# Semrush: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 129 judge labels across 6 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/vendors/semrush

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [SEO and content optimization platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/marketing/seo-content-optimization/index.md) | 20% | 2 | 21% | 57 |
| [Competitive intelligence tools](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/marketing/competitive-intelligence/index.md) | 2% | 5 | 17% | 58 |
| [App store optimization tools](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/marketing/app-store-optimization/index.md) | 0% | 22 | 0% | 4 |
| [Web analytics](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/gtm-data/web-analytics/index.md) | 0% | 29 | 0% | 4 |
| [Audience and consumer insights platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/marketing/audience-and-consumer-insights/index.md) | 0% | 155 | 33% | 3 |
| [Ecommerce marketing](https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/marketing/ecommerce-marketing/index.md) | 0% | 24 | 0% | 3 |

## What the models said for it

- "the best overall SEO and content optimization platform is a combination of Semrush (or Ahrefs) for research/strategy + Surfer SEO (or Clearscope) for content optimization" (Grok 4.20, SEO)
- "the *best "all‑in‑one"* for most small companies is SEMrush ... It's the most comprehensive single tool at a price most startups can justify." (MiniMax M2.5, Competitive intel)
- "Best for: Full digital marketing suites, agencies, power users ... Largest keyword database (26.6B Google keywords)" (Kimi K2, SEO)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, Semrush is the best overall SEO and content optimization platform" (Perplexity Sonar, SEO)

## And against it

- "Don't pay for expensive tools like Semrush ($139+/month)" (MiniMax M2.5, SEO)
- "Expensive (especially for small teams; complaints about hidden fees, trials turning into charges, and hard cancellations). Steep learning curve." (Grok 4.20, Competitive intel)
- "Similarweb and Semrush provide modeled estimates, so use them for directional comparisons—not precise traffic, revenue, or conversion claims." (Perplexity Sonar, Competitive intel)
- "Recurring negatives cite high pricing, steep learning curve, occasional data discrepancies, and some navigation or feature limitations." (Muse Glimmer 30B, Competitive intel)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Grok 4.20 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| Mistral Small | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| Kimi K2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Semrush, from 316 of the 355 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- g2.com: 79
- toolradar.com: 78
- blog.hubspot.com: 70
- miniloop.ai: 53
- gane.ai/index: 51
- marketintelligencetools.com: 49
- softwareadvice.com: 48
- zapier.com: 48
- searchatlas.com: 39
- siftly.ai: 39

### Pages cited

- https://miniloop.ai/blog/competitive-intelligence-tools: 44
- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/seo-tools-for-small-business: 43
- https://siftly.ai/blog/7-most-affordable-competitive-intelligence-platforms: 35
- https://zapier.com/blog/best-seo-content-optimization-tools: 33
- https://softwaresuggest.com/competitive-intelligence-tools: 31
- https://marketintelligencetools.com/reports/competitive-intelligence-pricing: 30
- https://marketintelligencetools.com/rankings/competitive-intelligence-tools: 27
- https://softwareadvice.com/competitive-intelligence/small-business: 27

## The company

Semrush; https://www.semrush.com; Boston, United States; founded 2008; public, SEMR on New York Stock Exchange. From Wikidata, fetched 2026-09-14.

## In its own words

What Semrush's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: online visibility management and content marketing SaaS platform (https://semrush.com/)
- For: For freelancers and small businesses looking to grow their online visibility with SEO (https://www.semrush.com/pricing)
- Price stated: SEO: $117.33 monthly; Starter: $165.17 monthly; Pro+: $248.17 monthly; Advanced: $455.67 monthly; Free: $0/mo; Additional Users: Starting at $45/mo; Lead Generation: $90/mo; Base Report: $10/mo; Pro Report: $20/mo; Enterprise: Custom pricing available (https://www.semrush.com/pricing)
- Starting price: 0/mo (https://www.semrush.com/pricing)
- Free plan or trial: Try Semrush free for seven days. Cancel anytime. (https://semrush.com/)
- Integrations claimed: 20 (https://www.semrush.com/pricing)
- Certifications: PCI DSS
- Hosting: United States
- Customers named: ZoomInfo, Rock Content, Wix, Vodafone Group, Monash University, Skyscanner

## What it publishes

Every page semrush.com exposes, read 2026-09-29: 10048 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:

- blog: 3649 pages, 21 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-28
- case study: 11 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- conference or event: 6 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-04-20
- report or ebook: 89 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2023-10-05
- comparison: 76 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-06-19
- template or tool: 32 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2025-05-13
- glossary or explainer: 244 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2021-09-14
- podcast or video: 2 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- news or press: 58 pages, 3 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-08-26
- Recent: 2026-09-28 blog: Llms txt https://www.semrush.com/blog/llms-txt
- Recent: 2026-09-28 blog: Seo best practices https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-best-practices
- Recent: 2026-09-25 blog: Free 7 day semrush one trial https://www.semrush.com/blog/free-7-day-semrush-one-trial
- Recent: 2026-09-25 blog: B2b answer engine optimization https://www.semrush.com/blog/b2b-answer-engine-optimization
- Recent: 2026-09-23 blog: Ai visibility audit with semrush one https://www.semrush.com/blog/ai-visibility-audit-with-semrush-one
- Recent: 2026-09-22 blog: Google launches ai contribution pilot https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-launches-ai-contribution-pilot

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/gtm/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/gtm.