Short answer
SE Ranking costs less at every setup we priced. A solo SEO pays $1,238.40 a year for Core against $1,407.96 for Semrush SEO and gets 2,000 tracked keywords instead of 500. A team of three pays $279/mo on SE Ranking Growth (3 seats included) against about $389/mo on Semrush Pro+ with two extra users. Semrush only makes sense on price if you'd use its ads and market research tools.
Top picks
Prices checked November 2026
- Best for most
SE Ranking Core
Solo SEOs and site owners
Starts at $129/mo ($103.20 annually)
Try free for 14 days - Best for teams
SE Ranking Growth
Teams of up to 3
Starts at $279/mo ($223.20 annually)
See Growth - Best for freelancers
Core + Agency Pack
Freelancers with client reports
Starts at $172.20/mo, annual only
See the Agency Pack
On this page
List prices side by side
From the SE Ranking subscription page and the Semrush pricing page, checked November 2026. USD, before tax.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Per year | Daily tracked keywords | Users included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Core | $129 | $103.20 | $1,238.40 | 2,000 | 1 |
| SE Ranking Growth | $279 | $223.20 | $2,678.40 | 5,000 | 3 |
| Semrush SEO | $139 | $117.33 | $1,407.96 | 500 | 1 |
| Semrush Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199 | $165.17 | $1,982.04 | 500 | 1 |
| Semrush Pro+ | $299 | $248.17 | $2,978.04 | 1,500 | 1 |
| Semrush Advanced | Custom | Custom | Custom | 5,000+ | Team |
The annual discount is 20% on SE Ranking and "up to 17%" on Semrush. Semrush also has a free plan with 10 reports a day. SE Ranking has no free plan, but its 14-day trial doesn't ask for a card.
Cost per tracked keyword
Rank tracking is where the two drift furthest apart, so it's the fairest unit.
| Plan | Monthly billing, per 1,000 keywords | Annual billing, per 1,000 keywords |
|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking Core | $64.50 | $51.60 |
| SE Ranking Growth | $55.80 | $44.64 |
| Semrush SEO | $278 | $234.66 |
| Semrush Pro+ | $199.33 | $165.45 |
Semrush's entry plan costs over four times more per keyword. Need 5,000 keywords? On SE Ranking that's Growth at $279. On Semrush it's the Advanced plan, which you have to price with sales.
The extras that change the bill
List prices are the easy part. Here's what you pay once you outgrow a plan.
| Extra | SE Ranking | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Extra user | from $16/mo per seat | from $45/mo per user |
| More tracked keywords | from $22.40 on Core, from $32 on Growth | Move up a plan |
| White-label reports | Agency Pack +$69/mo (annual only), 30 client seats | Pro Report $20/mo; Base Report $10/mo |
| Lead generation | Lead Generator in the Agency Pack | Lead Generation add-on $90/mo |
| API access | 25,000 credits on Core, 100,000 on Growth; 3M-credit add-on $45/mo billed annually ($48 monthly) | API data integration on custom Advanced |
| AI visibility | 25 prompts a day on both plans; SE Visible from $71/mo for more | 50 prompts from Starter ($199), 100 on Pro+ |
Seats are the quiet budget killer. One extra Semrush user costs almost three SE Ranking seats. And SE Ranking allows one active session per login, so budget for a seat instead of sharing a password.
What four real setups cost
These are sums of list prices, not quotes. Semrush add-ons are priced monthly on its page, so the Semrush column uses monthly billing throughout.
| Setup | SE Ranking | Semrush | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo, 1 to 5 sites, under 2,000 keywords | Core: $129/mo | SEO: $139/mo (500 keywords) | $10/mo cheaper with 4x the keywords |
| Freelancer with branded client reports | Core + Agency Pack: $172.20/mo (annual) | Pro+ + Pro Report: $319/mo | About $147/mo |
| In-house team of 3 | Growth: $279/mo | Pro+ + 2 users: $389/mo | About $110/mo |
| Agency, 3 staff, white label | Growth + Agency Pack: $292.20/mo (annual) | Pro+ + 2 users + Pro Report: $409/mo | About $117/mo |
Why Pro+ for the freelancer? Semrush SEO covers 5 sites and 500 keywords, which a freelancer with several clients outgrows fast. Pro+ (15 sites, 1,500 keywords) is the closer match to SE Ranking Core (10 projects, 2,000 keywords).
Trials, refunds and how to pay less
- Trials. SE Ranking gives 14 days with no card: 10 projects, 750 tracked keywords a day, 20 AI prompts a day. Semrush gives 7 days and runs a small card check that it refunds.
- Refunds. SE Ranking's FAQ says payments are non-refundable unless the service wasn't delivered as promised. Treat the trial as your refund window. Semrush refunds under its official refund policy.
- Annual billing. Worth it on SE Ranking once you're sure: it saves $309.60 a year on Core. SE Ranking sales can set up quarterly payments on an annual commitment.
- Migration. SE Ranking imports projects and ranking history, and annual plans get free assisted migration from another tool.
When Semrush is worth the extra money
Semrush isn't overpriced for what it is. You pay for PPC research, market and traffic analytics and a larger toolkit outside SEO. If your team runs Google Ads and needs competitor ad data, that can justify the gap. If you mostly track rankings, research keywords and audit sites, you'd be paying for tools you don't open.
Still shopping? Our Semrush alternatives guide prices 8 cheaper tools, and the SE Ranking pricing page covers every SE Ranking extra in more detail.
How we checked these prices
We opened both pricing pages in November 2026, in monthly and annual view, and copied plan prices, limits and add-ons. Every setup above is arithmetic on those list prices. We didn't get custom quotes, and Semrush Advanced is priced by sales. Prices change, so check both pages before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is SE Ranking cheaper than Semrush?
Yes. Core is $129/mo against $139 for Semrush SEO, and it tracks 2,000 keywords a day instead of 500. Billed annually, Core costs $1,238.40 a year and Semrush SEO $1,407.96.
How much does Semrush cost per year compared with SE Ranking?
On annual billing Semrush SEO is $117.33/mo ($1,407.96 a year) and Pro+ is $248.17/mo ($2,978.04). SE Ranking Core is $103.20/mo ($1,238.40) and Growth is $223.20/mo ($2,678.40).
Which is cheaper for a team of three?
SE Ranking. Growth includes 3 manager seats for $279/mo. Semrush Pro+ is $299/mo for one user, and two more users add at least $90/mo, so about $389/mo on monthly billing.
Do SE Ranking and Semrush charge for API access?
SE Ranking includes API credits on every plan (25,000 on Core, 100,000 on Growth) and sells a 3M-credit add-on for $45/mo billed annually. Semrush lists API data integration on its custom Advanced plan.
Which is cheaper for white-label agency reports?
For a small agency, SE Ranking. Core plus the Agency Pack costs $172.20/mo on annual billing with 30 client seats and white-label reports. Semrush sells a Pro Report add-on for $20/mo, but extra users cost $45/mo each.
The bottom line
On price alone SE Ranking wins every setup we tried, and the gap grows with each person you add. Start with the free trial, load your real keyword list, and only look at Semrush if you need its ads data.
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