Semrush offers a 7-day free trial on its SEO and AI Search plans and on most of its specialist toolkits, including Traffic and Market, Local, Content, Social, Advertising and AI PR. Each toolkit trial can be used once per account, and you can start them at different times. You can cancel any time during the trial at no charge; if you don't, it converts to the plan you chose at the standard rate.
Semrush is one of the tools I get asked about most by small business owners, and its trial is generous but full of small rules, and two of them can ruin it if you don't know them in advance: data exports are switched off, and having had any trial before can make you ineligible for the main SEO toolkit.
What you can trial, and for how long
| What | Free trial length | Notes from Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| SEO and AI Search plans | 7 days | Available for all plans |
| Traffic and Market Toolkit | 7 days | Same eligibility exception as SEO |
| Local, Content, Social, Advertising and AI PR Toolkits | 7 days | Each toolkit trial can be activated once per account |
| Agency Partners Platform add-on | 14 days | Add-on, not a toolkit |
| Additional users | 7 days | Up to 3 extra users get free access to the main account's toolkits, except Traffic and Market |
The two rules that catch people out
Exports are disabled during every trial
Semrush says its trials give access to most core features, but exporting data is disabled during the trial period, even on plans that normally include exports. Once you upgrade to a paid subscription, exports work according to your plan's limits.
So don't plan a trial around pulling a big keyword list or backlink audit into a spreadsheet for a client. Use the trial to judge the data inside Semrush, and take notes or screenshots of what you need.
A previous trial can rule you out
Semrush says that if you currently have, or previously had, a trial or paid subscription for one or more toolkits, you aren't eligible for free access to the SEO or Traffic and Market Toolkits. They're exceptions to its standard trial policy. In other words, if you tried the Social Toolkit last year, you may not get a free week of the SEO Toolkit now. Think about which trial you want most before you start any of them.
The Local Toolkit timing rule
If you want to try local SEO, add the Local trial while your SEO or Traffic and Market trial is still active. Semrush says Local limits then match the remainder of those trials, and once those trials finish you can't add a Local trial, even if you've never tried it.
How to plan a Semrush trial week
- Decide which toolkit matters most and start that one first, because of the eligibility rule.
- Add the Local trial in the same week if you serve local customers.
- Day one: set up a project for your own site and run a site audit.
- Days two and three: research keywords and competitors for your three most important pages.
- Days four and five: check backlinks and the AI visibility features against what you already know about your site.
- Day six: decide, and start the cancellation process if you're not keeping it.
How to cancel the Semrush free trial
Semrush cancels through a form, not a button, and the confirmation step has a deadline:
- Log in to the Semrush account that holds the trial.
- Open the Cancellation Form, from Subscription Info or the Contact us link.
- Answer every question and submit it.
- Open the confirmation email and click the link within 24 hours. Semrush says if you don't confirm within 24 hours, the cancellation isn't processed and billing continues.
- Wait for the email confirming the cancellation is complete.
Check your spam folder if the confirmation email doesn't arrive. Because of the 24-hour link, I'd start this process on day five or six, never on the last evening.
Trying more than one toolkit
Semrush lets you activate trials for different toolkits separately and at different times. Its own example is starting a Social Toolkit trial today and trying the Advertising Toolkit later. That's useful if you want to spread your testing across a quarter, but remember the eligibility exception: start the SEO or Traffic and Market trial first if you want either of them, because an earlier trial of anything else can rule them out. You can also buy several toolkits at once if you decide to keep more than one.
Can you extend a Semrush trial?
Semrush says trial upgrade and extension options are limited, and to contact customer support to check what may be available for your account. Don't count on it. Plan the week as if the seven days are fixed.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
If you're comparing tools, I've put Semrush head to head in Semrush vs Ahrefs and Moz vs Semrush.
My verdict
The Semrush free trial is worth taking if you start the right toolkit first, go in with a plan for the week, and accept that exports are off until you pay. The two traps are eligibility, because any earlier trial can lock you out of the SEO Toolkit trial, and cancelling, because the confirmation link expires in 24 hours. Start the cancel early if you're not staying.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Semrush free trial?
7 days for the SEO and AI Search plans and most specialist toolkits. The Agency Partners Platform add-on has a 14-day free trial.
Can I export data during a Semrush trial?
No. Semrush says exporting data is disabled during the trial period, even if exports are included in the paid plan.
Why can't I get a Semrush SEO Toolkit trial?
Semrush says that if you currently have, or previously had, a trial or paid subscription for any toolkit, you aren't eligible for free access to the SEO or Traffic and Market Toolkits.
How do I cancel my Semrush free trial?
Submit the Cancellation Form while logged in, then click the confirmation link in the email within 24 hours. If you don't, Semrush says the cancellation isn't processed and billing continues.
What happens when the Semrush trial ends?
Semrush says your account converts to the plan you selected unless you cancel, and you're billed at the standard rate for that plan.
