The SEO plan versus Starter comes down to AI visibility
Semrush now sells one ladder that mixes classic SEO with AI search tracking, and the cheapest paid rung only gets part of the AI side.
The SEO plan gives you 5 websites to monitor, 500 keywords tracked daily, basic keyword research and competitor analysis, Position Tracking and Site Audit. Semrush's help centre says it "doesn't include the full AI visibility feature set": no prompt-tracking quota and no AI-ready Site Audit.
Starter keeps the same 5 sites and 500 keywords, then adds 50 tracked AI prompts a day across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, 300 AI visibility reports a day, an AI-ready Site Audit and MCP access.
Pro+ is the first plan with historical SEO data, content optimization, keyword cannibalization analysis and multi-location tracking, alongside 15 sites and 1,500 keywords. Advanced lifts that to 40 sites and 5,000 keywords and adds SEO Share of Voice and API data integration.
The Free plan is a demo: 1 project and 10 reports a day, with no card needed.
Semrush prices, month to month and yearly
Prices as listed on Semrush's pricing page on 4 October 2026, in US dollars. Semrush doesn't publish a separate renewal price.
Two details the toggle doesn't spell out. Annual plans are charged for the whole year up front, so the SEO plan's bill is 12 × $117.33, about $1,408. And "up to 17%" means exactly that: Starter, Pro+ and Advanced each drop 17%, but the SEO plan's yearly rate is about 16% below its monthly price.
Spend the trial on your own site, then commit for a year
Treat the trial as a one-shot. Semrush's help centre says each toolkit trial can be activated once per account, and anyone who has had a trial or paid plan before isn't eligible for free SEO Toolkit access again. Start it in a week you can actually use.
Plan around its limits. Exports are disabled during trials, and Semrush runs a small card check that it refunds straight away. Cancel before the seven days end and you pay nothing.
Then go yearly at your first purchase. Semrush's refund policy offers a one-time 7-day money-back guarantee only on initial subscriptions of twelve months or more, bought on Semrush.com by credit card. Month-to-month plans get no refund.
Price the add-ons before checkout. Extra users start at $45 a month and rise with your tier, and reports cost $10 or $20 a month each. Our guide to cutting unused SaaS subscriptions is worth reading before you stack them.
Students won't find a discount: Semrush "doesn't offer individual subscription plans for students," though accredited colleges can join Semrush for Education.
Most solo marketers should stop at the SEO plan
No Semrush coupon beats buying the right tier. Semrush itself points freelancers, bloggers and in-house marketers on a limited budget to the SEO plan "to start working with SEO only," and that's the right call for anyone tracking up to 500 keywords across five sites.
Pay the extra $60 a month for Starter only if you need to report on how a brand shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini answers.
Move to Pro+ when you outgrow five sites or need historical SEO data, which neither SEO nor Starter includes. Semrush aims it at "growing teams and agencies."
Advanced earns its price only for 40-site portfolios or API work.
Skip a paid plan if you check one site now and then: the Free plan's 10 reports a day may be enough. Comparing suites? Our Ahrefs page sets out that tool's prices the same way.
Run the trial, then pay yearly on the tier you actually used: that pairing is the real Semrush coupon.
