SearchScore vs Semrush
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Semrush is a mature, Google-first SEO suite that now tracks AI search through a paid add-on. SearchScore is AI-first: it scores how six AI engines see you, checks your SEO and conversion in the same audit, and starts free with no email.
In one line: choose Semrush if you're a full-time SEO who lives in keyword and backlink data. Choose SearchScore if you want to know whether AI engines recommend your business, fix what's holding you back, and convert more of the visitors you get, for a fraction of the price.
Semrush is a powerful, Google-first SEO platform that now tracks AI search through a paid add-on (Semrush One, from around $199 per month). SearchScore is AI-first: it scores how six AI engines, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Grok and DeepSeek, see your brand, checks your SEO and conversion in the same report, and starts free with no email. For founders and small businesses who want to be found in AI search without an enterprise budget, SearchScore is the more direct and more affordable choice.
Side by side
Two different philosophies. Semrush is a Google-first SEO suite with AI bolted on. SearchScore scores three disciplines, AI first, and fixes what is broken.
| What you get | SearchScore | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| AI citation tracking | Yes, core to every audit | Yes, via AI Visibility Toolkit (paid add-on or Semrush One bundle) |
| AI engines tracked | 6 (adds Grok and DeepSeek) | ~5 (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI) |
| Citation tracking over time | Weekly or daily on Pro, with full history | Yes, updated continually |
| Sentiment analysis | Every citation scored positive, mixed or negative | Yes, sentiment and Narrative Drivers |
| Competitor / category share | Citation rate vs named competitors in your category | Yes, "Share of Model" |
| GEO / AI search scoring | GEO Score in every audit | Yes, "Share of Model" (add-on) |
| SEO scoring | SEO Score across 8 categories | Yes, deep and mature |
| CRO / conversion scoring | CRO Score across 38 signals | No dedicated conversion score |
| Free access | Full GEO, SEO and CRO audit, no email or card | Limited free plan and 7-day trial; AI features paywalled |
| Prioritised fix list | Ranked across all three disciplines, plain English, score-lift projections | Raw issue lists and dashboards |
| AI prompt tracking depth | Up to 100 prompts, all 6 engines, daily on Pro | AI Toolkit ~25 custom prompts; Semrush One Starter ~50 daily |
| Entry price for AI visibility | Free, then from $25/mo | ~$199/mo (Semrush One) or Pro $139.95 + $99 add-on |
| Keyword and backlink database | Not the focus | Industry-leading depth |
| Built for | AI search from day one | Google-first SEO suite, AI added on |
| Output style | Plain-English scores and a prioritised fix list | Dashboards for SEO specialists |
| Done-for-you fixes | Managed AI Visibility Programme, score-improvement guarantee | Separate managed service |
| Best suited to | Founders and owners who want to be found and convert | Agencies and full-time SEO professionals |
Pricing and features reflect each company's publicly available information as of June 2026. Semrush figures are based on published plans. We keep this current.
Where each tool leads
Semrush answers "how do I rank on Google?" SearchScore answers "do AI engines recommend me, and does my site convert?" Learn the difference between GEO and SEO →
Where Semrush wins
Semrush is the deeper tool for traditional SEO, and it's worth saying so plainly. It runs on one of the largest SEO datasets anywhere, built since 2008, with tens of trillions of backlinks and billions of keywords. For keyword research, competitor backlink analysis, rank tracking across large keyword sets, historical data and white-label client reporting, it is hard to beat. Its AI Visibility Toolkit is a genuine, capable product, and its prompt database gives it scale on AI search volume that smaller tools cannot match. If your job is full-time SEO, or you run an agency managing many client domains, Semrush earns its price.
Where SearchScore wins
SearchScore was built for the question Semrush answers as an add-on: are AI engines recommending you, and if not, what do you fix first? That focus shows up in five ways.
A full audit across AI search (GEO Score), Google (SEO Score) and conversion (CRO Score) runs without an email or a card. Semrush's AI features sit behind a trial, then a paywall.
SearchScore tracks six: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Grok and DeepSeek. The last two are where a lot of newer AI search behaviour is heading, and most tools, Semrush included, don't yet cover them.
Being found is wasted if visitors don't act. SearchScore's CRO Score checks 38 conversion signals, from trust and your above-the-fold area to your forms and calls to action. Semrush has no equivalent conversion score.
Beyond the scores, SearchScore produces a prioritised fix list across all three disciplines: each fix ranked by impact, written in plain English, with a projected score lift and a time estimate. Semrush surfaces issues and data and leaves the "so what do I do first" to you. For a non-technical owner, that ranked list is the difference between knowing something is wrong and knowing where to start.
On the Pro tier, SearchScore's Tracker tracks up to 100 prompts, runs every one across all six engines, daily, and benchmarks your citation rate against your competitors. And where Semrush hands you data, SearchScore offers a Managed AI Visibility Programme that does the work, with a score-improvement guarantee, for owners who would rather buy the outcome than learn the tool.
The real cost
Semrush's AI visibility features start at around $199 a month on the Semrush One bundle, or Pro at $139.95 plus the $99 AI add-on. Either way, that's roughly $2,400 a year before you've changed a single thing on your site. SearchScore shows you your three scores and your biggest problems for free, and paid tracking starts at $25 a month. For a small business, that gap is the difference between a tool you trial this afternoon and a tool you take to a budget meeting.
What SearchScore isn't
SearchScore is not trying to replace Semrush's keyword and backlink research. Semrush has spent over fifteen years building one of the deepest SEO datasets anywhere, and nothing here matches that. SearchScore does two things Semrush doesn't do as well: it treats AI search visibility as a first-class score across six engines, and it scores conversion. If you need deep Google keyword data, use Semrush. If you need to be found in AI search and turn visitors into customers, that's what SearchScore is for. Compare SearchScore with Profound →
We guarantee your GEO, SEO and CRO scores all improve within 30 days, or we work for free until they do.
Common questions
For AI search visibility, conversion scoring and a fast, free audit, yes. SearchScore is the AI-first alternative to Semrush, built specifically to measure and improve how AI engines see you, and priced for founders and small businesses rather than agencies. It is not a replacement for Semrush's deep keyword and backlink research, which remains Semrush's strength. Many people use both.
Yes. Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit tracks how AI platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI mention and cite your brand. It is a capable product. The main differences from SearchScore are that it is a paid add-on or part of the higher-priced Semrush One bundle, it sits on top of a Google-first suite, and it does not include conversion scoring.
Semrush's core Pro plan is $139.95 a month. To get its AI visibility features you need either Semrush One, from around $199 a month, or Pro plus the AI Visibility add-on at $99 a month, roughly $2,400 a year either way. SearchScore's full audit is free, and paid tracking starts from $25 a month.
Both track AI citations. SearchScore is built specifically for it: it covers six engines including Grok and DeepSeek, gives you a GEO Score and a prioritised fix list for free, and can carry out the fixes for you through its Managed Programme. Semrush gives you strong measurement data, especially on AI search volume, but functions more as a way to observe the problem than to fix it.
Yes. SearchScore runs a complete audit across AI search (GEO), Google (SEO) and conversion (CRO) with no email and no card. The full prioritised fix list unlocks with an email. Semrush offers a limited free plan and a 7-day trial, but its AI visibility features require a paid plan.
Yes. SearchScore tracks your citation rate across all six engines on a weekly schedule, or daily on the Pro tier, and keeps the history so you can see it change. It scores the sentiment of each citation as positive, mixed or negative, and benchmarks your rate against the competitors you name, so you can see who AI recommends in your category. Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit offers comparable tracking; the main differences are engine coverage, cadence and price.
Run a full SearchScore audit. Get your GEO, SEO and CRO scores and a prioritised fix list. No email, no card.