Tools and providers
Part of Before you buy SEO tools, split the licence from the data
Which SEO tools are worth buying for a UK team?
A named shortlist of SEO tools for UK teams, with public prices, seat limits, google.co.uk notes and buying checks for licences and contracts.
What to take away
- This shortlist names eight tools UK teams can buy now, with public list prices checked in May 2026. This is desk research, not a hands-on test.
- List prices exclude VAT and can change, so confirm on the supplier site before you pay.
- Match one tool to one jobvisibility, local listings, crawling, content or reporting.
- Ask for a trial on your own domain and a sample export before you sign an annual licence.
How to judge a tool
Inclusion criteria: the supplier publishes pricing or a named quote route, tracks google.co.uk, supports English queries, and has release notes from the past year. Every product fact below comes from supplier documentation or public pricing pages. GBP figures use the 1 May 2026 mid-market rate of about £1 = $1.27.
For mapping suppliers rather than picking a product, the supplier guide for SEO tools covers contract lengths and reseller routes.
The named shortlist
| Tool | Job | Entry price | Currency | Seat limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | Rank, audit, backlinks | £120/mo Pro annual | GBP | 1 |
| Ahrefs | Backlinks, keywords, ranks | $29/mo Starter, about £23 | USD/GBP | 1 |
| SE Ranking | Ranks, audits, local | £55/mo Essential annual | GBP | 1 |
| Screaming Frog | Desktop crawler | £199/yr per user | GBP | 1 per licence |
| Moz Pro | Ranks, crawl, links | $49/mo Starter, about £39 | USD/GBP | 1 |
| Moz Local | Listings and reviews | $14/mo per location, about £11 | USD/GBP | Per location |
| BrightLocal | Local listings and reviews | $39/mo one location, about £31 | USD/GBP | Per location |
| AccuRanker | Daily rank tracking | $109/mo 1,000 keywords, about £86 | USD/GBP | 1 |
Semrush
Semrush suits teams that want rank tracking, site audit, backlink checks and reporting in one licence. Public list pricing starts near £120 a month for Pro on annual billing, with Guru and Business tiers adding seats and limits. The Semrush for mid-market teams page sets out the visibility and reporting scope rather than a single-site licence.
SEO tool entry prices compared
Semrush
- Entry price
- £120/mo
- Billing
- Annual
- Seat model
- Tiered seats
- Rank tracking
- Yes
- Local listings
- Yes
Ahrefs
- Entry price
- $29/mo
- Billing
- Annual
- Seat model
- Extra users cost
- Rank tracking
- Yes
- Local listings
- No
SE Ranking
- Entry price
- £55/mo
- Billing
- Annual
- Seat model
- Tier limits
- Rank tracking
- Yes
- Local listings
- Yes
Screaming Frog
- Entry price
- £199/yr
- Billing
- Annual
- Seat model
- One user
- Rank tracking
- No
- Local listings
- No
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is strong for backlink research, keyword data and rank tracking. Public list pricing starts near $29 a month for Starter, about £23, rising to $129 for Lite on annual billing, about £102.
SE Ranking
SE Ranking offers rank tracking, audits and local marketing at a lower entry point than some rivals. Public list pricing starts near £55 a month for Essential on annual billing.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog is a desktop crawler rather than a cloud platform. A paid licence costs £199 per year for one user, and the free version caps crawls at 500 URLs. It suits technical teams that want a one-off annual tool, not a monthly seat.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro covers rank tracking, site crawl and link research. Public list pricing starts near $49 a month for Starter, about £39, and higher tiers add seats and limits.
Moz Local
Moz Local manages listings, opening hours and duplicate suppression. Its entry plan starts near $14 a month per location, about £11. The Moz Local for local SEO page lists the directory network and review features to weigh against your postcode coverage.
BrightLocal
BrightLocal focuses on local listings, reviews and local rank tracking for multi-location teams. Public list pricing starts near $39 a month for one location, about £31, with multi-location plans priced per location.
AccuRanker
AccuRanker is a dedicated rank tracker with daily updates. Public list pricing starts near $109 a month for 1,000 keywords, about £86.
A three-person UK team that buys Screaming Frog for three users, BrightLocal for one location, and AccuRanker for one shared login pays about £597 + £372 + £1,032 = £2,001 a year. If each person needs a separate AccuRanker seat, add the supplier's extra-user charge.
Checklist before you buy
- Confirm google.co.uk tracking, refresh frequency and device splits in writing.
- Ask for a sample export file before the trial ends.
- Count the seats you need, then add one for a contractor.
- Check whether API access sits in your plan or a higher tier.
- Diarise a renewal review 60 days before the term ends.
- For public sector bids, note that the GOV.UK guidance on applying to the G-Cloud framework is marked as withdrawn, so check the current notice first.
Implementation is where licences fail. If a tool needs tag changes, server access or a CRM feed, plan that work before you pay. The SEO tool implementation in England walkthrough sets out the order to follow.
Common questions
How many SEO tools does a small team need?
Two or three. A rank tracker, a local listings manager if you have physical locations, and a reporting layer.
Should we buy monthly or annual?
Monthly costs more per seat, but it keeps you flexible during a migration. Annual licences pay off only after a trial shows which seats stay active.
What is the biggest hidden cost?
Seat upgrades and API access. Both sit outside headline pricing, and both appear once you add a second brand or a warehouse feed.
