SpyFu: Competitor research tool for organic and paid keywords. People look for alternatives when they need a lower price, a free plan or a better fit for a specific job.
These 8 tools cover similar ground. Each entry explains who it suits, how pricing works and what to watch out for.
Key takeaways
Ahrefs: link building, competitor research and agencies that need reliable backlink data.
Mangools: bloggers and small businesses who want easy keyword research.
Moz Pro: beginners and small teams who value clear explanations and simple reports.
SE Ranking: freelancers and agencies who need solid features at a lower price.
Semrush: teams that want SEO, PPC and content research under one login.
Serpstat: budget-conscious teams that want a full feature set.
Ubersuggest: beginners and small business owners getting started with SEO.
Ahrefs combines a backlink database, keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and content research. It is one of the two most widely used SEO suites, and its link data is a common reference point in the industry.
Paid
Paid plans. Free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for sites you own.
Who it suits: Link building, competitor research and agencies that need reliable backlink data.
Mangools bundles KWFinder (keywords), SERPChecker, SERPWatcher (rank tracking), LinkMiner (backlinks) and SiteProfiler. It is known for being easy to use and is a favourite of bloggers and small site owners.
Free trial
Paid plans with a free trial.
Who it suits: Bloggers and small businesses who want easy keyword research.
Moz Pro offers keyword research, link analysis, site crawls and rank tracking. Moz created the Domain Authority metric, which is still widely used to compare websites, and its learning resources are some of the best in SEO.
Free trial
Paid plans with a free trial. Free MozBar extension and limited free tools.
Who it suits: Beginners and small teams who value clear explanations and simple reports.
SE Ranking started as a rank tracker and grew into a full suite with audits, keyword research, backlinks and white-label reporting. It is a popular lower-cost alternative to the biggest suites, especially for agencies and freelancers.
Free trial
Paid plans with a free trial.
Who it suits: Freelancers and agencies who need solid features at a lower price.
Semrush covers SEO, paid search, content marketing, local listings and competitive research in one platform. Its keyword database and Site Audit tool are especially popular, and it adds marketing features most SEO-only tools do not have.
Freemium
Limited free account. Paid plans with a free trial.
Who it suits: Teams that want SEO, PPC and content research under one login.
Ubersuggest offers keyword ideas, content ideas, a basic site audit and rank tracking. It is aimed at beginners and small businesses who want simple SEO data without the price of a full suite.
Freemium
A few free searches per day. Paid plans for more.
Who it suits: Beginners and small business owners getting started with SEO.
AnswerThePublic turns search autocomplete data into maps of questions, prepositions and comparisons around a topic. It is a quick way to find content ideas and FAQ topics.
Freemium
Limited free searches per day. Paid plans for more.
Every tool on this list does the core job of keyword research tools, so it can replace SpyFu for most people.
We weighed pricing and free plans, ease of use, and the trade-offs you take on when switching.
Pricing comes from each vendor’s public pricing page and changes often, so confirm before you buy.
Buying guide: what to check before you switch
Keyword research tools show what people type into search engines, how often, and how competitive each term is. Use them to plan content, find quick wins and understand what your competitors already rank for.
Search volume data for the countries you target
A keyword difficulty score you can trust
Question and long-tail suggestions
Competitor keyword gap reports
Prices and features change often. Check each vendor’s website for current plans before you buy.
