# Semrush vs SpyFu

> Semrush is a wide SEO and advertising suite. SpyFu focuses on competitor keywords and Google ad history. Plans and prices checked 20 Oct 2026.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-13
- **Category**: Tools
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-compare/semrush-vs-spyfu

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Semrush is a broad suite for SEO, AI search visibility and advertising research. SpyFu is narrower: it shows the keywords your competitors buy and rank for, and their Google ad history. Pick Semrush if you need many search tools in one login. Pick SpyFu if competitor keywords and ads are the whole job and you want a lower price.

## Side by side

| | Semrush | SpyFu |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | SEO, AI search and advertising research | Competitor SEO and PPC keywords, ad history |
| Entry price | SEO plan $139 a month ($117.33 billed yearly) | Basic $39 a month (3 months free if billed yearly) |
| Ad research | Advertising toolkit: Base $99 a month billed yearly; Pro $220 billed yearly | Included in every plan |
| Middle plan | Starter $199 ($165.17 billed yearly) | Pro + AI $59 for month one, then $119 |
| Top listed | Pro+ $299 ($248.17 billed yearly) | Team / Agency $249 |
| Users | Extra users from $45 a month on SEO plans | 1 on Basic and Pro + AI, 5 on Team |
| History | "Historical SEO data" listed from Pro+, no span stated | 10+ years of data on every plan |
| Try it | Free plan: 1 demo project, 10 reports a day | 30-day money-back guarantee |

Prices come from each company's own pricing pages, checked 2026-10-20, in dollars. Semrush's advertising research (positions, competitors and ad copies) sits in its separate Advertising toolkit. Its Pro tier adds AdClarity, which covers display, video and social ads.

## What Semrush does well

- SEO plans with 5 to 15 websites and 500 to 1,500 keywords tracked daily
- AI search tracking: AI visibility reports on the SEO plan, and 50 prompts a day on Starter
- MCP access on Starter
- An advertising toolkit with a Google and Meta dashboard and competitor keyword analysis

## What SpyFu does well

- Competitor keywords and ad history on every plan
- Basic caps search results and exports at 10,000 rows. Pro + AI and Team are unlimited
- 1 live site project on Basic, 10 on Pro + AI, unlimited on Team
- A ChatGPT integration to pull SpyFu data into chats, limited on Basic

## A worked example

Say you only want to see which keywords three rivals bid on, and what ad copy they test.

- **SpyFu Basic:** $39 a month, or 9 x $39 = $351 a year billed yearly, since the page shows three months free.
- **Semrush Advertising Base:** $99 a month billed yearly, or 12 x $99 = $1,188 a year.

The gap is $837 a year on the narrow job. If you also need SEO audits, rank tracking and AI search reports, one Semrush plan could replace several tools. Compare on the job you do every week.

## Who should pick which

- **PPC manager who wants rival keywords and ad copy:** SpyFu.
- **Marketer who also does SEO and content:** Semrush.
- **Anyone who wants only a quick look at rivals' Google ads:** the free [Google Ads Transparency Center](/guides/how-to-use-google-ads-transparency-center) first.

See [SpyFu alternatives](/alternatives/spyfu-alternatives) for the wider list, [SpyFu vs Similarweb](/compare/spyfu-vs-similarweb) for a traffic view, and the [competitor ad analysis template](/templates/competitor-analysis-template-for-ads) for what to do with the data.

## Where Marxx fits

Marxx does no SEO. It tracks competitor ads on Meta and Google, has an AI search over 100M+ ads back to 2022, and reads Google Ads spend, campaigns and search terms through its connection. See [competitor tracking](/features/competitor-tracking). We make Marxx, so weigh that.

## FAQ

### Is SpyFu cheaper than Semrush?

For competitor keywords and ads, yes. SpyFu Basic is $39 a month, against $99 a month billed yearly for Semrush's Advertising Base. They sell different scopes.

### Does Semrush have a free plan?

Yes. Its pricing page lists a Free plan with 1 demo project and 10 reports a day, and no card needed (checked 2026-10-20).

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