SEMrush vs Moz: Which SEO Tool is Better in 2023?

Do you want to skip the read and get right to our pick? SEMrush is our choice in this SEMrush vs Moz battle of SEO Tools.

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Introduction to our SEMrush vs Moz Comparison Test

Moz or SEMrush are easily the best tools known to anyone in the SEO world. If you’re in the market for a robust SEO tool that helps your website and other digital assets rank well in the search engines, you can bet these two are the worthiest options.

But how do you compare which performs better and which suits your needs best? How to decide between SEMrush vs Moz?

We are a company responsible for managing the websites of many UK-based businesses, so we write this comparative review with our testing and experience in mind.

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Overview: Which SEO tool is better?

Before we take another step, here are SEMrush vs Moz in a nutshell:

SEMrush:

As one of the big names in SEO, this software has come a long way since Dmitry Melnikov and Oleg Schchegolev developed it in 2008. It now has 7 million users globally and is consistently a top choice among digital marketers worldwide. This tool is an all-in-one solution to your SEO needs, with keyword research, competitor analysis, site audit and link building features in one software.

Moz:

Moz pioneered what we now know as the art of search engine optimisation (SEO). Starting as SEOmoz in 2004, its founders Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig have led the evolution of the software. It is now one of the most popular and highly-rated SEO platforms in the market.

Either Moz or SEMrush promises to provide you with the right kind of tools to optimise your search engine visibility. While they are different in many ways, both Moz SEMrush provide you with insight that you could use to your advantage.

• Content that lures traffic
• Pinpoint backlink opportunities
• Improve technical aspects of your page so that you can frontline the search engine results

In this review, we will look at how SEMrush vs Moz fares in terms of ease of use, features, support and resources, and pricing.

Let’s get right to it!

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Ease of Use:

The term search engine optimisation (SEO) alone is enough to catch anyone off guard. It sounds very technical and intimidating. If we’re being blunt, SEO takes some expertise and focus for anyone to really maximise each tool fully. Of course, if the software itself rates on the usability aspect, this makes it even harder for a digital marketer or website owner to appreciate.

So – here are our two competitors –  SEMrush vs Moz – on ease of use.

SEMrush:

What takes the cake is SEMrush’s clean layout and logical interface. Menus are presented logically and the dashboard is intuitive, making it easy for you to find what you need. Moreover, SEMrush offers an “at a glance” presentation of all relevant SEO metrics you need. Unlike Moz SEMrush has excellent data visualization, edging over its competitor for ease of use.

Moz:

Of the two SEO tools, Moz is the less intuitive option. We’re not saying that it’s impossible to use the software. However, its layout makes it tedious for you to locate buttons. It takes time for you to get the hang out of where the data you need can be accessed.

Winner – SEMrush! In this ‘Ease of use’ category of the SEMrush vs Moz comparison.

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SEMrush vs Moz Features:

If you look at Moz Semrush closely, you’ll realise that they’re both capable of performing the following:

• Keyword suggestions and content ideas
• Do competitive analysis
• Inform you how difficult it is to rank for specific keywords or phrases
• Do an SEO audit of your site to find out how you can improve
• Find websites you can secure backlinks from

Next, we’ll evaluate in detail how Moz vs Semrush measure up against each other in terms of keyword research, domain analysis, site audit, and backlink analysis.

Keyword Research:

An excellent keyword research tool gives you insight into the search volume on a specific keyword, tells you the difficulty in ranking for a keyword, identifies who ranks on such keyword, and obtains suggestions on alternative keywords you can rank for.

In our view, Moz SEMrush is superior in keyword research.

SEMrush:

Moz SEMrush have varying ways of presenting the results of their keyword research. For instance, SEMrush indicates keyword difficulty (KD) with a percentage score, always with two decimal points. Therefore, if you compare KD scores in Moz SEMrush’s comes out as higher because Moz always indicates a whole number.

As a result, you can say that you'll get more precision from SEMrush than you would with Moz. This is particularly helpful when you’re trying to rank for uber-competitive niches.

Moz:

Whether using Moz or SEMrush, doing keyword research is a breeze. Just type a keyword in the “keyword overview” section and you’ll get insight in a snap. The tool will give you information on search volume, KD score, sites that rank for the keyword, and suggestions of related keywords.

What sets Moz apart from SEMrush is its keyword priority score. This is an aggregate score that informs you which keywords you should pay attention to first, allowing you to take advantage of low-hanging fruit.

It’s also important to note that between Moz or SEMrush, their keyword research is based mostly on Google.

Domain Analysis:

If you want to check on your competitors, domain analysis will do the trick. You can also perform domain analysis on your website to see how you’re doing. Moz or SEMrush offers a domain analysis tool that gives you a snapshot of any domain’s SEO metrics and overall online presence.

You can conduct domain analysis in SEMrush vs Moz by entering a URL into the domain overview search bar. Afterwards, the tool generates a variety of metrics, including:

• Authority score
• Number of external links
• Number of keywords the site ranks for
• Commonly used anchor texts
• Competitor domains

SEMrush:

Performing domain analysis with SEMrush is uncomplicated. Just head over to the ‘Domain Overview' section and you'll get relevant insight on a domain's monthly traffic. Remember that the metrics presented are estimates and are better construed as trends rather than as accurate figures.

For instance, traffic estimates generated by the domain analysis can tell you, as a marketer, which between sites A or B have a higher traffic volume over time.

Aside from being the easier domain analysis tool over Moz Semrush also has a nifty and unique feature – its competitive positioning map. 

We find this to be a groundbreaking feature because it gives you a direct snapshot of a site's competitors at a glance.

Moz:

Comparing Moz Pro vs SEMrush domain analysis, the former's tool is less user-friendly. Unlike SEMrush where the feature is parked in an easy-to-spot location, Moz's counterpart is divided into two features, namely ‘Keyword Research' and ‘Link Research.' As a result, you need to switch over these options to obtain the metrics you need.

While the analysis with Moz Pro vs SEMrush is equally impressive, the process can get a bit tedious. Unlike SEMrush which has a competitive positioning map, you'll have to set up a campaign to analyse two competing domains. Moreover, accessing this type of feature will also depend on what plan you are on.

Site Audit:

If you didn't already know, a site audit lets you evaluate how search engine-friendly specific elements in your website are. From there, you can find weak spots and improve your website, hopefully, to get more Google love!

The most common issues that site auditing can flag include:

• Duplicate content
• Missing headings
• Crawl errors
• Keyword stuffing

So which between Moz Pro vs SEMrush has a better site audit function?

SEMrush:

While both Moz Pro vs SEMrush offers useful suggestions to help improve your site's technical and on-page SEO, SEMrush again edges its competitor in terms of usability. Like its domain analysis feature, it gives you information with the least amount of clicks.

If you compare SEO Moz vs SEMrush, the latter's on-page checker alone gives it an undeniable edge. What it does is crawl through your site and present you with a list of urgent issues that you can improve, in descending order. For instance, SEMrush can pinpoint which keywords you can add, improving meta descriptions and copy, what websites you can contact for backlinking, word length, and others.

Moz has its counterpart page grader tool, as well, but again – it's not as user-friendly as SEMrush's.

Moz:

This SEO tool also performs well in site audits, particularly with its page grader tool. You can use this tool even with a Moz free trial. The Moz page grader only requires you to enter a URL, and voila! It spots on-page SEO errors and recommends fixes using a priority checklist.

Yet as stated earlier, between the two software, Moz Pro vs SEMrush, the latter is easier to use and has better visualisation tools. Moz has a fragmented site auditing feature compared to SEMrush which has all its site auditing tools in one place.

Backlinks:

You may think that as long as you have great SEO-friendly content, then you're all set to conquer the search engine rankings. Think again.

While organic traffic will go a long way, the number of backlinks you have (outside sites linking to yours) matters a great deal. A powerful SEO tool can help you gain insight into your backlink profile as well as help you build new backlinks.

So which between SEMrush vs Moz can get your backlinks in order?

SEMrush:

When it comes to backlink research, size matters. For SEMrush, they reveal that they have more than 20 billion keywords 808 million domain profiles (as of writing). To do backlink analysis, you only have to enter a domain name and the tool automatically generates all backlinks it finds.

Having this massive database gives you a whole lot of information about backlinks, and this gives SEMrush a serious edge over its rival.

SEMrush also presents an organised and more detailed report than Moz. It displays the following information:

• number of ‘dofollow' and ‘nofollow' links
• new versus lost domains
• anchor text used

What's really most informative about SEMrush is that it provides data segregation in its backlink profile, including by country, industry, and the number of ‘toxic' links which point to a website. Moz, too, has a feature that identifies ‘toxic links.'

Moz:

Moz claims a backlink database of 40.7 trillion links. This does appear to give Moz the upper hand in terms of backlink research. Like SEMrush, Moz also helps you locate broken links and discover link-building opportunities.

However, in terms of the quality of backlink reports between Moz Pro vs SEMrush, we prefer the latter's presentation better. The visualisation with SEMrush is more attractive and easier to comprehend if you compare Moz SEMrush.

Nevertheless, to us, Moz has an edge with its Link Intersect feature. With it, you can easily compare the backlinks that point to you and your competitor. You can export a list of websites that link to your rivals but not yet to you. This allows you to do outreach with such websites and request backlinks.

When pitting SEMrush vs Moz in a similar feature, SEMrush allows comparison to up to four websites while Moz allows five.

Winner – SEMrush! in this ‘Features' section of our SEMrush vs Moz Pro comparison. It's a neck-and-neck battle, but SEMrush is the more coherent and intuitive SEO tool.

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Support and Resources:

SEO is not a walk in the park. It demands expertise, technical know-how, and lots of practice. We consider it an art, therefore, we always recommended hiring an SEO expert if you want your sites to rank well.

Nevertheless, if you're performing your own SEO using either Moz SEMrush, having competent support comes in handy. When it comes to getting help promptly, which fares better – Moz or SEMrush?

When it comes to the number of support channels, SEMrush beats Moz in a Moz Pro vs SEMrush battle. SEMrush gives support via 3 channels (chat, phone, and email). In comparison, Moz only provides email support.

Winner – SEMrush! A clear winner in this Moz or SEMrush ‘Support and Resources' comparison.

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SEMrush vs Moz Pricing:

With any software, it's always best to compare value for money, instead of just looking at the price tag. Which between Moz Pro vs SEMrush gives you better bang for your buck?

SEMrush:

What's clear is that when you put Moz Pro vs SEMrush side by side, they are more expensive than other tools in the SEO community. Given that knowledge is power, the amount and quality of competitive intelligence that Moz or SEMrush can provide justifies its pricing structure.

With SEMrush, you can choose among four pricing options, the cheapest at $119.95 per month (Pro) and the most expensive at $449.95 per month (Business). A 16% discount awaits you if you subscribe to the annual billing.

>> Click for the latest SEMrush pricing plans today <<

SEMrush Free trial/refund policy/money-back guarantee:

If you think SEMrush pricing is steep, don't despair. There's usually a 7-day SEMrush free trial available but with our link you can extend for another 7 days to a total of 14 days Pro Version SEMrush free trial. Also if you need, a 7-day money-back guarantee is stated on their terms of service page, which you can request through [email protected].

Moz:

Meanwhile, Moz has a more diverse pricing structure, bringing you 5 plans in all. The cheapest plan (Standard) will cost you $79 per month (on annual billing) and the priciest (Premium) at $479 per month. Like SEMrush, it also has a bespoke enterprise plan.

However, when taking Moz SEMrush side by side, Moz is more generous when it comes to discounts, allowing as much as 20% discount for yearly subscriptions. Moreover, confirmed from the terms page, it provides a whopping 30-day free trial.

>> click for the latest Moz pricing plans today <<

Moz free trial/refund policy/money-back guarantee:

A 30-day Moz free trial is currently available for new subscribers. Terms page states refunds are possible on a case to case basis.

Winner – Moz! By a hairline, Moz wins this Moz Pro vs SEMrush ‘Pricing' comparison, because of its generous discount and free trial offering.

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Comparison Winner: Moz or SEMrush?

To wrap this review up, who wins between Moz SEMrush? Both are undoubtedly the crème de la crème in SEO tools, but upon close analysis, we yield to SEMrush as Comparison Winner.

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Conclusion and Recommendation to our SEMrush vs Moz Review:

Who is SEMrush best used for?

SEMrush is best used for digital marketing professionals and businesses, especially in the fields of search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and content marketing. SEMrush offers a comprehensive suite of tools for competitor research, keyword analysis, backlink monitoring, and website analytics, making it a valuable tool for any company looking to improve their online visibility and increase traffic to their website.

Who is Moz best used for?

MOZ is best used for digital marketers and SEO professionals in various industries, including e-commerce, travel, finance, healthcare, education, and more. MOZ offers a suite of tools for keyword research, backlink analysis, site auditing, and competitor analysis, helping businesses improve their online visibility, ranking, and performance.

Moz or SEMrush Alternatives:

Here's a list of the best Moz pro vs SEMrush alternatives:

• Moz vs SEMrush vs Ahrefs: Ahrefs is arguably better at backlink analysis and tracking compared to Moz and Semrush. It has the largest backlink database in the industry and provides in-depth analysis of backlink profiles and backlink metrics such as the number of unique linking domains and the total number of backlinks, linking root domains, and more.

SEMrush vs Moz Final Word

Based on our specific criteria, SEMrush edges Moz Pro in this battle of the SEO tools.

However, remember that any software you choose should be aligned with what your business or enterprise requires. There is a wealth of options out there – so we advise that you look further than these two – SEMrush vs Moz – and trial for yourself.

>> Try SEMrush for Free <<

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That’s all for now:

If you've read our SEMrush vs Moz comparison up to here, we are grateful. Remember always to keep abreast of the latest developments on Best SEO Tools, website builders, eCommerce, and other SEMrush Moz alternative comparison articles and guides such as;

• SEMrush vs Ahrefs

Please share any comments below!