SpyFuvs
SEMrush


SEMrush: Broader all-in-one SEO and PPC suite with more frequent data refreshes.

Competitor keyword research tool for SEO and PPC campaigns
As of 29 August 2026, SpyFu starts at $29/month. Reveals competitors' SEO keywords, PPC ad history, and rankings to help marketers plan search campaigns. Softwr lists it under SEO. SpyFu is launched in 2005, available on Web, API.
Overview
SpyFu is a competitive intelligence platform for search marketing. It lets users look up any domain to see the keywords it ranks for organically, the Google Ads keywords it has bought, historical ad copy, and backlink data. Marketers use it to plan SEO content, build PPC campaigns, track keyword rankings, and generate branded client reports for agencies.
The honest half
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about SpyFu.
Cross-shopped
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.


SEMrush: Broader all-in-one SEO and PPC suite with more frequent data refreshes.


Ahrefs: Larger backlink index and more advanced site audit tooling.


Majestic: Specializes more deeply in backlink and link-graph analysis.
Pricing
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Basic
$29 /mo
Pro + AI
$89 /mo
Team/Agency
$187 /mo
Capabilities
Competitor Keyword Research
Shows the organic and paid keywords a competitor domain ranks for.
Ad History
Displays historical Google Ads copy and spend estimates for any domain.
Rank Tracking
Tracks weekly keyword ranking positions across search engines.
Backlink Analysis
Analyzes backlink profiles across a large web index.
RivalFlow AI
AI tool that recommends content and keyword gaps versus competitors.
Automated Reporting
Generates scheduled, white-label client reports.
API Access
Programmatic access to SpyFu keyword and domain data on higher plans.
Answered, with sources
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
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.
SourceBasic 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.
SourcePro + 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.
SourceYes, 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.
SourceYes, additional user seats can be added to Pro + AI and Team/Agency plans for $30 per additional user beyond the included seat count.
SourceBehind it
Keep looking
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for SpyFu, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
What people switch to, and what they give up
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Backlink monitoring tool for teams that only want link alerts, not a full SEO suite
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