BrightLocalLocal marketing made simple.

SemrushThe unified SEO and AI search solution

Comparison · SEO Tools · weekly run Nov 2

BrightLocal vs Semrush

Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?

The short answer

Semrush is the stronger AI pick in SEO Tools: it has a visibility score of 64.3 versus 3.1 for BrightLocal, and ranks ahead in 60% of the answers that name both.

Choose BrightLocal if…

You want a lower entry price ($41 vs $139)
recommended choice for local SEO
specialised local SEO tools such as Google Business Profile auditing, local rank tracking and citation building
affordable entry pricing with annual plans

Choose Semrush if…

You want the brand AI engines rank higher (64.3 vs 3.1)
You want a free plan to start
AI answers describe it more positively (49% vs 45% positive)
You prefer a larger, established vendor (1,001–5,000 employees)

AI visibility side by side

Latest weekly run · Nov 2

Metric	BrightLocal	Semrush
Visibility score	3.1%	64.3%
Change vs last week	New	New
Rank in SEO Tools	#19	#1
Share of voice	1.3%	12.3%
Mentions this run	7	63
Positive in AI answers	45%	49%

The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days

BrightLocal 0pp · Semrush 0pp over 0 weekly runs.

Engine by engine

Semrush leads on 3 of 3 engines

ChatGPT

4.1%

77%

AI Mode

1.7%

64.3%

Perplexity

3.7%

51.7%

BrightLocalSemrush

Head to head in AI answers

10 engine answers name both brands

4BrightLocal ranked higher

6Semrush ranked higher

Prompt	Engine	BrightLocal	Semrush
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	Perplexity	#11	#2
Alternatives to the most popular SEO tool	Perplexity	#9	#2
Which SEO Tools vendors do analysts recommend?	Perplexity	#14	#1
Which SEO Tools tools offer annual discounts?	ChatGPT	#2	#6
Which SEO Tools tools offer annual discounts?	Perplexity	#9	#1
Official website of the top SEO tool vendors	ChatGPT	#17	#1
Official website of the top SEO tool vendors	AI Mode	#5	#1
What are the pros and cons of Whitespark?	ChatGPT	#2	#4
What are the pros and cons of Whitespark?	AI Mode	#2	#3
What are the pros and cons of Whitespark?	Perplexity	#2	#3

Features, pricing & fit

Dimension	BrightLocal	Semrush
Pricing model	Flat tiers	Flat tiers
Entry price	$41 / mo	Free; paid from $139 / mo
Free plan	No · 14-day trial	Yes
Support	Help Center, Contact us, Dedicated in-house support staff	Help Center and Basic Onboarding, Enterprise SLA and 24/7 support, Dedicated account manager
Founded	2009	2008
Headquarters	Brighton, UK	Boston, MA
Employees	51–200	1,001–5,000
Funding	Funding entry (no series or investors stated)	IPO
Best for	Local businesses that want an easy local SEO tool, agencies and consultants managing local SEO for many clients, and SaaS platforms that want local SEO data through an API.	Freelancers and small businesses through to agencies and enterprises managing multiple brands, regions and teams.

Plans side by side

BrightLocal

Track$41month per location (1 location, billed monthly)

Manage$54month per location (1 location, billed monthly)

Grow$65month per location (1 location, billed monthly)

BrightLocal pricing

Semrush

Free$0month

SEO$139month

Starter SEO + AI Search$199month

Pro+ SEO + AI Search$299month

Advanced SEO + AI SearchCustomcustom

EnterpriseCustomcustom

Semrush pricing

Pros and cons

Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand

BrightLocal

recommended choice for local SEO
specialised local SEO tools such as Google Business Profile auditing, local rank tracking and citation building
affordable entry pricing with annual plans