Platforms like Semrush and Similarweb are two popular digital marketing tools that offer deep insights into your website’s performance and identify improvement areas.
Not only that, but these tools also help you look into what your competitors are doing.
However, both platforms have varying features, pricing plans, and unique selling points (USPs). And using them simultaneously can be expensive. So, which one is the best for your website goals and business needs?
Let’s get into the Semrush vs Similarweb comparison to learn about their differences and similarities. By the end, you can easily choose the right one for yourself!
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a comprehensive tool for marketers to have insights into various marketing campaigns and optimize them. The platform aims to help businesses build an authentic online presence across diverse channels.
You can use Semrush to track your brand’s social media engagement. This SEO tool accesses the APIs of the most popular social media networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to collect data that users have already consented to.
What is Similarweb?
Similarweb is a web analytics tool that allows users to monitor and analyze their web traffic. It includes the number of visitors, location, sources, keywords used, and the pages they navigate. You can also analyze various elements on your website and competitors’ sites.
Similarweb collects mobile app, web traffic, and referral data from different sources and converts it into a simplified version. The sources can be mobile apps, browser extensions, or data providers.
Semrush vs Similarweb: Summary (TLDR)
Semrush has more robust keyword research, analytics, and social media management (SMM) features.
Similarweb also has a keyword research option, but it doesn’t have a keyword or backlink database like Semrush. Besides, it lacks SMM features, and advanced on-page and off-page SEO features like SEO content creation, automated link building, backlink audits, etc.
Given that their prices are similar, if you’re looking for a comprehensive SEO tool, go for Semrush.
Semrush vs Similarweb: What sets them apart?
Semrush and Similarweb are exceptional digital marketing tools, but there are a few features that one offers and the other doesn’t.
| Features | Semrush | Similarweb |
| Keyword research | Keyword comparison, search, lists, and gaps. Has an extensive database of around 40 trillion inbound links and 22.3 billion keywords. | Keyword comparison, search, lists, and gaps. Database is unknown. |
| On-page SEO | Website analytics, issue detection, improvement suggestions, competitor benchmarking, UX ideas, on-page SEO checker, a log file analyzer, and a schema markup report generator. | Website analytics, issue detection, improvement suggestions, competitor benchmarking, and UX ideas. |
| Off-page SEO | Backlink analytics, backlinks audit, backlink gap tracking, automated link building, and bulk analysis. | Backlink analytics and backlink gap tracking. Also lets users explore opportunities for industry-wise referrals. |
| Position tracking | Monitoring a website’s SEO performance based on filters like keyword tagging, filtering, and sorting. Extracting detailed reports. Setting the targeting based on location and device type. | Enables monitoring a website’s SEO performance based on filters like keyword tagging, filtering, and sorting. Extracting detailed reports. Setting the targeting based on location and device type. |
| Local SEO | Listing management, review management, and local rankings. | No local SEO features. |
| Content marketing | Topic research, content ideas, market research, trends analysis, competitor analytics, content audit and analytics, SEO writing suggestions, post tracking, and content marketplace. | Content ideas, competitor analytics, and post tracking. |
| Advertising | Keyword research (PPC), keyword management, discovery of semantically-linked keywords, competitor campaign research, and ad builder. | Keyword research (PPC), discovery of semantically-linked keywords, display ad campaign management, and competitor campaign research. |
| Social media marketing | Social media management, ad campaign management, competitor tracking, social media content optimization, and performance analysis. | Ad campaign management and competitor tracking. |
Let’s explore them in detail.
Keyword research
There seems to be a tie in this Semrush vs Similarweb feature. Both enable keyword search, sorting, comparison, search, lists, and gaps.
While they offer almost the same keyword research options, they vary in terms of insights. The power of keyword research an SEO platform provides is measured by the size and quality of search data it provides.
For instance, Semrush has over 40 trillion inbound links and around 22.3 billion keywords stored in its database. This lets users perform more extensive research.
On the other hand, Similarweb may have a diverse database, but it’s unknown.
Related:
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is crucial for search engines to identify your website’s content and show it on the search engine result pages (SERPs) on relevant queries. When offering basic to advanced on-site or technical SEO features, Semrush beats Similarweb in most aspects. It’s understandable since Semrush was designed as an SEO tool.
Both platforms offer solid website analytics and audit features, which detect on-page SEO issues and suggest improvements. They also provide competitor benchmarking and exceptional UX ideas.
However, Similarweb lacks many essential on-page SEO features that Semrush offers. These include an on-page SEO checker to scan keywords in landing pages, technical ideas, semantic keyword suggestions, a log file analyzer, a markup report generator, and much more.
So, in this Semrush vs Similarweb metric, Semrush is a clear winner.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO primarily includes building a website’s domain authority and recognition through authentic backlinking. It ensures your site ranks higher on the SERPs at the right keywords. Both Semrush and Similarweb provide users with helpful features to level up their off-page SEO game.
You can perform backlink analytics with both platforms, monitor your inbound links, and avail of the right link-building opportunities. They also provide a backlink gap analysis to identify the high-authority links you are not using, but your competitors are. This helps you find efficient and impactful backlinks.
However, Semrush offers some features that Similarweb doesn’t. These include backlink audits, automated link-building outreach, and bulk analytics capabilities. But in Similarweb’s defense, this tool lets users explore opportunities for industry-wise referrals, which can be challenging with Semrush.
Overall, Semrush is a winner in this aspect, too.
Position tracking
Position tracking or rank tracking allows users to track a website’s position for a specific keyword. This includes your own website as well as your competitor’s. With this feature, you can easily monitor your efforts and see how they impact your rankings.
Moreover, you can track the pages with the highest and the lowest traffic. Both Semrush and Similarweb offer an efficient position-tracking feature. You can evaluate your website’s SEO performance based on filters like keyword tagging, filtering, and sorting.
With both platforms, you can also extract detailed reports.
Semrush and Similarweb also allow you to set your targeting to location and device type. So, we can call it a tie here.
Related:
Local SEO
Local SEO is another metric in this Semrush vs Similarweb in which Semrush seems to have a lead. If your target audience also includes local clients and customers, local SEO is as important for you as on-page or off-page SEO.
Semrush possesses some great local SEO features, including listing management that handles your listing on Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and review management that caters to customer reviews. This tool also has a local ranking feature that gives you suggestions for boosting your site’s local SEO efforts.
Unfortunately, Similarweb lacks all these features.
Content marketing
Your digital marketing campaigns are incomplete without content marketing. Fortunately, both Semrush and Similarweb offer basic to advanced features that help you create, monitor, and optimize the best content.
With both platforms, you can track your competitors’ high-performing content to optimize your website accordingly. You can also get excellent content ideas.
However, Semrush is a step ahead of Similarweb in content marketing. It also helps you research the market, write SEO-based content, and research topics. Moreover, this SEO tool has a content marketplace where you can find, connect, and hire talented content writers.
Since Similarweb lacks these features, we can give Semrush additional points here.
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Advertising
Semrush and Similarweb are great for managing advertising campaigns. You can use any of them to monitor your competitors’ ad strategies and evaluate your campaign’s performance. Both platforms also enable you to identify your ad budget, semantically linked keywords, and keyword gaps.
But unlike Similarweb, Semrush allows you to manage your keywords for PPC campaigns. With its Keyword Manager, you can organize your chosen keywords in suitable baskets and use them when creating campaigns.
However, Similarweb has the upper hand over Semrush in creating and managing display ad campaigns. The platform suggests the most successful ad creatives based on your competitor’s search. It also gives you a list of channels to display the ads and the total campaign cost.
So, there is no winner in this factor of the Semrush vs Similarweb one-on-one. Both platforms are excellent on their own.
Social media marketing
Semrush and Similarweb are pretty helpful for SEO and SEM, but do they have any features for SMM (social media marketing)? Yes, they do.
You can manage your ad campaigns on social media sites with both platforms. Moreover, you can also keep an eye on your competitors’ social media accounts to find strategies that are working for them.
So, which tool ranks better in the SMM aspect of Semrush vs Similarweb comparison? Our vote goes to Semrush.
Semrush also enables users to manage social media pages and groups and create posts. You can also track your posts’ performance and optimize them where necessary. Unfortunately, Similarweb doesn’t offer these social media management features.
Semrush vs Similarweb: Pricing plans
If you run a startup or a small business, the budget might be your primary concern when making investment decisions. Both Semrush and Similarweb have varying pricing plans with different features.
However, Semrush’s prices seem just a bit higher than Similarweb’s. While Semrush has three plans, Similarweb offers a total of four plans (two for startups and two for enterprises). Here is a quick breakdown of each platform’s pricing packages:
| Plans | Semrush | Similarweb |
| Base Plan | $129.95/month | $125 per user/month |
| Advanced Plan | $249.95 per month | $333 per user/month |
| Ultimate Plan | $499.95 per month | Custom |
While Semrush’s Base Plan looks more expensive than Similarweb’s, the latter’s Advanced Plan is costlier than the former’s. So, which SEO tool is worth investing in on a tight budget?
One smart way to decide is by analyzing the features both companies offer in their pricing plans.
Base plans
Semrush’s base plan, called “Pro,” is ideal for small businesses and startups, including the following features:
- 5 projects
- 500 keywords to track
- 10,000 results per report
- SEO, PPC, and research tools
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- Website audit
- Backlink analysis
- Advertising tools and more
Similarweb’s Starter plan includes:
- 100 results per report
- 1,000 keyword results per report
- 3 months of historical data
- Worldwide geographical view
- Website performance
- Keyword analysis
- Access to Similarweb Academy
- Email and chat support
Advanced plans
Semrush’s Advanced or “Guru” plan includes the following features on top of the Pro plan:
- 15 projects
- 1,500 keywords to track
- 30,000 results per report
- Content marketing toolkit
- Historical data
- Multi-location and device tracking
- Looker studio integration and more
Similarweb’s Advanced or “Professional” plan includes all the features from the Starter plan with the addition of:
- 500 websites results per report
- 5,000 keyword results per report
- 6 months of historical data
- Worldwide geographical view
- Access to Similarweb Academy
- Email and chat support
Ultimate plans
Semrush’s ultimate or “Business” plan is ideal for large enterprises and agencies, offering the following features in addition to the “Guru” plan:
- 40 projects
- 5,000 keywords to track
- 50,000 results per report
- Share of Voice
- Extended limits
- API Access
- PLA analytics
- Free migration from third-party tools and more
Similarweb’s ultimate or “Team” plan includes the following features besides the Professional Plan:
- 5 users
- 10,000 results per report
- 50,000 keyword results per report
- 15 months of historical data
- Worldwide or a local country filter (add-ons available)
- 10 custom industries
- 3 custom website segments
- Folder/subdomain analysis
- API Access
- Access to Similarweb Academy
- Priority email and chat support
- Full-service onboarding
- Dedicated account manager
Similarweb also offers another plan for large enterprises called “Enterprise,” including the following features on top of the Team plan.
- 10 users
- Unlimited websites per report
- 150,000 keyword results per report
- 37 months of historical data
- Worldwide and a local country filter
- 50 custom industries
- 50 custom website segments
- Unlimited viewers
- Faster API
- Conversion analysis
- Top 10,000 pages per website
- More security (SSO, log files, etc.)
- Access to Similarweb Academy
- Priority email and chat support
- Full-service onboarding
- Dedicated account manager
- Custom insights and reporting
- Data extraction support
As you see, both platform’s pricing plans are quite different, with varying features and costs. Semrush’s plans look more inclined toward SEO and PPC, while Similarweb seems like a comprehensive tool for digital marketing campaigns. So, both plans are rightly justified for their price.
Related:
Semrush vs Similarweb: Where do they source data from?
To help users analyze websites, Semrush and Similarweb collect data from different sources. Both platforms claim to extract data from credible sources while complying with the ethical guidelines.
Semrush uses anonymous behavioral data from various internet-based third-party sources. It also tracks social media networks’ public APIs and other sources of specific users from relevant marketing channels.
On the other hand, Similarweb utilizes users’ direct data and public data sources. Moreover, it also uses anonymous panel data stored in browser extensions and from internet providers and partners.
Semrush vs Similarweb: Which one to choose?
Both tools may sound similar in features, right? They are both also great for startups, small businesses, and large enterprises. So, how can you choose one? Let’s summarize this Semrush vs Similarweb one-on-one.
Considering the exceptional local, on-page, and off-page SEO features, Semrush is a better option than Similarweb for SEO. It also offers advanced analytics and more data accuracy than Similarweb.
Considering the price, Semrush and Similarweb stand somewhat similar regarding the base plan ($129.95/month and $125 per user/month, respectively). But when you move to advanced plans, you will see a major price difference. At $333 per user/month, Similarweb is more expensive than Semrush at $249.95 monthly.
So Semrush is excellent for small businesses with a tight budget. Its pricing plans are less expensive than Similarweb’s.
Your best choice depends on your business and website needs. Go for the one that suits your marketing campaigns, and analyze, monitor, and optimize them easily!
