Best lists / Best free SEO tools

Best free SEO tools

Tools ranked

With a free plan

Google Search Console

Top pick

Updated June 2026 · Independent, no paid placements

Most SEO suites dangle a tiny free search count to get you to upgrade. A few free tools are genuinely useful on their own. I ranked these on how much real work you can do per day before the limit stops you.

At a glance

#	Tool	Best for	Free tier
1	Google Search Console	Your own site's data	Unlimited — fully free
2	Semrush (Free Plan)	Occasional keyword checks	10 searches/day
3	Seobility	Free site audits	1 project, 1,000 pages
4	Screaming Frog SEO Spider	Technical crawls	500 URLs per crawl
5	AnswerThePublic	Content ideas	3 searches/day

Google Search Console

Top pickUnlimited Free Tier

Best for: Your own site's data

Free tool from Google to monitor your site's search performance.

Search Console is free forever and shows the exact queries you already rank for, with real impressions and clicks. No third-party tool has data this accurate about your own site. Start every SEO project here.

What's good

Completely free
Direct data from Google
Essential for SEO
Reliable and accurate

What's not

Only covers Google search
Data can be delayed
Limited historical data

Pricing

Free plan available

Visit Google Search Console Read review

Semrush (Free Plan)

Limited Free Tier

Best for: Occasional keyword checks

10 free searches/day with keyword tracking and site auditing.

Semrush's free plan gives 10 keyword lookups a day against the same database the paid tool uses. Enough to size up a handful of keywords or spy on a competitor before committing to a subscription.

What's good

Industry-leading data
Comprehensive toolset
Great keyword database

What's not

Very limited free plan
Expensive paid plans
Aggressive upselling

Pricing

Free plan available

Visit Semrush (Free Plan) Read review

Seobility

Generous Free Tier

Best for: Free site audits

Free SEO auditing and monitoring tool. 1 project with daily crawls.

Seobility audits one project up to 1,000 pages free and is the most usable free crawler for fixing on-page issues. The dashboard is plain but it finds the things that actually move rankings.

What's good

Good free tier
Daily automated crawls
Clear issue reporting

What's not

1 project limit
Less data than top-tier tools

Pricing

Free plan available

Visit Seobility Read review

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Generous Free Tier

Best for: Technical crawls

Desktop SEO crawler for technical audits. Free for up to 500 URLs.

Screaming Frog crawls up to 500 URLs per crawl free on the desktop app, which covers most small sites entirely. It is the standard tool for finding broken links, redirects, and duplicate titles.

What's good

Industry standard for technical SEO
Very thorough
Desktop app (fast)

What's not

500 URL limit on free
Desktop only
Not beginner-friendly

Pricing

Free plan available

Visit Screaming Frog SEO Spider Read review

AnswerThePublic

Limited Free Tier

Best for: Content ideas

Visualize search questions for content ideas. 3 free searches/day.

AnswerThePublic turns one seed keyword into the questions people actually search, three free searches a day. Good for outlining a blog post or finding the angle competitors missed.

What's good

Great for content ideation
Visual and intuitive
Quick insights

What's not

Very limited free searches
Data not very deep

Pricing

Free plan available

Visit AnswerThePublic Read review

How I ranked these

Daily free usage limit
Whether the core job (keywords, audit, rank tracking) works free
Data quality versus the paid version

Rankings are based on research, not paid placement. Some links are affiliate links, which never change where a tool ranks.

FAQ

Is there a truly free SEO tool?

Yes. Google Search Console is free forever for your own site, and Screaming Frog crawls up to 500 URLs free with no time limit.

Can I do keyword research for free?

Within limits. Semrush free gives 10 lookups a day and AnswerThePublic gives 3. Combine them and you can research a small content plan without paying.

Browse all free SEO tools