Site audits & rank tracking tools
Technical checks and positions. 5 tools we track, checked .
Short answer page: What's the best site audits & rank tracking tool?
Ranked by fit for solo businesses: tools we profile in depth first, then those used in our research notes, then the rest. Affiliate status never changes the order.
- 1
Semrush
Pick this if you want full-scale SEO research.
SEO and marketing suite: keywords, backlinks, audits and rank tracking.
Paid plans only · Free plan: Trial only · Difficulty 3/5
- 2
Ahrefs
Pick this if you want backlink and competitor research.
SEO toolset known for its backlink index and keyword data.
Paid plans only · Free plan: No · Difficulty 3/5
- 3
Google Search Console
Pick this if you want seeing real Google clicks and queries.
Google's free tool for indexing, search performance and site issues.
Free · Free plan: Yes · Difficulty 2/5
- 4
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Pick this if you want technical audits of a site.
Desktop crawler for technical SEO audits; free up to 500 URLs.
Free plan + paid plans · Free plan: Yes · Difficulty 3/5
- 5
Bing Webmaster Tools
Pick this if you want bing and IndexNow indexing.
Free Bing search performance, indexing and IndexNow submissions.
Free · Free plan: Yes
Side-by-side
| Tool | Pricing model | Free plan | Starting price | Difficulty | Output rights | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | Paid plans only | Trial only | See official site | 3/5 | – | Full-scale SEO research |
| Ahrefs | Paid plans only | No | See official site | 3/5 | – | Backlink and competitor research |
| Google Search Console | Free | Yes | Free | 2/5 | – | Seeing real Google clicks and queries |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | 3/5 | – | Technical audits of a site |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Free | Yes | Free | – | – | Bing and IndexNow indexing |
"Starting price" is shown only for tools we profile in depth, where we read the official pricing page on . For the others, check the official site.