Competitor Research
SpyFu: what it does, what it costs
Years of competitor ad history, and the only suite that hands you every keyword.
SpyFu at a glance
Every row is a verified field or an honest absence. A row is dropped rather than filled with an em dash, so the length of this table says how complete the record is.
| What it is | Years of competitor ad history, and the only suite that hands you every keyword. |
|---|---|
| Category | Competitor Research |
| Best suited for | Competitor and paid-search research is the main job |
| Starting price | From $29/month billed annually; $39/month monthly |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | None offered |
| Main strength | Historical paid and organic data going back well over a decade |
| Main limitation | Rank tracking is weekly, not daily |
| Evidence | Primary-source researched |
| Closest alternatives | Semrush, Ahrefs, Semdash |
| Pricing checked | 19 August 2026 |
| Record checked | 19 August 2026 |
What SpyFu is
SpyFu is a competitor research tool that happens to include SEO features, rather than an SEO suite with competitor research bolted on. Its distinguishing asset is history: it has been recording which keywords domains bid on, what their ads said and where they ranked for well over a decade, and it will show you all of it.
That history changes the questions you can ask. Not "what does this competitor rank for" but "what have they tested and abandoned" — a keyword somebody bid on for three years and then dropped is a stronger signal than any difficulty score, and a page they have quietly stopped promoting is usually a page that stopped working.
Its second unusual property is unlimited exports on the Pro tier. Most suites cap rows, and competitor research is done in a spreadsheet, so a cap decides the size of the analysis you can actually run. Read the monthly pricing carefully, though: the Pro tier advertises a first month at $59 and $119 a month thereafter.
What you can use it for
- See every keyword a competitor has bid on, and their ad copy, going back years
- Find the terms a rival tested and abandoned, which is a stronger signal than difficulty
- Export an entire competitor keyword set without row caps, on the Pro tier
- Compare two domains' keyword overlap and gaps side by side
The features that matter for SEO
Each one says what it does and the SEO job it serves. A vendor feature list without that second half tells you nothing you could not read on their own site.
Historical ad and keyword data
Reports which keywords a domain has bid on, the ad copy it ran and where it ranked, going back more than a decade.
The reason to buy it. A term a competitor funded for years and then dropped tells you something no current-snapshot tool can — and so does the one they have never stopped funding.
Unlimited exports on Pro
Places no row cap on data exports.
Competitor analysis happens in a spreadsheet. A capped export silently decides how big your analysis is allowed to be; this removes that.
Pro tier and above.
Kombat domain comparison
Plots keyword overlap and gaps between two or three domains as a diagram.
Makes the shared-versus-unique split legible at a glance, which is the fastest way to brief a content plan from competitor data.
Ad history
Shows every ad variation a domain has run for a keyword, with dates.
A competitor's ad copy is them telling you which promise converts, and the version they kept running is the winner of a test you did not have to pay for.
Rank tracking
Tracks keyword positions weekly, unlimited on Pro.
Weekly rather than daily, which is adequate for trend but not for attributing a change to something you shipped.
Weekly updates only, where dedicated trackers offer daily.
White-labelled reporting and API
Produces branded client reports and exposes data programmatically.
Both sit on the Pro tier rather than an enterprise plan, which is unusually early for API access.
Pricing and limits
Starting price: From $29/month billed annually; $39/month monthly Checked 19 August 2026 Vendor’s own pricing page
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 /mo $29/month billed annually, saving $120 a year |
|
| Pro + AI | $119 /mo $89/month billed annually, saving $360 a year. The monthly option advertises a $59 first month, then $119 a month thereafter. |
|
| Team / Agency | $249 /mo |
|
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Historical paid and organic data going back well over a decade
- Unlimited exports on Pro, where most competitors cap rows
- API access and white-label reporting on the mid tier rather than enterprise
- Ad history shows which competitor messages survived testing
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Limitations
- Rank tracking is weekly, not daily
- The Pro monthly price steps from $59 in the first month to $119 thereafter
- One user seat on Basic and Pro; extra seats are $30 each
- Data depth outside the US is thinner than the major suites'
- No free tier and no trial, only the money-back guarantee
Who it is for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- Competitor and paid-search research is the main job
- You need to export large keyword sets without row caps
- Historical data matters — what a rival tested and abandoned
Skip it if
- You need daily rank tracking
- You want one tool covering technical audits and content optimisation too
- Your market is outside the US, where coverage thins
Alternatives to SpyFu
Each one answers when it is the better choice, which is the only thing a list of competitors is useful for.
Sources and verification
Last verified 19 August 2026 1 day ago
Pricing 19 August 2026 Plans 19 August 2026 Features 19 August 2026
- SpyFu pricing Pricing page verifies pricing, plans, limits, features checked 19 August 2026
What changed
- 19 August 2026 — Recorded that the Pro monthly option advertises $59 for the first month and $119 a month thereafter. Comparing the $59 against a competitor's standing rate would understate it by half.
Questions
What does SpyFu do that Semrush does not?
Depth of history and uncapped exports. SpyFu has been recording competitor bids, ad copy and rankings for well over a decade and will show you the whole record, and Pro removes row caps on exports. Semrush has the broader toolset and better organic data; SpyFu goes deeper on what a competitor has done over time.
How much does SpyFu cost?
Basic is $39 a month or $29 billed annually. Pro + AI is $119 a month — advertised as $59 for the first month — or $89 billed annually. Team/Agency is $249 a month. Verified on 19 August 2026, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is SpyFu's rank tracking good enough?
It updates weekly, which is fine for reporting a trend and not enough to connect a movement to something you shipped on Tuesday. If tracking accuracy and speed is the point of the purchase, a dedicated tracker is the better buy.