MentionX vs SEMrush
Generative visibility is a different sport: buyer-style prompts, cross-engine mentions, board-ready proof. SEMrush is an SEO champion — keywords, site audits, rank tracking, backlinks. The AI Visibility Toolkit ($99/mo/domain, 25 prompts) and Semrush One ($199+/mo) bolt AI mentions onto that stack. Useful if you already live in SEMrush. Awkward if your CMO’s question is purely ‘who does ChatGPT recommend?’ MentionX is built for that game — founding $29.99, Mentionie, Boardroom, evidence first.
Official pricing snapshot
Source: semrush.com/pricing/ai + Semrush One plan pages · verified August 2026. AI Visibility Base: $99/mo per domain, billed annually ($1,188/yr), 25 custom prompts, 4 engines. Semrush One Starter: $199/mo ($165.17 annual equiv.) includes SEO suite + 50 AI prompts. Standalone AI toolkit has no free trial; Semrush One offers 7–14 day trial.
| SEMrush plan | Price | Prompts | Engines | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Visibility Base | $99/mo per domain · annual | 25 | ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity | Add users from $45/mo |
| Semrush One Starter | $199/mo ($165.17 annual equiv.) | 50 | AI module + full SEO stack | Included in bundle |
| Semrush One Pro+ | $299/mo ($248.17 annual equiv.) | 100 | AI module + SEO + content tools | Team features |
MentionX founding plans
| Plan | Founding price | Prompts | Engines | Mentionie | Boardroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | $29.99/mo · $24.99 annual equiv. | 15/mo | ChatGPT + Gemini | — | — |
| Orbit | $49.99/mo · $41.66 annual equiv. | 40/mo | ChatGPT + Gemini | 30 msgs / day | Unlimited PPTX |
| Constellation | $79.99/mo · $66.66 annual equiv. | 100/mo | All 5 (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Claude) | 60 msgs / day | Unlimited PPTX |
Plan-to-plan ROI
We match on marketing job, not logo tier names — so Signal is not compared to Enterprise. Savings assume monthly list; your competitor may require annual prepay (especially Profound).
Pure AIO entry. SEMrush charges per domain for 25 prompts; MentionX Signal gives 15 prompts on 2 engines at $29.99 with trial.
- Skip paying for SEO tools you will not open if the job is AI mentions only.
- ~$828/yr stays in program budget vs AI toolkit annual.
- Evidence stored per buyer prompt — not blended into a 20-tool dashboard.
Orbit delivers 40 prompts + Mentionie + Boardroom — SEMrush AI Base caps at 25 prompts and has no analyst or deck export.
- Brief the board in Mentionie; export PPTX — SEMrush stops at PDF reports in add-ons.
- 40 prompts vs Base’s 25 — plus Mentionie and Boardroom.
- If you already pay for SEMrush SEO, keep it — add MentionX for dedicated GEO, not upgrade the whole suite.
100-prompt band. Constellation is AIO-pure at $79.99; Pro+ bundles SEO you may not need for $299.
- Five engines with Claude + Grok — SEMrush AI module lists four engines on Base; Claude not on all tiers.
- $2,628/yr saved if SEO suite is redundant for your team.
- Marketing outcome: ranked gap list + source intel + deck — not keyword position noise.
Full feature comparison
| Category | Feature | MentionX | SEMrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product fit | Primary job | GEO / AIO visibility only | SEO platform · AI as module |
| Pricing | AIO-only entry | $29.99/mo Signal | $99/mo AI Visibility per domain |
| Pricing | 100 AI prompts | Constellation $79.99/mo | Semrush One Pro+ $299/mo |
| Coverage | Engines (AIO focus) | 5 on Constellation | 4 on AI Base · bundle varies |
| SEO | Keyword rank tracking | Not our job (intentionally) | Core product strength |
| SEO | Site audit / backlinks | — | Full suite |
| Evidence | Buyer-style prompt library | Core · editable anytime | 25–200 prompts by tier |
| Outputs | Mentionie analyst | Orbit+ | — |
| Outputs | Boardroom PPTX | Orbit+ unlimited | PDF reports via add-ons ($10–20/mo) |
| Trial | Try before buy (AIO-only) | 7-day · no card | AI toolkit: no · One: 7–14 days |
Where MentionX is honest about gaps
- Keyword rank tracking & SERP suite — Not our product — use SEMrush alongside if needed
- Site audit / technical SEO — Not our product
- Claude engine tracking — Live on Constellation — SEMrush also gaps Claude on some tiers
- 300 AI reports/day quota — Different metering — we charge per buyer question budget
FAQ
Should we cancel SEMrush for MentionX?
Usually no — many teams keep SEMrush for SEO and add MentionX for generative answer visibility. Cancel only if nobody opens the SEO tools.
Why ‘square ball’?
SEMrush’s core is keywords and rankings. AI visibility is an add-on or bundle — powerful inside the suite, misshapen if AIO is the only sport you play.
How does Orbit beat AI Visibility Base on prompts?
Orbit: 40 prompts at $49.99. Base: 25 prompts at $99/domain — plus Mentionie and Boardroom on Orbit only.
No card · founding from $29.99/mo · pricing · how it works
SEMrush is a trademark of its respective owner. Pricing from semrush.com/pricing/ai + Semrush One plan pages as of August 2026. Confirm current rates before purchase.