SERP tracking tools, also known as rank tracking tools, are a lifesaver for any SEO who monitors rankings on a regular basis. I use them weekly to keep on top of my search engine rankings.
The best SERP monitoring software will give you real-time updates on your rankings so you know where you’re lacking or gaining. SERP trackers are a must-have if you rely on SEO to generate revenue.
Some all-encompassing SEO tools, such as Ahrefs or Mangools, will have a SERP tracker feature, although they might not be as advanced as the specific SERP tracking tools. So keep that in mind when making a decision.
Either way, I’ll review the top SERP trackers to help you stay on top of your rankings and crush the competition.
Here's the TL;DR
- SE Ranking is the best overall SEO tool (even for tracking rankings). 🔥
- SERPWatch is the most advanced rank tracker.
- Serpstat is great for traffic distribution reports.
- Rank Tracker is the highest-rated SERP tool.
- SEORadar is the best change monitoring tool.
- Ahrefs is the most popular SEO tool with SERP monitoring features.
- Pro Rank Tracker has the best rank tracking reports (nice to read and great UI).
- Nightwatch is the most detailed rank tracker. 🔥
- Semrush is the best SERP tracker for small businesses.
- Accuranker seems to be the best enterprise rank tracker.
- Mangools is the best entry-level rank tracker and SEO tool.
- ContentKing is best for real-time SERP watching.
- MOZ has a helpful free suite of tools worth checking out.
- SEO Monitor is best for enterprise customers.
What do SERP tracking tools do?
For those of you who are new, SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. Which basically means the search results that appear from any Google search you make (or your preferred search engine). Every SEO wants to achieve the same thing – rank in position one or position zero (featured snippets) on the first page.
A SERP tracker monitors your positions for all the keywords you or your competitors rank for and gives you progress updates. In some cases, the tools provide 24/7 reporting and very detailed metrics on what caused the volatility in the SERP.
Do you need a SERP tracker?
The short answer is no, you don’t need one.
In the same way, you don’t need any SEO tool other than Google Search Console or Google Analytics.
But they help. A lot.
Using a SERP tracker tool is an absolute no-brainer if you rely on organic traffic to generate revenue. Rank trackers do the following:
- Notify you when you lose or gain a ranking
- Track competitor SERP rankings to keep you ahead
- Give you a birds-eye view of your keyword positions
- Give you possible reasons you lost or gained a ranking
- Offer white-label reports for clients if you run an agency
- Cross-reference data with screenshots to confirm the accuracy
14 best SERP trackers to help you stay on top of your keyword rankings
1. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO software that's extremely simple to use; it's also a great SERP tracking tool. The 9.6 rating on G2 confirms they live up to the hype. They offer solutions for enterprises, agencies, SMBs, and individuals. The strongest product suite is the keyword rank tracker, which covers just about every data point for your site and your competitors to ensure you can stay on top of SERP volatility.
The integration with Google Analytics and Google Search Console means you never have to switch apps. You can conduct all your SEO analysis from one software. Since the tool is so flexible, there’s no “perfect user”. SEOs, business owners, and marketers could do a lot more with SE Rankings SERP tracking software.
| Pros | Cons |
| A huge product suite makes it easy to stick to one central tool | A large product suite means there’s a learning curve |
| Pricing can be altered based on ranking check frequency and subscription period | |
| Basic mobile app makes it easy to check your rankings anywhere you are | |
| Includes a keyword clustering and grouping tool |
Pricing: This is based on the check frequency you require. For instance, the Essential plan, where the SERPs are checked weekly, is $29/mo for 250 keywords. If you want this daily, it will cost $49/mo. The same applies to the Pro and Business plan, the prices increase with keywords and frequency of updates.
G2 review: 4.8/5
2. SERPWatch
SERPWatch claims to be the most advanced rank tracker for marketers and agencies. They have an intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate (plus it looks pretty). One feature that stands out to me is the integration with Slack. Rather than sifting through hundreds (or thousands) of keywords, you can set up notifications directly into Slack for the most important keywords. This means you don’t need to waste time analyzing the SERP results. Everything you need and want to know will enter a Slack channel.
SERPWatch is flexible; you can customize it to your requirements. The updates can be as frequent as hourly to weekly. This SERP tracking software suits SEOs wanting robust data and integrations but is not particularly keen on a complex system.
| Pros | Cons |
| Slack integration | Sometimes the results are slow to load |
| Hourly updates available | |
| You can track your website’s ranking on other search engines, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, and YouTube. |
Pricing: Starts at $49/mo for 7,500 keyword checks per month. You’ll also get access to every feature except Google Analytics Integration, Search Console integration, white label, and client management tools. If you upgrade to the $99/mo plan, you receive 22,500 keyword checks per month and access to the whole product suite.
G2 review: 3.4/5
3. Serpstat
Serpstat is an all-rounder SEO tool with a particular focus on rank tracking. Their clients include Samsung, Uber, Shopify, and Deloitte.
One feature that caught my attention was the traffic distribution dashboard. Serpstat allowed me to track keywords and compare ranking distribution amongst competitor sites. This gives a very clear picture of who is winning in your niche.
Serpstat can be used by anyone trying to grow their website. However, the additional features, such as an API and white label, make it more suited for agencies and enterprise-level clients.
| Pros | Cons |
| Access the whole product suite regardless of the plan | Not the best option for niche sites or small business owners |
| Product features go deeper than just SEO to give you insight into your position within a market |
Pricing: Plans start from $69/mo for the lite tier which includes 15,000 position checks each month, so depending on your keyword list and frequency of checks this can be used very quickly. For 150,000 checks per month, it costs $299/mo.
G2 review: 4.6/5
4. Rank Tracker
Rank Tracker is one of the highest-rated SEO tools on the market, with over 20 G2 awards. It ranked #4 for Product of The Month on Product Hunt. As the name suggests, they offer tailored tools specific to SERP monitoring. To get started, you plug in your website or list of keywords, and a dashboard will be created for you.
One key feature that stands out to me is the competitor analysis tool. Rank Tracker helps you understand your chances of winning certain SEO campaigns before you start investing time and resources. This is particularly helpful since we can easily misinterpret the data if we don’t have the full picture and start burning cash on campaigns that will never result in a return.
| Pros | Cons |
| Ability to monitor the SERPS for Google, Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo | The keyword finder is clunky and sometimes doesn’t load the data |
| Web auditing tool to help you solve technical issues | |
| The product suite has most SEO tools you’ll need on top of the keywords tracked in the SERP watcher |
Pricing:
- Starter: $16/mo for 100 daily tracked keywords and 2 competitor domains.
- Double data: $53/mo for 500 daily tracked keywords and 5 competitor domains.
- Quad data: $98/mo for 1,000 daily tracked keywords and 10 competitor domains.
- Hex data: $188/mo for 2,000 daily tracked keywords and 20 competitor domains.
- All plans are cheaper on a yearly contract.
G2 review: 4.6/5
5. SEORadar
SEORadar is an SEO change monitoring tool. Unlike most SERP trackers, SEORadar goes a step further and shows you exactly what was changed at the page level. This includes title tags, word count, code, and metadata. You can monitor hundreds of elements on your pages and configure Slack, SMS, or email notifications for any updates.
The best feature is the side-by-side comparison of the page changes. It's unbelievably easy to see what has been updated without sifting through spreadsheets or site code.
SEORadar is best suited for anyone with a large site or a variety of sites in their portfolio, especially if there’s a team working on multiple pages at once.
| Pros | Cons |
| Can also monitor competitors | Very expensive for large sites |
| Free Google chrome extension and WordPress plugin |
Pricing: Starts at $199/mo for 1,000 URLs monitored, 1 audit per week, 1 domain, and 3 competitors. For additional URLs and audits, you‘ll need to upgrade to the Pro ($499/mo) or Max ($999/mo) plan.
G2 review: 5/5 (<10 reviews)
6. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is arguably the most popular SEO tool in the market. It handles all of your SEO requirements from keyword research to SERP tracking and analysis. I check Ahrefs almost every day to stay on top of my site.
The reason this is such a great tool to use as a SERP tracker is that you can easily conduct all keyword research within the same application. You can dig deeper if the SERP tracker identifies new keywords you’re starting to rank for. The same applies if you lose ranking. You can do a quick customer competitor analysis.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great all-rounder SEO tool | SERP tracker isn’t that comprehensive |
| Robust rank tracking features | Very limited notifications for ranking updates |
| The free tools are good backlink analysis and basic site audits |
SEO Consultant, Harry Boxhall, says that “Ahrefs Rank Tracker I find to be firstly convenient since Ahrefs is what I use practically daily, but I also think that the ability to see how it ranks amongst SERP features is useful too.”
Pricing: The entry price for an Ahrefs plan is $99/mo for the “Lite” tier. This includes the SERP tracking functionality and all the other features you would expect in an SEO tool. However, the rank tracker caps at 750 keywords, and the updates are weekly. Daily updates will cost you an additional $100/mo.
G2 review: 4.6/5
7. Pro Rank Tracker
Pro Rank Tracker is a highly specialized rank-tracking and reporting solution for agencies and enterprise teams. While anyone can use the tool, its features make it extremely easy to track and report on sets of keywords under each project/site. This is particularly useful for agencies that need to provide frequent reporting to clients at scale.
Even though rank tracking is the basis of the software, it still has all the capabilities of standard SEO tools. If you own an SEO agency or want to try a new tool, I highly suggest tracking 100 terms for 30 days on the free trial.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great for agencies that need to generate reports at scale | Expensive for bloggers and niche site owners |
| The premium plan comes with a dedicated customer success manager |
Pricing: Starter plans begin at $13.50/mo for 100 tracked terms which could be useful if you only want to track your most important pages and terms. In that case, it would be the cheaper option. However, if you want to leverage the on-demand updates, more keywords, sub-accounts, and the MyRanks Client App, then you’ll need to pay for the Pro plan, which costs $89/mo for 1,000 keywords.
G2 review: 4.6/5
8. Nightwatch
Nightwatch supplies you with granular data to help you crush your competitors. Their product suite is simple yet powerful. It includes a rank tracker, reporting feature, and a site audit tool. The software lets you access any Google Data Center on the planet so you can see exactly how you rank in every SERP globally.
This particular rank-tracking software is best suited to enterprise clients and agencies that need to execute SERP monitoring at scale. This isn’t to say other people can’t use the tool. However, their product suite is very advanced. For reference, some of their clients include booking.com, Shopify, and Coinbase.
| Pros | Cons |
| Extremely granular data | Built for enterprise-level clients |
| Great for international and/or local SEO | |
Pricing: Nightwatch has a scaled pricing system. The more keywords you select the more features you get access to and the higher the price. One thousand keywords per month cost $99/mo. To access unlimited user seats and unlimited white-label reports, you’ll need to pay $459/mo for 6,000 keywords.
G2 review: 4.8/5
9. Semrush
Semrush is another all-rounder SEO tool. It competes with software like Ahrefs, Moz, and Mangools. There are three core SERP tracking tools in the product suite – Position tracking, Sensor, and Ranks. One feature that separates Semrush’s rank tracker from others is industry benchmarking. Not only will you get visibility on your sites and your competitor's sites, but you’ll also see them benchmarked against all sites in the industry.
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Semrush can be used by anyone, however, enterprise clients and agencies will need to tailor a custom plan.
| Pros | Cons |
| Industry benchmarking | Expensive for limited keyword rank tracking |
| Also get access to SEO, PPC, and Social tools |
James Taylor, Head of SEO at Myth Digital, recommends SEMrush simply because of its speed in picking up keyword shifts. He also likes the way it is benchmarked against Google algorithm updates.
Pricing: Semrush plans start from $119.95/mo for 5 projects, 500 keywords, and 10,000 results per report. If you’re using this tool purely for the rank tracker, the keyword tracking limit isn’t great value for money.
G2 review: 4.6/5
10. Accuranker
Accuranker is another SERP tracker built for enterprises and SEO agencies. They claim to be the fastest SERP checker on the market, and to my knowledge, they’re the only one that offers segmentation and data cubing. They’re closer to a business intelligence tool rather than an SEO tool.
The tool isn’t as simple to use as others on this list and will require a time investment to learn. If you’re an agency or enterprise client with a specific use case then Accuranker will definitely be a great option.
| Pros | Cons |
| Ultra-fast | Easier to use if you’re a data nerd |
| Deep segmentation options |
Pricing: Similar to Nightwatch, Accuranker operates on a scaled pricing model based on keywords. The cheapest plan is $116/mo for 1,000 keywords. If you’re after more, say 5,000 keywords, it will cost you $548/mo. Regardless of your plan, you’ll have full access to the product suite.
G2 review: 4.8/5
11. Mangools (via SERP Watcher)
Mangools is a simple yet complete SEO tool. Its product suite contains a rank-tracking tool I’ve enjoyed using the most. The top monthly gainers and losers is a feature I haven’t seen in another SEO tool. For smaller sites, the SERP watcher will do the job and you won’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for a high-end solution.
My favorite feature is the SERP “performance index”. This is an aggregate score of the keyword gainers vs losers. Rather than analyzing every keyword, you can look at the performance index to see whether your site is rising or declining rankings.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very simple and easy to read | Not that advanced |
| Very affordable compared to other SERP tools on this list | No alerts for important keywords |
Pricing: Mangools plans start at $49/mo for 200 keywords, which are tracked daily. You can upgrade to 700 keywords for $69/mo. All plans come with access to the complete product suite. I will note that Mangools is a cheaper SERP tracker than other software on this list.
G2 review: 4.6/5
12. ContentKing
ContentKing is a real-time SEO auditing and monitoring tool. It doesn't have a huge customer base like some of the other tools, however, it has 4.8/5 stars on G2 and 4.9/5 stars on Capterra. Customers absolutely love this tool.
One core feature that separates ContentKing from the alternatives is the 24/7 monitoring feature. This is the first of its kind, most other tools offer hourly reporting, but that doesn’t cut it. I have to admit; they don't miss a thing. I've used Content King in the past, and I received notification of changes (title tag in my case) within minutes. I even received a notification that my SSL certificate was expiring soon.
If you require “always on” monitoring, this is your tool. Especially if you have a portfolio of niche sites or you run an agency. It will free up your time and notify you when something important occurs.
| Pros | Cons |
| Real-time auditing and monitoring | Pricing is hidden until you start a free trial |
| Very comprehensive dashboard | Need to pay more to keep historical data for longer |
Pricing: The options are very difficult to locate. You’ll need to start a free trial and answer a bunch of questions before any pricing is revealed. Pricing starts at $39/mo for 1,000 web pages and 6 months' worth of data retention. Pricing increases based on webpages and data retention period.
G2 review: 4.8/5
13. Moz
Moz is another household name when it comes to SEO. Their product suite is used by businesses all over the world. They claim to have the most accurate data set. This is no surprise since they analyze 8 million SERPs every day.
Within Moz Pro, you can access a powerful rank tracker. You can compare rankings across devices, search engines, and locations against your competitors. Mosz Pro seems to have many of the features also available in the SERP-specific tools.
| Pros | Cons |
| A free suite of tools that is actually helpful | They use DA instead of DR |
| Easy to compare ranks with core competitors |
Pricing: The standard plan is $99/mo for 300 keywords. You’re also limited to only 150 searches per month. The entry-level plan isn’t great value for money. The medium plan is $179/mo and comes with 1,500 keywords and 5,000 monthly queries. Unless you require 1,500 keywords or more each month, Moz is an expensive option.
G2 review: 4.4/5
14. SEO Monitor
SEO Monitor is another SERP-specific tool. The product suite includes a rank tracker, SEO forecaster, agency dashboard, API integrations, and general SEO tools. This software is built for SEOs and agencies trying to scale or manage their sites in one central spot.
A trend tracker is one feature I haven’t seen in any of the SERP tools. SEO Monitor has a tool that identifies which keywords are exploding or tanking. An SEO's job is to identify and capitalize on these trends before the competition.
| Pros | Cons |
| Includes a trend tracker | Pricing is misleading and it costs extra to add the best features |
| Great dashboard if you have many sites |
Marketing Consultant Robert Weatherhead says, “SEOMonitor has good keyword research tools, and its keyword magic tool makes finding new opportunities straightforward. Adding keywords to folders also allows you to see the performance at a category level for large websites.”
Pricing: The plans are a bit misleading. It says $29.9/mo for 1,000 keywords, but the fine print says there’s a minimum requirement of 5,000 keywords. The entry point is $149.5/mo for 5,000 keywords. It’s an additional $9.99/mo per domain if you want access to the traffic and conversion forecast tools.
G2 review: 4.6/5
Reviews & pricing summary table
Some tools have thousands of reviews, and others only have a couple. So be sure to check them directly if you want more clarity. Pricing is based on a monthly subscription and the closest possible tier to the keyword limit. Most of the tools have a pricing scale based on 2-3 different factors so it’s very easy for the price to change for your specific requirements.
| Tool | G2 review | Cost for 500 keywords | Cost for 2,500+ keywords | Free trial? |
| SERPWatch | 3.5/5 | $99/mo | $349/mo | Yes |
| SEORadar | 5/5 | N/A | $499/mo | Yes |
| SE Ranking | 4.8/5 | $41.40/mo | $143.40/mo | Yes |
| Rank Tracker | 4.6/5 | $53/mo | $188/mo* | Yes |
| Ahrefs | 4.6/5 | $99/mo | $399/mo | Yes |
| Pro Rank Tracker | 4.6/5 | $49/mo | $149/mo | Yes |
| Nightwatch | 4.8/5 | $59/mo | $269/mo | Yes |
| Semrush | 4.6/5 | $119.95/mo | $449.50/m | Yes |
| Accuranker | 4.8/5 | N/A | $332/mo | Yes |
| Mangools | 4.6/5 | $69/mo | N/A | Yes |
| Serpstat | 4.6/5 | $69/mo | $69/mo | Yes |
| ContentKing | 4.8/5 | $39/mo | $139/mo | Yes |
| Moz | 4.4/5 | N/A | $299/mo | Yes |
| SEO Monitor | 4.6/5 | N/A | $149.50/mo | Yes |
So which SERP tracking tool is best for you?
Great question!
As with all SEO questions, it starts with “it depends”.
The best SERP tracker purely depends on your requirements and use case. You should also look for the following features/services in a SERP tool:
- Accuracy of data
- Update frequency (daily SERP placement checking for instance, can be more expensive)
- Depth of data (think location, search engine, and device)
- Pricing based on the keyword limit
- SERP ranking alerts
- Customer service
All things considered, there are three specific types of users these tools are built around. They include agencies, enterprises, and small businesses/niche sites. It's important to note that the paid SERP trackers will always do more than the free tools. So here’s how the best paid SERP rank trackers stack up.
Best SERP tracker for agencies: Content King is the best option for agencies in my opinion. It has all the necessary features you require for a SERP tracker and loads more you didn’t know you needed. However, the main point of differentiation is the 24/7 monitoring and reporting. SEO agencies can sell their clients on the “24/7 monitoring” service, which is a genuine value add. The G2 and Capterra reviews also confirm how valuable this SERP tool is to agencies.
Best SERP tracker for enterprises: ProRankTracker is the best all-rounder SEO tool at the enterprise level. Large companies can conduct all the necessary research in one tool while still getting access to a high-quality SERP tracker. A customer success manager is also available for the enterprise plans which organizations highly favor. Especially if there is employee turnover, new management, requirements, etc. Having someone internally help you when you need it most is beneficial.
Best SERP tracker for small businesses and/or niche sites: I’m going with Mangools on this one. I’ve been using them for a long time and am very impressed with their product suite, especially the SERP watcher. Niche sites and small businesses usually don’t require thousands of keywords to be monitored hourly. This means you shouldn’t have to pay for a feature you won’t use.
If you're not ready to purchase and want to explore how SERP checkers work, you can always use the Ahref free SERP checker tool.
[ Related article: Best SEO Software For Small Businesses ]
Frequently asked questions
What does SERP stand for?
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. Marketers always aim for their website pages to appear on the first page and, if possible, in the first position.
Is there a difference between a free SERP checker and a paid SERP checker?
The short answer is yes; there is a difference. Free SERP checker tools are designed to give you high-level information on a limited number of keywords. If you're running a larger site, you'll need more keywords to track, more frequent updates, and in-depth analysis. This will only be available with a paid tool.
What is the importance of tracking SERPs?
Tracking your SERP performance is important because the higher you rank for certain keywords, the more revenue you can generate. It also allows you to see where you're improving or falling behind.
Are SERP tracking, SERP monitoring, and SERP position tools the same thing?
Yes! SERP tracking software, SERP monitoring software, rank trackers, rank tracking software, and rank tracking tools all mean the same thing!
It can be easy to confuse the terminology since many SEOs have their own jargon for each tool. Either way, they all mean the same and execute the same job.
