The best SEO software alternatives are not one tool but two. Screaming Frog SEO Spider covers crawling for free, and Frase covers content at $15 a month, against a $139 Semrush bill.
An all-in-one suite is three products in a trench coat: keyword research, site crawling and content optimisation. Replace the part you open and the bill falls a long way.
What you are replacing
Semrush starts at $139 a month and Ahrefs at $129. Both are rated highly here, 4.5 and 4.6, and neither is a bad product. They’re simply priced for agencies running a roster of clients.
One change worth knowing before you compare: Semrush’s site now carries “An Adobe Company” in its header. If a procurement conversation is coming, that is the vendor relationship you are entering.
The category moved while nobody was looking
Read these twelve home pages back to back and the same sentence appears on most of them.
Surfer labels itself an AI visibility platform. Clearscope leads with getting discovered on Google and ChatGPT, and Frase promises citations from AI.
Moz Pro advertises an AI Visibility Dashboard, and Mangools tracks rankings across LLMs as well as search engines. This is no longer a rank-tracking category.
That matters when you choose. A cheaper tool bought for classic keyword work may charge you for answer-engine features you will never open. We cover that side in our AI visibility roundup.
The 12 alternatives, compared
| Tool | Rating | Replaces | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | 4.6 | Site crawl | Free |
| SE Ranking | 4.6 | Whole suite | $103 |
| Surfer SEO | 4.5 | Content | $79 |
| Mangools | 4.4 | Keywords, ranks | $29 |
| Clearscope | 4.4 | Content | $189 |
| Frase | 4.3 | Content | $15 |
| SEO.ai | 4.3 | Content | $49 |
| Search Atlas | 4.3 | Whole suite | $99 |
| MarketMuse | 4.2 | Content planning | On request |
| Serpstat | 4.2 | Whole suite | $59 |
| Moz Pro | 4.2 | Whole suite | $49 |
| Ubersuggest | 4.0 | Keywords | $29 |
1. Screaming Frog SEO Spider, rated 4.6, free
The industry-standard desktop crawler, not another cloud SaaS dashboard
The highest-rated tool here and the only one that costs nothing. Screaming Frog is a UK agency that also builds the crawler and log file analyser most technical SEOs already know.
It replaces the site audit half of a suite outright. If crawling is why you pay for Semrush, this is the whole saving in one download.
2. SE Ranking, rated 4.6, from $103
A comprehensive SEO suite priced below the category's largest platforms
SE Ranking is the closest like-for-like replacement at a lower price. Its page now frames the job as validating visibility across SEO, GEO and social rather than tracking it.
The free trial needs no card. At $103 the saving against Semrush is real but not dramatic, so this is the choice when you genuinely use the whole suite.
3. Surfer SEO, rated 4.5, from $79
Combines content scoring with an always-on alert for AI-visibility drops
Surfer SEO has repositioned hardest of anything on this list. Its page now calls it an AI visibility platform and leads with being the answer everywhere buyers search.
If you remember Surfer as a content editor that scored your draft against the top ten, check what you are buying before renewing.
4. Mangools, rated 4.4, from $29
A bundle of five simpler, more accessible SEO tools for smaller sites
Mangools is the value pick for keyword research and rank tracking, and its site advertises tracking visibility across LLMs alongside search engines.
Our listing records no free plan. The site shows “Create a FREE account” with free mini-tools and no card required, so start there before paying.
5. Clearscope, rated 4.4, from $189
One of the original content-grading tools, scoring term relevance via NLP
Clearscope is more expensive than the suite it partly replaces, which tells you it is not a budget move. It’s bought by content teams who want one thing done well.
6. Frase, rated 4.3, from $15
SERP-analysis-driven content briefs paired with AI writing in one workflow
Frase is the cheapest paid tool here and does the same content job as Clearscope for a fraction of it. Its page promises ranking on Google and being cited by AI.
7. SEO.ai, rated 4.3, from $49
Fully autonomous: writes, publishes, and builds backlinks without manual steps
SEO.ai writes and publishes ranking content rather than grading yours, and advertises traffic from Google and ChatGPT together. Its page offers a free start, which our listing does not record.
8. Search Atlas, rated 4.3, from $99
OTTO applies SEO fixes automatically rather than only recommending them
Search Atlas is the most autonomous option here. Its OTTO agent claims to run SEO, answer-engine work and ad accounts on its own and fix problems overnight.
Treat that claim as the vendor’s, and pilot on one property before handing over a client account.
9. MarketMuse, rated 4.2, on request
One of the pioneering content-intelligence platforms, now part of Siteimprove
MarketMuse now trades as MarketMuse by Siteimprove, and its page leads with booking a demo rather than signing up.
Our listing still records a free plan at $0. After the acquisition that no longer matches what the site offers, so treat the price as on request.
10. Serpstat, rated 4.2, from $59
Comprehensive SEO suite priced for smaller teams than the category's biggest names
Serpstat is a full suite at less than half the Semrush price. Its site offers seven days free, which is a trial rather than the free plan our listing records.
11. Moz Pro, rated 4.2, from $49
The oldest tool in this category, and the originator of Domain Authority
Moz Pro is the established name at a mid-market price, and now advertises an AI Visibility Dashboard alongside keyword rankings.
At $49 against Semrush’s $139 it’s the most straightforward suite-for-suite saving here.
12. Ubersuggest, rated 4.0, from $29
Neil Patel's accessible, accessible entry point into SEO tooling
Ubersuggest is the lowest-rated tool we list here and the cheapest suite-style option, with a free tier. It suits one site and one person rather than an agency.
Check the free plan before you count on it
Free means four different things across this list, and our own records do not always match what the vendors show.
- Genuinely free: Screaming Frog SEO Spider, and Mangools for its mini-tools.
- Free tier with a ceiling: Ubersuggest, SEO.ai.
- Trial, not a plan: Serpstat at seven days, SE Ranking with no card.
- Demo first: MarketMuse, since the Siteimprove acquisition.
Where the vendor’s page and our listing disagree, this post follows the page and flags the difference. The listings are being corrected.
How to choose
To pick one quickly, work out which third of the suite you open.
- You use it to crawl: Screaming Frog SEO Spider, free.
- You use it for keywords and ranks: Mangools or Ubersuggest at $29.
- You use it to brief writers: Frase at $15, or Clearscope if budget is not the issue.
- You genuinely use all of it: Moz Pro at $49, then Serpstat, then SE Ranking.
- You want the work done for you: Search Atlas.
For AI-first tools rather than replacements, our 15 best AI SEO tools covers that ground. The full category sits in SEO and Marketing.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Semrush?
Not for the whole suite. Screaming Frog SEO Spider replaces the crawling free, and Mangools and Ubersuggest cover keywords cheaply, but nothing free does all three jobs.
Which alternative is closest to Semrush?
SE Ranking at $103, then Serpstat at $59 and Moz Pro at $49. All three cover keywords, crawling and reporting in one place.
Do these tools track ChatGPT visibility?
Five now advertise it: Surfer, Clearscope, Frase, Moz Pro and Mangools. Whether it is a real feature or a headline is worth checking on a trial before you pay for it.
