SEMrush vs Moz
SEMrush is all-in-one digital marketing platform with SEO, advertising, content, and competitive research, while Moz is SEO platform with domain authority, keyword research, and link analysis. Moz comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. SEMrush is built for digital marketing teams wanting seo, ppc, and content tools, whereas Moz targets seo teams wanting trusted domain authority metrics.
At a glance
|
|
|
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|---|---|---|
| Best for | Digital marketing teams wanting SEO, PPC, and content tools | SEO teams wanting trusted domain authority metrics |
| Starting price | $129.95/mo | $99/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Competitor Analysis | ✓ | — |
| Content Marketing | ✓ | — |
| Domain Authority | — | ✓ |
| Keyword Explorer | — | ✓ |
| Keyword Research | ✓ | — |
| Link Analysis | — | ✓ |
| PPC | ✓ | — |
| SERP Analysis | — | ✓ |
SEMrush
Strengths
- Includes Keyword Research as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- Includes Competitor Analysis as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- Free with limited searches — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Established product with 18+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limited searches
- Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
- Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in seo
- Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish
Moz
Strengths
- Includes Domain Authority as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- Includes Keyword Explorer as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- Free Moz Bar extension — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Established product with 22+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
- Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
- Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in seo
- Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish
The bottom line
Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. SEMrush's free plan: Free with limited searches. Moz's free plan: Free Moz Bar extension. When you outgrow the free tier, Moz is the cheaper option at $99/mo vs. $129.95/mo for SEMrush — roughly 31% less.
Feature gaps: SEMrush offers Competitor Analysis, Content Marketing and Keyword Research that Moz lacks. Moz brings Domain Authority, Keyword Explorer and Link Analysis that SEMrush does not have.
Team fit: Both tools target mid-size teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.
Where each tool shines: SEMrush's biggest strengths are: includes keyword research as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows. includes competitor analysis as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows. Moz's biggest strengths are: includes domain authority as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows. includes keyword explorer as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows.
Watch out for: With SEMrush, users commonly note that free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limited searches. With Moz, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
Choose SEMrush if...
- You need a tool built for digital marketing teams wanting seo, ppc, and content tools
- You specifically need Competitor Analysis and Content Marketing
- You care about includes competitor analysis as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- The free tier works for you: free with limited searches
Choose Moz if...
- You need a tool built for seo teams wanting trusted domain authority metrics
- You want to save on per-user costs — Moz is $30.95/user/mo cheaper
- You specifically need Domain Authority and Keyword Explorer
- You care about includes keyword explorer as a core feature, purpose-built for seo workflows
- The free tier works for you: free moz bar extension
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