Head-to-head comparison
Moz Pro vs Semrush
Moz Pro is a focused SEO workspace for the site you own. Semrush is a wider marketing-intelligence suite for competitive research. The right choice depends on whether you need to monitor your own search performance or investigate a market.
The short answer
For a single site owner who tracks rankings, crawls their own pages and researches keywords, Moz Pro covers the recurring work at a lower monthly price. For an agency or marketer who must explain competitor traffic, paid search or content gaps, Semrush replaces several tools and justifies the higher subscription.
Neither is automatically better. The deciding question is whether the extra datasets match work you are paid to do.
Choose Moz Pro if…
Your recurring job is your own site: which keywords moved, which pages broke and what to fix next.
- You track rankings, crawl your own site and research keywords in one place
- You want a complete SEO workspace at the lowest monthly price in this comparison
- You prefer fewer modules and a shorter learning curve
- You do not need paid-search or competitor-advertising research
Choose Semrush if…
You need to explain a competitor's traffic, ad spend or content gaps, or you handle several clients in one subscription.
- You need competitor, keyword, backlink and paid-search research together
- You manage several client sites and need consolidated reporting
- You produce content at volume and want briefs beside the keyword data
- You will actually use the wider dataset, not just admire it
Who should skip each product — and who should choose neither
Skip Moz Pro if…
- You need to explain competitors' organic traffic, ad spend or content gaps
- You need the largest available backlink index for link-gap work
- You produce content briefs at volume and want templates beside the data
- You manage many clients and need consolidated, branded reporting
Skip Semrush if…
- Your SEO is one site on a tight budget; the extra modules go unused
- You only need a technical crawl; a dedicated crawler can be cheaper
- Your team will not complete onboarding to the wider interface
- You need the simplest possible interface from day one
Choose neither when
Choose neither if your only recurring job is a technical crawl. A dedicated crawler such as Screaming Frog can go deeper for a flat annual licence and may be cheaper than either subscription. If you only need backlink analysis, compare Ahrefs first. If you are not doing recurring SEO, a free account or a specialist consultant may be enough.
How to decide: buyer criteria that matter
Ignore the feature list on the pricing page until you have answered these questions. They decide which plan you actually need.
Monitoring your own site is a different purchase from investigating a market. Buy for the task that fills your week.
Test sample keywords and domains from your own niche. A large global index does not guarantee good coverage where you work.
Count client sites, campaigns and seats. A plan that fits one site can be useless for an agency.
Tracked keywords, crawl pages, export rows and report refreshes are capped by tier. Compare the limit you will actually reach.
If clients see the output, check white-label options, scheduled reports and CSV or API access before paying.
Annual billing lowers the monthly equivalent but commits your cash. Check the renewal price and cancellation terms.
Verified pricing
| Plan | Moz Pro | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Standard — $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly | SEO — $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed yearly |
| Mid tier | Medium — $179/mo, or $143/mo billed yearly | Starter — $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed yearly |
| Top self-serve tier | Large — $299/mo, or $239/mo billed yearly | Pro+ — $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed yearly |
| Free option | Free trial; no permanent free plan advertised | Free account with daily query caps; 7-day trial on paid plans |
| Billing | Yearly billing lowers the monthly equivalent | Yearly billing lowers the monthly equivalent |
Free plans, trials and material limits
| Question | Moz Pro | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Free access | Free trial; no permanent free plan advertised | Free account with daily caps on queries and reports |
| Trial on paid plans | Trial period shown at sign-up, then the selected plan | 7 days on paid plans |
| Material limits | Campaigns, tracked keywords and crawl pages differ by tier | Projects, keyword lookups, reports and export rows differ by tier |
| What to check before paying | The number of campaigns and tracked keywords you need | The project count, keyword allowance and report limits |
Where they actually differ
| Area | Moz Pro | Semrush | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core strength | Rank tracking, site crawl, keyword and link research | Competitive research across organic, paid and content | Moz is a focused SEO workspace; Semrush is a marketing-intelligence suite. |
| Backlink data | Link Explorer with its own index | Backlink Analytics with a larger cross-market index | Semrush is usually easier for link-gap work at scale; verify coverage in your niche. |
| Site audit | Site Crawl with issue tracking | Site Audit with scheduled crawls and scoring | Both cover the basics; Semrush is more configurable on higher tiers. |
| Keyword research | Keyword Explorer with difficulty and SERP analysis | Keyword Magic Tool plus topic and intent clustering | Semrush is stronger for building large keyword maps; Moz is more focused for a shortlist. |
| Paid search | Not a core workflow | PPC research, ad copy and competitor ad data | Only Semrush answers what competitors bid on inside the same subscription. |
| Content workflow | Page optimisation and keyword targeting | Content Toolkit, briefs and SEO writing assistant | Semrush suits production at volume; Moz suits checking a page you already wrote. |
| Reporting | Clean campaign dashboards | Custom reports and multi-project views | Agencies usually prefer Semrush reporting; solo owners rarely need it. |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Steeper; many menus and report types | Budget onboarding time for Semrush, especially for non-specialists. |
Genuine limitations
Every tool is a compromise. These are the drawbacks we would want to know before paying.
Moz Pro limitations
- The datasets are narrower than Semrush's, especially paid search and content
- Backlink coverage can differ from larger indexes in some niches
- Fewer integrations and export options than a large suite
- Plan limits on campaigns, tracked keywords and crawl pages still apply
Semrush limitations
- The subscription costs more at every comparable tier
- The interface is broad and assumes you know which report you want
- Plan caps on projects, keywords and reports can bite at scale
- You may pay for modules your workflow never touches
Switching, export and migration
Neither vendor offers a one-click migration of campaign history. The data that survives is what you export: keywords, URLs, crawl issues and report files. Budget a few hours of setup for one site and considerably more for an agency portfolio.
Moving from Semrush to Moz Pro
- Export keyword lists, ranking history and crawl issues as CSV before you cancel.
- Rebuild campaigns in Moz Pro; campaign history does not transfer between vendors.
- Expect backlink counts and keyword volumes to differ because the indexes are different.
- Run both accounts for one billing cycle so reporting is not interrupted.
Moving from Moz Pro to Semrush
- Export saved keywords, reports and any client-facing PDFs before you cancel.
- Recreate projects and keyword lists in Semrush; historical rank data does not import.
- Check the contract term and cancellation window so you do not pay for an unused renewal.
- Tell clients if the reporting format changes, and rebrand templates before the first report.
Use-case conclusion
Moz Pro — Standard covers rank tracking, crawl and keyword research at the lowest full-workspace price here.
Semrush — multi-project reporting and competitor datasets justify the higher subscription.
Semrush — paid-search and organic competitor views are native to the platform.
Moz Pro — campaign dashboards are faster to explain to a non-specialist client.
Neither, necessarily — a dedicated crawler such as Screaming Frog may be cheaper and deeper.
Semrush or Ahrefs — compare link indexes before choosing; Moz is the narrower option here.
Alternatives worth considering
If neither product matches the job, start with the workflow rather than the brand. A crawler, a link index and a full research suite solve different problems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Moz Pro cheaper than Semrush?
Yes at every comparable self-serve tier. Moz Pro Standard is $99 per month, or $79 per month billed yearly, against Semrush SEO at $139 per month, or $117.33 billed yearly. Semrush includes more datasets, so the lower Moz price buys a narrower toolset, not the same product for less.
Does Semrush have a free plan?
Semrush offers a limited free account with daily caps on queries and reports, plus a 7-day trial on paid plans. Moz Pro advertises a free trial rather than a permanent free tier. Free access on either is for evaluation, not ongoing client work.
Can I replace Semrush with Moz Pro?
Only if you do not use Semrush's paid-search, content or competitor-research modules. For rank tracking, site crawl and keyword research on your own domain, Moz Pro is sufficient. Teams that bill competitor research usually need the wider dataset.
Which is better for a beginner?
Moz Pro is easier to learn because there are fewer modules and the campaign structure is obvious. Semrush has strong documentation and free courses, but the interface assumes you already know which report you want.
Can I migrate my history between them?
Not automatically. Export keyword lists, crawl issues and report files before cancelling, then rebuild campaigns in the new tool. Historical rankings and backlink counts will not match exactly because each vendor uses a different index.
Sources and how this page was checked
This page is based on published product, plan and pricing information read from the official pages below on 12 November 2026. It is not a hands-on lab test. Evidence label: source-verified; not hands-on tested. Prices and limits change, so confirm them on the vendor site before you buy.
How we compared
We compare products by the job a buyer repeats, not by feature counts. Each verdict weighs the published pricing, the limits of the plan you would actually need and the workflow the product is built around. Where a fact could not be verified on an official page, we say so instead of filling the gap.
Read our editorial method →