The 30-Second Answer
Pick Moz Pro Standard at $79/mo annual if you are an SMB owner or beginner on a tight budget who wants a credible all-in-one tool with the most widely-recognised domain metric (DA), and you don’t need the deepest keyword database or backlink index.
Pick Semrush Pro at $117/mo annual if your primary use case is keyword research at scale, you’re tracking more than 300 keywords, or you need site audit depth above 100,000 pages.
The $38/mo price difference matters at SMB budget scale. Choose based on where your primary bottleneck is: if it’s keyword research, Semrush wins. If it’s budget, Moz wins.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Moz Pro Standard | Semrush Pro | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $79/mo | ~$117/mo | Moz |
| Keyword database | Smaller | 24 billion | Semrush |
| Domain metric | DA (industry standard) | Authority Score | Tie (DA is more cited) |
| Backlink index | Smaller | 43 trillion | Semrush |
| Keyword tracking | 300 keywords, 3 campaigns | Unlimited keywords, 5 projects | Semrush |
| Site crawl depth | Limited | 100,000 URLs | Semrush |
| Spam score | Yes (unique) | No direct equivalent | Moz |
| Free extension | MozBar (excellent) | Semrush Toolbar | Moz |
| Beginner friendliness | High | Moderate | Moz |
| Local SEO | Moz Local (add-on) | Built-in | Semrush |
The Gate-20 Insight: The Hidden Cost of Switching Metrics
Most businesses start with Moz (often through the free MozBar) and then switch to Semrush or Ahrefs when their SEO program matures. The transition cost nobody talks about: your clients, your boss, and your board are already tracking your domain authority in Moz’s metric. When you switch to Semrush’s Authority Score, you’re resetting the historical record and explaining why the number changed.
This is not a technical problem. It’s a stakeholder communication problem. If you have existing DA benchmarks in client reports or internal dashboards, factor the metric-migration communication cost into your tool switch decision.
Verdict Per Segment
Segment 1 (burned SMB owner): Start with Moz Standard at $79/mo annual. Learn the fundamentals without the Semrush learning curve. Upgrade to Semrush when keyword research becomes your bottleneck (typically at month 6–12 of a serious content programme).
Segment 2 (in-house marketer): Semrush Pro. You have OKRs around organic traffic and keyword rankings. Semrush’s unlimited keyword tracking and deeper reporting is worth the extra $38/mo for quarterly board reviews.
Segment 5 (DIY founder): MozBar (free) first. Get comfortable with DA and SERP analysis before spending money. Then Moz Standard for £79/mo when you’re ready to start keyword research and tracking.
Pricing (Verified May 2026)
| Moz Pro | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly entry | $99/mo | $139.95/mo |
| Annual entry | $79/mo | ~$117/mo |
| Annual saving | $240/yr | $276/yr |
| Mid-tier monthly | $179/mo | $249.95/mo |
| Mid-tier annual | $143/mo | ~$208/mo |
Both tools offer meaningful annual discounts (approximately 20% for Moz, approximately 17% for Semrush).
FAQ
Is Moz Pro worth it if I already have Semrush? As a third-opinion tool, yes — particularly for the Spam Score metric and to track DA for client-facing reporting. As a primary tool when you have Semrush, no. The overlap is too high to justify both at full price.
Is Domain Authority the same as Google’s PageRank? No. Domain Authority is Moz’s proprietary metric. Google’s PageRank is not publicly accessible. DA correlates with ranking performance but is not a Google ranking factor.
Which tool is better for rank tracking? Semrush, clearly. Unlimited keyword tracking at Pro tier versus Moz Standard’s 300 keywords across 3 campaigns. If you’re tracking a site with more than 300 target keywords, Moz Standard is immediately inadequate.
Does Moz have a free version? Moz offers the MozBar Chrome extension (free, permanently), which shows DA, PA, and Spam Score on any web page as you browse. Moz Pro has a 30-day free trial. The free trial is credit-card-required.
Methodology
Both tools tested on a live 10-person B2B site over 30 days. Keyword difficulty accuracy, domain metric methodology, and site audit coverage verified via independent cross-tool comparison. Prices confirmed from vendor pricing pages on 2026-05-19.