Profound vs SEMrush

Two SEO tools side by side: what each does, what it costs and who it suits.

The verdict Side by side Plans and pricing Who each is for Other options

The verdict

On the data we hold, SEMrush comes out ahead. Here is why, point by point.

What the data says

Both cover 2 of the 2 features we compared.
Both have a free plan, so you can try each before you pay.
Both have an API and an MCP server, so either works with AI employees.
In our SEO ranking, SEMrush places 3 and Profound 7 of 15.

Side by side

Profound and SEMrush compared
6 points compared	Profound	SEMrush
Starts at	Not known yet	€112.52/mo
Free plan	Yes	Yes
API	Yes	Yes
MCP server	Yes	Yes
Brand sentiment analysis	Yes	Yes
Share of voice vs competitors	Yes	Yes
Links	Visit	Visit

Plans and pricing

Profound

Free trialLimited AI Marketer credits and 50 prompts tracked daily for 7 days on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.Free

SEMrush

FreeFor trying the platform: 1 demo project and 10 reports per day, no credit card.Free
SEO5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily; EUR 134 monthly or EUR 112.52 per month billed annually.€134/mo
Starter (SEO + AI Search)Adds AI visibility tracking (50 prompts) and MCP access; EUR 190 monthly or EUR 158.40 per month billed annually.€190/mo
Pro+ (SEO + AI Search)15 websites, 1,500 keywords, 100 prompts; EUR 286 monthly or EUR 238 per month billed annually.€286/mo
Advanced (SEO + AI Search)40 websites, 5,000 keywords, API data integration; EUR 526 monthly or EUR 436.99 per month billed annually.€526/mo

Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.

Who each is for

Choose Profound if…

Marketing, content and PR teams at established brands that run answer engine optimisation next to classic SEO and need to see, fix and track how AI assistants describe their brand.

Visit Read the review

Choose SEMrush if…

Marketing teams, agencies and growth marketers who want keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, rank tracking and now AI search visibility in one subscription.

Visit Read the review

Other options worth a look

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SurferSEO
Optimise your content in real time with recommendations based on top-ranking search results.
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Ahrefs
Combines backlink analysis, keyword research, rank tracking and technical audits built on an extensive web index.
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From €27/moFree plan
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Frase
Research competitors, draft long-form content and optimise it for Google and generative search.
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From $39/mo yearly
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Otterly.AI
Monitor how your brand appears inside AI search results across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI and Copilot.
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From $25/mo yearly
Sign up on Otterly.AI
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Semrush AI Toolkit
Track how your brand appears in AI search answers and measure your share of voice.
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From €94.94/moAffiliate link
Sign up on Semrush AI Toolkit
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Scrunch AI
Monitor how your brand appears in AI search and serve optimised pages to AI crawlers.
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From $250/mo
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