Is SpyFu or SEMrush better?

Neither clearly leads. SpyFu starts at $29/month and SEMrush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, SpyFu or SEMrush?

SEMrush has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for SpyFu and Free for SEMrush.

Does SpyFu or SEMrush run on more platforms?

SpyFu runs on web, api. SEMrush runs on Web, Mobile app.

Can I use SEMrush for free?

Yes. SEMrush has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SpyFu starts at $29/month.

What is SpyFu best used for?

SpyFu is most often used for researching a competitor's paid search strategy, finding organic keyword gaps, tracking weekly keyword rank changes, building white-label seo/ppc reports for clients. Of those, researching a competitor's paid search strategy and finding organic keyword gaps are not what SEMrush is typically brought in for.

What can SpyFu do that SEMrush cannot?

SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research, Ad History, Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis. SEMrush covers Keyword research, Site audit, Competitor analysis, Backlink analytics.

All industries · head to head

SpyFu vs SEMrush

SpyFu

All industries

Competitor keyword research tool for SEO and PPC campaigns

From: $29/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

SEMrush

All industries

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

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only SEMrush has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: SpyFu entry-level Basic plan caps search results and data exports at 10,000 rows, limiting deep research.; SEMrush free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
They diverge on capability: SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research, SEMrush covers Keyword research.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SpyFu and SEMrush actually diverge.

Attributes where SpyFu and SEMrush differ
Attribute	SpyFu	SEMrush
Starting price	$29/month	Free
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	web, api	Web, Mobile app
Category	Unknown	All industries
Founded	2005	2008

Identical on both: 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 SpyFu

Competitor Keyword Research
Ad History
Rank Tracking
Backlink Analysis
RivalFlow AI
Automated Reporting
API Access

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.

SpyFu

Researching a competitor's paid search strategynot SEMrush
Finding organic keyword gapsnot SEMrush
Tracking weekly keyword rank changesnot SEMrush
Building white-label SEO/PPC reports for clientsnot SEMrush

SEMrush

SEO keyword research and competitor analysisnot SpyFu
Website performance tracking and auditingnot SpyFu
Content marketing optimizationnot SpyFu
PPC advertising researchnot SpyFu

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

SpyFu

Entry-level Basic plan caps search results and data exports at 10,000 rows, limiting deep research.
API access is only available on the top Team/Agency tier, unlike some competitors that offer it at lower price points.
Additional user seats cost an extra $30 per user per month even on paid plans.
Weekly rank tracking refresh is less frequent than some competitors offering daily updates.

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

SpyFu

$29/month

Basic$29/month
- 10k row search results and data exports
- 5,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- 10 automated reports
Pro + AI$89/month
- Unlimited search results and data exports
- 15,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- 100 automated reports
Team/Agency$187/month
- Unlimited data exports and reports
- 50,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- RivalFlow AI (5 sites)

SEMrush

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SEMrush review.

Which should you pick?

Choose SpyFu if

You need competitor keyword research.
You work on web, api.
You also want ad history.

SpyFu 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 SpyFu or SEMrush better?: Neither clearly leads. SpyFu starts at $29/month and SEMrush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SpyFu or SEMrush?: SEMrush has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for SpyFu and Free for SEMrush.
Does SpyFu or SEMrush run on more platforms?: SpyFu runs on web, api. SEMrush runs on Web, Mobile app.
Can I use SEMrush for free?: Yes. SEMrush has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SpyFu starts at $29/month.
What is SpyFu best used for?: SpyFu is most often used for researching a competitor's paid search strategy, finding organic keyword gaps, tracking weekly keyword rank changes, building white-label seo/ppc reports for clients. Of those, researching a competitor's paid search strategy and finding organic keyword gaps are not what SEMrush is typically brought in for.
What can SpyFu do that SEMrush cannot?: SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research, Ad History, Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis. SEMrush covers Keyword research, Site audit, Competitor analysis, Backlink analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SpyFu: What does SpyFu cost?

SpyFu has three plans: Basic at $29/month (billed annually) or $39/month, Pro + AI starting around $89/month annually (or $59 for the first month, then $119/month), and Team/Agency at $187/month annually or $249/month.

Source

SpyFu: What's included in the Basic plan?

Basic includes 10,000-row search results and data exports, 1 Live Site tracking project, 5,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings, 10 automated reports, and 1 user seat.

Source

SpyFu: What extra do Pro + AI and Team/Agency add?

Pro + AI adds unlimited search results and exports, 10 tracking projects, 10+ years of historical data, 15,000 weekly rank checks, and 100 reports. Team/Agency adds unlimited projects and reports, 50,000 weekly rank checks, and 5 user seats.

Source

SpyFu: Do all plans include AI features?

Yes, all plans include the RivalFlow AI tool, ChatGPT integration, AI Brand Monitoring, Google Ads campaign tools, Google Search Console integration, white-label reporting, and API access, though limits vary by tier.

Source

SpyFu: Is extra usage or extra users available beyond the base seats?

Yes, additional user seats can be added to Pro + AI and Team/Agency plans for $30 per additional user beyond the included seat count.

Source

SpyFu vs SEMrush

SpyFu

SEMrush

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in SpyFu

Only in SEMrush

What people use each for

SpyFu

SEMrush

Where each one falls short

SpyFu

SEMrush

Pricing, plan by plan

SpyFu

SEMrush

Which should you pick?

Choose SpyFu if

Choose SEMrush if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on SpyFu

More on SEMrush

Keep looking

Other head to heads