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SEO

The best keyword research tools, paid and free

Semrush is the best keyword research tool for most teams, with intent, difficulty, topic clusters and competitor gaps in one place and a 7-day free trial. SE Ranking and KWFinder give the best value, and Google Keyword Planner is the best free option.

11 tools · Updated November 1, 2026SEO

The best tools to find competitor backlinks

Ahrefs is the best tool to find competitor backlinks, because of its large, frequently refreshed link index and a Link Intersect tool that shows who links to your competitors but not to you. Semrush is the best alternative if you want a free plan or a trial, and Majestic suits link builders who only need backlink data.

8 tools · Updated November 1, 2026SEO

The best Ahrefs alternatives for SEO, free and paid

Semrush is the best Ahrefs alternative for most teams, because it covers keyword research, competitor analysis, backlinks, rank tracking and site audits and, unlike Ahrefs, offers a free trial. SE Ranking is the best-value pick, with the same core tools from $103.20 per month billed yearly.

11 tools · Updated November 1, 2026

SEO tools we cover

26 tools

AhrefsAn SEO and marketing platform for backlink analysis, keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and brand visibility in AI answers.AnswerThePublicA keyword research and search listening tool that shows the questions, comparisons and related phrases people search for around a topic.ContentKing (now Conductor Monitoring)A real-time SEO auditing and monitoring tool that tracks website changes and issues around the clock, now part of Conductor.Google Keyword PlannerGoogle's free keyword research tool inside Google Ads, which suggests keywords and shows search volume, bid estimates and forecasts.Google Search ConsoleGoogle's free service for monitoring how your site appears in Google Search, which queries bring clicks, and which pages have indexing problems.Google TrendsGoogle's free tool for seeing how search interest in a topic changes over time and between places, on a relative scale from 0 to 100.Keyword ToolA keyword research tool that turns autocomplete suggestions from Google and 16 other platforms into long-tail keyword lists, with search volume in the paid version.Keywords EverywhereA browser extension that shows search volume, cost per click, competition and trend data right inside Google and dozens of other sites.KWFinderA keyword research tool from Mangools that shows search volume, keyword difficulty and keyword ideas, including local and competitor keywords.MajesticA backlink intelligence tool that maps who links to any website, with its own Trust Flow and Citation Flow scores.MarketMuseAI content planning and optimization software that shows what content to write, how to cover a topic and where your site can win in search.Moz ProAn SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits and backlink analysis, now with tracking of how often your brand shows up in AI answers.PrepostseoA website of free online writing and SEO tools, best known for its plagiarism checker, with paid plans that raise the limits.ResponaA done-for-you link building service that sells guaranteed brand placements on third-party sites, priced per placement.Screaming Frog SEO SpiderA desktop website crawler for Windows, macOS and Linux that audits a site for technical SEO issues such as broken links, redirects and duplicate content.SE RankingAn all-in-one SEO platform for rank tracking, keyword and competitor research, backlinks and site audits, with AI search visibility tracking built in.SemrushAn SEO and AI search visibility platform for keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, site audits and brand tracking in AI answers.SerpstatAn SEO platform for keyword research, competitor and site analysis, backlinks, rank tracking and site audits, priced for freelancers and small agencies.SimilarwebA digital intelligence platform that estimates traffic, marketing channels, keywords and AI search visibility for any website or app.SitebulbA website crawler for technical SEO audits that ranks issues by priority and explains them, sold as desktop software or as a browser-based cloud service.SpyFuA competitor research tool for SEO and Google Ads that shows the keywords and ads any domain has ranked for or bought, now with an AI site audit and ChatGPT integration.StoryChiefA content marketing platform that brings planning, AI writing, approvals and publishing to your website and social channels into one workflow.TubeBuddyA browser extension for YouTube that adds keyword research, A/B tests, competitor tracking and bulk editing to YouTube Studio, with a free plan.UbersuggestAn SEO tool from NP Digital for keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and tracking how often AI assistants mention your brand.vidIQA YouTube growth tool with keyword research, competitor tracking, daily video ideas and an AI coach, in a web app and a browser extension, with a free plan.Yoast SEOA WordPress plugin that checks each page for search optimisation and readability, and handles sitemaps, structured data and other technical SEO settings.

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