Semrush (with AI) Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Semrush (with AI) costs Free to $549 per month as of March 2026. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Yes, Semrush (with AI) offers a freemium plan as of March 2026. The free tier includes 8 features with limits on searches and projects. Paid plans start at $139.95/month (Pro (Classic SEO)). Pricing verified from 15 sources by CostBench.
Semrush (with AI) offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 10 daily searches across tools
- Create up to 5 projects
- Site audits on up to 100 pages
- Track 10 keywords in Position Tracking
- Limited backlink data access
- Keyword Overview access
- Domain Overview access
- Basic competitor analysis
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 5 projects
- Track up to 500 keywords
- 10,000 results per report
- 3,000 reports per day
- Site audits on 100,000+ pages per month
- Keyword research tools
- Competitor analysis
- Backlink analysis
- Position tracking
- On-page SEO checker
- Site audit tool
- Social media toolkit
- Basic reporting
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| searches | 10 searches per day | Unlimited/Higher |
| projects | Maximum 5 projects | Unlimited/Higher |
| siteAuditPages | 100 pages per site audit | Unlimited/Higher |
| keywordTracking | 10 keywords only | Unlimited/Higher |
| reports | Extremely limited reporting | Unlimited/Higher |
| features | Frequent upgrade prompts, severely restricted functionality | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 5 projects or Track up to 500 keywords
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Requires credit card upfront
- Auto-converts to paid immediately if not cancelled
- Very difficult cancellation process
- No refunds if you miss cancellation deadline
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro (Classic SEO) Plan Comparison
| Free Account $0 | Pro (Classic SEO) $139.95/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 8 included | 13+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Semrush (with AI) branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Testing the platform before committing, very light SEO research needs, or individuals needing occasional keyword checks | Freelance SEOs, bloggers, and small business owners needing essential SEO tools without AI visibility tracking |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Semrush (with AI) free?
Yes, Semrush (with AI) offers a freemium plan with 8 core features included. However, there are limits on searches, projects that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Semrush (with AI)'s free plan?
Semrush (with AI)'s free plan includes: 10 daily searches across tools, Create up to 5 projects, Site audits on up to 100 pages, Track 10 keywords in Position Tracking, Limited backlink data access, and 3 more features. Key limits include searches: 10 searches per day, projects: Maximum 5 projects, siteAuditPages: 100 pages per site audit.
03 What's NOT included in Semrush (with AI)'s free plan?
The free plan excludes: 5 projects, Track up to 500 keywords, 10,000 results per report, 3,000 reports per day, Site audits on 100,000+ pages per month. You'll also have Semrush (with AI) branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Semrush (with AI)'s free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 5 projects or Track up to 500 keywords, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $139.95/month.
05 Is Semrush (with AI)'s free plan really free forever?
Yes, Semrush (with AI)'s free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.