Semrush vs SpyFu
Written by Connor Blake ·
Edited by Sebastiaan Smits ·
Fact-checked by Mateus Rocha ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026
SpyFu does one job cheaply: showing which keywords a competitor ranks for and bids on, with years of ad history, mainly for the US and UK. Semrush is a full suite with a multinational keyword database, audits and tracking, at more than twice the entry price. US-focused PPC and competitor researchers choose SpyFu; teams needing a complete toolkit choose Semrush.
Side by side
 Semrush |  SpyFu | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Broad search and digital marketing suite, now owned by Adobe | Competitor keyword and PPC research tool |
| Best for | Marketing teams wanting breadth | US businesses researching competitors |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Pricing model | Tiered monthly + add-ons | Tiered monthly |
| Pricing | Published monthly tiers, with the SEO plan listed at €134 a month or €112.52 billed annually for one user, extra charges per additional user and separately sold toolkits for advertising, traffic and local; a limited free account and a 7-day trial are available. | Low published monthly tiers, entry under $50 a month, with limited free searches. |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan |
| Place in our SEO software ranking | #4 of 12 | #11 of 12 |
| Website | semrush.com | spyfu.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best SEO Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Semrush if
you work in markets beyond the US and UK, or you need a thorough site audit and dependable position tracking in the same tool as your competitor research.
Semrush, #4 in the ranking · Visit Semrush →
Choose SpyFu if
your competitors are in the US or UK, the work is mostly competitor keyword and Google Ads research, and you want unlimited searches for under $50 a month.
SpyFu, #11 in the ranking · Visit SpyFu →
Where they differ
Countries covered
SpyFu's data is limited mainly to the US and UK, which rules it out for many international businesses. Semrush's keyword database is large and multinational. For a company selling in continental Europe or Latin America this round settles the comparison before price comes up. For a purely American business it does not matter at all.
Edge: Semrush
Price and rationing of lookups
SpyFu's entry tier is under $50 a month, and paid plans allow unlimited searches and exports. Semrush starts above $100, limits reports on the base plan and charges for each extra user. For someone who runs competitor lookups all day, SpyFu removes both the cost and the counting. Semrush's fee buys other things.
Edge: SpyFu
Paid search research
SpyFu shows which keywords a competitor bids on and their ad copy history over many years, which is why PPC managers use it. Semrush's competitive research also reaches into paid search and adds traffic estimates. Our data does not settle which has the longer ad history, so inside the US and UK this comes down to a trial.
Edge: even
Audit, backlinks and rank tracking
SpyFu's site audit and backlink features are basic, and its rank tracking is less capable than a dedicated tracker. Semrush has a thorough site audit, dependable position tracking and backlink analytics. Anyone expecting one subscription to cover the whole SEO routine, not only competitor research, will find SpyFu needs company.
Edge: Semrush
Tally: Semrush 2, SpyFu 1, even 1.
When neither fits
An international business that finds Semrush too expensive is stuck between the two. SE Ranking covers many more countries than SpyFu at a price small teams can sustain, and Mangools offers approachable keyword research and rank tracking at a low price for founders and small sites.
See SE Ranking and Mangools among the 12 products in Best SEO Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Can SpyFu replace Semrush?
Only for competitor keyword and ad research in the US and UK. SpyFu's audit and backlink features are basic and its rank tracking is limited, so it does not replace the rest of Semrush. Many SpyFu users would still need a crawler and a rank tracker.
Is SpyFu or Semrush better for PPC research?
For US and UK accounts SpyFu is the cheaper specialist, with years of competitor ad copy and unlimited searches on paid plans. Semrush also covers paid search and works in far more countries. Outside those two markets, Semrush is the realistic option of the two.
Do Semrush and SpyFu have free versions?
Both do, in a restricted form. Semrush offers a limited free account and SpyFu allows a limited number of free searches. Either is enough to check whether the data for your own competitors looks plausible before paying for a month.