The essentials
- Semrush pricing: €134 per month for the SEO plan (€112.52 on annual billing), checked on 16/10/2026; this price is what drives people to look for an alternative.
- Cheaper full suites: SE Ranking Core at €109 per month (€87.20 on annual billing), Ahrefs Lite at €119 per month.
- French data tools: Haloscan Starter and Ranxplorer Professionnel at €59 excl. VAT per month; Cocolyze for rank tracking with recommendations.
- Multichannel management: GreenRed Pilotage at €69 excl. VAT per month covers SEO, GEO, advertising, social media and ROI, with less SEO depth than Semrush.
The search for an alternative to Semrush almost always starts with price: €134 per month for the SEO plan, more as soon as you add AI visibility tracking, users or local features (details in Semrush: 2026 pricing and real cost). It sometimes also starts with usage: many companies pay for a full SEO suite and use only a third of it. This comparison ranks eight alternatives by profile, with entry prices checked on the official pages. If you only need to test without paying, start with what Semrush allows for free.
The eight alternatives and their entry price
| Tool | Type | Entry level (per month) | What the entry plan includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Ranking | Full SEO suite | Core: €109 (€87.20 on annual billing) | 10 projects, 2,000 keywords tracked daily, 250,000 pages audited per month; 14-day trial with no card |
| Ahrefs | SEO suite, strong on backlinks | Lite: €119; Starter: €27 (reduced scope) | Lite: 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 1 user, 6 months of history |
| Haloscan | Keyword and site data (French) | Starter: €59 excl. VAT; Free: €0 | Starter: 5 projects, 800 tracked keywords, 10,000 keyword searches per month |
| Ranxplorer | Keyword and competitor data (French) | Professionnel: €59 excl. VAT (€49 on annual billing) | 200 sites analysed per month, 800 keyword searches, 12 months of history; 7-day trial with no card |
| Cocolyze | Rank tracking and audit (French) | Freelance: 69.99 (49.99 on annual billing), promotional price shown without a currency | 5 projects, 500 keywords, 2 users; limited free plan with no card |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Technical audit crawler | Free up to 500 URLs; licence $279 per year | Unlimited crawling depending on the computer’s memory |
| Search Console + Ahrefs Free | Free pair for your own site | 0 € | Real Google queries, audit and backlinks for verified sites |
| GreenRed | Multichannel management dashboard (French) | Pilotage: €69 excl. VAT (€57.50 excl. VAT on annual billing) | Competitors’ rankings, keywords and backlinks, site health, GEO, Ads, social media, ROI; 14-day trial with no card |
Prices checked on 16/10/2026 on each publisher’s official pricing pages. Moz Pro and Ubersuggest are not included in the table: their pricing pages could not be consulted on that date and the prices could not be verified.
What each alternative does better, or worse, than Semrush
- SE Ranking: the closest alternative in terms of features (rank tracking, audit, competitors, local, AI prompts) with larger quotas at entry level. Competitive database less deep than Semrush’s in niche markets.
- Ahrefs: the benchmark for backlinks and a solid keyword explorer. The Lite plan is limited to 750 tracked keywords and 6 months of history; the AI modules are paid add-ons. Useful for analysing competitors' backlinks.
- Haloscan: bulk data on keywords and sites, highly valued by French SEO specialists for semantic research. No advertising or social media tools.
- Ranxplorer: analysis of competitors’ visibility on Google France, 12 months of history at entry level. No rank tracking quota in the sense of a rank tracker on its pricing page.
- Cocolyze: daily rank tracking, audit and prioritised recommendations, designed for SMEs and freelancers. Less market data than Semrush.
- Screaming Frog: the benchmark technical crawler, with no keyword or competitor data; it replaces the audit part of Semrush, not the rest. See the Screaming Frog guide.
- Search Console and Ahrefs Free: free and based on real data for your site, but blind to competitors.
- GreenRed: less deep than Semrush on SEO (no comprehensive backlink index or comparable history), but much broader: visibility on 5 AI platforms, Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google Business Profile listing, cost per lead by channel, AI writer and Maïa voice assistant.
Which alternative for your profile
| Profile | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SEO consultant or agency wanting all of Semrush’s features for less | SE Ranking | Comparable scope, €109 per month, larger quotas |
| Link building specialist | Ahrefs | Benchmark backlink index |
| French SEO specialist focused on semantics and keywords | Haloscan or Ranxplorer | French data, €59 excl. VAT per month |
| Freelancer or SME wanting to track its rankings and fix its site | Cocolyze, or Search Console + Screaming Frog if the budget is zero | Tracking and recommendations without complexity |
| SME manager wanting to manage all of their marketing, not just SEO | GreenRed Pilotage | SEO, GEO, Ads, social media, Google listing and ROI on one screen, €69 excl. VAT per month |
| Agency reporting to its clients across several channels | GreenRed in white-label + Ahrefs or SE Ranking for production | Producing and reporting are two separate needs |
Questions to ask before switching tools
- Which Semrush features do you really use? If it is rank tracking and auditing, a tool at €59 or €69 is enough.
- Do you need data on competitors or only on your own site? In the second case, Search Console already gives you the essentials for free.
- Who opens the tool? A specialist makes use of an SEO suite; a manager needs readable indicators and an action plan.
- Is SEO your only channel? If advertising, social media and the Google listing carry as much weight, an SEO suite shows only part of the picture.
- How many users? Additional seats significantly change the final cost with Semrush and Ahrefs.
The detailed comparison of the international suites with GreenRed is in GreenRed vs Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz and HubSpot.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEO module 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
What is the best alternative to Semrush?
It depends on the profile. SE Ranking is the closest alternative in features, at €109 per month. Ahrefs is preferable for backlinks. Haloscan and Ranxplorer suit French SEO specialists at €59 excl. VAT per month. GreenRed suits managers who want to manage several channels rather than SEO alone.
Is there a French alternative to Semrush?
Yes: Haloscan and Ranxplorer for keyword and competitor data, Cocolyze for rank tracking and auditing, and GreenRed for multichannel management (SEO, GEO, advertising, social media, Google listing). Their interfaces are in French.
Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?
At entry level, yes: Ahrefs Lite costs €119 per month against €134 for Semrush’s SEO plan (checked on 16/10/2026). But Lite is limited to 750 tracked keywords, 1 user and 6 months of history, and Ahrefs’ AI modules are paid extras.
Does GreenRed replace Semrush?
Not for an SEO specialist: Semrush offers more depth on keywords, backlinks and history. GreenRed tracks the rankings, keywords and backlinks of your site and your competitors, and also covers AI visibility, advertising, social media, the Google listing and ROI, at €69 excl. VAT per month.