Short answer: Semrush is the stronger all-round SEO platform, with higher top-tier limits, daily keyword tracking, content optimization and deeper competitor tools. Moz Pro is the better value for small teams that want core SEO metrics, AI visibility tracking and extra users included in the price: its Standard plan starts at $99 a month ($79 billed yearly) against $139 for Semrush’s SEO plan. Choose Semrush for scale and breadth; choose Moz Pro for simplicity and seat-inclusive pricing.
Prices and limits are vendor-published, checked September 2026 on moz.com and semrush.com, in USD.
Moz vs Semrush at a glance
| Moz Pro | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Standard: $99/month, $79/month billed yearly | SEO: $139/month, $117.33/month billed annually |
| Mid plan | Medium: $179/month, $143 yearly | Starter (SEO + AI Search): $199/month; Pro+: $299/month |
| Top self-serve plan | Large: $299/month, $239 yearly | Advanced: $549/month, $455.67 annually |
| Annual discount | 20% | Up to 17% |
| Users included | 1 / 2 / 3 by plan | 1; additional users from $45/month |
| Sites tracked | 3 / 10 / 25 | 5 / 5 / 15 / 40 |
| Tracked keywords | 300 / 1,500 / 3,000 | 500 / 500 / 1,500 / 5,000, updated daily |
| Site crawl | 400K / 2M / 5M pages per month | Site Audit on every plan |
| AI search tracking | 50 / 100 / 200 prompts across GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity, weekly | 50 / 100 / 200 prompts on Starter, Pro+ and Advanced |
| Cheapest option | $49/month plan for a single website | Free plan: 10 reports per day |
| Spotsaas pages | Moz Pro reviews | Semrush reviews |
Ratings from both tools’ users are on the Moz Pro vs Semrush comparison page.
Which is better, Semrush or Moz?
Semrush is better for agencies and marketing teams that need to track many sites and keywords, optimize content and dig into competitors. Moz Pro is better for small businesses and in-house marketers who want a simpler tool, recognizable metrics like Domain Authority, and two or three users included without paying per seat.
Both tools cover keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlink analysis and AI search visibility. The difference is depth versus simplicity. Semrush has more toolkits and higher limits per plan at the top end. Moz Pro keeps the product focused and packages more users into each tier.
How much do Moz Pro and Semrush cost?
Moz Pro costs $99, $179 or $299 a month for Standard, Medium and Large, or $79, $143 and $239 billed yearly. Semrush costs $139, $199, $299 or $549 a month for SEO, Starter, Pro+ and Advanced, or $117.33 to $455.67 billed annually. Moz also sells a $49 single-site plan; Semrush offers a free plan.
User seats change the comparison. Moz Pro includes 1 user on Standard, 2 on Medium and 3 on Large. Semrush plans include one user, and additional users start at $45 a month. For a three-person team, our arithmetic from list prices:
| Setup | Monthly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Moz Pro Large (3 users included) | $299 | 25 sites, 3,000 tracked keywords, 5M pages crawled, 200 AI prompts |
| Semrush Pro+ + 2 extra users | From $389 | 15 websites, 1,500 keywords daily, historical data, content optimization, 100 AI prompts |
| Semrush Starter + 2 extra users | From $289 | 5 websites, 500 keywords daily, 50 AI prompts, MCP access |
For a single user, Semrush’s entry plan costs $40 a month more than Moz Standard but tracks 5 websites and 500 keywords daily against Moz’s 3 sites and 300 keywords.
Which Moz plan matches which Semrush plan?
Moz Standard ($99) lines up with Semrush SEO ($139) as the one-person starter tier. Moz Medium ($179) sits against Semrush Starter ($199) for small teams that want AI visibility. Moz Large ($299) and Semrush Pro+ ($299) share a price, with Moz giving more seats and keywords and Semrush giving content and historical data tools.
| Price band | Moz Pro | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| About $100 to $140 | Standard: 1 user, 3 sites, 300 keywords, 400K pages crawled, 50 AI prompts, 2 AI briefs | SEO: 1 user, 5 websites, 500 keywords daily, Position Tracking, Site Audit, basic research |
| About $180 to $200 | Medium: 2 users, 10 sites, 1,500 keywords, 2M pages crawled, 100 AI prompts, 10 AI briefs | Starter: 1 user, 5 websites, 500 keywords daily, 50 AI prompts, MCP access, full keyword and competitor tools |
| $299 | Large: 3 users, 25 sites, 3,000 keywords, 5M pages crawled, 200 AI prompts, 50 AI briefs | Pro+: 1 user, 15 websites, 1,500 keywords daily, historical data, content optimization, cannibalization analysis, 100 AI prompts |
| $549 | No equivalent self-serve tier | Advanced: 40 websites, 5,000 keywords daily, share of voice, API data integration, 200 AI prompts |
Read across a row and the pattern is consistent: at the same price, Moz gives more capacity and seats, while Semrush gives more analysis features. Decide which of those your team is short on.
Which has better keyword research?
Semrush goes deeper, with keyword research and optimization tools, competitor insights and, on Pro+, keyword cannibalization analysis and content optimization. Moz Keyword Explorer draws on a 1.25-billion-plus keyword index and is easier to learn. Teams producing a lot of content usually get more from Semrush.
Moz Pro adds AI content briefs to every plan: 2 a month on Standard, 10 on Medium and 50 on Large. That helps a small team turn a keyword into a writer-ready outline without a separate tool.
Which is better for backlinks and authority metrics?
Moz created Domain Authority, and its Link Explorer covers more than 40 trillion links, so many teams use Moz metrics as a shorthand for site strength. Semrush includes backlink analysis and competitor tools on every plan. For link prospecting at scale, Semrush’s broader toolkit usually wins; for quick authority checks, Moz is the familiar reference.
Domain Authority is a Moz-built score, not a Google metric. Use it to compare sites relative to each other, and pair it with traffic and relevance before deciding a link is worth pursuing.
Which tracks rankings better?
It depends on the tier. Moz Pro tracks more keywords per dollar in the middle: 1,500 on Medium ($179) and 3,000 on Large ($299), against Semrush’s 500 on Starter ($199) and 1,500 on Pro+ ($299). Semrush lists daily updates, adds multi-location and device tracking from Pro+, and reaches 5,000 keywords on Advanced.
For enterprise-scale rank tracking, Moz sells STAT as a separate SERP tracking and analytics product. If tracking is the main job, also compare dedicated tools; SE Ranking, for example, tracks 2,000 keywords daily on its entry Core plan.
Which is better for AI search visibility?
The two are close on prompt volume: both track 50, 100 or 200 prompts across their tiers. Moz Pro tracks four AI models (GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity) on a weekly schedule and adds AI Overviews by keyword. Semrush adds AI sentiment monitoring, AI visibility reports for any domain and an AI-ready Site Audit.
Moz includes AI visibility tracking on every Pro plan, including Standard. On Semrush, AI prompt tracking starts at the Starter (SEO + AI Search) plan at $199 a month; the $139 SEO plan focuses on traditional search.
Which is easier to use?
Moz Pro is easier for beginners because it has fewer tools, a narrower navigation and a large free learning library, including the Beginner’s Guide to SEO and Moz Academy courses. Semrush has a steeper learning curve because of its breadth, and offers Semrush Academy courses and certifications to help teams ramp up.
If the person running SEO also runs email, social and paid campaigns, a simpler tool they will open every week is worth more than a larger one they avoid. If you have a dedicated SEO specialist or an agency, Semrush’s extra depth is usually worth the learning time.
How do site audits compare?
Moz Pro sets a monthly crawl allowance by plan: 400,000 pages on Standard, 2 million on Medium and 5 million on Large. Semrush includes Site Audit on every plan and adds an AI-ready Site Audit on its SEO + AI Search tiers. Both flag technical issues such as broken links, redirects and missing metadata.
For sites under a few thousand URLs, either tool covers regular audits comfortably. For large sites, Moz’s published crawl quotas make capacity easy to plan; on Semrush, check the audit limits in the plan comparison table before you commit.
Is Moz reliable?
Yes, for what it measures. Moz has more than 20 years in SEO, publishes widely used learning resources such as the Beginner’s Guide to SEO, and its metrics are stable enough to compare sites over time. Like any third-party tool, its traffic and ranking estimates are models, so check them against your own Search Console data.
The same applies to Semrush, which has operated since 2008, has its headquarters in Boston and became an Adobe company in 2026, according to its company page. Neither tool sees Google’s internal data; both estimate from their own data sources.
Is Semrush worth the money?
Semrush is worth it when you will use its breadth: several sites, daily tracking of hundreds of keywords, competitor research, content optimization and reporting. For one website and a single marketer, Moz Standard at $79 a month on yearly billing, or Moz’s $49 single-site plan, covers the core jobs for less.
A practical test: list the five reports you will run every week. If Moz covers all five, the extra Semrush spend buys capacity you will not use yet.
Who should choose Moz Pro?
- Small businesses and solo marketers who want a focused, easy-to-learn SEO tool.
- Teams of two or three who want users included in the plan price.
- Marketers who report on Domain Authority and link metrics.
- Teams that want AI visibility tracking and AI content briefs on the entry plan.
Who should choose Semrush?
- Agencies managing many client sites (up to 40 on Advanced).
- Content-heavy teams using optimization and cannibalization analysis.
- Teams tracking thousands of keywords daily across locations and devices.
- Marketers who want API access (Advanced) and a large add-on catalog.
Also weighing Ahrefs? Read our Ahrefs vs Semrush comparison, or browse Moz Pro alternatives, Semrush alternatives and the SEO software category.
Related reading: Best Rank Tracker Tools in 2026: 8 Options Compared by Price and Keywords
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Semrush, Ahrefs or Moz?
- Semrush: broadest platform and the most sites and keywords per plan at the top tier.
- Ahrefs: strongest for backlink research.
- Moz Pro: simplest and cheapest to start, with users included.
How much is Moz Pro per month?
$99 for Standard, $179 for Medium and $299 for Large on monthly billing, or $79, $143 and $239 a month billed yearly. A $49 plan covers a single website (vendor-published, checked September 2026).
Does Moz have a free version?
Moz offers free SEO tools, including Domain Analysis, Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, Competitive Research and the MozBar browser extension, with limited usage. Moz Pro itself has a free trial.
Is Semrush a Russian company?
No. Semrush registered as a U.S. company in 2012, established its headquarters in Boston in 2018, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and became an Adobe company in 2026, according to its company page.
Can I switch from Moz to Semrush without losing data?
Export your keyword lists and key reports from Moz before cancelling, then re-create tracking in Semrush. New tracking builds history from the day you add keywords, so run both tools for a month to get overlapping data and keep the Moz exports for reference.
Which is better for local SEO?
Both vendors sell local products. Moz offers Moz Local for listings management, and Semrush lists Local SEO among its tools. For multi-location rank tracking inside the core plan, Semrush Pro+ adds multi-location and device tracking.
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