Last Updated: November 2026 | Prices, plan limits, trial, refund terms and affiliate commissions checked on Semrush’s official pricing, billing and affiliate pages.
Key Takeaways
- Semrush’s public plans are now SEO, Starter, Pro+ and Advanced (plus a Free plan). Annual billing saves up to 17%.
- Entry SEO plan is $139/mo monthly or $117.33/mo billed annually. Starter (SEO + AI Search) is $199/mo or $165.17/mo annually; Pro+ is $299/mo or $248.17/mo annually.
- Most toolkits include a 7-day free trial. A one-time 7-day money-back refund applies only to eligible initial annual (12+ month) purchases paid by card on Semrush.com — monthly plans are not refundable under that policy.
- The Semrush affiliate program runs on Impact with a 120-day last-click cookie. SEO Toolkit sales start at $200 CPA (up to $350 at Platinum); Semrush One sales start at $300 (up to $450), plus $10 per free-trial activation.
- Commissions pay on a referred user’s first purchase only, not on renewals — important if you are used to recurring SaaS payouts.
Is Semrush worth it in 2026? For freelancers and small SEO teams who need keyword research, competitor data, site audits and rank tracking in one place, yes — especially on the annual SEO plan at $117.33/mo. It is expensive compared with lighter tools, the money-back window is narrow (and monthly plans do not get it), and the affiliate program pays CPA rather than recurring revenue. This Semrush review covers current pricing, what each plan includes, core features, who should skip it, and how the Semrush affiliate program pays if you want to promote it.
Content Outline
What Is Semrush?
Semrush is an online visibility platform for SEO, content, competitive research and — in newer plans — AI search visibility. It is now part of Adobe and markets itself to freelancers, agencies and brands that need keyword data, backlink analysis, site audits, position tracking and marketing reports in one subscription. The product line is modular: you start with an SEO or Semrush One plan, then add specialist toolkits (Local, Content, Social, Advertising, Traffic & Market, AI PR) as needed.
Semrush says it indexes tens of billions of keywords and hundreds of millions of domain profiles. You do not need all of that on day one. Most readers of this review will live inside Keyword Magic Tool, Domain Overview, Site Audit and Position Tracking.
Semrush Pricing 2026: Plans Compared
Prices checked November 2026 on Semrush’s official Plans & Pricing page, in US dollars. Annual prices are monthly equivalents billed upfront for the year.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Websites | Keywords tracked | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 demo project | Limited reports | Trying the UI with no card |
| SEO | $139/mo | $117.33/mo | 5 | 500 daily | Freelancers and small SEO projects |
| Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199/mo | $165.17/mo | 5 | 500 daily | Teams that also need AI visibility |
| Pro+ | $299/mo | $248.17/mo | 15 | 1,500 daily | Agencies scaling SEO + AI across sites |
| Advanced | Custom (from ~$549/mo on older lists) | Custom | 40+ | 5,000+ daily | Large orgs needing API and Share of Voice |
Annual billing saves up to 17% versus monthly. Semrush’s help docs still describe the older SEO Toolkit Pro / Guru / Business naming ($139.95 / $249.95 / $499.95 monthly); the live pricing page now leads with SEO, Starter, Pro+ and Advanced. Use the pricing page numbers above when you buy, and treat tool-limit tables on the knowledge base as the detailed quota reference.
Which Semrush plan should you buy?
- SEO is enough if you mainly need keyword research, competitor overviews, Site Audit and Position Tracking for a handful of sites.
- Starter adds the AI Visibility Toolkit (prompt tracking across Google AI / ChatGPT / Perplexity / Gemini and related reports). Pick it if AI search citations matter to your clients.
- Pro+ raises site and keyword limits, adds historical SEO data, content optimization helpers and higher prompt quotas — the usual agency step-up.
- Advanced / Enterprise is for API access, Share of Voice and custom limits. Talk to sales rather than guessing from the public cards.
There is no exclusive affiliate discount. Semrush’s affiliate FAQ says partners should promote standard pricing and public promotions only — do not invent coupon codes.
Semrush Features Worth Paying For
Keyword research and Domain Overview
Keyword Magic Tool, Keyword Overview and the Keyword Strategy Builder are the reason most people open Semrush. You get search volume, intent, difficulty, SERP features and related terms across Semrush’s keyword database. Domain Overview and Organic Research show which keywords a competitor ranks for, their estimated traffic and top pages — the fastest way to build a content gap list.
Site Audit and on-page SEO
Site Audit crawls your site for technical issues (crawlability, HTTPS, broken links, Core Web Vitals signals and more) and ranks them by severity. On-page reports and the SEO Writing Assistant help you align drafts with target keywords. Quotas (pages crawled, SEO Ideas, report rows) scale with your plan — check Semrush’s SEO Toolkit limits page before you commit if you manage large sites.
Position Tracking and backlinks
Position Tracking follows daily rankings for the keywords you choose, with device and location options on higher plans. Backlink Analytics and Backlink Audit cover referring domains, toxic score and new/lost links. Together with Site Audit, this is the core SEO toolkit agencies bill clients for.
AI Visibility (Starter and above)
Newer Semrush One-style plans bundle AI visibility: track prompts, see how AI answers mention your brand versus competitors, and run AI-ready site checks. If your readers only care about classic Google SEO, the cheaper SEO plan may be enough. If clients ask “do we show up in ChatGPT?”, Starter or Pro+ is the better fit.
Extra toolkits and App Center
Local, Content, Social, Advertising, Traffic & Market and AI PR are sold as add-on toolkits with their own tiers and trials. The App Center adds third-party apps on top of your subscription. Buy these only when a specific workflow needs them — stacking toolkits is how Semrush bills climb quickly.
Free Trial, Cancellation and Refunds
- Trial: Most SEO + AI Search plans and specialist toolkits offer a 7-day free trial. Exports are disabled during trials. Cancel before the trial ends to avoid being billed.
- Cancel: Use Semrush’s cancellation form (or Subscription info → Contact us). Confirm the emailed link within 24 hours. Cancellation usually stops future renewals; it does not automatically refund prepaid time.
- Refund: One-time 7-day money-back for eligible initial annual (12+ month) subscriptions or initial add-ons bought with a card on Semrush.com. Month-to-month plans and renewals are not covered. Request the refund in writing within 7 calendar days.
Read Semrush’s Cancellation and Refund Policy before you buy annual. If you are unsure, start with the 7-day trial on monthly so you are not locked into a year.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Semrush
Semrush suits SEO freelancers, in-house marketers and agencies that need competitor keyword data, technical audits and rank tracking without stitching five cheaper tools together. It is a weaker fit if you only need occasional keyword lookups (the price will feel steep), if you want a pure content writer with light SEO, or if your budget is under about $100/mo.
Affiliates comparing SaaS tools to promote should also look at our roundup of best SEO affiliate programs and the wider list of SaaS affiliate programs. For Amazon sellers, a research stack looks different — see our Jungle Scout review.
Semrush Affiliate Program
If you publish SEO or marketing content, Semrush is one of the better CPA offers in the niche. The program runs on Impact. Official terms checked November 2026:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | Impact (semrush.sjv.io tracking links) |
| Cookie / attribution | 120-day cookie, last-click |
| Trial commission | $10 per free-trial activation |
| SEO Toolkit sale (Basic) | $200 CPA on first purchase |
| Semrush One sale (Basic) | $300 CPA on first purchase |
| Loyalty tiers | Silver / Gold / Platinum raise SEO Toolkit to $250–$350 and Semrush One to $350–$450 (quarterly sales thresholds) |
| Other toolkits | AI Visibility from $100; Local/Social from $50; Content/Ads from $100; Traffic & Market from $200 (tiered) |
| What pays | First purchase by a new referred user only — not renewals |
| Payouts | Impact EFT or PayPal; transactions lock ~27 days after month-end, paid ~21 days after the lock month |
| Approval | Application review (often a few business days); content sites typically need meaningful organic traffic |
Important: this is not a recurring commission program. You earn on the first qualifying sale (and trials), then nothing on renewals. If you want month-after-month SaaS payouts, compare it with programs in our best recurring affiliate programs list. Semrush still converts well for SEO audiences because the brand is trusted and the CPA is high.
Restrictions worth knowing: no self-referrals, no coupon/cashback-only sites, no bidding on Semrush brand terms without approval, and you must disclose the affiliate relationship (FTC).
Semrush Pros and Cons
Here is how Semrush looks after checking current plans, limits and affiliate terms — not the marketing homepage.
Pros
- Deep keyword, competitor and backlink data in one login
- Clear public pricing with annual savings up to 17%
- 7-day free trial on most plans and toolkits
- Strong CPA affiliate offer ($200–$450 + $10 trials) on Impact
- Modular toolkits so you can add Local, Content or Ads later
Cons
- Expensive versus lighter SEO tools, especially on monthly billing
- 7-day money-back only for eligible initial annual purchases — not monthly
- Affiliate payouts are first-purchase CPA, not recurring
- Plan names and quotas have shifted (SEO / Starter / Pro+ vs older Pro / Guru / Business)
- Stacking add-on toolkits and extra users raises the bill quickly
FAQs
The public SEO plan is $139/mo monthly or $117.33/mo billed annually. Starter (SEO + AI Search) is $199/mo or $165.17/mo annually, and Pro+ is $299/mo or $248.17/mo annually. Advanced and Enterprise are custom-priced. Always confirm on Semrush's pricing page before buying.
Yes. Most SEO + AI Search plans and specialist toolkits include a 7-day free trial. Data exports are disabled during the trial. Cancel before the trial ends if you do not want to be charged.
Semrush offers a one-time 7-day money-back guarantee for eligible initial annual (12+ month) subscriptions or initial add-ons bought with a credit card on Semrush.com. Month-to-month subscriptions and renewals are not eligible. You must request the refund in writing within 7 calendar days.
On Impact, Basic partners earn about $200 CPA for SEO Toolkit first sales and $300 for Semrush One, plus $10 per free-trial activation. Loyalty tiers can raise sale commissions up to $350 (SEO Toolkit) or $450 (Semrush One). The cookie is 120 days with last-click attribution. Commissions apply to a new user's first purchase only, not renewals.
Semrush is stronger when you need competitor keyword databases, site audits and rank tracking together. If you only need occasional keyword ideas or a writing assistant, a cheaper tool may be enough. Match the plan limits (sites, keywords, crawl quota) to your workload before you pay.
Choose SEO if you mainly care about classic Google SEO (keywords, audits, rankings). Choose Starter or higher if you also need AI Visibility features such as prompt tracking and AI brand performance reports.
Final Verdict
Semrush remains one of the most complete SEO platforms you can buy in 2026, and the annual SEO plan at $117.33/mo is the fairest way in for freelancers. Pay monthly only if you need flexibility; use the 7-day trial before any annual commitment; and if you promote Semrush as an affiliate, build content around the CPA + trial payouts rather than expecting recurring residual income.
