Which SEO Tool Wins for Keyword Research, Backlinks, AI Features and Pricing?

As search evolves with AI overviews, generative results and zero-click SERPs dominating 2026, marketers and agencies continue debating between Semrush and Moz Pro — two veteran platforms that remain staples for SEO professionals. Semrush, the all-in-one digital marketing suite, edges ahead in breadth, data volume and AI visibility tracking, while Moz Pro holds ground with simplicity, lower entry pricing and strong domain authority metrics.

Both tools updated interfaces and added AI enhancements in late 2025 and early 2026, reflecting industry shifts toward prompt tracking, LLM visibility and generative engine optimization (GEO). Recent head-to-head reviews from DemandSage (February 2026), Style Factory (January 2026) and Seologist (February 2026) highlight Semrush as the overall leader for professional teams, agencies and growth-focused users, while Moz appeals to beginners, small businesses and those prioritizing crawl limits and affordability.

Keyword Research and Database Size

Semrush maintains the world’s largest keyword database at over 27.9 billion keywords, dwarfing Moz’s 1.25 billion. This gap translates to deeper suggestion volume, more accurate difficulty scores and better long-tail discovery. Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool delivers millions of ideas per seed term, with advanced filters for intent, questions and AI Overviews visibility. Moz’s Keyword Explorer offers solid fundamentals — search volume, difficulty and priority scores — but caps suggestions (often around 1,000 per query on lower plans) and lacks Semrush’s real-time trend depth.

In 2026 testing, Semrush shows 89% correlation to actual ranking difficulty, outperforming Moz in predictive accuracy for competitive niches. Both track rankings, but Semrush supports more keywords per project (up to thousands on higher tiers) and integrates AI prompt visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews), a feature Moz offers only in basic keyword intent form.

Backlink Analysis and Authority Metrics

Moz edges Semrush slightly in backlink index size (45.8 trillion vs Semrush’s 43 trillion+), and its Domain Authority (DA) remains a trusted third-party metric despite criticism for volatility. Semrush counters with Authority Score (AS), which factors trust flow, citation flow and more, often producing different results from DA or Ahrefs’ DR. Reddit discussions in early 2026 highlight ongoing debates: same domain may show low AS but strong DA/DR, reflecting different weighting.

Semrush excels in link-building workflows — prospecting, outreach templates, toxic link detection and historical data — while Moz focuses on cleaner, easier-to-interpret link explorer views. For agencies managing outreach at scale, Semrush’s CRM-style tools and API access provide an advantage.

Site Audits, Technical SEO and Crawl Limits

Semrush crawls more pages per project on mid-tier plans and offers deeper technical audits, including Core Web Vitals integration, log file analysis and mobile performance checks. Moz provides generous crawl limits even on lower plans (e.g., 100,000 pages/week on Standard), making it less restrictive for large sites early on.

Both deliver actionable fix lists, but Semrush’s On-Page SEO Checker and Content Analyzer integrate AI suggestions more aggressively.

AI and Emerging Search Features

Semrush leads decisively in 2026 with dedicated AI Visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and traditional SERPs. Users monitor brand mentions in generative responses, prompt performance and LLM citations — critical as zero-click and AI-driven search grows. Moz offers limited keyword-based AI intent research but lacks comprehensive tracking.

Pricing Comparison (2026)

Moz remains more affordable at entry level:

• Starter: $49/month (new 2026 plan, ideal for one site)
• Standard: $99/month
• Medium: $179/month
• Large: $299/month
• Premium: $599/month

Semrush structures pricing around toolkits or the flagship Semrush One (combining SEO + AI Visibility):

• Pro: $139.95/month
• Guru: $249.95/month
• Business: $499.95/month
• Semrush One Starter: $199/month
• Pro+: $299/month
• Advanced: $549/month

Annual billing saves 15-20%. Moz wins for solo users or small budgets; Semrush justifies higher cost for agencies and multi-channel teams.

User Ratings and Verdict

Semrush averages 4.6/5 across 2,300+ reviews (Capterra, G2), praised for depth but critiqued for complexity. Moz scores 4.5/5 from 349 reviews, lauded for usability but seen as less comprehensive.

Verdict: Semrush wins for most professional use cases in 2026 — larger data, AI tools, PPC/social integration and scalability. Moz suits beginners, budget-conscious users or those needing simple, crawl-heavy workflows.

Both offer free trials: Semrush 7-14 days, Moz 30 days. Test both to match your workflow.