Most SEO tools charge a monthly fee, whether you use them or not. This page compares what that costs in a year with paying per action, and names the cases in which a subscription is still the better choice.
A subscription pays for availability, credits pay for work
A monthly fee covers the tool being there, whether you open it or not. If you run a serious audit twice a year and check rankings now and then, most of the fee pays for months in which nothing happens.
With credits it is the other way round. You pay for a package in advance, and each action takes the credits it costs. A month without use causes no additional costs.
This is what the entry tiers of well-known tools cost per year
| Tool and tier | Pricing model | Entry price of the tier | Per year, paid monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seobility Premium | Subscription, free tier | 59.90 EUR / month | about 720 EUR (575.04 EUR paid annually) |
| Sistrix Start | Subscription | 119 EUR / month plus VAT | about 1,430 EUR plus VAT |
| SE Ranking Core | Subscription | 109 EUR / month | about 1,310 EUR (1,046 EUR paid annually) |
| Semrush SEO | Subscription per user | 134 EUR / month | about 1,610 EUR (1,350 EUR paid annually) |
| Rankmio | Credits, no base fee | 10.00 EUR for 100 credits | what you use |
Prices checked on 13 October 2026 on the vendors' pricing pages. The tiers differ in scope and are not equivalent: the table compares the entry price, not the features.
This is how the prices have changed
| Tool | Aug 2026 | 13 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Seobility | 49.90 EUR (Premium) | 59.90 EUR (Premium) ↑ +20 % |
| Sistrix | 119 EUR plus VAT (Start) | 119 EUR plus VAT (Start) → unchanged |
| SE Ranking | approx. 65 USD, billed annually (Core) | 87.20 EUR, billed annually (Core) ↑ higher, now in euros |
| Semrush | 139.95 USD (Pro) | 134 EUR (SEO) tier renamed, now in euros |
Monthly entry price of the named tier, from the vendors' pricing pages. The earlier figures come from our research in August 2026.
This is what typical tasks cost in credits
One credit costs 0.10 EUR in the smallest package; larger packages are cheaper per credit.
- Website analysis of a page: 1 credit, about 0.10 EUR
- GEO audit of 50 pages: 10 credits, about 1.00 EUR
- Article draft in the Content Studio: 3 credits, about 0.30 EUR
- AI answer simulation: 1 credit, about 0.10 EUR
- Competitor battle with three competitors: 6 credits, about 0.60 EUR
See all functions and credit prices →
A subscription is still the better choice in some cases
If you work with an SEO tool every day, the monthly fee is spread across a lot of work. The same applies to agencies in which several people need their own logins, and to anyone who needs visibility data reaching back many years. Sistrix, for example, has built up its German keyword database since 2008.
If you only do SEO occasionally, analyse individual websites or create content project by project, pay-per-use can be clearly cheaper than a monthly subscription. You only pay for the functions you actually use. If, on the other hand, you evaluate large amounts of data every day, need extensive ranking monitoring or work in a team, you should compare the costs and scope of both models.
Credits have no expiry date
Purchased credits have no expiry date. They remain valid as long as your Rankmio account exists. There is no minimum term, and Rankmio shows the price before every action. Why we chose this model is explained on the credits page.
Undecided? Look up what a specific analysis costs in the credit price list, or start with 10 free credits and try Rankmio yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an SEO tool without a subscription?
Yes. Rankmio works with credits that you buy once and use when you need them. There is no base fee and no minimum term, and every action shows its price before you start it.
When is a subscription the better choice?
When you work with the tool every day, when several people need their own logins, or when you need historical data across many years. Then the fixed monthly price is spread across a lot of work.
Do Rankmio credits expire?
Purchased credits have no expiry date. They remain valid as long as your Rankmio account exists.
How do I know what an action costs?
Rankmio shows the price before every action, and the full list of prices per function is on the credits page.