The essentials
- Semrush and Ahrefs: the benchmark SEO suites for keyword research, competitor analysis and backlinks; in-depth, expensive (€119 to over €500 per month), built for specialists.
- Moz: a simpler, cheaper SEO suite, with Domain Authority; behind on data.
- HubSpot: a CRM and inbound marketing platform, not an SEO tool; the SEO functions are incidental.
- GreenRed: a multichannel management dashboard (SEO, GEO, Google Ads, social media, GA4, Google Business Profile) for SME leaders and agencies, with an AI assistant, an action plan and backlink tracking for your site and your competitors, at €69 excl. VAT per month; it does not replace Ahrefs for an in-depth link-building audit.
The question "GreenRed or Semrush?" comes up often, even though these tools answer different needs. Semrush and Ahrefs are SEO analysis suites for specialists; Moz a more accessible SEO suite; HubSpot a CRM and inbound platform; GreenRed a digital marketing dashboard for owners and agencies. This comparison describes each tool, its strengths, its limits and its price, then offers a choice by situation. It complements how to choose a digital marketing tool for a small business.
Five tools, three categories
| Tool | Category | Typical user | Indicative 2026 price (excl. VAT / month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | An SEO and marketing suite (keywords, competitors, backlinks, technical audit, content, advertising) | SEO consultant, agency, marketing team | €134 (SEO plan, €112.52 billed annually); bundles with AI tracking at €190 (Starter) and €286 (Pro+); local as an add-on |
| Ahrefs | An SEO suite centred on backlinks and keywords, technical audits | SEO consultant, agency | €27 (Starter); €119 (Lite: 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords); Brand Radar AI from €179 as an add-on |
| Moz Pro | A general SEO suite, Domain Authority, rank tracking | Small businesses and agencies with standard SEO needs | $49 (Starter) to $299 (Large) |
| HubSpot | CRM, marketing automation, email, landing pages, blog; SEO incidental | B2B sales and marketing teams | Free (CRM); Marketing Hub Starter $20 per user; Pro from $890 |
| GreenRed | A multi-channel marketing dashboard (SEO, GEO, SEA, social, GA4, the Google listing), an AI assistant, an action plan, an AI writer | Small business owner, marketing manager, agency working for its clients | Free trial; Pilotage and Copilote plans, see the pricing |
What each one does very well
- Semrush: the most complete keyword research (volumes, intents, difficulty, questions), competitor analysis (estimated traffic, shared keywords, ads), rank tracking, technical audits, content and link building tools, and a local module. It is the "all of SEO" tool; its depth is also its difficulty: the interface takes training.
- Ahrefs: the best backlink database on the market, a reliable keyword explorer, a strong audit crawler, gap reports against competitors. Favoured by link building and content specialists; see analysing competitors' backlinks.
- Moz: easy to get going with, Domain Authority now a communication standard, decent rank tracking and good learning resources. Its databases are narrower than the previous two.
- HubSpot: the most widely used free CRM, marketing automation, email, forms and landing pages, prospect journey tracking. Its SEO recommendations are basic; it replaces neither an SEO suite nor a rank tracking tool.
- GreenRed: bringing onto one screen the data an owner looks at separately (Search Console, GA4, Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, the Google listing, visibility on ChatGPT and Perplexity), translating it into understandable metrics, flagging alerts and offering a prioritised action plan, with an AI assistant that answers in plain language and an AI writer connected to the data; see the complete GreenRed guide.
What each one doesn't do
| Tool | Limits |
|---|---|
| Semrush, Ahrefs | No multi-channel steering (organic social, GA4, the Google listing); not designed for a non-specialist owner; expensive for occasional use; traffic data estimated, not actual |
| Moz | Narrower keyword and backlink databases; few functions beyond SEO |
| HubSpot | Not an SEO or SEA tool; a cost that climbs fast with contacts and modules; dependence on the ecosystem |
| GreenRed | Tracks backlinks for your site and your competitors, but without Ahrefs' exhaustive index and history for a thorough link-building audit; no CRM; SEO data comes from Search Console (real data) rather than market-wide estimates |
Choosing by situation
| Situation | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An SEO consultant or agency producing audits and link building | Ahrefs or Semrush | Depth of data is the job |
| A small business owner who wants to know whether their marketing pays, across every channel | GreenRed | An overall view, alerts and an action plan, with no expertise required |
| A B2B marketing team handling prospects, emails and content | HubSpot + a tracking tool (GreenRed or Moz) | HubSpot for the relationship, a tool for the visibility |
| A small business with standard SEO needs and a tight budget | Moz Starter or GreenRed, depending on whether the need is SEO alone or multi-channel | Price and simplicity |
| An agency reporting to its clients every month | GreenRed (multi-channel reporting) + Ahrefs or Semrush for production | Two distinct needs: producing and reporting |
| A site wanting to measure its visibility in AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews) | GreenRed (the GEO module); Semrush offers a paid AI module | GEO tracking is built into GreenRed |
Combining rather than opposing
In practice, agencies use an SEO suite to produce (Ahrefs or Semrush) and a dashboard to steer and report (GreenRed); small businesses with no specialist make do with the dashboard and bring in a consultant equipped with Ahrefs for the occasional link audit. The common mistake is buying Semrush for an owner who will never open the tool, or expecting a backlink audit from a dashboard. The detailed comparisons with reporting tools are in GreenRed and Looker Studio and GreenRed and Power BI.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's overview brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Does GreenRed replace Semrush or Ahrefs?
No, not for an SEO consultant who needs an exhaustive backlink index and detailed competitor analysis, even though GreenRed tracks backlinks for your site and your competitors. GreenRed replaces a patchwork of dashboards (Search Console, GA4, Google Ads, social media, Google Business Profile, AI) for a business leader or an agency that manages and reports. The two are often used together.
Semrush or Ahrefs: which should you choose?
Ahrefs for link building and a cleaner interface; Semrush for breadth of features (advertising, content, local, social media) and keyword research. Both cost from €119 to over €500 per month (prices checked on 16/10/2026); a one-month subscription is enough for a one-off audit.
Is HubSpot an SEO tool?
No. HubSpot is a CRM and inbound marketing platform (emails, automation, landing pages, blog). It offers basic SEO recommendations on its pages, but no serious keyword research, rank tracking or backlink analysis. It combines with an SEO tool or a dashboard.
Which tool measures visibility in ChatGPT and the AI Overviews?
GreenRed includes a GEO module tracking citations and mentions on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. Semrush offers an AI module as a paid extra. Ahrefs has added AI visibility metrics to its reports. Specialist tools also exist; the comparison is in the GEO hub.