SEO & Website Optimization · head to head
Lighthouse vs SEMrush
Lighthouse
SEO & Website Optimization
Audit web page performance and quality
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SEMrush
All industries
Do SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC and social media marketing from just one platfor
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Lighthouse described by the vendor as an open-source, automated tool with community contributions welcomed, no commercial edition; SEMrush free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
- They diverge on capability: Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, SEMrush covers Keyword research.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lighthouse and SEMrush actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lighthouse | SEMrush |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Platforms | Chrome, Edge | Web, Mobile app |
| Category | SEO & Website Optimization | All industries |
| Founded | 1998 | 2008 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Lighthouse
- Performance scoring
- Accessibility audit
- SEO check
- PWA validation
- Chrome support
- Edge support
Only in SEMrush
- Keyword research
- Site audit
- Competitor analysis
- Backlink analytics
- Rank tracking
- Content marketing
- PPC research
- Social media tools
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lighthouse
No use cases recorded yet. See the Lighthouse review.
SEMrush
- SEO keyword research and competitor analysisnot Lighthouse
- Website performance tracking and auditingnot Lighthouse
- Content marketing optimizationnot Lighthouse
- PPC advertising researchnot Lighthouse
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lighthouse
- Described by the vendor as an open-source, automated tool with community contributions welcomed, no commercial edition
SEMrush
- Free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
- Keyword tracking capped at 500 per month on entry tiers (SEO and Starter plans)
- Additional users cost £45/month per user above base subscription
- Most advanced features require Advanced plan (£455.67/month), making entry cost significant for small teams
Pricing, plan by plan
Lighthouse
Free- FreeFree
- Performance audit
- Accessibility check
- SEO analysis
SEMrush
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the SEMrush review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Lighthouse if
- You need performance scoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Chrome, Edge.
- You also want accessibility audit.
Choose SEMrush if
- You need keyword research.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile app.
- You also want site audit.
Questions people ask
- Is Lighthouse or SEMrush better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lighthouse starts at Free and SEMrush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lighthouse or SEMrush?
- Lighthouse starts at Free and SEMrush at Free.
- Does Lighthouse or SEMrush run on more platforms?
- Lighthouse runs on Chrome, Edge. SEMrush runs on Web, Mobile app.
- Can I use Lighthouse for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What can Lighthouse do that SEMrush cannot?
- Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, Accessibility audit, SEO check, PWA validation. SEMrush covers Keyword research, Site audit, Competitor analysis, Backlink analytics.