Top 7 Similarweb Alternatives for SEO & Competitor Analysis in 2025

Similarweb looks impressive at first glance: traffic insights, competitor analysis, and audience data in a slick dashboard. But once you start using it as an SEO tool, two major problems show up quickly:

1. It’s expensive. The SEO plan starts at $399/month for a single user, making it one of the most expensive SEO tools around.
2. Accuracy has gone downhill. Similarweb claims that it has the most accurate traffic data according to “a recent SparkToro study”… which turns out to be from 2022. A lot can change in 3 years, especially in SEO, and many users are now raising concerns about data accuracy.

The truth is, instead of paying hundreds per month for one broad tool, you can cover all your core needs – often with better accuracy – by combining a few specialist alternatives.

The best Similarweb alternative for keyword research is Answer Socrates because it specializes in question discovery and clustering, giving you cleaner insights for building content around real user intent.

Pair this with other specialist tools for rank tracking and competitive insights, and you’ll have a purpose-built toolkit that outperforms Similarweb at a lower price. Here are my top picks from over 7 years’ hands-on SEO experience:

Top Similarweb Alternatives: Quick Overview

Tool	Best For	Free Plan Details	Starting Price
Answer Socrates	Content marketers & SEOs building topical authority	3 searches/day, 1 recursive, 1 CSV/day, 1,500 clustering credits	Free, then $9/mo
Ahrefs	Link data & advanced SEO metrics	Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (limited)	$129/mo
SpyFu	SEO + PPC competitor research	Limited free/demo searches	$39/mo
Serpstat	All-in-one SEO suite for agencies	7-day free trial	$69/mo
Exploding Topics	Trend discovery & content ideas	Weekly email (free), limited database access	$39/mo
Semrush	Full-stack SEO & marketing teams	10 reports/day, 10 tracked keywords	$119.95/mo
BuzzSumo	Content & PR teams focused on virality	Limited free reports	$199/mo

1. Answer Socrates: Best for Keyword Research & Content Planning

Answer Socrates is the best Similarweb alternative if your goal is growing traffic instead of just monitoring it. 

Answer Socrates’ specialist question-based keyword research helps you plan content around topics people actually want to know about. The keyword clustering shows you which questions belong together to avoid cannibalization.

Pros

• Pulls from Google Suggest, People Also Ask, and Google Trends
• Recursive search reveals follow-up questions
• Keyword clustering builds topical maps
• CSV exports with search volume, CPC, and competition data (even on free plan)
• Extra features: statistics generator, title generator, LLM brand tracker, and trending topics alerts

Cons

• No direct traffic benchmarking like Similarweb
• No backlink monitoring (needs pairing with another SEO tool)
• Limited to Google data sources

Similarweb vs Answer Socrates

At $399/month, Similarweb’s SEO plan is priced for enterprises, not individuals or small teams. Keyword research is only a very small part of Similarweb’s digital marketing data suite, and I have found that specialized tools like Answer Socrates tend to give more usable data with features that really matter to SEOs.

Answer Socrates has over 20 features that Similarweb does not have, including recursive search, keyword clustering, and trending topics discovery.

Recursive questions take you a step beyond your initial search, uncovering topics that users search for next. 

I ran this for ‘teeth whitening’ and it uncovered 403 additional related questions like “Why are my teeth yellow?” and “How to remove stains from teeth”. These are real gems because they don’t contain the seed keyword, and are therefore missed by many other tools.

Keyword clustering takes your keyword list and organizes it into related topics, giving you a guide for planning your content.

For each cluster, you can view the total search volume, competition, and CPC value. All of this data is available at keyword-level on the CSV download, too.

If you want to create content around current affairs, use Answer Socrates’ trending topics tool to see what’s trending in the country and language of your choice.

Jump on these quickly enough, and there’s a good chance of your content going viral as search engines seek out fresh angles.

There are loads of other features for you to explore – these are just a few that I find most useful.

Answer Socrates has a free plan suitable for light daily use, with paid plans starting from $9/month. This leaves plenty of budget for a backlink or rank-tracking tool to complete your toolkit

Pricing

• Free: 3 searches/day, 1 recursive search, 1 CSV/day, 1,500 clustering credits
• Lite ($9/mo): 100 searches, 30 recursive, unlimited CSVs, SEO metrics
• Seneca ($29/mo): 500 searches, 100 recursive, 12,000 clustering credits, SEO metrics
• Aurelius ($49/mo): Unlimited searches, 500 recursive, 40,000 clustering credits, SEO metrics

2. Ahrefs: Best for Link Data

Ahrefs is one of the most trusted SEO platforms, best known for its massive backlink index, SERP analysis, and accurate organic & paid keyword data.

Pros

• Industry-leading backlink database
• Keyword Explorer with “Parent Topic” grouping
• Site Explorer for competitor keyword tracking and SERP features
• Historical data for traffic and rankings

Cons

• Expensive for small businesses or solo creators
• Doesn’t provide multi-channel traffic estimates (paid, referral, display)
• Learning curve for new users

Similarweb vs Ahrefs

With the exception of certain audience demographic insights, Ahrefs provides all the same information that Similarweb does. Even though it’s considered one of the more premium SEO tools at $129/month, it’s still a bargain compared to Similarweb’s SEO plan.

Ahrefs’ competitive analysis lets you compare sites in different ways, including organic search, content gap analysis, and backlink comparison.

You can view detailed organic and paid traffic insights for any of your competitors, and find keywords that they are ranking for and you are not.

What about that SparkToro study that found Similarweb was most accurate? Well, turns out they were not comparing like-for-like. At the time, Ahrefs only gave organic traffic estimates and the study compared these with other tools that included all traffic sources. Naturally, Ahrefs’ organic search estimates were found to be a long way off actual total traffic of the websites analyzed.

Although SparkToro has apologized for this error on its original post, the study remains live and Similarweb continues to cite it several years later.

Anyway, if you need to build links, analyze SERPs, and understand why competitors are ranking, Ahrefs is far more actionable than a broad traffic dashboard.

Pricing

• Lite ($129/mo): 5 projects, 750 keywords, 100k crawl credits
• Standard ($249/mo): 20 projects, 2,000 keywords, 500k crawl credits
• Advanced ($449/mo): 50 projects, 5,000 keywords, 1.5M crawl credits
• Enterprise ($1,499/mo): API, SSO, unlimited projects

3. SpyFu: Best for SEO + PPC Competitor Research

SpyFu positions itself as a practical, lower-cost competitor research tool. Where Similarweb shows broad traffic sources, SpyFu gives you tactical visibility into which keywords competitors rank for and which ads they’re running.

Pros

• SEO and PPC keyword overlap reports
• Competitor ad history with estimated budgets
• Domain comparison and shared keyword sets
• Affordable pricing tiers

Cons

• Smaller keyword and ad database than enterprise tools
• User interface feels dated
• Not ideal for large-scale audits

Similarweb vs SpyFu

Similarweb gives an “all-in-one” view of traffic that can be overkill for smaller brands and sites. SpyFu focuses on the details that matter most: you won’t see multi-channel traffic estimates, but you will see competitor ad spend, keyword rankings, and domain overlaps at a fraction of the cost of Similarweb.

For hybrid SEO/PPC marketers, SpyFu is often more practical. At just $39/month, it delivers tactical data without a ton of superfluous features.

Pricing

• Basic ($39/mo): Unlimited searches, 10k row exports
• Pro ($79/mo): Extended historical data, API, 30k row exports
• Team ($299/mo): 5 user logins, 200k row exports

4. Serpstat: Best All-in-One Suite

Serpstat is a budget-friendly all-in-one SEO suite covering keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and audits. It doesn’t match premium tools in raw data size, but it offers a strong feature mix for far less than Similarweb.

Pros

• Keyword trends and SERP analysis
• Backlink tracking and site audit tools
• Regional and device-based rank tracking
• API access and collaboration features

Cons

• User interface can feel clunky
• Less beginner-friendly than other tools
• Data depth lags behind Semrush and Ahrefs

Similarweb vs Serpstat

At $399/month, Similarweb is priced like an enterprise suite. But many teams only need SEO-specific features, and Serpstat delivers those at a fraction of the cost.

While it doesn’t claim to benchmark all traffic channels, Serpstat gives you everything you need for a solid SEO strategy: rank tracking, backlink audits, and keyword research.

For agencies or startups, the combination of features and value makes Serpstat a more versatile choice than overpaying for Similarweb’s broad – but potentially unreliable – traffic data.

If you need deeper keyword insights, use Answer Socrates in addition to Serpstat’s keyword research feature and then run a clustering report on the combined list.

Pricing

• Individual ($69/mo): 5 projects, 100 daily searches, 10k position checks
• Team ($129/mo): Unlimited projects, 500 daily searches, API access
• Agency ($499/mo): 5,000 daily searches, 500k position checks, white-label reports

5. Exploding Topics: Best for Trend Discovery

Exploding Topics isn’t a direct traffic intelligence tool like Similarweb. Instead, it helps you spot emerging topics and niches before they become saturated. For marketers who used Similarweb at a high level for idea generation, this is a more focused and affordable option.

Pros

• Identifies early-stage trends across dozens of industries
• Clean, simple dashboards with topic timelines
• Weekly reports on fast-rising keywords and themes
• Great for brainstorming new content or products

Cons

• No traffic estimates or SEO metrics
• Limited filters for advanced analysis
• Full trend database requires a paid subscription

Similarweb vs Exploding Topics

Whereas Similarweb uses various data sources to estimate traffic volumes from different channels, Exploding Topics shows which searches and niches are heating up right now, so you can move early.

It goes beyond most top trending topic software with a predictive model that helps spot trends up to 12 months before they appear on other tools.

These insights can prove invaluable for content marketers, startups, and DTC brands. You can explore category trends for free on the website, but the real value comes from the more granular topic tracking that’s included with paid plans (starting from $39/month).

Pricing

• Entrepreneur ($39/mo): Access to trend database, 100 tracked topics
• Investor ($99/mo): Expanded database, 500 tracked topics, startup tracking
• Business ($249/mo): 2,000 tracked topics, API access, custom trend reports

6. Semrush: Best All-in-One Marketing Suite

Semrush is one of the most comprehensive SEO and marketing platforms available, offering tools for keywords, PPC, content, technical audits, backlinks, and even social media. For teams that want everything in one place, it’s one of the strongest alternatives to Similarweb.

Pros

• 50+ tools covering SEO, PPC, and content marketing
• Keyword Magic Tool and competitive domain gap analysis
• Technical site audits and backlink monitoring
• Reporting features for agencies, including white-label options

Cons

• Expensive for smaller businesses
• Learning curve due to the sheer range of tools
• Some features require higher-tier plans

Similarweb vs Semrush

Semrush offers a full suite of SEO and marketing tools for less than a third of the price of Similarweb’s less comprehensive SEO plan.

Similarweb may offer traffic share estimates across more channels, but Semrush’s keyword, backlink, and competitor analysis tools are more accurate and actionable for building growth strategies.

If you want a single login to manage SEO, PPC, and content campaigns, Semrush is the clear enterprise-grade option. Although it’s more expensive than some of its competitors, Semrush still offers great value compared to Similarweb.

Pricing

• Pro ($119.95/mo): 5 projects, 500 tracked keywords, 3,000 reports/day
• Guru ($229.95/mo): 15 projects, 1,500 keywords, historical data, Looker Studio integration
• Business ($449.95/mo): 40 projects, 5,000 keywords, API access, white-label reports

7. BuzzSumo: Best for Content & PR Insights

BuzzSumo focuses less on traffic estimates and more on content performance across social media, backlinks, and influencer shares. If Similarweb helps you understand traffic at a high level, BuzzSumo helps you understand what’s actually engaging audiences.

Pros

• Identifies top-performing content in any niche
• Tracks social shares across platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit
• Influencer database for PR and outreach campaigns
• Backlink insights tied to content virality

Cons

• No direct traffic estimation or rank tracking
• Pricing can feel steep for small teams
• Not designed for technical SEO

Similarweb vs BuzzSumo

Similarweb shows you where a site’s traffic is coming from, but BuzzSumo shows you which content is actually getting shared and linked to.

For PR teams, content marketers, and digital outreach specialists, that’s often more actionable than top-level traffic estimates or relying on journalist alerts like HARO.

At $199/month, BuzzSumo is still pricey, but it delivers a depth of content and influencer data that Similarweb doesn’t.

Pricing

• Content Creation ($199/mo): 1 user, content discovery features
• PR & Comms ($299/mo): Adds journalist database, 5 users
• Suite ($499/mo): 10 users, extended data and monitoring
• Enterprise ($999/mo): 30 users, API access, premium support

Final Verdict: The Best Similarweb Alternative

Here’s a quick rundown of my top picks, each with different strengths depending on your exact needs:

• Answer Socrates (Best for keyword research and clustering): Helps you build traffic with question-based keywords, clustering, and trend discovery.
• Ahrefs (Best for link data): World-class backlink and SERP analysis and organic keyword insights.
• SpyFu (Best for SEO + PPC competitor research): Affordable competitor ad history and keyword overlap tracking.
• BuzzSumo (Best for content & PR insights): Focused on social sharing, influencer data, and viral content analysis.

I, personally, use Answer Socrates for unparalleled keyword discovery and clustering for content planning. Then I use Ahrefs to cover most of my other day-to-day needs as an SEO.

But if you don’t have the budget for Ahrefs, there are cheaper alternatives that do a decent job.

FAQs

Is Similarweb really worth paying for?

For most marketers, not really. The SEO plan costs $399/month, but reports suggest traffic accuracy has slipped in recent years. Unless you need broad, multi-channel traffic estimates at an enterprise level, you’ll get better value from combining a few specialist tools.

What is the best free Similarweb alternative?

The best free alternative to Similarweb is Answer Socrates. Its free plan includes 3 keyword searches/day, recursive search, CSV exports, and clustering credits – all far more actionable than Similarweb’s limited free version.

Which paid tools are better than Similarweb?

For SEO and competitor analysis, Ahrefs and Semrush both provide accurate, actionable data. For PPC and ad insights, SpyFu is a cheaper, tactical option. And for content-focused teams, BuzzSumo and Exploding Topics give you insights Similarweb doesn’t.

Is Answer Socrates better than Similarweb?

If your priority is growing organic traffic, yes. Answer Socrates focuses on the questions, keywords, and topics that drive content strategy, rather than broad traffic estimates.

Does Similarweb give accurate traffic estimates?

Not consistently. Independent reviews note that Similarweb often overestimates traffic for small and mid-sized sites, and data updates can lag. Its widely cited 2022 SparkToro study has been criticized for flawed methodology when comparing against Ahrefs.