- SEO
- SEO suites
Sistrix: measure a website’s visibility in Google and compare it with competitors
Good tool
Sistrix is online SEO software built around one easy-to-read metric: the Visibility Index. You enter a domain name and the tool charts, week after week, how present that site is in Google’s results, next to its competitors. Around that curve come keyword research, backlink analysis, technical audits, rank tracking and, more recently, how brands show up in AI answers. In Germany, its index serves as the industry’s shared barometer: it is often the first thing people look at when a Google update shakes up the rankings.
What is Sistrix?
It all starts with a fixed set of keywords: about a million queries per country, chosen to represent what people actually search for. For each one, Sistrix records Google’s top hundred organic results, then weights each position by the keyword’s search volume, the intent behind the query (buying, learning, finding a site) and the click-through rate expected at that rank. The total gives a domain’s Visibility Index. The calculation hasn’t changed since the first index, so a 2015 curve compares directly with today’s. Data is updated daily for thirteen countries, on desktop and mobile, and weekly for the others, more than fifty in all.
On that foundation, the platform has added projects for auditing your own site and tracking your keywords, a link index fed by its own crawlers and by partners such as Majestic, content writing tools, an analysis of products and brands on Amazon and, in beta, a measure of visibility in chatbots. All data is hosted in Europe.
Behind the tool is SISTRIX GmbH, a Bonn-based company run by its founder, Johannes Beus. The first index was calculated for Germany in February 2008, before expanding to the rest of Europe and then the world. The company says it has more than 40 employees, more than a thousand servers and customers in more than 30 countries.
Sistrix at a glance
- Type
- Online software (SaaS)
- Launched
- 2008
- Founder
- Johannes Beus
- Nationality
- German
- Headquarters
- Bonn, Germany
- Team
- More than 40 employees
- Data
- Hosted in Europe
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial
- Starting price
- €119/month, plus tax (billed in euros)
What is Sistrix used for?
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Track a website’s visibility
a curve that shows, over several years, whether a domain, subdomain, directory or URL is gaining or losing ground in Google, on desktop and mobile.
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Compare your competitors
their keywords, their most visible pages and how Google updates affect their rankings.
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Find keywords
search volume, competition and the questions people ask, in a database covering dozens of countries.
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Examine backlinks
the links pointing to your site and your competitors’, from the Sistrix index and partner data.
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Audit your website
a crawler that goes through your pages, JavaScript included, to flag the technical errors holding back your SEO.
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Track your rankings
your own keyword lists, updated on demand, with alerts by email or in Slack.
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Plan your content
topic outlines, writing assistance and plagiarism checks, from the Plus plan up.
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Measure your presence in AI
your brand’s place in chatbot answers, a feature still in beta.
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Analyze Amazon
the best-selling products, brands, sellers and categories, in five countries.
Sistrix review
Good tool
To monitor a website’s SEO health over time, the Sistrix Visibility Index is an excellent compass. It boils millions of rankings down to a single curve, calculated the same way since 2008: a drop after a Google update, a botched migration or a competitor’s breakthrough shows up right away. That is what made it the reference metric for German SEOs, and a very telling argument in front of a client or senior management.
What that curve measures is worth spelling out. It reflects the share a site holds across a set of keywords chosen by Sistrix, a kind of market share in Google, not its traffic: a niche site, a local business or a site that lives on very specific queries can show a tiny index while still getting qualified visitors. The index is for tracking trends and comparing domains with one another, not for replacing Google Search Console or a web analytics tool. Data is also more granular for the thirteen countries updated daily, France among them, than for the markets tracked weekly.
Sistrix shines above all when you need to size up a domain quickly or see where it stands against its competitors. Once you get into fine-grained optimization, it shows its limits. The audit and rank tracking do their job well, but backlink analysis falls short of the link specialists, some reports lack filters and the interface is showing its age. The tool also requires solid SEO basics to get anything out of it. Outside German-speaking countries, it is still little known: a minor point as long as you use it for yourself, less so when you have to present its index to a client who has never seen it.
The bill climbs fast. The Start plan, at €119 a month before tax, is limited to one user, three projects and three months of history, which takes away the very point of a multi-year curve; you need Plus to go back five years. With no free version, only the 14-day trial and a handful of small tools that require no account let you get a feel for it. Billing is clear, with no commitment on monthly plans; just remember to cancel from your account before the renewal date, and in writing, to avoid any dispute.
Strengths
- A Visibility Index calculated the same way since 2008, easy to read and comparable over time.
- Daily data for thirteen countries, France among them, on desktop and mobile.
- Up to eleven years of history to measure the impact of Google updates.
- Plans with no commitment, public prices that are the same for everyone and data hosted in Europe.
- Modules rarely found at competitors: Amazon analysis, plus AI visibility included at no extra cost for now.
- Responsive support, included seminars and a full API from the Professional plan up.
Weaknesses
- No lasting free version, only a 14-day trial and a few small tools.
- A restricted entry plan: one user, three projects and three months of history.
- An index that measures presence across a keyword set, not a site’s real traffic.
- A quick overview more than a fine-grained optimization tool: thinner backlink data than the specialists, no filters on some reports.
- A dated interface and a tool little known outside German-speaking countries.
- A tool designed for experienced SEOs, which leaves beginners to fend for themselves.
Is Sistrix worth it?
Yes, if you track the visibility of several websites over time, at an agency or within an SEO team, and want a stable metric to judge the impact of a redesign, a migration or a Google update. It is also a logical choice for sites active in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, where the Sistrix index is a shared language, and for brands that sell on Amazon.
Not necessarily, if you manage a single website or are new to SEO. Google Search Console, which is free, gives you your real clicks and rankings, and the Start plan remains expensive for what it offers. Semrush and Ahrefs, its direct competitors, cover more ground, starting with advertising and backlinks, at comparable prices; SE Ranking offers a more affordable alternative for tracking rankings and auditing your site.
How much does Sistrix cost?
Sistrix is billed only in euros, before tax, with four public plans and an Enterprise offer on a quote; it publishes no US dollar pricing. Every plan can be canceled monthly; a one-year commitment, billed upfront, lowers the price by about 17%, and by 25% on the Premium plan.
| Plan | Per month | Per month, billed yearly | Users and projects | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | €119 | €99 | 1 user, 3 projects, 3 months of history | Freelancers, beginners, small businesses |
| Plus | €239 | €199 | 3 users, 15 projects, 5 years of history, content tools | Small businesses investing in SEO |
| Professional | €419 | €349 | 6 users, 40 projects, 11 years of history, full API | Agencies and growing companies |
| Premium | €799 | €599 | 12 users, 100 projects, permission management | Large companies and high volumes |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom quotas, currency and billing | Groups with specific needs | |
Source: official Sistrix pricing page, checked on October 31, 2026, and again on November 6, 2026 (still euros only).
- Prices exclude tax. Invoices are issued in euros; other currencies, including US dollars, are available only with the Enterprise offer.
- From Plus up, each additional user costs €24.90 a month; projects, crawled pages, ranking updates and export credits can also be bought individually. The Start plan can’t be extended.
- The free trial lasts 14 days. The site’s free tools (visibility check, snippet generator, keyword tool, hreflang checker…) remain available without an account.
- AI visibility is included in every plan during its beta phase; the company reserves the right to charge for it separately later.
FAQ
Answers to questions about Sistrix
Is Sistrix free?
No. Sistrix is a paid tool, starting at €119 a month before tax (€99 with an annual commitment), billed in euros. You can try it free for 14 days, and a few free tools, such as a domain’s visibility check, remain available without an account.
How is the Sistrix Visibility Index calculated?
Sistrix records Google’s top hundred results for about a million keywords per country, weights each position by search volume and expected click-through rate, then adds it all up for each domain. The method hasn’t changed since 2008.
Does the Visibility Index match a website’s traffic?
No. It measures a site’s presence across a keyword set defined by Sistrix, which is useful for following a trend or comparing competitors. To know your real clicks, you need Google Search Console or your web analytics tool.
Sistrix or Semrush?
Sistrix excels at tracking visibility over time and remains the reference in Germany. Semrush covers more ground, including Google Ads, and offers a limited free version.
Who is behind Sistrix?
SISTRIX GmbH, a German company based in Bonn and run by its founder, Johannes Beus. Its first Visibility Index dates back to 2008.
Information checked on October 31, 2026