SEO tools 2026: the best free and paid options

The free starter kit

Five tools from Google and Microsoft cover the basics. Set them up before paying for anything else — they show data no paid tool can access, because it comes straight from the search engines themselves.

Search Console is the most important of them. It shows which searches you already appear for, where you rank, how many people click, and which pages Google skipped — and why. It is free, and Google says so itself. Keyword Planner is also free, but requires a Google Ads account with payment details before you get keyword ideas.

Check your website for free — 60 seconds →

12 paid SEO tools with prices

Prices are the lowest paid plan as the vendor shows it. Some only show a price with annual billing — the table says so.

• Semrush is the biggest all-in-one tool for keywords, competitors and links. SEO and AI tracking in one package starts at $199/mo.
• Ahrefs is strongest on links and competitor analysis. Base plans start at $129/mo, and there is a limited free version.
• SE Ranking covers most of the same for less: $129/mo or $103.20 with annual billing, 14 days free with no card.
• Morningscore from Odense, Denmark, has a Danish and Swedish interface, 1-click fixes and a plugin for WordPress and Shopify. From $69/mo.
• Moz Pro, Mangools and Ubersuggest are the low-cost entry points for keywords and rankings: from $49/mo, €37.70/mo billed yearly and $29/mo.
• Seobility and Screaming Frog are for technical audits. Seobility has a free Basic account; Screaming Frog is free up to 500 pages and then costs £199 a year.
• Yoast SEO and Rank Math are WordPress plugins. Both are free in their basic version; Premium costs $118.80 and €95.88 a year.

Which tool for which job?

What to choose for your budget

Nothing per month

Search Console, Google Business Profile, Bing Webmaster Tools and PageSpeed Insights — plus Yoast or Rank Math if you run WordPress. That goes a long way for a small business with one website, if someone spends an hour a month on it.

A small monthly budget

Add one paid tool for keywords and rankings: Ubersuggest ($29/mo), Mangools (€37.70/mo billed yearly), Moz Pro ($49/mo) or Morningscore ($69/mo). If you would rather have the work done than own a tool, look at one that also fixes — Geoa starts at €39/mo.

A larger budget

This is where the big suites come in: SE Ranking and Ahrefs (from $129/mo) and Semrush ($199/mo). They make sense when you track many competitors and keywords, or when an agency uses them across clients.

WordPress, Shopify eller Wix?

• WordPress: Yoast SEO or Rank Math gives you fields for title, description and structured data on every page. Pick one — not both. Yoast's text analysis is available in Swedish and Norwegian, but not Danish.
• Shopify and Wix: title and description are set directly in the platform's own fields when you edit a page or product. A paid tool is used here for measurement, not for writing the fields.
• Every platform: Search Console and Google Business Profile work whatever system you use.

New in 2026: SEO tools now track ChatGPT

More of your customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity instead of Googling, and classic SEO tools have started to follow. Microsoft now calls its own free Bing tools "SEO/GEO". Semrush, Moz, Mangools and Morningscore track whether you are mentioned in AI answers, and Ahrefs, SE Ranking and Seobility sell it as an add-on.

The difference is how much they track and whether they do anything about it afterwards. For tools built specifically for that, we compared 13 of them in AI SEO tools 2026.

How we compared

• Sources: every price and feature was read on the vendor's own page on 21 September 2026. Where a price is only shown with annual billing, the table says so.
• What we did not do: we have not tested every tool on client accounts for months. So we describe what each tool is best for according to the vendor and its features — not that one "works best".
• Why these: Search Console, Ahrefs, Semrush, Screaming Frog and Yoast appear on almost every list that ranks highest on Google. The low-cost options are included because a small business rarely needs the big suites.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free SEO tool?

Google Search Console. It shows what you are found for on Google, where you rank, how many people click, and which pages Google skipped. Add Google Business Profile, Bing Webmaster Tools and PageSpeed Insights and you have a free starter kit.

Which SEO tool is best for beginners?

Start with Search Console and — if you run WordPress — Yoast SEO or Rank Math. If you want to pay for more, Ubersuggest, Mangools or Moz are low-cost entry points.

How much does an SEO tool cost?

From nothing for Google's own tools to $29/mo (Ubersuggest) and $199/mo (Semrush). Most small businesses get by with the free tools plus one low-cost paid tool.

Is there a Nordic SEO tool?

Yes. Morningscore from Denmark has a Danish and Swedish interface and 1-click fixes. Geoa, also from Denmark, measures and fixes your visibility on Google and in AI answers in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and English.

What is the difference between Google Search Console and Ahrefs or Semrush?

Search Console shows your own data straight from Google — free and accurate, but only for your own site. Ahrefs and Semrush estimate data for every site, so you can also see competitors, their keywords and their links. That is what you pay for.

Can I manage without a paid SEO tool?

Yes. As a small business with one website you can get far with the free tools if someone spends an hour a month on them. A paid tool makes sense when you want to track competitors and many keywords.

Do SEO tools track whether ChatGPT mentions me?

Several do now: Semrush, Moz, Mangools and Morningscore track it, and Ahrefs, SE Ranking and Seobility sell it as an add-on. See the tools built specifically for it in AI SEO tools 2026.

Which SEO plugin should I use for WordPress?

Yoast SEO or Rank Math — both are free in their basic version and give you fields for title, description and structured data. Use only one.