Semrush vs SE Ranking vs Mangools vs Ubersuggest

Independently tested by PERYXA • September 2026

We tested four SEO tools to see how they help small businesses improve their online visibility. Here’s how Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, and Ubersuggest compare in keyword research, website audits, rank tracking, backlink analysis, ease of use, and pricing.

How We Tested

1. Semrush Test — We explored Semrush’s SEO research tools to investigate keywords and website performance. We examined the available data and recorded which features could be tested without upgrading. We used these findings to understand how Semrush supports SEO research for small businesses.

2. SE Ranking Test — We researched small-business keywords, audited Wix’s website, and set up rank tracking for PERYXA. We also checked PERYXA’s backlinks, explored competitor backlink data, and configured AI search tracking for Google and ChatGPT. Some detailed results were restricted by the trial plan.

3. Mangools Test — We explored Mangools’ SEO tools for keyword research, search rankings, competitor analysis, and backlinks. We recorded the information available during our testing and noted any features restricted by the plan.

4. Ubersuggest Test — We set up PERYXA’s rank tracking, researched keywords, and compared competitor data from Capterra and Tooltester. We also tested Ubersuggest’s AI Chat for SEO questions and compared its available keyword data with PERYXA’s Google Search Console results. Some features and results were limited on the free plan.

Testing note: Our findings reflect the features and results available during our September 2026 tests. Keyword volumes, rankings, and backlink counts are estimates that may differ between tools. Free-plan and trial restrictions limited some of our tests.

We tested Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, and Ubersuggest using PERYXA’s website and relevant small-business search topics. We explored keyword research, website audits, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and competitor research, recording the results and noting which features were limited by free plans or trials.

SEO tools at a Glance

SE Ranking

Keyword research: Estimated 1,900 monthly US searches for “best website builder for small business,” with a keyword difficulty of 70/100.

Website audit: Provided a health score, technical issue breakdown, and Core Web Vitals results.

Backlink analysis: Reported no backlinks for PERYXA in its database during our test.

AI search tracking: PERYXA was not mentioned or cited in the 20 prompts we tracked.

Main limitation: Some detailed audit and backlink results were restricted during the trial.

Semrush

Keyword research: Semrush estimated 5,400 monthly US searches for “best website builder for small business,” with a keyword difficulty of 46%.

Website audit: Reported a 92% site health score, with 0 errors and 49 warnings across 26 crawled pages.

Backlink analysis: Reported 116 backlinks from 49 referring domains in its database.

AI search tracking: Provided an AI search health score of 83%, along with brand visibility metrics. No brand mentions or cited pages were detected during our test.

Main limitation: Our available plan limited position tracking to 10 keywords, and some advanced features required an upgrade.

Ubersuggest

Keyword research: Estimated 4,400 monthly US searches for “best website builder for small business,” with an SEO difficulty of 43/100.

Website audit: Gave PERYXA an on-page SEO score of 79/100 and identified pages blocked from search results, a low-word-count page, and short title tags.

Backlink analysis: Reported 2 backlinks for PERYXA in its database.

Rank tracking: Allowed us to track six keywords. Most rankings were still pending during our test.

Main limitation: The free plan restricted keyword suggestions and some detailed results. AI Chat was limited to 10 credits.

Mangools

Keyword research: Estimated 4,700 monthly US searches for “best website builder for small business,” with a keyword difficulty of 36/100.

Backlink analysis: Found 19 active backlinks from 19 referring domains for PERYXA. The links we inspected appeared to come from automatically generated domain lists.

Rank tracking: Allowed us to track six PERYXA keywords, but rankings took a while to process.

AI search tracking: Detected no PERYXA mentions or citations across five tracked prompts.

Main limitation: Mangools did not offer a full technical website audit.

Plans & Pricing

We tested Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, and Ubersuggest using the plans and trial access available to us. Features and limits vary by plan, and prices may change by region or billing period. Check each tool’s current plans before choosing.

Semrush

SE Ranking

Mangools

Ubersuggest

Which SEO Tool Fits Your Needs?

Choosing an SEO tool depends on your goals, budget, and the features you need. We tested Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, and Ubersuggest to explore their keyword research, website audits, backlink analysis, and other SEO features. Use our findings to see how the tools differ.

Consider Semrush if you want

A platform organized around ongoing SEO work, including tracking rankings, auditing sites, researching keywords, and comparing competitors.

Best for: Businesses that want to monitor SEO progress through regular audits and rank tracking.

Consider SE Ranking if you want

A more streamlined approach to keyword ideas, competitor research, and website SEO checks, aimed at making common SEO tasks approachable.

Best for: Beginners looking to explore keywords and identify initial SEO improvements.

Consider Mangools if you want

A broad SEO platform with detailed research, auditing, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and AI search visibility tools.

Best for: Teams managing several areas of SEO from one platform.

Consider Ubersuggest if you want

A collection of focused tools for individual tasks, such as finding keywords, checking search results, tracking rankings, and examining backlinks.

Best for: People who prefer separate, focused tools for specific SEO tasks.

Our SEO Tools Findings

We compared Semrush, SE Ranking, Mangools, and Ubersuggest to help small business owners and freelancers find an SEO tool that fits their needs. We examined their features, ease of use, and the limits we encountered during testing. Our findings highlight the differences that matter when choosing a tool, so you can spend less time researching and more time growing your business.

Our takeaway: The right SEO tool depends on the work you need to do. Use our comparison to identify the features and approach that fit your business.