Semrush is a suite of marketing toolkits: SEO, content, traffic, local, social, advertising and AI SEO, each priced on its own. It tells you where you rank and what to work on. Shipfound runs inside Claude Code or Codex and does the work itself, shipping site fixes, pages and listings as pull requests you merge.
So the choice comes down to what you need at the end of the week. A report someone on your team acts on, or the changes already made.
Side by side
| Semrush | Shipfound | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A suite of toolkits, each sold separately | A growth agent in Claude Code or Codex that ships changes as pull requests |
| Lowest SEO plan | SEO Toolkit Pro, $139.95 a month | Free plan at $0, Builder at $59 a month |
| Keywords tracked | 500 on Pro, 1,500 on Guru, 5,000 on Business | Not stated |
| AI search | AI SEO Toolkit Base, $99 per domain per month | Asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews, 4 runs each |
| AI crawler visits | Not stated | Counts GPTBot, PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot visits to your pages |
| Changes your site | Not stated | Yes, as pull requests you merge |
| API access | Guru and Business plans, not Pro | Not stated |
| White-label reports | Guru and Business plans, not Pro | Not stated |
| Try it | 14-day free trial | Free plan with 20 credits to start |
Prices change. Check the current ones on Semrush's own pricing pages and on Shipfound's pricing page before you buy.
What Semrush is good at
Semrush covers a lot of ground. Beyond SEO it sells toolkits for traffic and market research, local listings, social media, advertising and content, so one vendor can cover most of a marketing team's reporting.
The SEO Toolkit scales with you. Pro tracks up to 500 keywords with 3,000 analytics report requests a day. Guru goes to 1,500 keywords and 5,000 requests a day, and Business to 5,000 keywords and 10,000 requests a day.
It suits agencies. API access and white-label reports come with the Guru and Business plans, so an agency can pull data into its own tools and send clients reports under its own name.
It also covers local businesses and ads. The Local Toolkit starts at $30 a month with 375 credits a month for scanning pin locations. The Advertising Toolkit's Base plan is $99 a month and Pro is $220.
And it is widely used by small companies. SpendHound puts the average SMB contract at $6,385 a year, from 160 Semrush customers.
What Shipfound does differently
Shipfound starts where the report ends. You type grow in Claude Code, or ask Codex "What should I do today?", and your agent ships the change most likely to bring you signups.
The work lands in your repo. Your agent fixes what keeps Google and ChatGPT from reading your site, writes the answer, comparison and glossary pages your buyers search for, and gets them indexed in Search Console and Bing. Each change is a pull request on its own branch, and the agent never merges.
It goes past your own site too. Directory listings and launch boards like Show HN are filled in your browser for you to submit, and replies on Reddit are drafted for you to post. Nothing goes out without you pressing the button.
The AI check is built for answers that change. Shipfound asks each buyer question 4 times on each engine and keeps every answer, so a result reads "named in 3 of 4 runs". It also counts visits from GPTBot, PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot, so you can see whether the bots read what you shipped.
Your agent does the writing and coding on your own Claude Code or Codex plan. Credits only pay for search data, AI answer checks and verification.
Pricing
Semrush prices each toolkit on its own. As reported in a 2026 pricing guide: SEO Toolkit Pro $139.95, Guru $249.95 and Business $499.95 a month. The Content Toolkit is $60 a month, the Social Toolkit starts at $20 and the Traffic and Market Toolkit Pro is $289.
Shipfound is priced by plan and credits. Free is $0 with 20 credits to start and 20 more every month. Builder is $59 a month with 100 credits. Growth is $99 a month with 500 credits and up to 3 sites. Credit packs are $19 per 100 and never expire.
When to pick Semrush
Pick Semrush if a marketing team or agency runs SEO and reports on it. Keyword tracking in the thousands, API access and white-label reports fit that job.
Pick it if you need local, social or ad tools from the same vendor. Shipfound has no local listing scans.
And pick it if nobody on your team works in a code repo with Claude Code or Codex. Shipfound does its work through those agents.
When to pick Shipfound
Pick Shipfound if you build your product with Claude Code or Codex and want the fixes done, not described. You review a pull request instead of a report.
Pick it if being named in AI answers matters to your buyers. Every check asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google's AI answers.
And pick it if you are starting small. The free plan includes the first check of your site and a first visibility run.
Many teams will use both: Semrush for keyword research and reporting, and Shipfound to ship the changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a set of marketing toolkits sold separately: SEO, content, traffic and market, local, social, advertising and AI SEO. Each has its own plans and limits.
How much is Semrush Pro?
The SEO Toolkit Pro plan is $139.95 a month and tracks up to 500 keywords, as reported in a 2026 pricing guide.
Does Semrush track AI search?
Yes, through a separate AI SEO Toolkit. Its Base plan is $99 per domain per month. Other options are in what to use instead of a generic SEO dashboard.
Can I use Semrush and Shipfound together?
Yes. Semrush reports on keywords and rankings, and Shipfound ships the site fixes, pages and listings in your repo. For how Shipfound compares with an AI visibility dashboard, see Shipfound vs Peec AI.