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SEO · head to head

Lighthouse vs SEMrush

Lighthouse logo

Lighthouse

SEO

Audit web page performance and quality

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SEMrush logo

SEMrush

SEO

Do SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC and social media marketing from just one platfor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lighthouse performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results; SEMrush free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
  • They diverge on capability: Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, SEMrush covers Keyword research.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lighthouse and SEMrush actually diverge.

Attributes where Lighthouse and SEMrush differ
AttributeLighthouseSEMrush
Pricing modelfreesubscription
PlatformsChrome, EdgeWeb, Mobile app
Founded19982008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (SEO).

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

  • Performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvementsnot SEMrush
  • Accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilitiesnot SEMrush
  • SEO optimization verification for search engine compatibilitynot SEMrush
  • Security and best practices scanning for code healthnot SEMrush
  • Progressive web app validation and CI/CD pipeline integrationnot SEMrush

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

  • Performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results
  • Limited to metrics that contribute to scores; Opportunities and Diagnostics don't directly impact scoring
  • Diminishing returns above 0.96 score, making perfect 100 scores extremely challenging
  • Scores based on HTTP Archive data which may not reflect all performance scenarios

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

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 demo project with basic features
    • No credit card required
    • For trying out the platform
  • SEO Plan$117.33/month
    • Annual billing ($1407.96/year)
    • Monitor 5 websites
    • Track 500 keywords daily
  • Starter Plan$165.17/month
    • Annual billing ($1982.04/year)
    • 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily
    • MCP access with 50 AI prompts tracked across search platforms
  • Pro+ Plan$248.17/month
    • Annual billing ($2978.04/year)
    • 15 websites, 1,500 keywords daily
    • 100 AI prompts tracked

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.
Lighthouse review

Choose SEMrush if

  • You need keyword research.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want site audit.
SEMrush review

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 is Lighthouse best used for?
Lighthouse is most often used for performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvements, accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilities, seo optimization verification for search engine compatibility, security and best practices scanning for code health. Of those, performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvements and accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilities are not what SEMrush is typically brought in for.
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.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lighthouse: Is Lighthouse free?

Yes. Lighthouse is completely free and open-source. It is developed by Google and integrated into Chrome DevTools, PageSpeed Insights, and available as a command-line tool. There are no licensing fees or premium tiers.

Source
SEMrush: How much does Semrush cost?

Semrush starts at $117.33/month for the SEO Plan with annual billing and goes up to $455.67/month for the Advanced Plan. A free tier is available with 1 demo project and basic features. Prices increase with monthly billing instead of annual.

Source
Lighthouse: Can I run Lighthouse offline?

Yes. Lighthouse can run offline in multiple ways: through Chrome DevTools (built into Chrome), as a command-line tool (Node.js), or as a Node.js module integrated into your build process. You do not need an internet connection after installing the tool.

Source
SEMrush: What does each Semrush plan include?

Plans scale from 5 to 40 websites monitored, 500 to 5,000 keywords tracked daily, and include progressively more features like MCP access and API access at higher tiers. Advanced Plan includes dedicated support.

Source
Lighthouse: What pages can Lighthouse audit?

Lighthouse can audit any web page, including pages that require authentication. This is an advantage over some alternative tools that cannot test behind login screens. You can run audits on public pages or authenticated pages via command-line with custom headers.

Source
SEMrush: Are there add-on options for Semrush?

Yes, additional users cost $45/month, and reporting features range from $10-$20/month. Enterprise plans with unlimited projects and dedicated support are available with custom pricing.

Source
Lighthouse: Can Lighthouse prevent performance regression during development?

Yes. Lighthouse CI is available to prevent performance degradation during development cycles. You can integrate Lighthouse CI into your continuous integration pipeline to automatically audit pages on every commit and fail builds if performance metrics fall below thresholds you define.

Source
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