SimilarWeb vs Semrush — Which Tool Is Better?

Similarweb vs Semrush – which tool offers the best value for money?

These powerful platforms have become the go-to resources for marketers seeking to decode the mysteries of online performance.

While Similarweb and Semrush may seem similar at first glance, they each have unique strengths. I have compared both tools side by side to help you make an informed decision that is perfectly aligned with your marketing objectives and budget. 

Throughout this analysis, I’ll dive deep into the core features, pricing models, and specialized functions that set Similarweb and Semrush apart. 

SimilarWeb vs Semrush: Our Quick Comparison

Before proceeding to the in-depth comparison, let’s examine the similarities and differences between both platforms. 

Here is a quick comparison between SimilarWeb and Semrush:

Comparison Criteria	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Keyword Database	5 billion keywords	Over 26 billion keywords
On-Page SEO Checker	Site audit, website analysis	Site audit, listing management, SEO content template, and many more.
Content Marketing	Suggests trending topics and keywords	Powerful AI-assisted tools like ContentShake AI and ImpactHero
Website Audit	In-depth Website audit	Audit any website using Semrush’s site audit tool.
Free Trial	7-day free trial.	Exclusive 14-day free trial (for our readers)
Pricing	$199/month	$139.95/month

Who Should Go with SimilarWeb?

SimilarWeb is not completely focused on SEO optimization. It mainly features insights, stats, and data for users. The platform is easy to learn and navigate. But the main problem is with the data and what to do with that–unless you are already familiar with it.

The tool is great for understanding audiences, competitors, mobile web traffic, and tracking consumer behavior. So, it is thoroughly used by eCommerce, retail, and CPG companies. 

Who Should Go with Semrush?

Semrush is a fully-fledged SEO tool that includes content marketing, SMM, and CRM tools. There’s no doubt it has a steep learning curve. But once you have total command over this tool, you won’t need any other tool to manage, optimize, and rank your website.

Whether you are a small business or running a large agency, Semrush is capable of providing solutions at any scale. 

Bonus: Know more about Semrush through our detailed Semrush Review.

SimilarWeb vs Semrush: Detailed Features Comparison

After a quick comparison, you know both tools share some similarities but cater to different needs. I have compared these similar features and given a verdict below every section, so you’ll be able to decide which tool excels in that specific area.

#1. Keyword Research

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Keyword search	Yes	Yes
Keyword lists	Yes	Yes
Keyword comparison	Yes	Yes
Keyword sorting	Yes	Yes
Database size	Unknown	40 trillion inbound links
Keyword Gap	Yes	Yes

Keyword Overview Page of Semrush

While both SimilarWeb and Semrush are pretty much identical in terms of keyword research with similar features, there are crucial differences between both that can lead to very different results. 

The accuracy of keyword research depends on the quality and scale of search data that are used in the research, and that’s where Semrush seems to have some edge on SimilarWeb. There are more than 40 trillion inbound links in its database to help you conduct your keyword research, while the size of SimilarWeb’s keyword database is unknown. 

I have tested Semrush’s tool accuracy thoroughly. You can check out my honest review of my tests here.

Keyword Overview Page of SimilarWeb

However, at the same time, it’s also worth noting that while SimilarWeb doesn’t disclose the size of its database, it has been in business for much longer. It was founded in 2007, while Semrush was founded in 2012. Therefore, it’s quite possible that the database of SimilarWeb may be larger than that of Semrush. 

Plus, SimilarWeb claims to rely on fresh weekly data and real-time trends for providing you insights about your keywords, so it can’t be put behind Semrush in terms of quality so easily. 

Other than that, both platforms offer almost similar keyword research capabilities. There’s no clear winner in this first criterion of our comparison. 

Verdict: Both SimilarWeb and Semrush are capable of providing in-depth keyword research solutions. However, Semrush’s keyword database is enormous and more detailed than SimilarWeb’s.

You can explore more keyword research tools to learn which one is best for you!

#2. Off-Page SEO (Link Building) Features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Rank monitoring	No	Yes
Backlink analytics	Yes	Yes
Backlink profile auditing	No	Yes
Bulk analysis	No	Yes
Backlink Gap Tracking	Yes	Yes
Automated link building	No	Yes

Off-page SEO mainly refers to link building, and both SimilarWeb and Semrush provide several useful features for building your backlinks smarter. 

Link-Building Features of Semrush

Both provide backlink analytics so you can track your inbound links and discover new link-building opportunities simultaneously. Semrush’s link building is more like a DIY tool: It gives you insights, and you take action based on them.

Both platforms also allow you to analyze your competitors’ backlinks and their top referral sources to identify the best possible link-building opportunities. SimilarWeb also allows you to discover industry-wise referral opportunities that you may not necessarily discover sometimes from Semrush. 

Finally, the backlink gap analysis feature in both platforms allows you to discover more link-building prospects by identifying high-authority websites linking to your competitors but not to you. That way, you can reach out to them to build backlinks that drive the most impact for your SEO.

However, some unique features also give Semrush a clear edge over SimilarWeb in this department. It allows you to automate your link-building outreach, thus eliminating the need to do this process manually. It also allows you to track your rankings and the rankings of your competitors for any of your desired keywords.

Finally, it also provides a detailed audit of your backlink profile and bulk analysis of the link profile of your competitors to help you gain the best possible understanding of your link-building requirements.  None of this can be done with SimilarWeb. 

Verdict: Since SimilarWeb focuses mainly on CRM, it doesn’t have many link-building tools. You won’t even be able to track competitors’ backlinks like Semrush.

#3. On-Page/Technical SEO features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Site audit	✅	✅
On-page SEO checker	❌	✅
Log File Analyzer	❌	✅
Markup Report	❌	✅
SEO Content Template	❌	✅
User experience ideas	✅	✅
Semantic ideas	❌	✅
UX ideas	❌	✅

On-page SEO, also known as on-site SEO or technical SEO, is an area where Semrush has a clear edge over SimilarWeb, mainly because it’s a tool designed primarily for the needs of SEO.

Its robust site audit functionality scans your website for all the on-page SEO issues.

Soon, it will display your errors and mistakes and suggest changes you can make to fix them on the go. SimilarWeb also does the same, but it requires the use of different tools, while Semrush helps users find and fix issues instantly.

For instance, Semrush comes with an on-page SEO checker that can be used to scan any of your landing pages for the presence of keywords in critical areas (i.e. meta tags, title tags, etc).

Based on a scan’s findings, the tool can generate numerous ideas for improving the page’s on-page SEO. These ideas may range from hardcore technical SEO suggestions to user experience-related suggestions or semantic keyword ideas. SimilarWeb doesn’t offer this functionality. 

Semrush also includes a number of other advanced on-page SEO features, such as a Log File analyzer and markup report generator, that are not included in SimilarWeb.  

Verdict: Compared to Semrush, SimilarWeb’s technical SEO and on-page capabilities are very limited. So Semrush clearly takes the edge here.

#4. Competitor Analysis

Both SimilarWeb and Semrush offer similar analytics for competitor analysis. For competitor analysis, Semrush offers: 

• Domain Overview
• Organic Research
• Traffic Analysis
• Backlink Gap
• Keyword Gap

On the other hand, SimilarWeb contains:

• Competitor Tracking
• Keyword Gap 
• Website Performance 
• Similar Sites

SimilarWeb’s Keyword Gap tool shows an overlap graph of keywords that are not ranking well. 

Semrush lets you see where your site and competitors rank for target keywords over time. 

You can quickly get a list of keywords (categorized), CPC, search volume, and KD of your competitors vs your website. This will allow you to quickly gauge how well your keywords are performing against your top competitors. 

Verdict: As mentioned in the off-page capabilities, SimilarWeb lacks major competitor analysis tools. There are a few basic tools that only give an overview of competitors but won’t be helpful for building strategies. On the other hand, Semrush provides an in-depth analysis. 

#5 Local SEO Features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Listing management	No	Yes
Local rankings	No	Yes
Review management	No	Yes

Listing Management Feature of Semrush

Again, this is an area in which Semrush has a clear advantage over SImilarWeb. If your website thrives on local customers, local SEO is what you need to be done. Fortunately, Semrush provides you with robust tools for this purpose too.

Its Listing Management feature can be used to manage the Google My Business listing of your business, while the Local Rankings feature provides you with ideas and suggestions specifically curated for boosting the local SEO of your website and specific web pages.  

Verdict: Semrush measures your SEO score against your competitors for both organic and paid keywords. SimilarWeb doesn’t offer any tool related to local SEO.

#6. Social Media Marketing Features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Posting	No	Yes
Ad campaign creation and management	Yes	Yes
Performance analysis	No	Yes
Social media management	No	Yes
Competitor social tracking	Yes	Yes

Semrush Social Media Tracker

Semrush is not for SEO or SEM only – it includes terrific social media marketing features, too. Not only does it allow you to manage your social media handles, but you can also use it to create posts or manage your ad campaigns.

You can also analyze the performance of your posts as well as your competitors on social media to learn what’s working and what’s not.

SimilarWeb Social Media Tracker

SimilarWeb’s social media tool is not as advanced as Semrush, but it is still a great way to track your social media engagement.

You can also compare the distribution of social media networks of your competitors. However, it lacks core features like a unified inbox and content scheduler. 

Verdict: Semrush not only offers social analytics tools but also allows you to manage all your social media accounts without needing a separate third-party plugin. SimilarWeb only tracks social media engagement vs your competitors. 

#7. Advertising Features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
PPC keyword research	Yes	Yes
Keyword Manager	No	Yes
Keyword gap finder	Yes	Yes
Semantically-linked keyword discovery	Yes	Yes
Competitor campaign analysis	Yes	Yes
Display ad campaign management	Yes	No

Semrush Advertising Research Page

Both Semrush and SimilarWeb provide you with a detailed analysis of your competitor’s advertising campaigns so you can get an idea of how much ad budget you need for a campaign. Both of them also allow you to discover keyword gaps and semantically-linked keywords. However, there are some areas where both of them have a unique advantage over the other. 

Semrush is way better than SimilarWeb when it comes to managing your PPC keywords. Its Keyword Manager allows you to add the desired keywords to various keyword baskets for easier sorting and campaign creation. This functionality is not available in SimilarWeb.

SimilarWeb ad Manager

SimilarWeb, on the other hand, also helps you in creating your display ad campaigns by suggesting ad creatives that are working for your competitors, the channels that they are using to display them, and the estimated costs of running such campaigns.

This makes SimilarWeb an all-rounder when it comes to online advertising campaign management and monitoring. 

Verdict: Both tools offer excellent paid advertising functionality. But if your website completely focuses on organic traffic, my two cents go to Semrush. 

#8. Content Marketing Features

Features	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Content ideas	Yes	Yes
Topic research	No	Yes
Market research	No	Yes
SEO-based writing suggestions	No	Yes
Content audit and analytics	No	Yes
Content marketplace	No	Yes
Post tracking	Yes	Yes
Competitor content and channel analysis	Yes	Yes

Semrush Topic Research Page

Content marketing is also a crucial part of the digital marketing landscape, and both these platforms offer some features to help you with this thing too.  You can identify the top converting marketing channels (i.e. direct, email, social media, etc.) of your competitors using both SimilarWeb and Semrush. You can also get content ideas based on what works and doesn’t work for your industry in both these tools, and you are also allowed to track how your posts and content are performing. 

SimilarWeb Competitor Marketing Channel Overview Page

However, Semrush offers much more than that.  It helps you with topic research and market research, provides SEO-based writing suggestions for your content, and also has a content marketplace from where you can hire writers or copywriters to help you with your content requirements. SimilarWeb doesn’t get you any of that.  

Verdict: SimilarWeb is only able to provide the traffic source of competitors, while Semrush goes beyond that and provides a detailed report. Additionally, Semrush includes many content creation tools and templates that make writing SEO-optimized content a breeze. 

#9. Pricing Plans

Plan	SimilarWeb	Semrush
Base plan	$149 per month	$129.95 per month
Advanced plan	$399 per month	$249.95 per month
Ultimate plan	Custom	$499.95 per month

Looking at the table above, it’s easy to see that SimilarWeb is a costlier choice than Semrush. However, that’s not the ideal way to look at it. For a full picture, you must look at what’s offered in both these plans. So let’s take a look at Semrush plans and their offerings first: 

Semrush Plans

Semrush offers a tiered pricing structure designed to cater to a wide range of users, from individual marketers to large enterprises. Their plans are structured to provide increasing value and functionality as you move up the tiers.

If you are a new user, you can get started with our exclusive Semrush 14-day free trial offer.

And here’s what you get with SimilarWeb in its plans:

SimilarWeb Plans

As you can see, both these platforms have structured their offering in very different manners. While Semrush has made its suite available in a manner that’s more suitable to digital marketing agencies that cater to multiple clients, SimilarWeb has structured its offering in a way that is more suitable for individual business owners and agencies. 

In addition, unlike Semrush, which is more focused on search engine and social media marketing, the SimilarWeb suite is also a 360° digital marketing solution, so it includes many things that are not included in Semrush (e.g., media buying research tools, ad creative research tools, etc.).

Therefore, the higher price is rightly justified, and there’s no clear winner. 

Verdict: Semrush plans are designed to cater to businesses of different sizes, while SimilarWeb’s plans are structured to provide solutions to marketing professionals. Since the target audience is different for both tools, choosing between them depends on the user’s preferences.

SimilarWeb vs Semrush: Data Sources

“Where does this tool get its data?” This question always roams around the user’s head when choosing an SEO tool. So, data reliability is crucial; otherwise, why would one pick one of these expensive tools? Here’s what I found about the data sources of SimilarWeb and Semrush.

SimilarWeb collects data from a range of sources, such as proprietary databases, web crawlers, and third-party providers. The platform combines data from these different sources and then provides accurate and refined metrics for different SEO needs.

Unlike SimilarWeb, Semrush collects data directly from the internet using its own web crawler. The crawler continuously scans the internet to gather information on organic search traffic, page authority, domain authority, keywords, and many more. 

SimilarWeb vs Semrush: Pros & Cons

Here are the pros & cons of SimilarWeb and Semrush.

SimilarWeb Pros

• SimilarWeb extracts data from all the search engines and checks the performance of your website for all of them.
• It has an outgoing traffic analytics tool that gives you an overview of the backlink profile on any website.
• There is a 7-day free trial available for competitive intelligence.
• Digital Marketing intelligence services help you find the right keyword to target and also the best affiliate programs to promote.
• You can create white-label reports for your clients using SimilarWeb’s integrated data.

SimilarWeb Cons

• The pricing structure of SimilarWeb is unclear; you will need to contact sales to get accurate prices.
• SimilarWeb does not offer a dedicated content marketing platform.

Semrush Pros

• Semrush has an in-built website auditing tool that allows you to get detailed insights into any website in seconds.
• Apart from SEO tools, Semrush also offers marketing tools that you can use to grow your business.
• With its backlink auditing tool, you can check the backlink profiles of your competitors and also find the backlink opportunities for your website.
• Semrush also offers a social media toolkit that you can use to get insights into your social media campaigns and how they are performing.
• You can also check your website’s local SEO and see how you can improve it to increase traffic in your region.

Semrush Cons

• No dedicated outbound link analysis tool is available to analyze backlinks one by one.
• Semrush only gathers data from the Google search engine and shows you the data from that only.

Related Read:

• Semrush vs Ahrefs
• SpyFu vs Semrush
• Semrush vs Moz
• SE Ranking vs Semrush

Verdict: Semrush offers more SEO-specific features than Similarweb

After reviewing the key features, strengths, and limitations of both tools, Semrush is undoubtedly a superior tool. But still, some clear differences emerge.

• SimilarWeb excels at website traffic analytics and delivers actionable insights into visitor behavior. Its graph-heavy dashboard provides an intuitive interface for understanding the user’s site reach. 

• Semrush is ideal for conducting in-depth keyword research and tracking ranking positions over time. Its robust toolkit makes it easy to research SEO opportunities and monitor competitors. 

Ultimately, your business needs should drive your choice between these powerful web analytics platforms. The best part is that both tools offer new users a free trial. 

You can give Semrush’s free trial a try and see if it suits your business needs the best!

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