Free SEO Tools
Which SEO tools a startup can use for free today, how many searches, projects or URLs the free plan covers, which data it gives, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each tool's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . SEO tools change their free limits often: confirm the terms on the tool's page before you rely on it for your keyword research.
SEO tools a startup can use for free today include Ahrefs (Free for verified sites), Google Search Console (Free service from Google), Semrush (Free plan, 10 reports a day), Bing Webmaster Tools (Free SEO/GEO tools and site insights), and Mangools (5 keyword lookups a day, free). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the tool's page that states it, with its main limit, which data it covers, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Search is how most startups get found without paying for every visitor. Google and Bing give their own search consoles for free, and the major keyword, backlink and site audit tools all have a free plan or a trial.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can allow a handful of searches a day, one project or a few tracked keywords, or give full data only for sites you verify you own. Each tool below shows what is free, its main limit, which data it covers, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the tool's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
Keyword and backlink research with a free plan
Keyword ideas, competitors and backlinks, with free searches each day or month.
- 1
Ahrefs
Site owners who want backlink and keyword data free
Ahrefs Free is free for verified websites, with 5,000 crawl credits a month per project. Site Explorer shows which pages and keywords bring organic traffic and who links to your site. The first paid plan, Starter, is $29 a month.
- What's free
- Free for verified sites (source: ahrefs.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $29 a month (source: ahrefs.com)
- 2
Semrush
Marketers who want a broad free toolset to try first
Semrush's free plan gives 10 reports a day across its vital tools, with one demo project and no credit card. The first paid plan, SEO, is $139 a month.
- Main limit
- 1 demo project (source: semrush.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: semrush.com)
- First paid plan
- SEO plan: $139 a month (source: semrush.com)
- 3
Mangools
Solo marketers who need a few keyword lookups a day
Mangools gives 5 keyword lookups per 24 hours free, each with 15 related and 5 competitor keywords. Its free account needs no card. The first paid plan, Basic, is $452.40 a year billed yearly.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: mangools.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $452.40 a year, billed yearly (source: mangools.com)
- 4
Similarweb
Checking a site's traffic before paying for deeper data
Similarweb's Website Traffic Checker is free for any site, with 3 searches a day. It estimates traffic from several data sources.
Start free at SimilarwebTerms read on similarweb.com on Similarweb: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Moz
Link and keyword checks on a free community account
A free Moz Community account gives limited access to MozBar, Keyword Explorer and Link Explorer. The free keyword research tool shows volume and Keyword Difficulty. The entry-level Moz Pro plan is $49 a month.
- What's free
- Free Moz Community account (source: moz.com)
- First paid plan
- Moz Pro entry plan: $49 a month (source: moz.com)
- 6
Ubersuggest
Trying a full SEO suite before paying
Ubersuggest offers a one-time 7-day free trial for monthly subscriptions, covering keywords, site audits and AI visibility.
Start free at UbersuggestTerms read on app.neilpatel.com on Ubersuggest: the free allowance and how to start - 7
SE Ranking
Rank tracking and audits on a full-featured trial
SE Ranking's 14-day free trial is fully functional, with starter usage of up to 10 projects and 750 tracked keywords per day. It needs no credit card.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: seranking.com)
Start free at SE RankingTerms read on seranking.com on SE Ranking: the free allowance and how to start
Site audit, rank tracking and search console tools that are free
Tools that audit your own site and show how it ranks, many of them free.
- 1
Google Search Console
Every site owner who wants Google search data
Google Search Console is a free service that shows which queries bring users to your site, with impressions, clicks and position.
Start free at GoogleTerms read on support.google.com on Google Search Console: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Bing Webmaster Tools
Sites that want Bing and AI search data for free
Bing Webmaster Tools is free, with free SEO and GEO tools to improve your page rankings on Bing search results. Its Keyword Research shows the search volumes for the phrases searchers use.
Start free at MicrosoftTerms read on bing.com on Bing Webmaster Tools: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Seobility
One small site with a few keywords to track
Seobility's free Basic account is free forever, with 1 website project, 10 keywords tracked and a limited website audit of 100 pages per crawl. No credit card is needed.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: seobility.net)
Start free at SeobilityTerms read on seobility.net on Seobility: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Rank Math
WordPress sites that want on-page SEO for free
Rank Math's WordPress plugin is free to download. Analytics data is refreshed every seven days on the free plan, and basic link reports are included.
- What's free
- Free WordPress plugin (source: rankmath.com)
- 5
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Technical audits of sites up to 500 URLs
The free 'lite' version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider needs no sign-up, and its crawl is limited to 500 URLs.
Start free at Screaming FrogTerms read on screamingfrog.co.uk on Screaming Frog SEO Spider: the free allowance and how to start
Also useful for marketing and content
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers SEO tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on daily searches or tracked keywords, or data only for your own verified site, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the tool states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What are the best free SEO tools?
Start with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, which are free. By the terms each tool states, Ahrefs is free for sites you verify, with 5,000 crawl credits a month per site, Semrush's free plan gives 10 reports a day, Mangools 5 keyword lookups a day, and Screaming Frog's free version crawls 500 URLs at a time.
Is Ahrefs free?
Ahrefs is free for sites you verify you own, with 5,000 crawl credits a month per site. Its Starter plan costs $29 a month.
Is Semrush free?
Semrush's free plan gives 10 reports a day and 1 demo project. Its SEO plan costs $139 a month.
Which free tool tracks keyword rankings?
Seobility's free Basic account tracks 10 keywords for 1 project, and Google Search Console shows the queries your site already appears for, for free.
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