Key takeaways
- Moz vs Semrush is mostly a price and depth question. Moz Pro Standard is $99 a month. The Semrush SEO plan is $139 with far more data and tools.
- Semrush wins on keyword database, backlink index, PPC research, and breadth. Moz wins on ease of use, teaching, and Domain Authority.
- Rank tracking is weak in both for the price: 300 keywords on Moz Standard, 500 on Semrush. Both update slower or cost more than dedicated trackers.
- Beginners and small businesses usually get more from Moz. Agencies and in-house teams usually outgrow it and land on Semrush or a cheaper suite.
Moz vs Semrush is the choice between the tool that taught SEO to the industry and the tool that tries to do all of marketing. Moz is smaller, cheaper, and friendlier. Semrush is bigger, deeper, and busier. This comparison covers pricing, keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking, site audits, and reporting, with numbers from both pricing pages on September 16, 2026.
We build Zutrix, a rank tracking and SEO platform that competes with both on tracking and price. We keep our product to one marked section. For more options, see Moz alternatives and Semrush alternatives.
Moz vs Semrush: the quick verdict
| Moz Pro | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Starter, $49 | Free account, then SEO plan $139 |
| Main plan | Standard, $99 | SEO plan, $139 |
| Higher tiers | Medium $179, Large $299 | Pro+ $299, Advanced $549 |
| Tracked keywords on main plan | 300 | 500 |
| Keyword database | Smaller | Largest available |
| Backlink index | Smaller | Large |
| Authority metric | Domain Authority | Authority Score |
| PPC and social tools | No | Yes |
| Extra users | Included on higher plans | $45 a month each |
| Annual discount | 20% | About 17% |
Pricing
Moz pricing runs from $49 for Starter to $99 for Standard, $179 for Medium, and $299 for Large, all with 20 percent off on annual billing and a free trial. Semrush pricing starts at $139 for the SEO plan, $199 for the Starter bundle with AI tracking, $299 for Pro+, and $549 for Advanced. Annual billing takes about 17 percent off and there is a 7 day trial. Semrush charges $45 a month for each extra user.
At every tier Moz is cheaper. The gap is $40 at the entry level and $250 at the top. The question is whether the extra data is worth it for your work. Read Moz pricing and Semrush pricing for what each tier unlocks.
$40
Price gap between Moz Standard and Semrush SEO
$45
Semrush cost per extra user each month
20%
Moz annual billing discount
Keyword research
Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool has the largest keyword database available, with intent labels, clustering, and 140 plus country databases. Moz Keyword Explorer has a smaller database and a Priority score that combines volume, difficulty, and click potential into one number. For a beginner, Priority is a useful shortcut. For a content team, Semrush finds more and filters better.
Difficulty scores differ. Moz's tends to run lower than Semrush's for the same keyword. Neither is right or wrong. Pick one scale and compare keywords within it. Our guide to low competition keywords explains how to read difficulty in any tool.
Backlinks and authority metrics
Semrush's backlink index is much larger than Moz's Link Explorer, and its Backlink Audit tool is stronger for finding toxic links and building disavow files. Moz has Domain Authority, which is the number most clients and most link sellers quote. Semrush's Authority Score does the same job but is less known.
If clients ask for DA, you can keep the free MozBar extension and still use Semrush for the actual link work. If link building is a core service, Semrush or Ahrefs is the better index. See referring domains vs backlinks for what to report either way.
Rank tracking
Moz Standard tracks 300 keywords, Medium 1,500, Large 3,000, with weekly updates by default. Semrush tracks 500 keywords daily on its SEO plan across 5 projects, with strong local and mobile options. Semrush is the better tracker. Neither is good value if tracking is most of what you do.
Site audit
Semrush Site Audit crawls up to 100,000 pages a month with grouped issues and a health score. Moz Site Crawl is simpler, explains issues in plain words, and is limited to fewer pages on lower plans. For a technical SEO, Semrush. For a business owner fixing their own site, Moz is easier to act on. The technical SEO checklist lists what both should catch.
Ease of use and learning
Moz is easier. Every metric has a hover explanation, the menus are short, and the Moz Academy and Beginner's Guide to SEO are free and excellent. Semrush has more tools, so it has more menus, and its academy is aimed at certifications. New users find Moz in an hour and Semrush in a week. That week is worth it only if you will use what you find.
Reporting and client work
Moz Pro reports are simple PDFs and a shareable campaign view. They are fine for a business owner and thin for an agency client. Semrush My Reports builds branded PDFs from any widget, schedules them, and, with the Agency Growth Kit, adds a client portal and white label. If you send reports to paying clients every month, Semrush is the stronger option of the two. A dedicated tracker with white label included is stronger still for the price.
Breadth: what else you get
Semrush includes PPC research, social media tools, a content toolkit, local SEO tools, and AI search tracking on higher plans. Moz Pro is an SEO tool and stops there, with Moz Local sold separately. If your team runs paid search or social from the same seat, Semrush replaces other subscriptions. If not, that breadth is just menus you scroll past.
- +List the reports you ran last month before choosing.
- +Keep MozBar free for DA even if you pick Semrush.
- +Test keyword volumes and difficulty for your niche in both trials.
- xBuy Semrush for one small site you check once a week.
- xExpect Moz Link Explorer to match Semrush on backlinks.
- xPay either for rank tracking alone.
Who should pick Moz, and who should pick Semrush?
| You are | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New to SEO | Moz | Easier, cheaper, better teaching |
| Small business, one site | Moz Starter or Standard | Enough data at $49 to $99 |
| Agency with many clients | Semrush | More data, PPC, reporting |
| Content team | Semrush | Bigger keyword database |
| Link building service | Semrush or Ahrefs | Bigger backlink index |
| Tracking rankings mainly | Zutrix | 1,000 keywords daily for $89 |
FAQ
Common questions
Written by the Zutrix team
Last reviewed September 16, 2026
Zutrix has built rank tracking and SEO software for more than eight years. Our guides come from the same team that runs the product, and every how-to is checked against what we see in real ranking data across the keywords our customers track. We write them for people who are new to SEO and for agencies who want a clear answer fast.
Search volume and difficulty figures come from live Google results and third-party keyword data.
Sources and further reading