SpyFu vs Semrush: Weekly vs Daily Rank Tracking
By Bike HawleyPrices checked October 23, 2026No test results yet
SpyFu vs Semrush is a choice between two kinds of rank tracking and two kinds of competitor research. SpyFu's $39 Basic plan tracks 5,000 keywords once a week, while Semrush's $139.95 SEO plan tracks 500 every day, as of October 23, 2026. SpyFu is built around Google Ads data, Semrush is the broader suite with a trial, and we haven't tested either yet.
SpyFu vs Semrush Pricing Side by Side
SpyFu vs Semrush pricing side by side starts with the plan facts below, taken from both pricing pages.
| Fact | SpyFu | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Basic, $39 a month | SEO, $139.95 a month |
| Billed yearly | $29 a month | $117.33 a month |
| Keywords tracked | 5,000 on Basic | 500 on SEO |
| Updates | Weekly | Daily |
| Cost per keyword | $0.008 a month | $0.280 a month |
| Free trial | No free trial listed; Pro + AI costs $59 for the first month | 7-day free trial for new users; a card is required (Semrush runs a $1 authorization check) and the first payment is charged automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel |
| Refunds | 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked; ask any time in the first 30 days | No refunds on month-to-month plans; a one-time 7-day money-back guarantee covers only initial annual (12-month or longer) subscriptions and initial add-ons bought by card on semrush.com |
| Pays us | Up to 30% | $200 to $450 per first sale of the SEO Toolkit or Semrush One (by quarterly sales tier), plus $10 per free trial |
SpyFu's Pro + AI costs $59 for the first month and $119 after ($89 yearly), and Team / Agency $249 ($187 yearly) with five users. Semrush's Starter ($199) and Pro+ ($299) plans add AI visibility, and Pro+ tracks 1,500 keywords across locations and devices. Yearly billing saves 25% at SpyFu and up to 17% at Semrush, and extra seats cost $15 to $30 at SpyFu against $45 and up at Semrush.
Weekly vs Daily Rank Tracking: What Each Plan Buys
Weekly vs daily rank tracking is the main split, since every SpyFu plan buys weekly updates and every Semrush plan buys daily ones.
| Plan | Price a month | Keywords | Updates | Checks a month | Cost per check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpyFu Basic | $39 | 5,000 | Weekly | About 21,700 | $0.0018 |
| SpyFu Pro + AI | $119 | 15,000 | Weekly | About 65,000 | $0.0018 |
| Semrush SEO | $139.95 | 500 | Daily | About 15,200 | $0.0092 |
| Semrush Pro+ | $299 | 1,500 | Daily | About 45,600 | $0.0066 |
Even per check, SpyFu costs about a fifth as much (we count 4.33 weekly runs and 30.4 daily runs a month). Daily buys speed: a drop shows up the next morning, not days later. SpyFu's homepage promotes daily performance tracking, but its pricing page lists tracked rankings as weekly on every plan, and its tracker page doesn't mention device or city-level checks.
AccuRanker reports Google serving swapped results to automated rank checks, with big steps on September 24 and October 15, 2026; our first test will check which trackers report the page a real person sees (how we test), and neither tool has a result yet.
PPC Competitor Research: SpyFu vs Semrush Pricing
PPC competitor research is where SpyFu earns its keep and where Semrush charges for a separate toolkit.
SpyFu shows the keywords a competitor buys on Google, their ads and ad tests, and estimated clicks and cost per click; Basic caps searches at 10,000 rows, and Pro + AI adds full results, 10 years of history and pre-built Google Ads campaigns. In a March 2026 r/PPC thread, an agency user called its spend figures inaccurate, and a reply from SpyFu said clicks, CPC and budgets are estimates. Semrush sells ad research in its Advertising toolkit, from $99 a month billed annually.
SpyFu or Semrush: Which Is Worth the Price?
SpyFu is worth the price if you run Google Ads for clients or track big keyword lists on a budget, and Semrush is worth it if you need daily tracking and a full suite.
SpyFu is a poor fit for daily or local tracking. Semrush fits teams that want daily positions, site audits and backlink data in one account (AI visibility starts at $199) and can absorb $45 seats. G2 lists SpyFu at 4.6 from 518 reviews and Semrush at 4.5 from 3,901; Capterra has Semrush at 4.6 from 2,329 and SpyFu at 4.4 from 145 (all read from search results on October 23, 2026). For daily tracking at a lower price, see SE Ranking vs Semrush; our Semrush pricing guide lists every add-on.
Cost Per Tracked Keyword Across Nine Rank Trackers
Cost per tracked keyword puts SpyFu Basic at $0.008 a month and Semrush's SEO plan at $0.280, near opposite ends of the nine rank trackers we price.
- Daily
- Weekly
- Interval not published or not confirmed
Monthly price divided by keywords tracked, vendor pricing pages, October 23, 2026. Nightwatch in euros.
Rank tracker prices shows the math behind each bar, and Semrush alternatives lists tools that cost less per keyword.
SpyFu vs Semrush Questions Before You Buy
These SpyFu vs Semrush questions are the ones buyers ask before they pay.
Is SpyFu cheaper than Semrush?
SpyFu is cheaper than Semrush at every entry point, with Basic at $39 a month against $139.95 for Semrush's SEO plan.
Does SpyFu have a free trial?
SpyFu lists no free trial or free plan on its pricing page, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
Can SpyFu track rankings daily?
SpyFu tracks rankings weekly on every plan, from 5,000 keywords on Basic to 50,000 on Team / Agency; its My Sites dashboard shows daily figures from SpyFu's own index instead.
SpyFu vs Semrush Pricing Sources
These SpyFu vs Semrush pricing sources were read on October 23, 2026.
- SpyFu pricing page and homepage
- SpyFu My Sites dashboard post
- Semrush pricing page and Advertising toolkit pricing
- Semrush refund policy
- G2 SpyFu reviews and G2 Semrush page (scores via search results)
- Capterra SpyFu reviews and Capterra Semrush page (scores via search results)
- r/PPC SpyFu thread
- AccuRanker on swapped results