that run ads, content and SEO for the same clients get the most out of it, because the research covers all three.
The Semrush pricing page lists the SEO plan at $139/mo ($117.33/mo billed annually) for 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily. Starter (SEO + AI Search) is $199/mo with the same SEO limits plus 50 AI prompts a day. Pro+ is $299/mo for 15 websites and 1,500 keywords. Advanced starts at 40+ websites and is priced on request.
Agency extras are add-ons. Additional users start at $45/mo. Base Report is $10/mo. Pro Report is $20/mo and adds branding, white-labeling, AI summaries, link sharing and 20+ external integrations. Lead Generation is $90/mo for a branded profile on the Semrush Agency Partners platform.
Pros
- One login for SEO, PPC and content research
- Cheap white-label reports through Pro Report
- AI search tracking available from the Starter plan
Cons
- 5 websites and 500 keywords on the entry plan is tight for an agency
- Past 15 websites you need a custom Advanced quote
- Extra users cost almost three times SE Ranking's seats
Comparing suites? See Semrush vs Ahrefs.
Ahrefs: best for link-building retainers
Ahrefs is the one to get when backlinks are what you sell. Its project rule is also worth knowing: client sites you verify don't count toward your limit.
On the Ahrefs pricing page, Lite is $129/mo with 750 tracked keywords, 5 non-verified projects and 100,000 crawl credits. Standard is $249/mo with 2,000 tracked keywords and 20 non-verified projects. Advanced is $449/mo with 5,000 keywords and 50 projects. Each plan includes 1 user. Extra users cost $40/mo on Lite, $60 on Standard and $80 on Advanced.
Reporting is the weak spot for agencies. Lite and Standard include 5 Report Builder reports. The Report Builder add-on is $99/mo for 50 reports with scheduling. The pricing page doesn't mention white-label branding, so don't count on it without asking Ahrefs.
Pros
- Unlimited verified projects on every plan
- Strong backlink and competitor data
- A cheap second user on Lite
Cons
- Only 750 tracked keywords on Lite
- No white label listed, and only 5 reports before the $99 add-on
- Usage-based extras can add to the bill if you turn on pay-as-you-go
AgencyAnalytics: best white-label reporting layer
AgencyAnalytics doesn't replace an SEO suite. It pulls data from your tools and from GA4, Search Console and ad platforms into branded dashboards and reports. If clients want one report for SEO, ads and social, this is the layer that does it.
The AgencyAnalytics pricing page has one core plan: $20 per client per month, billed annually. Each client comes with unlimited data sources, reports, dashboards and staff accounts, 90+ integrations, automated reporting and a white-labeled client portal. Its Rank Tracker add-on is $41.67/mo per 500 keywords, and the AI Tracker is $20.83/mo per 250 credits, both billed annually. Volume pricing starts at 25+ clients.
Pros
- Pricing grows with your client list, so a small roster pays little
- Unlimited staff accounts
- White label and a client portal on every account
Cons
- No keyword or backlink research of its own
- At 20 clients it costs $400/mo, more than SE Ranking's whole stack
- The discounted rate needs a 1-year commitment
Nightwatch: best rank tracker with unlimited seats
Nightwatch only tracks rankings and AI answers, plus a site audit and keyword research. It suits agencies that already have a research tool and want a tracker the whole team and every client can log into.
The Nightwatch pricing page shows yearly billing by default. Starter is €79/mo (€948 a year) for 500 daily keywords and 5 websites. Professional is €159/mo (€1,908 a year) for 2,500 keywords and 25 websites, and adds white-label reports. Agency is €399/mo (€4,788 a year) for 7,500 keywords and 100 websites. Every plan includes unlimited user seats.
Pros
- Unlimited seats, so no per-login maths
- White label from Professional
- 25 websites on Professional covers 20 clients
Cons
- Not a full research suite
- Euro billing
- Starter has no white label
More trackers are compared in our best rank tracker guide.
Screaming Frog: best desktop crawler for audits
Every suite here has a cloud audit. Screaming Frog is what you open for a migration, a big e-commerce site or anything the cloud audit doesn't explain.
The Screaming Frog pricing page says the SEO Spider is free up to 500 URLs. A licence is £199 per user per year for 1 to 4 licences, with lower per-licence prices from 5 licences up. The paid licence removes the 500-URL limit and unlocks the advanced features listed on the page.
Pros
- Free for small sites
- Very cheap for what it does: £199 a year
- Runs on your own machine, with no page credits
Cons
- Desktop only, so no shared client workspace
- Licences are per user
- No client reporting
Hike SEO: best done-for-you option for tiny clients
Hike SEO works differently from the rest. Its AI assistant, Kit, plans and applies SEO changes on the client's site each month. That's useful for agencies serving very small local businesses that won't pay for a strategist.
On the Hike SEO pricing page, Single Site is $149/mo with up to 300 tracked keywords, monthly optimizations, blog content, Google Business management and monthly reporting. Multi-site is $299/mo for up to 3 websites and adds a white-label feature set, a white-label AI agent, a lead-gen audit widget and a multi-site dashboard. You pick the number of sites on the page, and annual billing saves 40%. There's no free trial, but there is a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Done-for-you work, not just data
- White label on the Multi-site plan
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Expensive per site next to a suite
- Less control than doing the SEO yourself
- No free trial
White-label SEO reporting: what you actually get
Reporting is often the first thing a client asks about. Here's what each option includes, according to its pricing page:
- SE Ranking Agency Pack (+$69/mo, annual): white label for both the platform and the reports, unlimited scheduled reports with AI summaries, and 30 client seats.
- Semrush Pro Report ($20/mo): branding and white-labeling, AI summaries, delivery at a set time, sharing by link and 20+ external integrations.
- Ahrefs Report Builder ($99/mo): 50 reports, 500 widgets and scheduling. No white label mentioned.
- AgencyAnalytics ($20 per client/mo, annual): white-labeled client portal, report approvals, roll-up reports and 90+ integrations.
- Nightwatch Professional (€159/mo, billed yearly): white-label reports and unlimited seats.
If clients only want SEO numbers, your suite's own white label is enough. If they want SEO, ads and social in one PDF, add AgencyAnalytics.
Client seats, guest links and access
Seats are where agency costs creep up. Every tool counts them differently:
- SE Ranking: manager seats are your team (1 on Core, 3 on Growth, extras from $16/mo). Client seats are separate, and the Agency Pack gives you 30. Growth adds guest links for view-only sharing. SE Ranking says only one session can be active per login, so don't share passwords.
- Semrush: extra users start at $45/mo. Pro Report adds sharing by link.
- Ahrefs: 1 user per plan, with up to 2, 5 or 10 extra users depending on the plan.
- Nightwatch and AgencyAnalytics: unlimited seats or staff accounts.
How to build a small-agency stack
A sensible stack for most small agencies has three parts:
- One SEO suite for research, tracking and audits. SE Ranking is the cheapest route to white label. Semrush is the pick if you sell PPC. Ahrefs is for link-heavy work.
- Google Search Console and GA4 for every client. They're free, and clients trust Google's numbers.
- Optional extras once they pay for themselves: Screaming Frog for technical work, AgencyAnalytics for multi-channel reports.
Don't buy two big suites. Their keyword and ranking data overlaps, and two subscriptions can cost more than your smallest retainer. If money is tight, start with cheap SEO tools and upgrade when the second client signs.
How we priced these tools
On November 2, 2026 we opened each vendor's official pricing page and recorded plan prices, projects or websites, tracked keywords, user and seat prices, white-label options, trials and refund terms. We rendered the pages fully so prices loaded by JavaScript were included. The 1, 5 and 20 client totals are simple sums of those list prices, with the billing period noted for each vendor.
We didn't do a hands-on test for this guide. We haven't compared report designs, data accuracy or support quality, and we don't rate tools on them. Search volume figures for the keywords we targeted come from DataForSEO data for the US and UK, retrieved in November 2026.
We earn a commission from SE Ranking links. Semrush, Ahrefs, AgencyAnalytics, Nightwatch, Screaming Frog and Hike SEO links are plain links. See our affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best SEO tool for a small agency?
For most small agencies it's SE Ranking. Core plus the Agency Pack costs $172.20/mo on annual billing and gives you 2,000 daily tracked keywords, 30 client seats and white-label reports. Semrush is the better fit if you also sell PPC, and Ahrefs if link building is the core of your retainers.
How much do SEO tools cost for an agency with 5 clients?
With two staff logins and white-label reports, our list-price math gives $188.20/mo for SE Ranking (annual billing), $204/mo for Semrush (monthly) and $169/mo for Ahrefs Lite plus one extra user (monthly). Add $100/mo if you want AgencyAnalytics as a separate reporting layer.
What are the best SEO reporting tools for agencies?
If you already use an SEO suite, check its own white-label option first: SE Ranking's Agency Pack is +$69/mo and Semrush's Pro Report is $20/mo. If you report on many channels, not just SEO, AgencyAnalytics charges $20 per client per month on annual billing with unlimited staff accounts and a white-labeled client portal.
Which SEO tools offer white-label reports?
SE Ranking (Agency Pack), Semrush (Pro Report add-on), Nightwatch (Professional plan and up), AgencyAnalytics (every plan) and Hike SEO (Multi-site plan). We couldn't find white label listed on the Ahrefs pricing page.
Can clients log in to see their own data?
Yes, on several tools. SE Ranking's Agency Pack includes 30 client seats, and Growth adds guest links for view-only sharing. AgencyAnalytics includes a white-labeled client portal. Nightwatch includes unlimited user seats on every plan.
Do I need a separate site audit tool?
Not at first. SE Ranking, Semrush and Ahrefs all include a website audit. Screaming Frog is worth adding when you do migrations or deep technical work: the free version crawls 500 URLs and a licence costs £199 per user per year.
The bottom line
A small agency needs projects, client access, branded reports and a bill it can predict. SE Ranking does all of that for $172.20/mo at one client and $292.20/mo at twenty. Semrush is worth the premium if you sell PPC as well. Ahrefs fits link-building shops. Add AgencyAnalytics only when clients want every channel in one report.
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