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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Many people were dissatisfied with the subscription model, finding that free trials often led to unexpected charges and that additional functionalities were hidden behind further paywalls. Customers frequently reported issues with payments, including billing discrepancies and difficulty understanding the billing process. The cancellation process was a major source of frustration, with many describing it as complex and unclear, often requiring multiple steps and email confirmations that were not clearly communicated. Reviewers also found the customer service to be unhelpful and unresponsive, particularly when attempting to resolve billing disputes or secure refunds, which were often denied even for unused services. However, some people also felt that the customer support was quick to respond and effective.

What people talk about most

Subscription

Customers express significant dissatisfaction with the subscription process, particularly regarding free... See more

Payment

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of payment. Many customers express extreme disappointment with predatory... See more

Cancellation

Clients share negative opinions on cancellation, with many reviewers expressing frustration and... See more

Customer service

Consumers express significant dissatisfaction with customer service, often describing it as "abysmal" and... See more

Refund

Reviewers express significant dissatisfaction with the refund process. Many customers report that their... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Ridiculously expensive. Tried the trial middle tier and still half of the functionality had further paywalls. Can't be bothered dealing with such a money grabbing model. Cancelled immediately and will... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

The customer service since 2021 has been a dumpster fire. The cancellation process is terrible. I filled out the form on Feb 25, 2026 to avoid the renewal charges. I didn’t get a confirmation so I... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't waste your money. This company has gone downhill so bad it should be studied. It's usefullness has dropped while they raise the price and enact greedy policies (like their refund policy). They a... See more


Company details

  1. Internet marketing service

Written by the company

Semrush (NYSE: SEMR) is the leading brand visibility platform, empowering marketers to command their online presence and create measurable impact. Built on the industry’s most expansive proprietary dataset, Semrush delivers AI-driven insights across SEO, Agentic Search Optimization, content marketing, paid media, and social strategy. Used by over 28 million users globally – from scaling startups to the Fortune 500 – Semrush provides the competitive intelligence needed to win visibility in an evolving digital landscape. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA with a global presence across North America, Europe and Asia.


Contact info

1.9

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

1K reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Replied to 75% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 24 hours

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The cancellation process is scammy

The cancellation process is scammy. While their UI/UX for subscribing is super smooth and seamless, and you would expect the same for the other processes, but NO! It is almost impossible to cancel the subscription when you are no more in need of it. After several compulsory questions to answer with the crazy amount of deception they add in the process, you HAVE TO confirm again via the email which is misleading and confusing. As a result, people miss this step and the subscription keeps going on and the users get surprised when the bill comes next time.
I have been an active user of Semrush for years but now I am losing my trust in them. So whenever I have a chance, I will tell people to stay away from it. The company seems like they don't respect small users anyway.

**UPDATE: Semrush replied to this review below, which makes it appear as though they are trying to resolve the issue, but that has not been my experience.
Trustpilot requested my contact details so that Semrush could reach out to me. I provided the information, yet NOTHING has happened since then. I have received no follow-up, no contact, and no attempt to address the issue.
This makes their public reply feel more like a performative response for people reading the reviews rather than a genuine effort to help. From my perspective, it seems intended to create the impression that they care, while in reality no action has been taken.

30 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Tran, we’re sorry to hear about your experience. We’ve reached out to you via Trustpilot to gather a bit more information so we can better understand what happened and see if there’s anything we can do to help.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolute scammers

Absolute scammers, they take money unlawfully from your card.

30 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello James, we’re sorry to hear about your experience. We’ve reached out to you via Trustpilot to gather a few more details so we can properly review what happened and assist you further.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The company makes it hard to cancel…

The company makes it hard to cancel your subscription and adds unnecessary steps so that you accidentally stay a subscriber. It feels like they are purposefully trying to trick their customers and aren't helpful when you try to talk to support.

29 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello, we’re sorry to hear about your experience with our cancellation process. We really appreciate your feedback, and we’re always working on ways to improve the experience for our users.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Free Trial is Extremely misleading. Very Bad Experience with their support.

Free Trial is Extremely misleading. I got charged for a full month even through i attempted to cancel several times. I even received the email that my account is inactive which made me successfully believe that my account has been successfully cancelled. Their cancellation process is so deliberately complex. I explained my situation to the support rep they simply didn't listen and chooose not to respond.

27 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Priyanka, we're sorry to hear about your experience with our support team. We’d like to look into this further to understand what happened and see how we can help. We’ve reached out to you via Trustpilot for a few more details so we can investigate properly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Free trial is misleading and feels like…

Free trial is misleading and feels like a trap.

I signed up thinking I was getting a 7-day free trial, but ended up being charged over $300. This was not clearly explained, and I did not intentionally agree to any annual payment.

After looking into it, I realized many other users are experiencing the exact same issue. That says a lot about how this is being presented.

Customer support was no help at all. Instead of trying to resolve the issue, they just repeat policies and refuse refunds, even when contacted immediately.

This is extremely frustrating and feels unethical. A “free trial” should not turn into a surprise charge like this.

Be very careful before entering your card details. I regret signing up.

19 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi Gabriel, we're sorry to hear about your experience and are happy to take a further look. When signing up for a trial, you should get a pop-up letting you know that your card will be charged if you have previously used a trial with us. We're not sure what may have happened in your case, but we can investigate with the team internally to get some more info. Can you please share your Semrush account email here so that we can follow up?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Scammers. AVOID at all costs.

Scammers. 1000% avoid. There are better companies out there.

Started a 7 day trial on the 19th March. Cancelled on the 26th March. They have the audacity to tell me I missed the window to cancel in the period and have charged me over $300. Point blank refusing to refund.

With the mass of complaints below, I sense a watchdog case in the making. We should go to the press with regards to the unethical T&Cs.

Cowboys.

27 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi Khalil, we're sorry to hear this happened and are happy to look into it further. We've requested your email here on Trustpilot so that we can follow up with our team.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dont fall for any Semrush TRIAL offer.

SEMRUSH ARE EXTREMELY UNETHICAL. Do not buy their subscription. I had to get my account deleted. Cited policy issues when i asked for refund. Very unfair people and the CRM team does all their dirty bidding.

24 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi there, as long as your account is canceled before the trial is up, then your card will not be charged. If you believe you were charged in error, please reach out so that we can pull up your account and take a look.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

OVERPRICED & CLUNKY

OVERPRICED & CLUNKY
Want insights, pay more
Want tracking, pay more
Want to research more sites, pay more
It's like they spend all their design dollars on upgrade ads
You can do more research with cheaper & better apps.
Also its SO DIFFICULT to share or collaborate with others.
Absolutely hate it

2 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi Charles, some tools need extra support and may not be necessary for every user, which is why they are offered as add-ons with an extra charge. This approach helps us keep tools accessible while offering more powerful options for those who need them. We appreciate your feedback here and will be sure to pass it on to our UX team.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Think twice before signing for the free trial

Think twice before signing for the free trial.
I signed up for a Semrush free trial to learn the platform. At the end of the trial I was automatically charged for a monthly subscription. The same day the charge appeared, I contacted Semrush to cancel and request a refund, I had not used the service after the trial ended.

My refund was denied. I submitted a formal appeal explaining that I am currently unemployed and that this charge directly affects my ability to cover basic living expenses like groceries and gas. I was patient, respectful, and persistent through multiple exchanges.

After several escalations, I received a final email stating the case would not be reopened.
I understand policies exist, but I reached out immediately, in good faith, without having used the product. A little human compassion would have gone a long way. I hope sharing this helps others be extra careful before starting a Semrush trial.

25 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Marcos, thank you for sharing your experience. As outlined on our website and during sign-up, we offer a 7-day free trial which automatically converts into a paid subscription if it isn’t cancelled before the trial ends.

That said, we’ve requested some additional information from you so we can take a closer look at your case. Your input helps us continue to improve.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Misleading “Free Trial” – Charged €344 Immediately, No Refund Despite Same-Day Request

I signed up for what was presented as a 7-day trial, but I was charged €344 immediately.

The fact that I would be charged right away due to a previous trial was not clearly highlighted during checkout, which made the experience misleading.

I contacted support the same day and requested a refund, explaining that I did not intend to subscribe to a paid plan. I also did not use the service at all.

Despite this, my refund request was refused.

After looking into it, I found that many other users report the exact same issue, which raises serious concerns about how the billing information is presented.

EDIT: It appears that I had already used a 7-day trial in the past. However, this was not clearly indicated during checkout, and I was still led to believe I was starting a trial again. This lack of clarity is extremely misleading.

Very disappointing experience. I strongly recommend being extremely careful before entering your payment details.

22 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi Fabien, we are sorry to hear that this happened and apologize for any confusion. When you are going through the trial flow, there will be a pop-up showing that your card will be charged if you have already used the 7-day free trial. We appreciate your feedback on this process and will pass it along to the appropriate team to help prevent similar situations in the future.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Inflexible and unethical

Note: The response from Semrush below claims that they've requested more information from me to look into the matter, but they have not.

Original Review: Yesterday I attempted the 7 day free trial, not knowing that I had previously attempted one. On the check out page it said in large letters "Begin your free trial" with a very small message above it saying "you've already activated your free trial". I only saw it the minute I hit "purchase" (which I assumed was referring to the free trial as platforms often use that phrasing), did not use the account, and reached out immediately noting my mistake and asked for a refund. They said no, they will not give one, which is absolutely absurd.

I have yet to use a platform that is completely inflexible to what was clearly a mistake. I've referred MANY clients to Semrush, one with an active plan, and will not be doing-so moving forward. This was unethical and ridiculous.

22 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Brandy, we're sorry to hear about your experience with us. If you’ve previously had an account and used a free trial, you wouldn’t be eligible for another one and charges may apply. That said, we’d like to take a closer look at your specific case—so we’ve requested a bit more information from you via Trustpilot to help us investigate.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

crap

crap

scams
Why all theses scammers are coming out the wood now

20 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Jay, we’re sorry to hear about your experience. Could you please share a bit more detail so we can look into this and better understand what happened? Thank you.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolute abysmal customer service

Absolute abysmal customer service. All they want is your money, then service is irrelevant. Requested cancellation and then apparently you have to email them. To turn off auto renew you lose services you have already paid for. No renewals reminders which is against UK law. But refused to refund within a day of taking payment. What a shower of ...

20 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello there, sorry to hear about your experience. Could you please share a bit more detail so we can look into this and pass your feedback on to the team? Thank you.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cancelled trial NO REFUND

I signes up for a test trial. I (requested)cancelled the trial and still got charged around 330 Euros (around 380$). I contacted the support but received a curt reply with: ,,We didnt receive the request, so we cannot refund you''
for info:
I didnt use ANY function of their service.

19 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Luka, sorry to hear about your experience. We've requested more information from you via Trustpilot to see what happened in your case.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Charged $222.88 without proper notice

Charged $222.88 without proper notice. Submitted a refund request the same day within their own 7-day guarantee and was denied.

Their money-back guarantee is not reliable. Customer support is dismissive and tried to escalate billing disputes but customer service is not responsive.

19 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Anna, you can cancel your account within 7 days of starting your trial, and you will be eligible for a refund. Our terms are shared during sign-up and on our website. However, we’d really like to take a closer look at your situation, so we’ve requested a bit more information from you on Trustpilot.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I had sign up for trail

I had sign up for trail, tried to cancel but they have made it so hard, you need to contact support team/cant figure out how to cancel and then without any warning they have deducted 200$ + with out any warning and refusing to refund when i have not clearly used there software at all.

15 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hi Mark, we’re sorry to hear about your experience. Our cancellation process is outlined during signup and on our website, but we’ve reached out via Trustpilot to get a few more details and see how we can assist further.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Poor customer support and unfair billing experience

I signed up for a free trial and, before it ended, tried multiple times to get in touch to switch to a plan that actually included the features I needed. Unfortunately, the contact buttons on both their emails and website were not working - I even have screenshots and video evidence of this which I provided to them.
Despite my attempts to reach out before the trial ended, I was still charged and my refund request was denied. I shared the evidence showing I had tried to contact them in time, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
What’s frustrating is that I would have happily remained a paying customer if this had been handled fairly. Instead, the lack of accountability and support completely changed my experience.
Would not recommend.

16 March 2026
Unprompted review
Semrush logo

Reply from Semrush

Hello Ada, we’re sorry to hear about your experience and the difficulty reaching us; that’s not what we aim for. We’d really like to look into this and help resolve it. Could you reply to us on Trustpilot with a bit more detail so we can investigate further? Thank you.

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