Best SEO Tools 2026: Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz vs Screpy vs SpyFu
Semrush (4.5/5) wins on feature breadth and AI-search tracking; Ahrefs (4.5/5) wins on backlink depth; Moz (4.2/5) is the cheaper entry; Screpy (4.0/5) is the only free tier; SpyFu (4.1/5) is the competitor-intelligence specialist.
| Tool | Rating | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | 4.5/5 | $129/mo (Lite, monthly) | Ahrefs is a backlink-driven SEO platform pairing the world's second-most active crawler wi… |
| Semrush Best overall Best for teams | 4.5/5 | $139/mo (SEO, monthly) | Semrush is the most feature-broad SEO and digital marketing suite in the cluster - keyword… |
| Moz | 4.2/5 | $99/mo (Standard, monthly) | Moz Pro is a long-established SEO suite focused on Domain Authority metrics, keyword track… |
| Screpy Best free | 4.0/5 | Free $19/mo (Pro, monthly) | Screpy is an AI-powered all-in-one SEO and site monitoring platform combining rank trackin… |
| SpyFu | 4.1/5 | $59/mo (Starter, monthly) | SpyFu is a competitive intelligence platform focused on advertising and SEO keyword data -… |
Bottom line: the decision is a fit question, not a price question. Semrush (4.5/5) is the widest suite - keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, content, local, AI visibility (50-200 prompts), API and MCP at $139/mo. Ahrefs (4.5/5) wins on backlink depth - the second-most active crawler and 10+ year web-scale index at $129/mo Lite. Moz (4.2/5) is the cheaper entry at $99/mo Standard with Domain Authority still the most-cited link metric. Screpy (4.0/5) is the only tool with a standing free plan (no credit card) and a $19/mo Pro entry. SpyFu (4.1/5) is the competitor-intelligence specialist at $59/mo Starter. No tool in the cluster is genuinely free except Screpy; the big three (Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz) are all trial-only.
Pricing and details
Ahrefs · 4.5/5
$29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite) · $129/mo (Lite, monthly)
Priced by credit pool and user seat. Lite: 5 projects / 750 tracked keywords / 100K crawl credits / 1 user (+2 seats at $40/mo each). Standard: 20 projects / 2000 keywords / 500K credits / 1 user (+5 at $60/mo). Advanced: 50 projects / 5000 keywords / 1.5M credits / 1 user (+10 at $80/mo). API and MCP access on all tiers. Ahrefs Free is a capped free tier with no credit pool.
Lite ~$119/mo / Standard ~$229/mo / Advanced ~$409/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%)
Ahrefs is a backlink-driven SEO platform pairing the world's second-most active crawler with rank tracking, keyword research, site audits and AI visibility monitoring, priced by credit pool and user seat.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Deepest backlink index of the cluster - 10+ years of web-scale data, second-most active crawler
- AI visibility dashboard and 5-20 tracked AI prompts on every tier (2026 add-on, no extra cost)
- Clean credit-pool system: pay for what you crawl, API and MCP on all tiers
- Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer remain the benchmark UX for competitor teardown
Cons
- $29 Starter is a 1-month trial only - it converts to $129/mo Lite after 30 days
- Credit-pool pricing: a heavy site audit burns through the 100K Lite credits fast
- No free plan - Ahrefs Free is a capped version with no credit pool
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Semrush · 4.5/5
7-day free trial (all tiers) · $139/mo (SEO, monthly)
All tiers include AI search visibility tracking. SEO: 5 sites / 500 keywords. Starter: +MCP / 50 AI prompts / 5 sites. Pro+: 15 sites / 1500 keywords / 100 prompts. Advanced: 40 sites / 5000 keywords / 200 prompts + API. Add-ons: users $45/mo, Lead Gen $90/mo, Base Report $10/mo, Pro Report $20/mo. Enterprise custom.
SEO ~$117.33/mo / Starter ~$165.17/mo / Pro+ ~$248.17/mo / Advanced ~$455.67/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%)
Semrush is the most feature-broad SEO and digital marketing suite in the cluster - keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, content optimization, local and AI visibility, plus API and MCP access, with the widest add-on ecosystem.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Widest feature surface: keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, content optimization, local, AI visibility, API and MCP all in one suite
- 2026 AI add-on: all tiers now track ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI visibility with 50-200 prompts
- MCP access on Starter and above - the cleanest agent integration in the cluster
- Add-on ecosystem: Lead Gen, Base/Pro Report, extra users at $45/mo
Cons
- Priced at a premium for the breadth - SEO at $139/mo is the floor, Advanced at $549/mo
- 7-day trial is short for a feature this wide
- No free plan - no standing free tier unlike Screpy
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Moz · 4.2/5
14-day free trial (Medium tier) · $99/mo (Standard, monthly)
Priced by user seats and tracked sites/keywords. Standard: 1 user / 3 sites / 300 keywords / 400K pages crawled. Medium: 2 users / 10 sites / 1500 keywords / 2M pages. Large: 3 users / 25 sites / 3000 keywords / 5M pages. All tiers include AI Visibility Dashboard, 4 tracked AI models. Enterprise at $49/mo for single-site individual use. No free plan.
Standard $79/mo ($950/yr) / Medium $143/mo ($1719/yr) / Large $239/mo ($2868/yr)
Moz Pro is a long-established SEO suite focused on Domain Authority metrics, keyword tracking, site audits and backlink research, now with AI Overviews tracking and AI Visibility Dashboards on every tier.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Domain Authority is the most-cited link metric in SEO - reliable backlink index and crawl depth
- Cheapest entry of the big three: $99/mo Standard (vs Ahrefs $129, Semrush $139)
- 2026 AI push: AI Visibility Dashboard, AI Overviews, 4 tracked AI models on every tier
- 14-day trial on Medium tier; enterprise plan at $49/mo for single-site individual use
Cons
- Backlink index depth trails Ahrefs - fewer domains and newer data on some link types
- No free plan - 14-day trial only
- Standard tier caps at 3 sites / 300 keywords; agencies need Medium or Large
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Screpy · 4.0/5
Free plan available · $19/mo (Pro, monthly)
Genuinely free tier (no credit card): 1 project / 100 rank / 100 crawl pages. Pro: 5 projects / 100 rank / 5K crawl / 10 competitors / 5 AI prompts / 5 seats. Max: 15 projects / 3000 rank / 10K crawl / 50 competitors / 50 AI prompts / backlinks / 15 seats. Ultra: 50 projects / 5000 rank / 50K crawl / 100 competitors / 250 AI prompts / 30 seats.
Pro $77/yr (~$6.4/mo) / Max $182/yr (~$15.2/mo) / Ultra $355/yr (~$29.6/mo)
Screpy is an AI-powered all-in-one SEO and site monitoring platform combining rank tracking, PageSpeed, uptime, backlinks, AI content generation and AI visibility prompts in one dashboard, with a genuinely free tier.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Genuinely free plan: 1 project / 100 rank tracker / 100 crawl pages, no credit card required
- Dramatically lower entry: Pro at $19/mo (annual $77/yr = ~$6.4/mo) vs $99-139/mo for the big three
- All-in-one dashboard: rank tracking, PageSpeed, uptime, backlinks, AI content generation, AI visibility in one seat
- Article generator on paid tiers: 1-50 AI content pieces per day by tier
Cons
- Backlink index depth is lighter than Ahrefs or Semrush - no large-scale link database
- No API on any tier
- Free plan caps at 1 project / 100 rank / 100 crawl pages - tight for real use
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
SpyFu · 4.1/5
14-day free trial · $59/mo (Starter, monthly)
Priced by competitor domains and keyword depth. Starter: 1 competitor domain / basic keyword data. Advanced: 3 competitor domains / full keyword + ad data / API access. Professional: 10 competitor domains / unlimited keyword exports / dedicated support. Prices shown behind a paywall; exact annual figures to be confirmed on signup. No free plan.
Starter ~$49/mo / Advanced ~$139/mo / Professional ~$349/mo (billed annually)
SpyFu is a competitive intelligence platform focused on advertising and SEO keyword data - see what keywords competitors rank for, what ads they run and where their traffic comes from - positioned as a lighter, more affordable alternative to Ahrefs or Semrush.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Cleanest competitor-teardown UX: see what keywords competitors rank for and what ads they run in one view
- Cheapest paid entry of the big three at $59/mo Starter (vs Ahrefs $129, Semrush $139, Moz $99)
- API access on Advanced tier for programmatic competitor data
- Focused scope: no bloat from rank tracking or site audit you do not need for competitive research
Cons
- No backlink index - competitor link profiles are not in scope
- Annual figures shown behind a paywall; exact pricing to be confirmed on signup
- Narrower than Ahrefs/Semrush - no rank tracking, no site audit, no AI visibility dashboard
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Frequently asked questions
How many SEO Tools tools are compared here?
This page compares 5 SEO Tools tools, with Semrush as our top-rated pick. Pricing was last re-checked on 2026-09-20.
Which SEO Tools tool has the best free plan?
Screpy is our free-tier pick among the tools compared.