# SpyFu vs Similarweb

> SpyFu shows competitor keywords and Google ad history. Similarweb estimates site traffic and channels. Plans and prices checked 20 Oct 2026.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-13
- **Category**: Tools
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-compare/spyfu-vs-similarweb

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SpyFu shows which keywords your rivals buy and rank for, and the Google ads they have run. Similarweb estimates how much traffic a website gets and where it comes from. Pick SpyFu to plan search ads and SEO. Pick Similarweb to size up a rival's whole audience and its channels.

## Side by side

| | SpyFu | Similarweb |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | Which keywords and ads is this rival using? | How much traffic does this site get, and from where? |
| Entry price | Basic $39 a month (3 months free if billed yearly) | Competitive Intelligence: $125 a month billed yearly, or $199 monthly |
| Next plan | Pro + AI: $59 for month one, then $119 | Competitive Intel, SEO and AEO: $333 billed yearly, or $399 monthly |
| Top self-serve | Team / Agency: $249 | Competitive Intel, SEO, AEO and Ads: $542 billed yearly, or $649 monthly |
| Larger teams | Not applicable | Business and Enterprise: custom, contact sales |
| Users | 1, 1 and 5 by plan | 1 on each self-serve plan |
| Data history | 10+ years on every plan | 3 months on the entry plan, 6 months on the others |
| Ad data | Google ad history and keywords | Ads Intel in the top self-serve plan: creative and campaign insights, search and display insights, ad spend |
| Free option | 30-day money-back guarantee | Limited free data on its site, and a free trial |

From each company's own pricing pages, checked 2026-10-20, in dollars. Similarweb's entry-level plans are listed under "Entrepreneurs". Its Business packages have no listed price, and longer history, up to 37 months, is an add-on there.

## What SpyFu does well

- Competitor keywords for SEO and PPC, with ad history
- Unlimited search results and exports on Pro + AI and Team. Basic caps both at 10,000 rows
- Live site tracking projects: 1 on Basic, 10 on Pro + AI, unlimited on Team
- A ChatGPT integration to pull SpyFu data into chats

## What Similarweb does well

- Website performance, traffic and engagement estimates for any site
- Customer demographics, a marketing channels overview and competitor alerts
- SEO tools, rank tracking and AI brand visibility with 150 tracked prompts on the plans that include them
- Free tools such as a website traffic checker

Its keyword research sits in the SEO plans, and its ad insights in the top self-serve plan, so check what your plan includes.

## A worked example

Say you want a rival's paid ads and keywords, for one user.

- **SpyFu Pro + AI:** $119 a month after the $59 first month. At the full price, that is 12 x $119 = $1,428 a year.
- **Similarweb with ads:** $542 a month billed yearly. That is 12 x $542 = $6,504 a year.

The gap is $5,076 a year. But the tools answer different questions. SpyFu tells you what to bid on. Similarweb tells you how big the rival's audience is and which channels feed it. Say your question is "why did this rival's traffic double?": Similarweb. Say it is "which phrases should we bid on?": SpyFu.

## Who should pick which

- **PPC and SEO specialist:** SpyFu.
- **Strategy, investor or market-sizing work:** Similarweb.
- **A quick look at a rival's Google ads, for free:** the [Google Ads Transparency Center](/guides/how-to-use-google-ads-transparency-center) first.

For estimates of a rival's budget, read [how to find a competitor's ad spend](/guides/how-to-find-competitor-ad-spend). For the wider SpyFu field, see [SpyFu alternatives](/alternatives/spyfu-alternatives) and [Semrush vs SpyFu](/compare/semrush-vs-spyfu). Put what you learn into a [competitor ad analysis template](/templates/competitor-analysis-template-for-ads).

## Where Marxx fits

Marxx does not estimate website traffic. It tracks competitor ads on Meta and Google, and has an AI search over 100M+ ads back to 2022. See [competitor tracking](/features/competitor-tracking). We make Marxx, so weigh that.

## FAQ

### Is Similarweb a SpyFu alternative?

Partly. Both help with competitor research, but SpyFu centres on keywords and Google ads, and Similarweb centres on traffic and channels.

### Which is cheaper?

SpyFu, at $39 a month for Basic against $125 a month billed yearly for Similarweb's entry plan (checked 2026-10-20). Similarweb's Business packages are quoted by sales.

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