Semrush vs Moz for SEO audits — and the check neither covers.
Semrush has the deeper toolset and costs more ($139.95/month). Moz Pro is easier to learn and cheaper to start ($59/month). Both audit crawl errors, backlinks and on-page health. Neither site audit tells you whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews cite your brand — that’s the check AuditAE runs, at 5–12¢ per check.
Prices checked July 2026 · verify before you buy
Which one for audits?
Pick Semrushif the audit is one part of a bigger job: keyword research, competitor gaps, content planning and rank tracking in one place. It’s the deeper tool, and you pay for that.
Pick Moz Proif you want a clear audit and page-optimization suggestions you can hand to a writer, at a lower price. Domain Authority is the metric clients recognize, though it’s a Moz score, not a Google one.
Then check AI search separately.A clean audit and a top-10 ranking don’t mean AI engines cite you. Ranking and being cited are measured separately, so pair either tool with an AI-citation check.
Semrush vs Moz Pro.
AuditAE is in the table for the last row. For deep technical audits of large sites, Semrush or Moz is the right tool; AuditAE covers the AI-answer layer.
| Feature | Semrush | Moz Pro | AuditAE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $139.95/month | $59/month (~$39 annual) | 5–12¢ per check, no subscription |
| Site audit depth | Deep, large sites | Solid, smaller index | Technical audit + 25/100-page crawl |
| Keyword & competitor research | Deepest of the two | Good, refreshes less often | Rank tracking + content gap |
| Backlinks | Large index | Domain Authority metric | Authority snapshot |
| Ease of use | Big surface, steeper | Gentlest on-ramp | Prompts in, report out |
| AI-answer citation tracking | Separate toolkit, $99/month per domain | Not a core feature | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews |
Sources: semrush.com and moz.com pricing pages, checked July 2026. Vendors reshuffle plans often — verify before you buy.
Does AI search cite your brand?
One prompt × four engines. No signup, no card — share-of-voice panel in about three minutes.
Questions worth asking.
Direct answers on Semrush, Moz Pro and AI search.
Semrush is better if you want the deepest keyword and competitive research alongside the site audit, starting at $139.95/month. Moz Pro is better if you want a tool that's easier to learn and cheaper to start, at $59/month on the Starter plan. Both find crawl errors, broken links and on-page issues well.
Yes. Moz Pro Starter is $59/month billed monthly (about $39 on annual billing). Semrush starts at $139.95/month, with higher tiers at $199, $299 and $549, and extra users and domains cost more. Prices were checked in July 2026.
Not from the site audit. Crawl-based audits check technical health, not whether AI engines name you. Semrush sells a separate AI Visibility Toolkit at $99/month per domain with 25 prompts. Moz Pro doesn't make AI-answer tracking a core feature. AuditAE checks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews at 5–12¢ per check, with no subscription.
No. Ranking and AI citation are measured separately. AI engines often cite pages outside the top 10 Google results, and a clean site audit doesn't guarantee ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews name your brand. Check both.
Not for large technical SEO audits. AuditAE includes a homepage technical audit, Core Web Vitals, rank tracking, backlink snapshots and site crawls of 25 or 100 pages, but Semrush and Moz Pro go deeper on keyword research and big-site crawls. Most teams pair one of them with AuditAE for AI-citation tracking.
Audit the layer site audits miss.
Run your buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. $5 free credit lands the second you sign up. No card, no subscription.
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More comparisons: the 6 best Semrush alternatives, or AuditAE vs Semrush AI Visibility.