SpyFu Competitors: Top 6 Better SpyFu Alternative Tools With Pros & Cons

I’ve spent a lot of time using a TON of different SEO tools over the last 15 years.

Here’s my honest opinion on SpyFu: it is affordable and simple to use. The MAJOR reason most people choose SpyFu is its unlimited searches included in every plan, with pricing starting at just $33 per month.

If you’re just starting with SEO or need a budget-friendly tool for competitor keyword analysis and PPC strategies, SpyFu is excellent. 

But, it has its own limitations, such as less accurate data and not providing comprehensive keyword/backlink data compared to some of its competitors.

That’s why I’m going to share a handpicked list of SIX SpyFu alternatives that I’ve tried myself, which might work better for you. 

The best part? Each of these tools has its unique advantage over SpyFu.

Let’s get started!

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How to Quickly Pick the RIGHT Spyfu Alternative Tool?

To come up with the RIGHT SpyFu alternative, I’ve considered things like keyword research, competitor analysis, database size, PPC abilities, etc.

I also focused on tools that offer features similar to SpyFu while catering to different user needs. For more information, you can also read my detailed SpyFu review.

For budget-conscious users, I looked for affordable options such as Mangools, Moz, Serpstat, etc. For people looking for all-in-one SEO tools that offer features like SERP tracking, backlink analysis, and site audits, I considered tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, etc.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while choosing a SpyFu alternative;

• Consider your budget (is it $50/mo, $100/mo, or more?)
• Identify your website needs (is it for SEO or PPC?)
• Try the free trial before investing in a tool (as most tools mentioned here offer free trials)

Here are my six top picks for Spyfu Alternatives.

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SpyFu Alternatives & Competitors (Top 6 Options in 2025)

1. Semrush – Complete SEO tools in one place

Feature	Semrush	SpyFu
Ease of Use	It takes time to get used to	Easy to use
Content Marketing	Access to a full toolkit	Not available
PPC Features	Comprehensive	Excellent for PPC campaign research
Database Size	Huge keyword and backlink databases	Limited size compared to Semrush
Free Plan	Yes, offers a free plan with limited features	No
Pricing	Starts at $117.33/month	Starts at $33/month

Semrush is one of the best SpyFu competitors, giving me access to over 55 tools in one place. It is also the most popular SEO toolkit used by over 10 million people worldwide.

Yes, Semrush is more expensive than SpyFu, but it offers a complete set of SEO and PPC tools, making it worth every penny!

Key Features Offered by Semrush:

• Keyword Research, as Semrush offers a massive database of 26+ billion keywords. 
• Competitor Analysis helps me to identify my competitors’ top-performing keywords and backlinks.
• Site Audit helps me find and fix technical SEO issues on my site.
• Backlink Analysis allows me to track any domain’s backlink profile and identify link building opportunities.
• Content marketing tools that help me create and optimize SEO-friendly content.
• PPC Analysis tools to analyze paid ad campaigns.
• Position Tracking allows me to track my keyword rankings daily.

Why would I pick Semrush as a SpyFu alternative?

Powerful Keyword Research 

The biggest reason I use Semrush over SpyFu almost daily is its in-depth keyword research capabilities.

It gives me access to a ton of keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and related terms. 

Have a look;

As shown above, Semrush generated a huge list of over 1000 keyword suggestions for the above example. I can also filter the results by their intent, search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, etc to easily identify high-performing keywords to boost my organic traffic.

When to avoid? If you’re looking for a simple and budget-friendly keyword research tool, you can avoid Semrush due to its extensive data and many features.

Site Audits

Semrush’s site audit tool scans my website for over 140 technical SEO issues, giving me a list of all the errors, warnings, and suggestions. 

Here’s what it looks like;

As shown above, it gives me a site health score based on factors like crawlability, site speed, HTTPS, core web vitals, etc. This helps me ensure my site is properly optimized for both search engines and users.

When to avoid? If you’re running a small or new website, you probably don’t need an extensive site audit tool like Semrush. You can look for free alternatives like SEOptimer.

Daily Rank Tracking

Another reason I use Semrush is its daily rank tracking feature, which allows me to monitor my website’s keyword rankings across different devices and locations daily.

As shown above, it provides all the data I need to look into changes in my rankings, top keywords, and visibility trends. This feature is helpful to me because I can act quickly if I notice any sudden drop in my traffic and take the necessary steps.

When to avoid? If you don’t need daily rank tracking, you can avoid it – as there are other cheaper alternatives, like SE Ranking.

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing Semrush:

However, Semrush is more expensive than SpyFu, starting at $139.95/month or $117.33/mo if billed annually. There’s also a huge learning curve for beginners, as Semrush offers too many features.

Semrush Pricing

Semrush offers three pricing plans: Pro (costs $139.95/mo or $117.33/mo if billed annually), Guru (costs $249.95/mo or $208.33/mo if billed annually), and Business (costs $416.66/mo or $416.66/mo if billed annually).

Try Semrush 14 Days Free Trial

Read: Semrush Review [Complete Details]

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2. SE Ranking – Best For Budget-friendly SEO tools

Feature	SE Ranking	SpyFu
Ease of Use	Extremely easy to use	Easy
Competitive & Keyword Research	Excellent	Excellent
PPC Features	Limited	Really good!
Rank Tracking	100% Accurate	Limited
Free Plan	No, only a free trial	No
Pricing	Starts at $52/month	Starts at $33/month

If you’re looking for affordable alternatives to SpyFu, SE Ranking is an excellent choice. It is an all-in-one SEO toolbox that gives me everything I need, from keyword research and rank tracking to backlink monitoring and more.

Key Features Offered by SE Ranking:

• Rank Tracker: Allows me to track keyword rankings across all major search engines.
• AI Overviews Tracker: Helps me monitor AI-generated content performance in Google.
• On-Page SEO Checker: Helps me to analyze and optimize my blog posts.
• Website Audit: Identifies technical and SEO issues on my website.
• Competitor Analysis Tool: Helps me understand my competitors’ strategies.
• Backlink Checker: Tracks and helps me identify the quality of backlinks.
• Local Marketing Software: Helps boost my local business visibility online.

Why would I pick SE Ranking as a SpyFu alternative?

AI Overviews Tracker

We all know how Google is showing up more and more AI-generated overviews for most search queries.

Here’s where AI Overviews Tracker by SE Ranking comes in handy, as it helps me monitor AI-generated overviews in Google search results.

I can start by choosing the keywords for analysis and search engines to track.

Then, the AI Rankings chart shows me how many keywords have an AI overview.

As shown above, it helps me track how AI responses impact visibility and organic traffic for various queries.

When to avoid? 

I’d avoid SE Ranking’s AI Overviews Tracker if my website doesn’t require AI-driven analysis or if I’m focused on regular SEO tasks like keyword research or competitor analysis.

High-Precision Rank Tracker

One thing I like about SE Ranking’s tracking tool is that it lets me track each keyword for any location combination.

Have a look;

I can also get precise daily website ranking updates once I set up my website;

When to avoid? 

One thing I didn’t like about SE Ranking’s Basic Plan is that it allows tracking only up to 500 keywords, which may not be sufficient for larger websites.

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing SE Ranking:

Although SE Ranking has a backlink database of over 2.9 trillion indexed backlinks, it’s not as comprehensive as its competitors like Semrush, Ahrefs or Moz. Also, their backlink database might not be updated as often, so the information I get from it could be a little outdated.

SE Ranking Pricing

SE Ranking offers three pricing plans: Essential (costs $65/mo or $52/mo if billed annually), Pro (costs $119/mo or $95.20/mo if billed annually), and Business (costs $259/mo or $207.20/mo if billed annually).

Claim SE Ranking 14-Day Free Trial!

For more details, you can read my in-depth review of SE Ranking.

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3. Mangools – Best For Affordable keyword research tools

Feature	Mangools SEO Tools	SpyFu
Ease of Use	Extremely easy to use	Easy
Competitive & Keyword Research	Average	Excellent
PPC Features	Limited	Really good!
Rank Tracking	100% Accurate	Limited
Free Plan	No	No
Pricing	Starts at $29.90/month	Starts at $33/month

Mangools is a value-for-money SEO toolkit that offers five unique tools under one roof. With Mangools, I can do keyword research, track rankings, analyze search results, and more.

Key Features Offered by Mangools:

• KWFinder: I can use it to discover highly relevant keywords.
• SERPWatcher: I can track my website’s rankings on a daily basis.
• SERPChecker: I can analyze SERPs for a given keyword.
• LinkMiner: I can use it to conduct in-depth backlink analysis.
• SiteProfiler: I can check the authority and trustworthiness of any website.

Why would I pick Mangools over SpyFu?

Excellent for keyword research

Mangools is excellent for finding low-competitive keywords. I just enter a seed keyword and the tool will take care of the rest.

As shown above, I can see the trend, search volume, keyword difficulty, and more.

Also, I can easily find a ton of highly-relevant question keywords;

When to avoid? 

Although Mangool’s KWFinder is great for keyword research but it is NOT ideal if I want to discover hidden keywords in my niche. This is because it has a small database of 2.5 billion keywords, which is smaller than that of its competitors, including SpyFu, Semrush, etc.

SERP Checker

If I want to uncover my competitors’ weaknesses, I can use the SERP Checker tool.

Here’s what it looks like;

As shown above, it shows me a complete overview of the SERP results for my desired keywords.

Also, I can compare my own website with my competitors to see how many links I need to acquire to get first-page rankings in Google.

When to avoid? 

I’d avoid using Mangools if I need advanced SEO features like in-depth competitor analysis and site audits. 

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing Mangools:

Although you can access five excellent tools, Mangools is NOT a comprehensive toolkit, unlike Semrush or Ahrefs.

Although its interface is user-friendly but it is more suited for beginners or small-scale websites. For high-traffic sites and advanced SEO users who need comprehensive SEO data, Mangools is not sufficient.

Mangools Tools Pricing

Mangools offers three pricing plans: Basic (costs $49/mo or $29.90/mo if billed annually), Premium (costs $69/mo or $44.90/mo if billed annually), and Agency (costs $129/mo or $89.90/mo if billed annually).

Try Mangools (Instant 20% Discount)

For more details, read my Mangools tools review.

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4. Ahrefs – Accurate keyword and backlink analysis

Feature	Ahrefs	SpyFu
Ease of Use	Easy to use	Easy
Competitive & Keyword Research	Excellent with huge databases	Great
PPC Features	Limited	Great
Rank Tracking	Really good for both mobile and desktop, for over 190 locations	Limited
Free Plan	No	No
Pricing	Starts at $108/month	Starts at $33/month

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO toolkit used by marketers from 44% of Fortune 500 companies. It offers extensive keyword and backlink databases and other features like Site Explorer, AI content tools, etc.

Key Features Offered by Ahrefs:

• Site Explorer allows me to study my competitors’ websites.
• Site Audit allows me to audit and optimize my website for over 170 issues!
• Keywords Explorer allows me to learn what my customers are searching for.
• Content Explorer and Site Explorer allow me to track my web mentions and links.
• AI Content Grader and AI Content Helper allow me to improve my content with AI.
• Rank Tracker allows me to monitor my search engine rankings on desktop and mobile across 190 countries.

Why would I pick Ahrefs over SpyFu?

Excellent keyword data

Ahrefs is known for offering powerful keyword data. If I want to find accurate data for my keywords, this tool is a great SpyFu alternative for me.

I just enter a keyword in the tool and it will instantly give me a ton of data including difficulty, traffic potential, related keyword ideas, and more.

I can also instantly cluster keywords by parent topics.

When to avoid? 

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is a great tool, but it is really expensive. If I’m on a tight budget, I’ll probably look for more affordable alternatives like Mangools, SE Ranking, etc.

Powerful site audit feature

Ahrefs’ site audit tool is another excellent feature that checks for over 170 issues. 

It quickly identifies both technical SEO and on-page SEO problems on my website. This helps me optimize my site for search engines and improve my overall organic traffic.

Here’s what it looks like;

When to avoid? 

If I have a small website that doesn’t have many technical and SEO issues, I might not need a powerful tool like Ahrefs Site Audit.

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing Ahrefs:

One key drawback I found in Ahrefs is its credit-based pricing model, which is really bad. 

Features like site audits, keyword research, and backlink analysis consume credits, making it difficult for me to do in-depth analyses. Even basic actions, such as applying filters, can consume credits.

Ahrefs Pricing

Ahrefs offers four pricing plans: Lite (costs $129/mo or $108/mo if billed annually), Standard (costs $249/mo or $208/mo if billed annually), Advanced (costs $449/mo or $374/mo if billed annually) and Enterprise (costs $1499/mo or $1249/mo if billed annually).

Give a Try to Ahrefs Now

For more information about the Ahrefs SEO tool, you can read my in-depth Ahrefs review.

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5. Moz Pro – Excellent for local SEO and backlink research

Feature	Moz Pro	SpyFu
Ease of Use	Average	Easy
Competitive & Keyword Research	Good	Excellent
Local SEO	Excellent	Not available
Rank Tracking	Accurate	Limited
Free Plan	No, only a 30-day free trial	No
Pricing	Starts at $39/month	Starts at $33/month

Moz Pro is another excellent SpyFu alternative due to its features, including domain analysis metrics, in-depth backlink analysis, and site auditing.

Key Features Offered by Moz Pro:

• Keyword Explorer with search volume, difficulty, DA metrics
• Optimize content with On-page Grader
• Competitive Research & SERP Analysis
• Track keyword rankings across multiple search engines and locations 
• Find and fix technical errors with Site Crawl
• Link Explorer with Domain Authority, Page Authority, and Spam Score metrics

Why would I pick Moz as a SpyFu alternative?

Link Explorer

Link Explorer is the one reason why most people invest in Moz Pro, as it offers a massive database of over 40 trillion links.

I can just enter any website’s URL in its Link Research tool and it will give me a detailed overview of its backlink profile.

Have a look;

I can also find the top followed links to the site along with the top pages to find backlink opportunities. 

When to avoid? 

If I manage a small niche site, I don’t need an extensive backlink analysis tool like Moz’s Link Explorer. Also, it doesn’t provide real-time backlink updates.

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing Moz Pro:

One big drawback I found in Moz Pro is its limited keyword research capabilities. However, it has a decent keyword database size, which helps me find good keywords. But, it doesn’t offer comprehensive keyword data like its competitors like SpyFu, Semrush, etc.

Local SEO 

If I’m running a local business and want to get it noticed online, Moz Local tool offers everything I need in one place.

Using it, I can keep my local SEO listings actively updated across major search engines, online directories, and Google Business profiles.

Here’s the official video tutorial from Moz on how to use it;

When to avoid? 

If I’m NOT focused on improving local search rankings or managing business listings across directories, Moz Local isn’t necessary. It’s also not ideal for online businesses without a physical presence. 

Moz Pro Pricing

Moz offers four pricing plans: Starter (costs $49/mo or $39/mo if billed annually), Standard (costs $99/mo or $79/mo if billed annually), Medium (costs $179/mo or $143/mo if billed annually) and Large (costs $299/mo or $239/mo if billed annually).

Try Moz 30-Day Free Trial

Want to find more information about this tool? Read my honest review of the Moz tool.

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6. Serpstat – Best For Cost-effective all-in-one SEO platform

Feature	Serpstat	SpyFu
Ease of Use	Average	Easy
Competitive & Keyword Research	Excellent	Excellent
PPC Features	Good	Really good!
AI content features	Excellent	Not available
Rank Tracking	Accurate	Limited
Free Plan	No, only a 7-day free trial	No
Pricing	Starts at $50/month	Starts at $33/month

Serpstat is another popular and affordable SpyFu alternative SEO toolkit. It has a comprehensive database of over 7 billion keywords from over 230 countries. It also gives you access to all the essential tools, including site audits, competitor analysis, rank tracker, etc. 

Key Features Offered by Serpstat:

• Rank tracker, which allows me to monitor paid and mobile search results
• Keyword research allows me to identify profitable search terms
• Website analysis gives me access to my site performance and user experience
• Site audit helps me detect and fix technical and SEO-related issues
• PPC ads analysis helps me analyze the performance of pay-per-click campaigns
• Keyword clustering helps me group related keywords for better SEO 

Why would I pick Serpstat over SpyFu?

Keyword Clustering

One big reason to choose Serpstat over SpyFu is its keyword clustering feature which allows me to upload up to 50,000 keywords and group them automatically based on SERP similarity.

Here’s what it looks like;

As shown above, I can find groups of related keywords and see how often they are searched for, as well as how closely they are connected.

When to avoid? 

Serpstat’s keyword clustering tool automates the process by grouping related keywords based on SERP similarity. This feature might not be suitable for websites where manual control over keyword groupings is needed.

AI Content Tools

Serpstat offers several AI content marketing tools that I can use for content creation, AI Content Detection, etc.

I can use it for paraphrasing;

I can also use it to automatically generate blog posts.

When to avoid? 

If I’m running a small site with minimal content, Serpstat’s content AI marketing tools are unnecessary. Also, there’s a risk of creating mediocre content when I use AI content creation tools.

Key Drawbacks and Considerations When Choosing Serpstat:

Compared to SpyFu, Seprstat’s interface is somewhat difficult to navigate, especially for beginners. Serpstat’s PPC analysis is also not as comprehensive as compared to SpyFu.

Serpstat Pricing:

Serpstat offers three pricing plans: Individual (costs $59/mo or $50/mo if billed annually), Team (costs $119/mo or $100/mo if billed annually), and Agency (costs $479/mo or $410/mo if billed annually).

Try Serpstat for 7 days Free Trial

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FAQs 

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Final Words

Here’s a quick summary of the SpyFu alternatives mentioned in this post;

Semrush and Ahrefs are the best options for those looking for comprehensive all-in-one tools. They provide huge keyword and backlink data but are expensive. 

Moz Pro and Serpstat are affordable tools for most SEO and PPC tasks. Mangools and SE Ranking are great for those looking for budget-friendly keyword research and rank tracking tools.

So, consider your budget and website needs before choosing a SpyFu alternative. Have any more questions? Let me know in the comments.

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