Head-to-head · facts checked 13 Sept 2026
Keyword Insights vs Semrush
Semrush uniquely has 5 features.
From
$58/mo (Basic)
Free plan
No — Pay As You Go available via $1 trial
From
$139.95/mo (SEO plan)
Free plan
Yes — limited free account available
The verdict
Keyword Insights or Semrush?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Keyword Insights
Basic
$58/mo · Save 20% annually
10,000 credits/mo, 1 user seat, 5 workspaces, AI Agent support
Professional
$99/mo · Save 20% annually
20,000 credits/mo, 3 user seats, 10 workspaces, team sharing
Premium
$299/mo · Save 20% annually
50,000 credits/mo, 5 user seats, 25 workspaces, live chat support
Enterprise
Custom
Custom credits, custom seats/workspaces, priority support, demo & onboarding
Pay as you go
$0.01/credit
They can be used only for keyword clustering, They cannot be used for content briefs, the AI Writer Agent, or other features, The selected credit amount is enough to cluster only 1 keyword without search-intent analysis and 0 keywords with search intent, Stored data is deleted after 30 days, Unused PAYG credits expire 30 days after the last purchase.
Semrush
SEO
$139.95/mo · $1,407.96/yr
5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily, basic keyword research and competitor analysis, Position Tracking, Site Audit, AI visibility reports
Starter (SEO + AI Search)
$199/mo · $1,982/yr
5 websites, 500 keywords, 50 prompts tracked daily, 1 domain AI brand performance, 300 AI visibility reports/day, MCP access
Pro+ (SEO + AI Search)
$299/mo · $2,978/yr
15 websites, 1,500 keywords, 100 prompts tracked daily, historical SEO data, content optimization, keyword cannibalization analysis
Advanced (SEO + AI Search)
$549/mo · $5,468/yr
40 websites, 5,000 keywords, 200 prompts tracked daily, SEO share of voice, API data integration, maximum power tier
Section 02
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Keyword Insights
Pros
- SERP-overlap-based keyword clustering groups keywords by actual Google ranking data, not just semantic similarity, making it more accurate for content planning.
- Reddit and Quora integration pulls real forum discussions into brief-building, aligning content with sources AI search answers increasingly cite.
- The clustering tool clearly identifies which keywords can share a page versus which ones need separate URLs, saving agencies significant planning time.
- Built specifically for SEO agencies and content marketing teams working on topical authority at scale, making it purpose-fit rather than generic.
- V3 launched in August 2023 and the product has continued to ship updates, showing active development and responsiveness to user needs.
- Search Console integration and one-off rank checks sit alongside content tools, reducing the need to switch between multiple platforms.
- G2 reviewers in SEO roles consistently cite the keyword clustering as the feature that justifies the subscription cost.
Cons
- Briefs and AI writing support 13 languages, a limitation for teams working in markets outside that list.
- The pricing structure requires careful scrutiny and takes some squinting to understand, suggesting it may not be straightforward or predictable.
- As a young tool founded in 2021, it lacks the track record and maturity of more established SEO platforms.
- The tool's focus is narrower than full-suite SEO platforms, meaning users likely need additional tools for a complete workflow.
- The keyword research functionality itself is not a differentiator, with the value concentrated specifically in the clustering and brief-building features.
Semrush
Pros
- Semrush covers an exceptionally wide range of SEO capabilities including site auditing, rank tracking, keyword research, backlink analysis, PPC tools, and social scheduling all in one platform.
- The Keyword Magic Tool draws from a database of 28 billion keywords, giving users access to one of the largest keyword datasets available.
- AI Visibility Toolkit launched in October 2025 allows users to monitor brand presence across LLM platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity using over 317 million tracked prompts.
- Position Tracking provides daily rank updates with multi-location options, making it useful for agencies managing multiple client campaigns.
- The platform has 17 years of development behind it, meaning core SEO data quality is well-established and trusted by a reported 10 million users.
- Backlink analysis covers 43 trillion backlinks according to Semrush, giving users substantial data for link building and competitive research.
- Content tools include both brief generation and a live optimization editor, streamlining the content production workflow within a single platform.
Cons
- The sheer breadth of tools creates a significant learning curve, with G2 reviewers in agency and marketing roles consistently flagging it before noting any positives.
- At $139.95 per month for the base plan, the cost is a meaningful commitment, and the value delivered appears to depend heavily on which pricing tier you're on.
- The gap between what Semrush promises and what it actually delivers varies significantly based on how much users are paying, suggesting key features may be paywalled.
- The platform may have expanded too broadly, making it difficult for users to know which tools to use, in what order, and for which workflows without weeks of onboarding.
- The Adobe acquisition completed April 2026 introduces uncertainty about the platform's future direction, pricing, and enterprise software bloat.
- AI Visibility Toolkit is still relatively new as of 2025-2026, meaning the feature set and data reliability in that area may not yet be fully mature.
- The volume of features across the platform risks overwhelming smaller teams or solo practitioners who only need a subset of what Semrush offers.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2021 | 2008 |
| HQ | London, United Kingdom | Boston, USA |
| AI model | Proprietary (NLP + ML models with Information Gain) | Proprietary |
| User base | — | 10M+ users |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Chrome Extension, iOS, Android |
| Languages | 13 languages for briefs and writing; 100+ for clustering | 25+ |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Free plan | No — Pay As You Go available via $1 trial (5,000 one-time credits) | Yes — limited free account available |
| Free trial | Yes — $1 for 7 days with access to all features and 5,000 credits | Yes — 7 days |
| Starting price | $58/mo (Basic) | $139.95/mo (SEO plan) |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing — request a demo | Custom — request demo |
| All plans | Basic — $58/mo Professional — $99/mo Premium — $299/mo Enterprise — Custom Pay as you go — $0.01/credit per credit | SEO — $139.95/mo Starter (SEO + AI Search) — $199/mo Pro+ (SEO + AI Search) — $299/mo Advanced (SEO + AI Search) — $549/mo |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | SEO agencies, content marketers, and enterprise teams building topical authority | SEO professionals, digital marketers, agencies, and enterprises seeking comprehensive search visibility and AI search monitoring |
| Differentiator | Clusters keywords by SERP similarity using NLP to reveal exact pages to build and topical gaps, plus surfaces Reddit/Quora/YouTube mentions to influence AI search answers. | Semrush One unifies traditional SEO and AI search visibility (LLM citation tracking) on a single platform built on 17 years of search intelligence, with 28B keywords, 43T backlinks, and 317M+ LLM prompts monitored. |
| Competitors | Semrush, Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Frase | Ahrefs, Moz, Mangools, SE Ranking, Surfer SEO, BrightEdge |
| Features | ||
| AI Copywriting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlink Analysis | ✕ | ✓ |
| Content Brief | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| GSC Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword Clustering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword Research | ✓ | ✓ |
| Long Form Writing | ✓ | ✓ |
| On Page SEO | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rank Tracking | ✕ | ✓ |
| SERP Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Topic Clusters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chrome Extension | ✕ | ✓ |
| CMS | WordPress | WordPress, Google Docs, Shopify via integrations |
| Google Docs | ✕ | ✓ |
| Key Integrations | Google Search Console, WordPress, Public API | Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Ads, Adobe (parent company), Lovable AI builder, ChatGPT, MCP access, Zapier, WordPress, Google Docs |
| Wordpress | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zapier | — | ✓ |
Section 03
Keyword Insights vs Semrush: common questions
Is Keyword Insights or Semrush cheaper?
Keyword Insights's cheapest paid plan is $58/mo (Basic) and Semrush's is $139.95/mo (SEO plan). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Keep comparing
More Keyword Insights matchups
