The honest Semrush alternative
A straight comparison — including the parts where Semrushis simply better. If you mainly need domain authority and backlink data, you probably don't need to pay $139.95/mo a month for it.
| Capability | Seoluma | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Domain authority score | Free, unlimited | Paid plan |
| Referring domains list | Free, unlimited | Paid plan |
| Link intersect (competitor gap) | Free | Paid plan |
| Index size | 118M domains, 7.1B links | Larger, proprietary |
| Data freshness | Per Common Crawl release | Continuous crawl |
| Keyword volumes & ideas | Paid plan | Yes |
| PPC / advertising research | No | Yes |
| Rank tracking | Paid plan | Yes |
| Site audit / crawler | Paid plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 | from $139.95/mo |
The data behind the free tools is real
Our authority and backlink numbers are computed from an independent index of 117,963,409 domains and 7.1 billion links — the open Common Crawl web graph, not a marketing estimate. You can read the full authority distribution of the entire web and verify any number yourself.
Backlink & authority data: where the free tier is enough
Most people who open Semrush are checking one of three things: how authoritative a domain is, who links to it, and where the link gaps are versus a competitor. Seoluma does all three free, over an independent 118M-domain index. You lose Semrush's continuous crawl and anchor-text-at-scale, but for auditing a profile or scouting a competitor, the free numbers are enough to act on.
Keywords, PPC and rank tracking: where Semrush pulls ahead
This is the honest gap. Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool, position tracking and advertising research run on data Seoluma's free tier does not provide. If your day is keyword research and paid-search competitive analysis, Semrush earns its price — a free link tool is not a substitute for that side of the product.
The pricing reality
Semrush Pro is $139.95/mo and limits projects, tracked keywords and reports; scaling up means Guru or Business. For a freelancer or small business that checks link data a few times a week, that is a large fixed cost for a fraction of the suite. Seoluma removes that cost for the link side entirely — the paid plan only enters when you want monitoring, audits and rank tracking.
What you are actually paying for
It helps to separate the two halves of a suite like Semrush. One half is cheap to compute — a domain's authority, its referring domains, competitor link gaps — because it's math on a link graph, which is exactly why Seoluma can give it away. The other half genuinely costs money to run: a continuously refreshed keyword database, position tracking, and a proprietary crawl. When you pay Semrush, you're really paying for that second half. So the honest test is simple — if you mostly use the first half, you're overpaying, and the free tools cover you.
Which one should you choose?
- You do keyword research and PPC analysis every day
- You need a continuous crawl and years of historical data
- You want SEO, content and social in one paid login
- You mainly check authority, backlinks and link gaps
- You want it free, with no account or trial countdown
- You value being able to verify the data source yourself
Semrush is the all-in-one marketing suite (SEO, PPC, content and social), from $139.95/mo. If you run search marketing full time and need its full breadth, it earns its price. If you mainly need to check domain authority, referring domains and link gaps — the things most people open Semrush for — Seoluma does those free, with no account and no trial countdown. Use the free tools first; reach for a paid suite when you actually hit their edge.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a truly free Semrush alternative?
Yes for the link and authority side. Seoluma's domain authority checker, backlink checker and link intersect are free with no account and no lookup limits, computed from an open index of 118 million domains. Semrush's keyword and PPC tools have no free equivalent here.
Why can Seoluma give this away when Semrush charges?
Semrush runs its own continuous crawl, which is expensive, so every query costs it money. Seoluma builds on the open Common Crawl web graph, so the marginal cost of a lookup is near zero — which is exactly why the basics can stay free.
Is Seoluma's authority score the same as Semrush's Authority Score?
No. Both compress a link profile into 0–100, but they run on different crawls and formulas, so the exact numbers differ. The shape and ranking hold; use each score's trend within its own tool.
Can I replace Semrush entirely with Seoluma?
If you only use Semrush for domain authority and backlinks, yes. If you rely on its keyword research, rank tracking or PPC tools daily, no — keep Semrush for those and use Seoluma free for the link work.
Related comparisons
Deciding between the paid tools themselves? These independent head-to-heads go deeper: