Criteo
Semrush
| Feature | Criteo | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | Free / from $139.95/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce-retailers, d2c-brands, agencies, performance-marketers | digital-marketers, agencies, enterprise, ppc-managers |
| Founded | 2005 | 2008 |
| Dynamic Retargeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Product Recommendations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retail Media | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audience Targeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Commerce Insights | ✓ | ✗ |
| Omnichannel Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Keyword Research | ✗ | ✓ |
| Site Audit | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rank Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Competitor Analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ppc Tools | ✗ | ✓ |
| Content Marketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Media | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Criteo Pros
- Excellent retargeting performance
- AI-powered product recommendations
- Large retail media network
- Strong ROAS for ecommerce
✗ Criteo Cons
- Primarily retargeting focused
- Complex reporting
- Minimum spend requirements
✓ Semrush Pros
- Most comprehensive marketing toolkit
- Excellent PPC and advertising tools
- Content marketing platform included
- Social media management built-in
✗ Semrush Cons
- Very expensive for small businesses
- Interface can feel overwhelming
- Some data less accurate for non-US markets
The Verdict
Criteo is built for ecommerce retailers and d2c brands, with a focus on dynamic-retargeting and product-recommendations. Semrush targets digital marketers and agencies and leads with keyword-research and site-audit.
Criteo uses custom enterprise pricing, while Semrush starts at $139.95/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Semrush has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Criteo requires a paid subscription from day one.
Semrush edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Semrush offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Criteo takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for agencies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Semrush has a slight overall edge — but if excellent retargeting performance matters most to you, Criteo may still be the right call.