SEMrush

Keyword, backlink, and prompt research

Semrush says its SEO tools cover keyword research, backlinks, rankings, traffic potential, and technical audits.

For AI research, Semrush describes tracking visibility at the prompt level and comparing AI market share with competitors. Its named AI surfaces include ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity. This makes the stated scope more specific than a general AI-visibility label: the vendor names both the comparison and the platforms.

The API description adds location-based tracking: a keyword or domain can be tracked at any location, with daily updates on website position changes.

Confirm source coverage before paying

Ask which data sources and markets feed each report, rather than assuming that a broad research category covers the sources your campaign uses. In general, coverage can differ by report, so request a clear breakdown of which markets and source types are included.

Ask how the provider gathers and updates each kind of data, and whether the answer applies to every report or only selected views. A stated update schedule for one metric does not necessarily describe the cadence for other data.

Clarify what the tool does not show, including whether particular ad formats or traffic sources are outside its scope. Ask how access, exports, and plan allowances affect the reports you need, then compare those answers with your planned workflow.

Free access, trials, and paid plans

The permanent free account is described as restricted, while the trial is temporary; both are distinct from paid access. The vendor says the free account costs $0 per month, requires no credit card, and provides limited features. Its FAQ describes a 7-day free trial with temporary unrestricted access, after which users can continue with a paid plan.

The pricing page lists Pro+ at €238 per month when billed annually, with €286 monthly as the alternative. The vendor’s FAQ says Semrush One starts at $199.95 per month and combines the SEO and AI Visibility toolkits. These are different listed products, so compare the toolkit and billing terms attached to each rather than treating the prices as interchangeable.

The pricing page gives Advanced custom pricing and offers a demo on request. The Enterprise FAQ says pricing is customized to organizational needs and solutions can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Additional Users add-on pricing starts at €43 per month, according to the pricing page.

API requests feed custom workflows

Semrush API requests provide competitor, SEO, traffic, and local marketing data for custom tools and workflows, according to the developer documentation. The API can feed internal applications, widgets, or dashboards, while the endpoint determines how many API units a request consumes. That endpoint-based consumption means the unit cost needs checking against the specific data request.

The developer documentation states that the API includes 142 geo databases. It also describes competitive analysis across organic and paid search, display ads, and backlinks.

Separate from API requests, Semrush says its MCP integration brings live SEO, market, and brand-visibility data into a chat. The vendor also describes a Lovable integration for accessing SEO and AI visibility tools through search data.

Research spans SEO and AI visibility

• Semrush describes SEO research across keywords, backlinks, rankings, traffic potential, and technical audits. These are named research areas, not a general promise of broad spy-tool coverage.
• AI Visibility is described as tracking prompt-level visibility and comparing market share with competitors. That gives the buyer a defined comparison to assess against their research needs.
• The vendor names ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity as AI Visibility Toolkit coverage.
• The API documentation describes analysis of competitive strategies across organic and paid search, display ads, and backlinks, with data available for internal applications, widgets, or dashboards.

Plan caps and access conditions remain

The pricing page and FAQ set concrete limits on monitoring, tracking, reporting, API access, and cancellation.

• The pricing page states that the SEO plan includes monitoring 5 websites and daily tracking for 500 keywords; the Starter plan includes daily tracking for 50 prompts and 300 AI visibility reports per day.
• The provider states that Pro+ includes monitoring 15 websites and daily tracking for 1,500 keywords. The pricing page says the Advanced plan offers “unlimited*” prompts to track daily and includes 40 or more websites to monitor.
• The provider states that cancellation email confirmation links are valid for 24 hours, and that Microsoft Copilot, Grok, Claude, and DeepSeek are available on the Enterprise tier.

These limits make the selected tier consequential: compare each allowance with the reports and monitoring workload you actually need. Further coverage and data questions appear under What we could not confirm.

Compare research scope, not labels

Compare research tools by the sources and markets each report covers, how coverage varies across reports, and the update cadence for each data type. In general, check whether plan allowances and API or export access fit the workflow; category labels alone do not establish that match.

SEO teams need matching allowances

Semrush describes its SEO plan as intended for freelancers and small businesses seeking to grow online visibility with SEO. Starter is described as intended for small teams and agencies working across organic search and AI. These are the vendor’s stated audiences; buyers still need to match their workload to the plan’s published allowances.

The vendor describes its broader audience as businesses ranging from solo entrepreneurs to large agencies and enterprises. For Enterprise, Semrush lists custom pricing and 24/7 support, and says plans include onboarding, access to marketing and data experts, and a dedicated account manager. Check the required team access and support arrangements against those stated terms before choosing a plan.

Questions about plans, API, and cancellation

What does the free account include?

The free account includes one demo project and 10 reports per day across vital tools, according to the pricing page checked 2026-10-30. The vendor also lists the free option at $0 per month and says it requires no credit card. These details distinguish the free account from temporary trial access.

How does the trial differ?

The trial differs by offering temporary unrestricted access, according to Semrush’s FAQ checked 2026-10-30. The FAQ describes a 7-day free trial and says users can continue with a paid plan after it ends. The free option, by contrast, is a continuing account with limited features.

What does Pro+ cost under the listed billing options?

The pricing page lists Pro+ at €238 per month when billed annually, with €286 monthly as the alternative price, checked 2026-10-30. These are the two stated billing options; compare the billing period and plan allowances before selecting one.

How does Enterprise purchasing work?

Enterprise pricing is customized to an organization’s needs, according to the FAQ checked 2026-10-30. The FAQ says Enterprise solutions can be purchased individually or as a bundle. The pricing page also offers a demo on request for the Advanced plan.

How do API requests consume units?

API requests consume units according to the endpoint, Semrush’s FAQ states, checked 2026-10-30. API access is available across various paid plans. Buyers should identify the endpoint for each required data request and check its unit consumption against their intended workflow.

How does cancellation confirmation work?

Users can cancel through an online form or their Subscription info page, according to the FAQ checked 2026-10-30. Cancellation email confirmation links are valid for 24 hours. The source therefore specifies both the cancellation routes and a time limit for confirming by email.

Choose by documented research scope

Fits if the required research centers on SEO topics and AI visibility, and the selected plan’s allowances match the workload.

Main risk is choosing on a broader spy-tool assumption than the documented research scope supports; confirm coverage and plan limits before paying.

Sources

The facts above were taken from the public pages listed here, and each entry shows the date it was read.

• www.semrush.comchecked 2026-10-30
• www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-searchchecked 2026-10-30
• www.semrush.com/companychecked 2026-10-30
• www.semrush.com/semrush-questionschecked 2026-10-30
• developer.semrush.com/api/v4checked 2026-10-30

How we put this page together

Editorial team of Stack Shelf. Prepared by the editorial team of Stack Shelf from the public sources listed above; the facts were checked on 2026-10-30. Nobody tried the service in practice. We revise the text whenever those sources are updated.

Last updated: 2026-10-30

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