Head to head
Search Atlas vs Semrush
Short answer. These are different categories doing different jobs: Search Atlas is a seo automation platform, Semrush is a seo suite. Comparing them is really a question of which job you need done first. Search Atlas is the cheaper way in at from $99/mo against from $139/mo ($117.33/mo annual). On AI search visibility Semrush is ahead (Tracking against Partial). Choose Search Atlas if you match its target profile: agencies and in-house teams whose bottleneck is shipping SEO changes, not deciding them. Choose Semrush if you match its: sEO professionals, marketers and agencies that need the deepest data and competitive analysis available.
Search Atlas
All-in-one SEO platform whose OTTO agent applies technical fixes, on-page updates, content and link work to a live site rather than only recommending them.
from $99/mo7-day free trial, no credit card required
Visit Search Atlas (opens in a new tab)
Semrush
The broadest SEO and competitive-intelligence suite, now split into an SEO plan and higher tiers that bundle AI search visibility tracking.
from $139/mo ($117.33/mo annual)7-day free trial, plus a permanent free plan
Visit Semrush (opens in a new tab)
Side by side
| Search Atlas | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | SEO automation platform | SEO suite |
| Entry price | from $99/mo | from $139/mo ($117.33/mo annual) |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial, plus a permanent free plan |
| AI search (GEO) | Partial | Tracking |
| Best for | Agencies and in-house teams whose bottleneck is shipping SEO changes, not deciding them. | SEO professionals, marketers and agencies that need the deepest data and competitive analysis available. |
| Integrations | WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Google Search Console, API | Google Search Console, Google Analytics, WordPress, Looker Studio, API, MCP |
| Languages | Multilingual | Multilingual |
Where they actually differ
Ten capabilities, same definition for both tools, taken from each vendor's published documentation. The rows below are only the ones where the two disagree, because those are the rows that decide the purchase.
| Capability | Search Atlas | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Writes content | Yes | Partial |
| Publishes to your CMS | Yes | No |
| AI visibility tracking | Partial | Yes |
| Internal linking | Yes | Partial |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
Pricing compared
Search Atlas: Priced by OTTO projects, AI credits, seats and content pages. White-label is available from the Pro tier.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $99/mo | 1 OTTO SEO project, 500 AI credits, 1 seat, 40 content pages. |
| Growth | $199/mo | 2 OTTO projects, 1,000 AI credits, 3 seats, 100 content pages. |
| Pro | $399/mo | 4 OTTO projects, 2,000 AI credits, 5 seats, 200 content pages, white-label. |
| Agency | $999/mo | 10 OTTO projects, 10,000 AI credits, 10 seats, 500 content pages, unlimited keywords, white-label reporting. |
Semrush: The $139 SEO plan does not include AI visibility. Prompt tracking starts with the $199/mo Starter plan (50 prompts daily), rising to 100 on Pro+ and 200 on Advanced. A free plan exists with no card required.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Limited daily lookups, no credit card required. |
| SEO | $139/mo ($117.33 annual) | 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily, position tracking, site audit. |
| Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199/mo ($165.17 annual) | Adds AI visibility tracking, 50 prompts tracked daily across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. |
| Pro+ | $299/mo ($248.17 annual) | 100 prompts tracked daily plus expanded limits. |
| Advanced | $549/mo ($455.67 annual) | 200 prompts tracked daily, largest limits. |
Entry price is the wrong number to compare on its own. Add seats, add the tier that unlocks the feature you came for, and the gap usually moves. Run both through the stack cost calculator to see the annual figure.
Search Atlas in detail
All-in-one SEO platform whose OTTO agent applies technical fixes, on-page updates, content and link work to a live site rather than only recommending them. OTTO ships AI-oriented technical work (schema, structure, crawlability for AI bots) as part of its automation, but AI-answer prompt tracking is not the headline product.
Strengths
- Closes the gap between recommendation and deployed change
- White-label makes it viable as an agency delivery layer
- 7-day trial with no card required
Limits
- Credit-based pricing makes real monthly cost hard to predict
- Automation applied to a live site needs verification in Search Console
- Broad feature surface means a longer ramp-up than a single-purpose tool
Read the full Search Atlas review →
Semrush in detail
The broadest SEO and competitive-intelligence suite, now split into an SEO plan and higher tiers that bundle AI search visibility tracking. AI visibility is a paid tier rather than an add-on: the $139 SEO plan excludes it, and prompt volume scales with price from 50 to 200 daily.
Strengths
- Deepest dataset and competitive analysis in the category
- Free plan and 7-day trial make evaluation cheap
- AI visibility is native to the platform, not a separate subscription
Limits
- Expensive once you need AI search: the real entry point becomes $199/mo
- Many features gated behind higher tiers or paid add-ons
- Extra seats start at $45/mo
Read the full Semrush review →
How to choose between them
Go with Search Atlas when
- Closes the gap between recommendation and deployed change
- White-label makes it viable as an agency delivery layer
- 7-day trial with no card required
Go with Semrush when
- Deepest dataset and competitive analysis in the category
- Free plan and 7-day trial make evaluation cheap
- AI visibility is native to the platform, not a separate subscription
Whichever way you lean, run the trials on the same brief before you commit: Search Atlas gives you 7-day free trial, no credit card required and Semrush gives you 7-day free trial, plus a permanent free plan. Judging output on your own topic beats any comparison table, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
Search Atlas vs Semrush: which is better?
Neither is better in the abstract. Search Atlas suits agencies and in-house teams whose bottleneck is shipping seo changes, not deciding them. Semrush suits seo professionals, marketers and agencies that need the deepest data and competitive analysis available. Match the tool to the job you actually need done and the answer is usually obvious; if it is not, our tool finder narrows it in about a minute.
Is Search Atlas cheaper than Semrush?
Search Atlas has the lower entry price: from $99/mo against from $139/mo ($117.33/mo annual). Entry price is not total cost though, because both vendors gate features by tier. Compare full plan tables on the pricing comparison.
Which one is better for AI search visibility?
Semrush. AI visibility is a paid tier rather than an add-on: the $139 SEO plan excludes it, and prompt volume scales with price from 50 to 200 daily.
Can I use Search Atlas and Semrush together?
Yes, and plenty of teams do. The common stack pairs a tool that produces work with a tool that measures or researches it, because those two jobs rarely live in the same product. Before you stack, price the combined subscription in the stack cost calculator: two mid-tier tools often cost more than one plan that covers both.
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Last verified 2 August 2026. Prices, plans and features on this page were read on each vendor's own site on that date. Vendors change pricing often, so confirm before you buy. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.