BrightEdge vs. Semrush

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BrightEdge
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
BrightEdge is an enterprise-level SEO (Search Engine Optimization) platform from the company of the same name in San Mateo, California. It includes customizable dashboards, reporting, forecasting, SEO recommendations, backlink management and competitive analysis. It covers local, global, mobile, social and content centric SEO. Presently BrightEdge's platform supports the marketing efforts of many well-brands, like Nike, Microsoft, and Netflix.
$0
per month
Semrush
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Semrush is a relatively popular search engine optimization tool set from the company of the same name based in Pennsylvania and founded in 2008. Largely the platforms relies on competitive intelligence, and features SEO staples like backlink checking, keyword analysis to refine SEO and PPC campaigning and locate low-cost / high-yield keywords, analysis of competitors who co-occupy desired ad and listing spaces, domain vs. domain analysis, as well as site audit and domain tracking. Semrush can…
$129
per month
Pricing
BrightEdgeSemrush
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Pro
$129.95
per month
Guru
$249.95
per month
Business
$499.95
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BrightEdgeSemrush
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details17% discount for annual pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BrightEdgeSemrush
Considered Both Products
BrightEdge
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge has been around longer and you can be trained/certified within the scope of work plus very large companies trust BrightEdge. SEMRush does a lot of the same tasks but has a little less content.
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge is a more robust program and offers better analytics in real time. It is worth the money if you are using it a lot. Semrush offers a lot of great information and functionality, but it cannot offer the depth of BrightEdge. Ubersuggest is better for beginners or …
Chose BrightEdge
I see a lot of similarities with the other two products. Personally, I think a big aspect of using BrightEdge is familiarity with the platform. Just like any of these SEO tools, the value from these comes with how efficient users can be with the interface. BrightEdge has a …
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge is much more advanced than Moz or SpyFu. The amount of tools is staggering and simply surpasses the others with their offering.
Chose BrightEdge
Overall the best tool I’ve used. Missing parts that I like from other tools like search intent category, content writing AI, etc. but as an experienced SEO I really love it.
Chose BrightEdge
While relatively expensive, Brightedge really does offer the best quality product but just as importantly (if not more so) the level of client/agency support. We have biweekly training with the entire team to continually stay up to date on Brightedge's offerings and strategies. …
Chose BrightEdge
I found the folks at Conductor to be very slimy and spent more time saying bad things about other platforms rather than good things about what they do. Very deceptive and their platform is underwhelming.
Chose BrightEdge
Multiple great experiences with the Client Success team. It always felt like they are an extension of the team that helps drive noticeable results.
Chose BrightEdge
I found BrightEdge to be more intuitive to use and that the onboard training offered matched my team's learning style. They are an innovative SEO leader that takes time, energy, and effort to learn your unique business and challenges. Purchasing an enterprise level SEO platform …
Chose BrightEdge
All SEO tools offer something a little different but BrightEdge comes pretty close to having everything I need. I can track links, review technical issues, and assign them to my staff. Reporting is top-notch too. I chose them because of my familiarity with them on the …
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge is easier to use compared to Conductor. seoClarity was my second option, but I only had a demo and haven't worked with it deeply. It seemed like a good tool. Botify looked like it was better for Technical SEO and looks more advanced for that feature, but it didn't …
Chose BrightEdge
While they all do some of what BrightEdge does, they come nowhere near to everything BrightEdge can do. These tools are all very high level and simple, whereas BrightEdge gives SEO professionals a much more in-depth insight which enables us to take actions or make changes …
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge stacks up against competitors because of the quality of the direction given to optimize content. It actually tell you which keyword/paragraph/h1/h3 add and where to match within a market opportunity or a competitor similar content, always considering the SERP and the …
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge is the best tool for overall needs. It has a clear interface and clients really enjoy looking at the data. It is not the most specialized or in depth tool, like SEMRush or Moz are, so certain capabilities are limited (link profiling is not as strong, recommendations …
Semrush
Chose Semrush
SEMRush has more limited functionality than some of the full-suite options like BrightEdge and Searchmetrics, but the tool is more affordable and still performs to our expectations. We find it to be a good medium-use tool, and combined with some additional keyword-tracking …
Chose Semrush
Compared to Moz: SEMRush is more down to the nitty-gritty. Less fluff.
Compared to SpyFu: SEMRush has more functionality and is easier to use.
Compared to BrightEdge: in an ideal world I'd want both SEMRush and BrightEdge in my MarTech stack, but SEMRush is inexpensive, and Brig…
Chose Semrush
As I mentioned earlier, Semrush is my favorite tool for SEO strategy and optimization. I think it's the very best in this particular area. It doesn't have the other features (e.g., email marketing, user management, etc.) of a tool like HubSpot, but it's ideal for marketers like …
Chose Semrush
[Semrush] is a great tool for the price. Robust feature set compared to similarly priced tools[.]
Chose Semrush
They're all really similar and perform a lot of the same functions. We use Semrush because we've had it for years and our grandfathered cost makes it more affordable than the other tools, plus we're all trained in it and ingrained in it. All of these tools are solid at older …
Chose Semrush
Semrush was more comprehensive than the other tools and better maintained. Our key requirements for a product were that we could use the data and that it was cheap enough for us to use across the business. The competitors either weren't well maintained, had poor quality …
Chose Semrush
In general SEMRush is a great value compared to most of these tools, particularly the very expensive "enterprise" tools.
Chose Semrush
This tool was the perfect middle ground for what the old solution had to offer and doing everything manually. The price comparison to other similar tools shows just how much you get with this. The choice was clear, SEMRush did everything I could want it to do and much, much …
Chose Semrush
SEMRush is simpler and easier to use compared to other platforms, yet is just as powerful.
Chose Semrush
First - SEMRush doesn't spend very much of their money on sales. They don't have a big sales staff to support, so they invest that into top notch product managers and developers - who actually reach out to clients to ask them to give them feedback on alpha/beta versions.

Second …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BrightEdgeSemrush
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
8.8
46 Ratings
12% above category average
Semrush
8.5
148 Ratings
9% above category average
Keyword analysis9.646 Ratings9.4148 Ratings
Backlink management7.240 Ratings8.3141 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking9.444 Ratings8.3144 Ratings
Page grader8.239 Ratings8.5123 Ratings
Competitive analysis9.246 Ratings9.0143 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics9.543 Ratings9.0144 Ratings
Site recommendations8.046 Ratings8.2133 Ratings
Task management8.941 Ratings7.188 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
8.1
44 Ratings
6% above category average
Semrush
7.8
135 Ratings
3% above category average
Local SEO8.535 Ratings6.1123 Ratings
Social SEO8.030 Ratings7.7101 Ratings
Mobile SEO7.241 Ratings8.5108 Ratings
Global SEO9.034 Ratings8.8109 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
8.9
44 Ratings
5% above category average
Semrush
8.5
120 Ratings
1% above category average
Multi-domain support9.035 Ratings9.0110 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools8.743 Ratings8.0114 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BrightEdgeSemrush
Small Businesses
Google PageSpeed Insights
Google PageSpeed Insights
Score 9.9 out of 10
Google PageSpeed Insights
Google PageSpeed Insights
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.3 out of 10
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Score 8.7 out of 10
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BrightEdgeSemrush
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(78 ratings)
9.4
(148 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(35 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(10 ratings)
6.9
(4 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(14 ratings)
9.9
(17 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.3
(2 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
BrightEdgeSemrush
Likelihood to Recommend
BrightEdge
BrightEdge has been a long-standing partner with us. I have had 10 years of experience with using their platform. It is a very large robust platform that allows us to find the information we need and quickly. Unfortunately with the company being so large, they are unable to make quick changes and customers suggested enhancements as quickly as other platforms.
Read full review
Semrush
This is suited to plan for keywords in a single market, but it struggles when you need to consolidate several markets. It is well-suited to discover new keywords directly related to the ones being used currently to expand the content the company is creating to get better results.
Read full review
Pros
BrightEdge
  • Strong analytics
  • Integrates with other tools
  • Instant provides real time research, ranking and recommendations
  • The Client Success team is truly an extension of my team with experts in the industry to help support our team and growing the organic channel
  • Education and career growth opportunity—constantly providing ways to connect with others in the industry, user groups, events, and conferences
  • Onboard process is very thorough and customized
Read full review
Semrush
  • Great visuals for keyword position tracking, love that you can see the page that is ranking
  • Enjoyed the auto-generated reporting feature (specifically in the context of keyword position tracking)
  • Shows many different and useful views for competitive research
  • Great templated keyword research tools for those who are not as hands-on with SEO
  • I LOVE the Keyword Magic Tool for honing in on longtail, high-opportunity keywords
Read full review
Cons
BrightEdge
  • The storybuilder feature isn't anything outstanding. I feel like I can get the same type of data and format from Google Data Studio.
  • I feel like the Hyperlocal feature is still very junior compared to other features. It provides you good insights, but you have to set all the data fields before you can get a picture as well as it doesn't really give you an idea of how you can improve.
  • The mobile SEO solution is a good concept, but it needs some tweaks to be better, especially when building out a mobile story builder. Some of the data isn't simple to read and the mobile keywords functions don't also account for voice searches.
Read full review
Semrush
  • Extra seats can be expensive, as [an] agency with multiple team members this can be frustrating
  • Backlink data is not great, misses out a lot of backlinks (better off using a specialist backlink tool like Link research tools LRT)
  • Tracking multiple keywords, across multiple clients can be costly
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BrightEdge
I would renew, as I don't feel there is a product out there that would have the impact on our SEO efforts as effectively as BrightEdge. It provides the information I need and integrates with other tools like Google Webmaster Tools, to truly have the depth of information that makes their suggestions for SEO changes so valued.
Read full review
Semrush
I [previously] used Semrush for many years and I cannot find any other tool being so complete and easy to use.
Read full review
Usability
BrightEdge
Easy-to-use and intuitive design make using the BrightEdge platform a joy. Yes, I have familiarity with it and know where to go but there are definitely not a ton of extraneous bells and whistles or unnecessary tools which is part of the brilliance of their UX. Sometimes I get hung up on where keywords and keyword groups are under settings but it is typically because I am moving too quickly, and not because they've moved it.
Read full review
Semrush
SEMRush has a slight learning curve, but everything is organized really well. Once you learn where everything is, using the software and running reports is incredibly easy. You can easily add new projects, get help for improving on-page SEO, and there are even video tutorials that walk you through the whole system if you still feel uncomfortable with it.
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Reliability and Availability
BrightEdge
No answers on this topic
Semrush
Semrush available when you need it!
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Performance
BrightEdge
No answers on this topic
Semrush
SemRush performs well with few errors!
Read full review
Support Rating
BrightEdge
This is a area where the BrightEdge team really shines. Their commitment to training and product support is unmatched not only for SEO platforms, but life in general. I often find myself wishing my internet provide and similar would go to BrightEdge for training on support and attitude. I would rank them an 11 if I could.
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Semrush
I'm in a FB group for Semrush paid users and it amazing! They are fast to respond, take suggestions and help with questions. I have not felt alone in using this product at all. Highly recommend their support team. When I had an issue I can jump into the group and they will help get me the right person to help or even tag their programmers to look at something that is going on. Love the group!
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Implementation Rating
BrightEdge
For the most part it was seamless. The load time of clients was a little long, but otherwise was quite easy.
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Semrush
I did it by myself and do not have a comment!
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Alternatives Considered
BrightEdge
While relatively expensive, Brightedge really does offer the best quality product but just as importantly (if not more so) the level of client/agency support. We have biweekly training with the entire team to continually stay up to date on Brightedge's offerings and strategies. They also offer the ability to do ad hoc reporting using some of their tools that can help us win new business and recommend Brightedge to additional clients, expanding our business as well.
Read full review
Semrush
We have used both Ahrefs and Semrush extensively at our agency and Semrush remains the tool of choice. We find that Semrush has the largest selection of tools & features to use, with the highest accuracy, and provides top-tier analysis recommendations. It's really is the ultimate all-in-one tool when comparing other performance measurement tools in the digital marketing space.
Read full review
Scalability
BrightEdge
No answers on this topic
Semrush
Semrush is flexible and scalable software which can be deployed across multiple departments and sites as needed.
Read full review
Return on Investment
BrightEdge
  • We have only started with BE a few months ago and so I don't have any hard numbers from an ROI perspective, but i can say that what we spent on BE is a fraction of what we were spending with agencies and we are actually getting results by doing this ourselves. From that perspective we have seen a cost savings.
  • With focused SEO campaigns and projects we have been able to move the needle on our SEO rankings for specific products and services. This is going to have a great impact for us in 2019 as we have some specific product goals and campaigns for 2019 that we have been working to build up over the last couple months of 2018.
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Semrush
  • Using Semrush on behalf of our clients, we have seen some impressive growth in organic visibility, traffic, conversion and revenue, across multiple industries.
  • The site checks available with Semrush have helped us to pitch and sell our services, securing new clients.
Read full review
ScreenShots