Brandwave

How popular isSemrush?

In September 2026, people searched for Semrush by name about 838,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 60.8% of all global AI search visibility tool searches, placing Semrush first out of ten tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI search visibility tools, Semrush appeared in four of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Semrush is the most searched of 10 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SemrushShare of searches 60.8%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. AhrefsShare of searches 27.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. SE RankingShare of searches 4.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. Peec AIShare of searches 2.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. ProfoundShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top AI search visibility tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Semrush was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Semrush is the third most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Peec AI1st
  2. Otterly.AI2nd
  3. Semrush3rd
  4. Profound4th
  5. Ahrefs5th
  6. SE Ranking6th
  7. Searchable7th
  8. AirOps–
  9. AthenaHQ–
  10. Scrunch–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Semrush4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ahrefs4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Peec AI4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Otterly.AI4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Profound3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • SE Ranking2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Searchable1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • AirOps0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AthenaHQ0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Scrunch0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI search visibility tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which AI search visibility tools compete with Semrush?

Semrush against AI search visibility tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Semrush, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Peec AI, Profound. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSemrushAhrefsSE RankingPeec AIProfoundAirOpsSearchableOtterly.AIAthenaHQScrunch
Oct 202558.2%31.8%5.2%0.91%1.1%1.1%0.75%0.24%0.27%0.31%
Nov 202562.3%27.9%4.6%1.4%0.99%1.4%0.65%0.26%0.23%0.28%
Dec 202565.4%23.9%4.8%1.5%1.1%1.5%1%0.26%0.29%0.28%
Jan 202657.3%31.3%5.2%1.6%1.1%1.6%0.92%0.35%0.33%0.31%
Feb 202657.3%31.3%5.1%1.3%1.5%1.6%0.76%0.36%0.37%0.31%
Mar 202661.6%27.6%4.5%1.4%1.6%1.4%0.8%0.46%0.32%0.27%
Apr 202661.9%27.7%4.6%1.4%1.4%1.4%0.66%0.38%0.32%0.27%
May 202654.3%29.7%8.9%2.3%1.4%1.5%0.87%0.51%0.33%0.29%
Jun 202660.8%27.2%4.5%2.1%1.6%1.7%0.78%0.57%0.39%0.4%
Jul 202661%27.3%4.5%2.1%1.6%1.4%0.95%0.55%0.32%0.33%
Aug 202661.4%27.5%3.7%2.1%1.9%1.4%0.95%0.49%0.26%0.33%
Sep 202660.8%27.2%4.5%2.2%2%1.4%0.94%0.52%0.27%0.27%

  1. 1.Semrush

    60.8%

    Held 1st. 673K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  2. 2.Ahrefs

    27.2%

    Held 2nd. 301K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.SE Ranking

    4.5%

    Held 3rd. 49.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  4. 4.Peec AI

    2.2%

    Held 4th. 23.8K estimated branded searches, +2.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Profound

    2%

    Held 5th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +8.4% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.AirOps

    1.4%

    Held 6th. 15K estimated branded searches, -0.53% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Searchable

    0.94%

    Held 7th. 10.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Otterly.AI

    0.52%

    Held 8th. 5.7K estimated branded searches, +5.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.AthenaHQ

    0.27%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 3K estimated branded searches, +3.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Scrunch

    0.27%

    Moved from 9th to 10th. 3K estimated branded searches, -19.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Semrush and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Semrush

41 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Semrush changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Semrush worldwide held steady at 838K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Semrush’s share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide increased from 58.2% to 60.8%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Semrush’s share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide peaked at 65.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 54.3% in May 2026.

How did search popularity change for AI search visibility tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, SE Ranking gained share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide, from 3.7% to 4.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Semrush lost share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide, from 61.4% to 60.8%.

  3. In September 2026, AthenaHQ rose from 10th to 9th among AI search visibility tools worldwide.

  4. In September 2026, Scrunch fell from 9th to 10th among AI search visibility tools worldwide.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Peec AI worldwide rose 85.6% over 12 measured months, from 12.8K to 23.8K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Otterly.AI worldwide rose 68.6% over 12 measured months, from 3.4K to 5.7K in September 2026.

How are Semrush’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Semrush’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • semrush
  • semrush seo tool

Do you work for Semrush? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Semrush compete?

Semrush is ranked in nine competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Keyword research tools1st of 743.3%Show ranking
SEO tools1st of 1045.5%Show ranking
Web traffic intelligence platforms1st of 549.3%Show ranking
Backlink analysis tools1st of 749.7%Show ranking
SEO rank tracking platforms1st of 956.7%Show ranking
AI search visibility tools1st of 1060.8%Shown above
Competitive intelligence platforms1st of 761.9%Show ranking
AI SEO tools1st of 868.6%Show ranking
Content marketing platforms1st of 768.9%Show ranking
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