15 Best SEO Tools in 2025 (Personally Tested & Reviewed)

What are the best free SEO tools in 2025? This is among the top questions by beginners in search engine optimization. In this quick yet comprehensive write-up, we have covered the best search engine optimization tools for competitor research, website analysis, keyword research, and other search engine optimization tasks. 

We know the significance of using the right SEO tools to make your efforts count and improve the ranking of a website. While there are numerous free and premium tools available, choosing the right ones is crucial.

Premium tools are great when you want higher limits for all tasks, advanced features and functionalities, and quick support. But for the majority of your tasks, some free SEO tools online will do the trick for you. 

Having said that, let’s move to the list of paid and free SEO optimization tools in 2025 that you can use at no cost. Used by a vast community of digital marketers and SEOs, these tools will provide you with actionable data, backlinks, keywords, spam scores, website analysis, and much more.

Top Search Engine Optimization Tools 

Here are the best SEO tools that you can use to boost your website’s ranking and achieve maximum results

1. SpyFu

2. SEMrush

3. Ahrefs

4. Moz

5. SEOptimer

6. Google Search Console

7. Google PageSpeed Insights

8. Google Keyword Planner

9. Ubersuggest

10. Answer The Public

11. SE Ranking

12. Mangools

13. Screaming Frog

14. Clearscope

15. Surfer SEO

1. SpyFu

This tool helps you to spy on your competitors, providing you insights about the keywords of your top competitors, find the websites bidding on your PPC keywords, analyze the ranking of competitors for specific keywords, and check their backlinks.

You can download the report of your competitor’s SEO profile and use it offline for further analysis. It is also handy for keyword research and other SEO tasks. 

Key Features

Competitor Keyword Research (Organic & Paid)

Discover every keyword your competitors are ranking for or have bid on in Google Ads, including historical data for the past 15+ years.

PPC Ad History and Performance Tracking

Analyze how competitors structure their paid campaigns, what ads they’ve run, how often they appear, and what keywords they target.

Backlink Checker and Domain Comparison

Identify backlinks pointing to your competitors’ sites and compare multiple domains side-by-side to evaluate authority and strategy.

SERP Analysis and Ranking Tracker

View which domains are ranking in the top search results for your target keywords and monitor changes over time.

Downloadable SEO Reports

Generate downloadable reports that summarize a competitor’s entire SEO/PPC profile, perfect for offline review or client presentations.

Pros

• Excellent for uncovering competitor PPC strategies
• Affordable pricing compared to competitors
• Easy-to-understand interface for beginners
• Historical keyword and ad data

Cons

• Interface can be a bit dated
• Limited backlink data compared to Ahrefs or SEMrush
• Keyword database not as expansive as some other tools

2. SEMrush

SEMrush is one of the best SEO tools for competitor research and website analysis. You can view the performance of specific websites with the ranking of their pages. It also shows the visibility of a website on Google over time and for what keywords. 

You can see the comparison of your page rankings against the competitors, do backlink analysis, find suitable keywords for SEO and PPC, and explore more tool features. 

Key Features

Domain Overview and Competitor Comparison

See a full picture of any domain’s performance, including organic search traffic, paid search efforts, backlink profile, and keyword visibility.

Keyword Gap and Keyword Magic Tool

Discover keyword opportunities by comparing your site with competitors. Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find keyword ideas grouped by intent, topic, or phrase.

Position Tracking and SERP Features Monitoring

Track the rankings of specific keywords for your site or competitors, and monitor appearance in SERP features like featured snippets and local packs.

Backlink Audit and Link Building Tools

Perform in-depth backlink audits to identify toxic links, and get recommendations for link-building outreach campaigns.

Site Audit and Technical SEO Checker

Crawl your website to detect over 140 SEO issues related to crawlability, site speed, HTTPS, duplicate content, and more.

Advertising Research and Social Media Toolkit

Analyze competitors’ ad strategies and manage social media accounts, schedule posts, and analyze audience engagement.

Pros

• Massive keyword and domain database
• Offers both SEO and PPC insights
• Useful reporting and tracking dashboards
• Integrates well with Google tools

Cons

• Can be expensive for small businesses
• Steeper learning curve for new users
• Some tools may be limited on lower-tier plans

3. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another great tool for competitor research, website analysis, and keyword research. It has almost everything you will need for SEO auditing. It has a number of different in-built online tools, like Site Explorer, Site Audit, Keyword Explorer, Rank Tracker, and Content Explorer. 

Key Features

Site Explorer (Competitor Domain Analysis)

Enter any domain to explore its organic search traffic, paid keywords, top-performing content, and full backlink profile.

Keyword Explorer (Advanced Keyword Metrics)

Analyze keyword difficulty, estimated search volume, clicks per search, return rate, and keyword ideas across 10+ search engines.

Backlink Checker with Historical Data

Access the largest backlink index to discover who links to your site or competitors, including anchor text and referring domains.

Rank Tracker (Keyword Position Monitoring)

Track your site’s performance in SERPs for specific keywords, across desktop and mobile, in different countries or regions.

Content Explorer (Topic Discovery and Analysis)

Find high-performing content across the web based on backlinks, traffic, or social shares to inform your content strategy.

Site Audit (Technical Health Scanner)

Run a full audit of your website to uncover SEO issues, such as broken links, redirect chains, slow-loading pages, and mobile usability.

Pros

• Best-in-class backlink analysis
• Comprehensive keyword and content research
• Clean, modern, and user-friendly UI
• Strong competitor insights and link intersect feature

Cons

• No free version
• Expensive for freelancers or small teams
• Limited PPC insights compared to SEMrush

4. Moz

Moz is a leading tool in SEO and digital marketing. It is an all-rounder for doing competitor research, SEO auditing, tracking the performance of top keywords for multiple search engines, spying on competitors’ backlinks with anchor text and DA, and performing keyword research.

It can be used for free for most of the tasks. For advanced and in-depth data, it asks for a subscription. 

Key Features

Keyword Explorer with SERP Analysis

Research keyword opportunities with metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and opportunity score, plus a preview of current top-ranking pages.

Link Explorer for Backlink Profile Analysis

Analyze the quality and quantity of inbound links, discover linking domains, and evaluate competitors’ backlink profiles and authority.

MozBar Chrome Extension (On-the-Go SEO Audit)

Instantly view domain authority, page authority, and on-page SEO elements while browsing any website in real time.

On-Page Optimization Suggestions

Receive actionable insights on how to improve title tags, meta descriptions, keyword usage, and page structure for better rankings.

Rank Tracking and Visibility Metrics

Monitor keyword rankings across Google, Bing, and Yahoo, and track changes in visibility for targeted search terms.

Domain Authority & Page Authority Scoring

Predict the ranking potential of your pages and websites with proprietary DA/PA metrics based on link data.

Pros

• Clean and intuitive interface
• Offers many free tools (including MozBar)
• Great for tracking DA and backlink quality
• Strong educational resources and community

Cons

• Limited data compared to Ahrefs or SEMrush
• Slower updates in keyword rankings
• Some features locked behind high-tier plans

5. SEOptimer

SEOptimer helps you audit your website for SEO. It checks several factors that matter in search engine optimization, and shows the problems that hold your website from improved rankings on Google. Along with showing the core issues, SEOptimer also reveals the actionable suggestions to follow to get rid of those issues and make your site SEO-friendly. 

Moreover, you can monitor the ranking of your site for specific keywords over time, improvements and decline in ranking, etc. 

Key Features

Comprehensive SEO Audits

Instantly audit any webpage and receive a report card evaluating factors like meta tags, headings, keyword usage, links, and image optimization.

White-Label SEO Reports

Customize and brand SEO audit reports for client presentations, making it a handy tool for digital agencies.

Keyword Tracking and Suggestions

Monitor keyword rankings over time and receive keyword ideas based on your website and competitors.

Technical Performance Monitoring

Check for issues like mobile responsiveness, page speed, and HTTPS security implementation.

Embedded Audit Form for Lead Generation

Add an audit widget to your site to capture leads through automated SEO analysis.

Pros

• Beginner-friendly with a clean interface
• Useful for client SEO audits and presentations
• Affordable and fast for basic SEO analysis
• Includes white-label features even on mid-tier plans

Cons

• Limited data compared to advanced tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush
• Basic keyword research and backlink tracking
• Lacks deep content analysis or competitive intelligence

6. Google Search Console

When it comes to analyzing your site for SEO, you must start with Google Search Console. Once integrated, it will show you the organic performance of your site, coverage errors and concerns that hamper the rankings, sitemap, check specific URLs for indexing, etc. 

Furthermore, Google Search Console also shows the number of clicks, impressions, CTR, keywords that bring traffic, submitting new sitemaps and URLs for indexing, and more. 

Key Features

Search Performance Reports

View clicks, impressions, average CTR, and positions for every keyword your website ranks for in Google.

Index Coverage Status

Identify indexing issues, excluded pages, and reasons why certain URLs aren’t being crawled or indexed.

Sitemap and URL Submission

Submit XML sitemaps and individual URLs to help Google crawl and index your website faster.

Core Web Vitals and Mobile Usability

Analyze page speed, interactivity, and layout stability metrics to improve UX and meet ranking factors.

Manual Actions and Security Alerts

Receive notifications about penalties, hacks, or spammy practices directly from Google.

Pros

• 100% free and officially backed by Google
• Accurate search query and crawl data
• Crucial for diagnosing indexing and crawl issues
• Essential for Core Web Vitals insights

Cons

• Limited keyword suggestions
• No competitor analysis tools
• Data can be delayed by 2-3 days

7. Google PageSpeed Insights

The loading speed of your website is important not only because it is a top-ranking factor, but also because it matters for user experience. Slow-loading web pages can bring down your organic rankings and reduce conversions. That’s where the role of Google PageSpeed Insights comes into play. 

It shows you the score of your website in terms of its loading speed, for both mobile and desktop devices. In addition, PageSpeed Insights tells you about the potential issues impacting the site speed, such as server issues, image sizes and format, and what you should do to fix these. 

Key Features

Page Speed Performance Scores

Get speed scores out of 100, based on real-world data from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) and simulated performance tests.

Core Web Vitals Reporting

See metrics like First Contentful Paint, Largest Contentful Paint, Time to Interactive, and Cumulative Layout Shift.

Actionable Improvement Tips

Receive specific recommendations such as image optimization, reducing unused JavaScript, and improving server response times.

Mobile vs. Desktop Comparison

Evaluate how your site performs differently on mobile devices versus desktop browsers.

Lighthouse Audit Integration

PSI uses Lighthouse to offer additional insights into accessibility, SEO basics, and best practices.

Pros

• Free and data-rich performance evaluation
• Provides clear, prioritized fixes
• Reflects Google’s own performance standards
• Helpful for meeting UX-related ranking signals

Cons

• Focused only on speed and performance
• Doesn’t offer holistic SEO recommendations
• Technical suggestions may overwhelm beginners

8. Google Keyword Planner

When finding the right keywords for your content, Google Keyword Planner should be a top choice. It comes in-built with Google Ads, but you can use it for free. 

You can enter multiple key phrases in one go and see several keyword variations for your topic, with monthly volume range and SEO difficulty. It also categorizes branded keywords and allows filtering for finding the keywords you will need. 

Key Features

Keyword Discovery and Expansion

Enter a seed keyword or website and generate a list of keyword suggestions related to your product or niche.

Search Volume and Forecasting

See historical search volumes, competition levels, and future projections to plan campaigns or SEO content.

Cost-per-Click (CPC) Estimates

Get estimated CPCs for each keyword, useful for both PPC campaigns and gauging keyword competition.

Location and Language Targeting

Filter keyword data by country, region, or language to tailor SEO and advertising strategies.

Seasonal Trend Insights

Spot seasonal or monthly keyword trends to optimize content calendars or ad scheduling.

Pros

• Direct data source from Google
• Helpful for both SEO and PPC planning
• Easy to use and 100% free with a Google Ads account
• Insightful for search intent and competition

Cons

• Shows broad ranges unless you’re running ads
• Lacks in-depth keyword filtering and analysis features
• Not ideal for content gap or LSI keyword research

9. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is developed by Neil Patel and is one of the best free SEO tools for keyword research and content analysis. Type in your topic or keyphrase, select country, and it will show you the top keywords with their volume and difficulty score. 

You can also see related keywords, questions, content ranking for those keywords, and social shares. 

Key Features

Keyword Research Tool

Generate keyword suggestions based on volume, difficulty, CPC, and trends, along with related, long-tail, and question-based terms.

SEO Analyzer and Site Audit

Run full audits of your website, detect technical SEO issues, and get a health score with actionable tips.

Backlink Data

Explore your website’s backlink profile including referring domains, anchor text, and domain authority.

Competitor Analysis

Enter a competitor’s domain to view their top SEO pages, keywords, and estimated traffic.

Content Ideas Generator

Discover content topics based on what’s ranking and getting shared for your target keywords.

Pros

• Offers generous free features and low-cost plans
• Great for freelancers and small businesses
• Clean, simple interface for quick research
• Combines multiple tools into one dashboard

Cons

• Smaller keyword database than Ahrefs or SEMrush
• Data accuracy can vary
• Advanced users may find features limited

10. Answer The Public

This is an underrated free tool for keyword research, but if used properly, it can help you find long-tail keywords and questions asked by your audience. When you enter your topic, it shows numerous ideas that are searched by users. The best thing about it is that you get all the questions people search on Google and other search engines.

It doesn’t show the monthly volume, but a green dot with different shades. Darker the color means more volume, while lighter means low volume.

Key Features

Question-Based Keyword Visualization

Generates keyword ideas in the form of questions, prepositions, comparisons, and alphabetical lists based on real-time search behavior.

Search Listening & Trends

Track how search demand evolves over time for a particular keyword or theme.

Topic Clusters & Content Mapping

Group related questions to plan comprehensive, search-intent-aligned content pieces.

Language and Region Filters

Choose your audience based on country and language for localized keyword insights.

CSV Export and Reporting

Download all results for easy reference and content planning.

Pros

• Fantastic for discovering long-tail and conversational keywords
• Ideal for content marketers, bloggers, and SEO copywriters
• Free version offers decent access
• Intuitive, visual layout of questions and ideas

Cons

• Limited daily searches on the free plan
• No search volume or keyword difficulty metrics
• Not ideal for technical or on-page SEO analysis

11. SE Ranking

SE Ranking is a versatile, cloud-based SEO platform offering a full suite of tools for keyword tracking, competitor analysis, backlink monitoring, and website auditing. It’s designed for agencies, SMBs, and professionals who want accurate data, user-friendly dashboards, and flexible pricing plans tailored to different needs.

Key Features

Keyword Rank Tracker

Tracks keyword positions across major search engines with daily updates and location-based insights (country, city, or device-specific).

Competitor SEO/PPC Analysis

Discover which keywords your competitors rank or advertise for and analyze their traffic sources, ads, and backlink strategies.

Website Audit Tool

Identifies over 100 SEO issues related to indexing, tags, speed, and usability, and prioritizes them for fixing.

Backlink Monitoring

Track gained and lost backlinks, anchor texts, referring domains, and link status changes.

Marketing Plan Builder

Step-by-step SEO checklist and strategy builder, useful for beginners or agencies offering SEO services.

Pros

• Affordable pricing with customizable plans
• Accurate keyword tracking and flexible reporting
• Easy UI and white-label options for agencies
• Good mix of SEO, PPC, and auditing tools

Cons

• Keyword database smaller than Ahrefs or SEMrush
• UI can feel cluttered for first-time users
• Limited content optimization features

12. Mangools

Mangools is a compact SEO toolset best known for its simplicity and beautifully designed interface. It includes five tools—KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, and SiteProfiler—ideal for freelancers, bloggers, and small businesses doing keyword research and SERP analysis.

Key Features

KWFinder (Keyword Research)

Discover low-competition, long-tail keywords with search volume, difficulty, and historical trends.

SERPChecker (SERP Analysis)

Analyze search results for any keyword, compare SEO metrics, and evaluate competition strength.

SERPWatcher (Rank Tracking)

Monitor keyword positions with daily updates and performance index scoring.

LinkMiner (Backlink Checker)

Analyze backlinks by strength, dofollow/nofollow ratio, and referring domains.

SiteProfiler (SEO Metrics Overview)

View domain authority, citation flow, backlink profiles, and content distribution.

Pros

• Highly user-friendly and visually appealing
• Affordable and beginner-friendly plans
• Strong keyword research capabilities
• Quick and accurate SERP snapshots

Cons

• Not ideal for in-depth site audits
• Limited competitor and PPC analysis
• No content optimization or AI-based features

13. Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a desktop-based website crawler used by technical SEOs to audit websites for issues like broken links, duplicate content, metadata errors, and crawl depth. It’s extremely detailed, making it ideal for large-scale audits and deep technical inspections.

Key Features

Site Crawling and Link Checking

Crawl up to 500 URLs for free or unlimited with the paid version to uncover broken links, redirects, orphan pages, and crawl errors.

Metadata and Content Analysis

Audit title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, word count, and canonical URLs.

Duplicate Content Detection

Identify duplicate pages, headings, or metadata that may affect rankings.

Integration with Google Tools

Pull data from Google Analytics, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights into your audits.

Custom Extraction and JavaScript Rendering

Scrape custom data from pages and crawl JavaScript-heavy websites accurately.

Pros

• Deep technical insights for full-site audits
• Great for finding crawl/indexing issues
• Advanced features for enterprise SEO pros
• One-time payment is affordable

Cons

• Desktop-only with steep learning curve
• Not designed for keyword or competitor research
• Can be overwhelming for non-technical users

14. Clearscope

Clearscope is a premium content optimization platform that helps writers and marketers create content that ranks. It analyzes top-performing pages for a target keyword and provides real-time recommendations on word count, readability, and keyword usage.

Key Features

Content Grading System

Receive a letter grade (A+ to D) for your content based on keyword usage, comprehensiveness, and SEO best practices.

Term Recommendations

Find relevant terms and phrases your content should include, drawn from high-ranking competitors.

Real-Time Editor

Optimize content as you write inside a distraction-free editor or integrate with Google Docs.

Search Intent Alignment

Understand content expectations based on the intent behind your chosen keyword.

Multi-Language and Region Support

Optimize content for different countries and languages with localized results.

Pros

• Excellent for content marketers and SEO writers
• Improves topical relevance and SEO alignment
• Google Docs integration is smooth
• Clean, distraction-free UX

Cons

• Expensive for individual users or small teams
• Lacks full SEO toolset (no rank tracking or backlinks)
• Limited keyword discovery compared to other tools

15. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO combines data science and content strategy to help you create, audit, and optimize content that aligns with search intent and ranking factors. It blends keyword recommendations, structure analysis, and on-page SEO suggestions into one unified editor.

Key Features

Content Editor with NLP Suggestions

Get real-time suggestions on keyword usage, paragraph count, heading structure, and semantic terms using NLP from top-ranking pages.

Content Audit Tool

Analyze and improve existing pages based on SERP benchmarks and content gaps.

Keyword Research & Clustering

Find primary and related keywords grouped by intent to build topical authority and silos.

SERP Analyzer

Evaluate ranking factors like content length, keyword density, and backlinks by analyzing the top pages for a keyword.

AI Writing Assistant (Surfer AI)

Quickly generate SEO-optimized articles using AI based on keyword input and SERP data.

Pros

• Highly detailed and actionable content optimization
• Combines content strategy with SEO best practices
• Suitable for agencies, bloggers, and affiliate marketers
• Keyword clustering saves time in planning

Cons

• Subscription-based with limited credits
• AI-generated content may need heavy editing
• Lacks backlink or technical SEO tools

FAQs on SEO Tools

Wrapping Up

So, these are some of the best free SEO tools in 2025 that will make your SEO efforts all the more effective. From researching the right keywords to auditing your website to performing competitor research, these tools cover everything for you. If you want advanced and premium features, it makes sense to go for a paid plan for these tools.