# Semrush Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra

> Is Semrush the right Competitive Intelligence solution for you? Explore 2318 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/151962/SEMrush/reviews

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Semrush

4.6 (2318)

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

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Last updated May 15th, 2026

# Reviews of Semrush

Ease of use

4.3

Customer Service

4.4

## Pros and Cons in Reviews

Suzanne C

Small Business OwnerMental Health Care, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“This may be an excellent tool for SEO professionals or agencies, but based on my experience, it requires more expertise and time than many solo business owners realistically have.“

January 29, 2026

Alp A

DirectorMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Most of position tracking over different client accounts are showing 0 volume for their most primary keywords and in turn making our traffic metrics look like garbage in position tracking, when infact they're booming.“

December 16, 2025

Suzanne C

Small Business OwnerMental Health Care, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“It offers an impressive range of tools and data, and I can see how it would be extremely valuable for experienced SEO professionals or teams who use it daily.“

January 29, 2026

AG

Allison G

Marketing Strategy ConsultantMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: I used a free trial.

“They give you the run around and require you to jump through hoops to cancel their free trial and then deny even when you've done what you're supposed to do.“

January 14, 2026

Henry Y

Project ManagerDesign, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial.

“Comprehensive SEO suite with deep insights, versatile competitive tools, and valuable for digital marketing.“

January 16, 2026

JP

John P

Transport BrokerTransportation/Trucking/Railroad, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“It is fairly expensive as a subscription, especially to small business and the interface can sometimes be overwhelming to someone like me who is not a marketing professional.“

January 30, 2026

AM

Andrew M

Senior Web Design ManagerInformation Technology and Services, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“I enjoy the keyword tracking and competitor comparison, helps us to know where we’re gaining traction and where we’re falling behind.“

July 30, 2025

Eva C

OwnerReal Estate, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“At no point does SEMrush clearly disclose that these email responses are AI-generated, which is misleading and wastes a lot of time.“

January 7, 2026

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 1-25 of 2318 Reviews

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Most Helpful

Rating

Company Size

Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

Palash R.  
Graphic design  
Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "The Most Complete and Powerful All-in-One SEO Tool"

May 26, 2026

5.0

My overall experience with Semrush has been exceptional. It serves as a backbone for daily SEO tasks, keyword strategy, and competitor tracking. It saves immense time by consolidating backlink analysis, site audits, and traffic insights into one centralized platform, making it well worth the investment.

Pros

Semrush is the ultimate all-in-one SEO and digital marketing tool. What I like most is its incredibly deep and accurate keyword research database, alongside comprehensive competitor analysis features. The platform makes it highly efficient to track organic rankings, audit websites for technical issues, and discover content gaps that boost search visibility significantly.

Cons

The pricing is quite expensive, especially for individual freelancers or small agencies. Also, due to the massive amount of data and advanced tools available, the user interface can sometimes feel overwhelming and has a steep learning curve for beginners.

Alternatives considered

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

Semrush offers a much more comprehensive all-in-one suite, especially when it comes to competitor analysis, toxic backlink audits, and content marketing tools. While other tools are great for basic link tracking, Semrush provides deeper daily insights that make optimizing our entire SEO strategy much more efficient.

Review Source

JM

Jose M.  
Owner  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Reliable Data That Helps Me and My Clients Grow"

December 18, 2025

5.0

I’ve been using Semrush since 2020, and it’s become a must-have tool for my business. It has helped me grow by making it easier to access reliable data quickly and make informed decisions. More importantly, it allows me to support clients better by having all the insights I need in one place. I highly recommend Semrush for business owners and agencies.

Pros

What I like most about Semrush is the quality of the information and how easy it is to use that data with real clients. I use it to show businesses where they stand with SEO, how they compare to competitors, and where clear opportunities exist to grow. Semrush has helped me win new clients by showing the tools and process I use, and it’s been essential for improving websites and blogs through keyword research, competitive analysis, and small weekly optimizations that add up over time. It’s a practical tool that supports long-term growth, not just reports.

Cons

The main downside is that Semrush can feel overwhelming at first due to the number of tools available. However, the customer support team is very helpful and does a great job walking you through the platform, starting with the most important features and then covering smaller tools that can also make an impact. I often recorded support sessions so I could rewatch them later, since there’s a lot of valuable information and tips to absorb all at once. The more you understand the tool, the more value you get from it.

Alternatives considered

[Ubersuggest](https://www.capterra.com/p/229169/Ubersuggest/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

I chose Semrush over other tools because it offers more complete data in one platform.

Review Source

Arsene S.  
Merketing director  
Internet  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Unwanted add-on charges, no refund, and no easy way to remove payment details"

April 1, 2026

1.0

My overall experience with Semrush started positively because the platform is powerful and offers many useful SEO and competitor analysis features. However, that positive impression was completely overshadowed by a very poor billing and account management experience. I was charged for an expensive AdClarity add-on that I did not clearly intend to subscribe to, and the charges continued until I noticed them. When I contacted support, my refund request was denied. I also found it very frustrating that I could not simply remove my payment card directly, and that removing the add-on required contacting support by email and waiting up to two weeks. As a result, my experience went from initially positive to deeply disappointing, mainly because of the lack of transparency and customer control.

Pros

The platform is comprehensive and includes a wide range of SEO and competitor analysis tools. Semrush

Cons

The biggest issue was not the software itself, but the billing practices. An expensive add-on was charged to my account without clear and informed consent on my side, and once discovered, no refund was offered. On top of that, I could not directly remove my card, and canceling the add-on required contacting support and waiting up to two weeks. That creates a very poor level of trust for a platform charging business customers at this price point.

Review Source

JAR

Jose A R.  
SEO Consultant  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The Swiss Army knife for maximizing digital marketing with competitive intelligence"

December 18, 2025

5.0

Overall, it saves you a lot of time and work in different areas of digital marketing by centralizing everything on a single platform, with a fairly large database of keywords and backlinks, making it possible to analyze/work on any digital project, whether they are small digital businesses or large projects, their support is quite good, even offering a multitude of training resources and new AI-related features that they are introducing.

Pros

The Swiss Army knife for maximizing digital marketing with competitive intelligence: Keyword Research, On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, Local SEO, SEM, Visibility/Traffic Analysis of online projects, Social Media Marketing, AI-assisted SEO Friendly Content Generation and many more tools in a single platform.

Cons

Although it has some features/functionalities with modular pricing depending on whether you want to activate them or not, there is a base price that includes many features that I practically don't use, and I would prefer a more modular initial price or a possible cheaper monthly fee.

Alternatives considered

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

Free plan with some features included with no time limit

Review Source

JA

Joseph A.  
Digital Marketing Specialist  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Semrush, the digital marketers secret weapon."

July 11, 2025

4.0

Overall, the experience with Semrush has been positive due to its great depth of analytics and integrations available. I was able to get a very thorough look at the rankings, serps, and keyword optimization for each page and my competitors.

Pros

I like how easy it is to navigate the website even when there are so many options and features available. It never gets overwhelming.

Cons

I dislike the reporting options that are available, as far as exporting and creating reports for clients. It didn't have the type of reporting that I was looking for.

Alternatives considered

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

The overall feature list and other reviews we saw online, swayed our decision.

Review Source

AL

Alexandra L.  
Customer success manager  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "A must have for any SEO agency"

July 16, 2025

4.0

Overall, SEMrush it’s a great tool. We use it daily at work for many different reasons: keyword research, keyword opportunities, compare to competitors, backlink audits, etc.

Pros

Helps to make an organic traffic assesment, make organic keyword research based on traffic volume, keyword difficulty, find other keyword alternatives, compare website behaviour with competitors, make reports, and find organic traffic opportunities. It’s time saving when it comes to keyword research, with the use of AI also lets you know if a website is able to rank on this keyword and what needs to be optimized.

Cons

We operate on a smaller country with its own language, so many keyword information are not always available. The reports are based on SEMrush database so it’s not always accurate.

Alternatives considered

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)[Screaming Frog SEO Spider](https://www.capterra.com/p/185765/Screaming-Frog-SEO-Spider/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

SEMrush was much easier to use and had more tools.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Senior Web Developer  
Defense & Space  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The gold standard for search engine optimization insights"

May 7, 2025

5.0

Overall it has been very helpful for me to fix and adjust things on your website, it gives a great breakdown of where you need for focus your efforts in order to achieve the best optimization for SEO. There is a lot of additional value add in the features and information it can generate for you as well.

Pros

Semrush is an absolute must for optimizing your site for SEO, the site audit feature gives you invaluable insight on your website in order to fix and optimize things for best performance. I also like how you can easily and quickly gather competitive analysis on any website.

Cons

I wish there was better insight on Advertising analysis of competitors, it only shows google search keywords mostly from what I have seen, I would like for it to show a more comprehensive footprint of digital advertising.

Alternatives considered

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

Both are good but from experience I've found Semrush to be better.

Review Source

DM

Daniel M.  
Owner  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "STAY AWAY FROM SEMRUSH"

November 13, 2025

1.0

My overall experience was overshadowed by their rigid refund policy and difficulty of cancellation. Customer support is not really interested in helping you.

Pros

Easy to navigate, and powerful tracking tools make it easy to test everything from SEO to ranking online.

Cons

This is not a customer experience focused business. I was showing a client the platform and trying to convince them to adopt it. I have sold many accounts on Semrush in the past. I requested a refund and was denied even though i requested it just hours after the initial charge. Not much thanks for opening several accounts with them for customers.

Alternatives considered

[Screaming Frog SEO Spider](https://www.capterra.com/p/185765/Screaming-Frog-SEO-Spider/)

Reason for choosing Semrush

Because they always try to work with you and believe the customer is mostly always right. Semrush makes too much money to care about customers anymore.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
sales lead  
Construction  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "NO TRIALS, NO REFUNDS, NOT WORTH IT"

October 8, 2025

1.0

Pros

I was on trial for multiple things on the platform and have asked for refund multiple times. They rejected my refunds and charged me for the whole year. I tried to ask for a refund they rejected it 3 times. Their tools that cost thousands of dollars are useless and not worth half of the price that they list it at. Will be moving on to AHREF. I'm new to the SEO game, lesson learnt. STAY AWAY.

Switched from

[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Semrush was expensive, no trial, charged me for the whole year and their features were not useful for the most part

Review Source

JM

James M.  
Digital Marketing Manager  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The seo and website management tool that is actually making a difference to the marketing teams."

May 6, 2026

5.0

When dealing with digital marketing of several clients, I have to have reliable information that I do not have to question. Semrush provides that every single day, audits of my websites, tracking of keywords, gaps between competitors - it all resides in a single place and, in fact, makes a difference in the work I create on a weekly basis.

Pros

I like the fact that I have been getting the depth of competitor information on a daily basis. Bright Ads campaign decisions are less defensive and more precise due to what Semrush brings up.

Cons

The price is an actual obstacle to smaller clients whom I attempt to bring onboard the platform. It will be worth it, and that first cost talk is never an easy one.

Review Source

Bithi P.  
SEO expert  
Market Research  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Best keyword and seo audit tool for me."

October 2, 2024

5.0

Semrush helps me to do technical analysis of any clients website, after analysis of website, i can make perfect report. How can i improve website rank, any amatures can understand. User interface and learning curve is very easy, even amatures can do well.

Pros

Keyword magic tools is awesome helps me to identify new low targeted keyword with no time. As well other services, it also have domain search option to study website keyword and search volume metrics. Result of semrush is more accurate than others.

Cons

I did not fins any lacking in this software. In this price range it gives a lot.

Switched from

[Ubersuggest](https://www.capterra.com/p/229169/Ubersuggest/)[Ahrefs](https://www.capterra.com/p/176340/Ahrefs/)

Price is higher and need to get data, which is available at Semrush.

Review Source

BM

Bryce M.  
Expansion Manager  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "A lot of service, too much for a beginner and horrible cancelation processing"

June 3, 2025

2.0

Overall, like I said they would benefit greatly from at least having a BEGINNER view or some kind of onboarding survey that directly puts you into a beginner view with just the tools available to handle whatever the new subscriber came to handle. Then it can expand out from there. The peopel I dealt with in person were fine but the cancelation experience is against the law and a nightmare, honestly.

Pros

It was a decent tool to SEO optimize blog articles. There are a ton of things to do in the platform, but I feel it's so much built it can be difficult to navigate. You have to have a "degree in semrush" in order to actually fully utilize it. This is problematic when there are other tools like the ones by \[sensitive content hidden\] which are simpler. I feel there really needs to be a beginner UI and the various UI elements should be unlockable or in some way there should be a beginner version.

Cons

There's quite a few things. Their SEO optimization for articles is okay, but I find just prompting a free GPT instance to be about the same. Using paid GPT is considerably better. The article builder has an image suggestion tool that's absolutely bogus. It's generative AI image prompting bordering on 2019 quality and looks like it hasn't been iterated on since launch. Just unusable and even when you can create a halfway decent image it still looks like AI gen slop. Their cancelation policy is incredibly out-dated and violates FTC guidelines on a one-click cancellation. I've spoken to support about this and I get back a robotic response of "That's just what our policy is." They don't seem to get it's factually against the law. Here's the entire process: 1. You can't just go to your subscription and click cancel 2. You have submit a chat request 3. The chat then takes you to a form you have to fill out with your reason for canceling and VERIFY you want to cancel. 4. Then you are sent an eMail CONFIRMING your cancelation that you need to click on. 5. Further still I was told despite going through all these steps, "You didn't give clear intent of your desire to cancel." so I was billed for another month. I tried to clarify for the 4th time that it's not supposed to be this way and is in fact an FTC violation. No acknowledgement of that. Just robotic replies ignoring it.

Review Source

IM

Isidora M.  
Founder and Full Stack Marketer  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A daily essential in my digital marketing work 🧡"

June 3, 2025

5.0

I’ve been working with Semrush since 20 19. It’s the only tool I’ve stayed with throughout all the phases of my career from corporate roles to marketing agency founder. Rich in features and constantly evolving with the marketing industry. I’ve built so many SEO strategies - It’s honestly a part of my daily routine now - just like my morning coffee ☕.

Pros

Semrush is a full digital marketing command center. From keyword tool, competitive analysis and SEO audits to content ideas and ad research, everything is just a few clicks away. What I love most is how it helps me connect the dots between data and action. I can quickly see what’s working, what’s not, and what to do next. And honestly, it makes me look really good in front of my clients. 😄

Cons

Nothing, really. I've been using it for years and it just keeps getting better. They are always innovative. 😊

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
SEO  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "SEMRUSH the best overall tool for SEO"

February 7, 2025

5.0

As SEO manager, i use it every day for long periods. I am satisfied with the tool, it started to have an issue with keyword rankings and domain performance since january after google's update on serps

Pros

it has great database of keywords, indexed urls and backlinks

Cons

its limited in terms of keywords monitoring in projects.

Review Source

FC

Fergus C.  
Marketing Executive  
Building Materials  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Comprehensive and easy to use"

July 18, 2025

5.0

Pros

Semrush has a comprehensive overview of website analytics, easy to navigate and easy to find issues to change.

Cons

Website scores sometimes fluctuate randomly, and maybe more of a search engine issue but pages with similar descriptions are flagged when often unavoidable.

Review Source

mC

maza C.  
Consultant  
Financial Services  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "SEMRUSH Review"

April 30, 2025

5.0

Its a very powerful tool, just keep learning and take courses . Its a very important tool for SEO and online marketing. This tool is very good for business owners that want to grow

Pros

i love how Semrush shows me exactly which keywords to target and helps me track how my content is doing. love the keyword tool and competitor analysis

Cons

To be 100% honest its overwhelming , I took a udemy course to help me with Semrush. you have to keep educating yourself , youtube videos courses . Its a little tricky,

Review Source

AW

Andrew W.  
Owner  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Powerful marketing software "

April 10, 2025

5.0

Pros

Semrush is the largest SEO tool available - quite useful if you've got the budget

Cons

The pricing is on the steeper side for most features, and you'll find the daily search limits rather restrictive

Review Source

RD

Ruti D.  
CEO  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Super useful for any serious SEO"

November 26, 2024

5.0

It's excellent for SEO experts and agencies, with great tools for researching keywords, competitors, backlinks, local SEO, reporting, and more. I always feel like there is more to it that I'm missing! It's a bit pricey for someone just starting out as an SEO freelancer though.

Pros

It has a huge range of useful SEO tools, and can easily be used for handling many clients.

Cons

It's very expensive! I'm paying for the Guru plan plus three additional users, it really adds up.

Review Source

JA

Jazz A.  
Director  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Good Service"

March 2, 2025

4.0

Overall it was good, we could have done with getting more out of it for the amount that we paid.

Pros

Easy to use and the analytics side of it was also good.

Cons

The expense. We used it mainly for social media scheduling and it was expensive for that.

Review Source

Elle D.  
Company owner  
Design  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Does the job... and more"

January 9, 2025

5.0

A really positive experience. I find it really easy to use.

Pros

Semrush gives you all the important information in an easy to use interface.

Cons

I haven't seen any cons thus far. It is all pretty straightforward

Review Source

TS

Tyler S.  
Affiliate marketer  
Internet  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "My review on Semrush"

January 20, 2025

4.0

Semrush is a really powerful tool for digital marketing. It covers everything from SEO to PPC and social media, and it gives you solid data for planning your next move

Pros

Semrush has a ton of features like keyword research, competitive analysis, and site audits. The interface is pretty easy to use.

Cons

It can be too expensive for smaller businesses, and sometimes the data isn’t as accurate as you'd hope

Review Source

NR

Niyathi R.  
SEO performance manager  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "One-stop for all search goals"

December 16, 2024

5.0

Really helpful in analysing website, content, backlinks

Pros

Excellent data and insights on web performance and site information

Cons

Some pages need extra payment or licensing which can be a bit expensive

Review Source

James C.  
Account Executive  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "a solid SEM platform"

November 18, 2024

4.0

considered to be one of the premier SEM tools to improve performance

Pros

good platform for getting SEM insights and optimizations

Cons

could be tricky to push updates from platforms into Google Ads

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Web Developer  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "One of the coolest, but... expensive!"

November 7, 2024

4.0

Pros

SEMRush is the one of the coolest SEO analytics software. It can compare, predicts how many people will search on the keywords that I want to put.

Cons

Whenever I tried to use the new tools or services in SEMRush, they ask me to pay it. Most of their services are subscription based, you need to be caution before you use the service. It end up being a lot.

Review Source

RW

Rickilee W.  
Founder  
Writing and Editing  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Keywords finder "

January 7, 2025

4.0

Delivers a powerful set of tools for SEO, content, advertising, and social media

Pros

A wide range of features paired with detailed data makes it a strong contender

Cons

The subscription pricing feels expensive, and the free version's severe limitations can pose challenges for smaller businesses or budget-conscious users

Review Source

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