eRank vs Marmalead: I Used Both for 6 Months. Here's Which One I Kept.

The Etsy SEO tool debate

If you sell on Etsy, someone has told you to get eRank or Marmalead. Maybe both. They're the two most popular keyword research tools for Etsy sellers, and every "best Etsy tools" list includes them.

I signed up for both. Paid for both. Used both daily for six months. Then I cancelled one.

Spoiler: I kept eRank. But Marmalead isn't bad. The decision came down to price and one specific feature. Let me explain.

What each tool actually does

Both tools help you find keywords that Etsy shoppers search for, analyze how competitive those keywords are, and optimize your listing titles and tags to rank higher in Etsy search.

eRank (free tier + $5.99/month Pro): - Keyword Explorer: search volume, competition, click rate - Listing Audit: grades your tags, title, and description - Top Keywords: what's trending on Etsy right now - Shop Analyzer: see any shop's stats and listings - Trend Buzz: seasonal keyword trendsMarmalead ($19/month, no free tier): - Keyword search with engagement scores - Listing grade with SEO recommendations - Competitor analysis - Brainstorm tool for tag ideas - Seasonal trend tracking

The feature overlap is about 80%. Both show you keyword data. Both grade your listings. Both track trends. The differences are in the details.

Keyword data: slightly different numbers, same conclusions

I tested 50 keywords in both tools over two months. The search volume numbers were different (they use different estimation methods), but the relative rankings were almost always the same. If eRank said "budget planner" was more popular than "expense tracker," Marmalead agreed.

Where they differed:

eRank shows raw search volume estimates, competition count (how many listings use that keyword), and a "click rate" metric that estimates how often people click on results for that search. I found the click rate metric useful for distinguishing between keywords that get searched but not clicked (browsers) vs ones that lead to actual purchases.Marmalead uses an "engagement score" that combines search volume, competition, and click data into a single number. Simpler to read at a glance, but harder to understand what's driving the score. I wanted to see the individual metrics, not a blended number.

For finding keywords to use in my listings, both got me to the same place. I just preferred seeing the raw data in eRank.

Listing audit: both useful, different approaches

Both tools let you paste a listing URL and get a grade with recommendations.

eRank's listing audit checks your title, tags, description, and photos. It tells you which tags overlap with your title (wasted slots), which tags are too broad, and which keywords you're missing. Very tactical. "Your tag 'planner' is too generic. Try 'weekly planner printable' instead."Marmalead's listing grade gives you a letter grade (A through F) with a more visual presentation. Looks nicer. The recommendations are similar but slightly less specific. It tells you your SEO is "good" or "needs work" but doesn't always tell you exactly what to change.

I found eRank's listing audit more actionable. It gave me specific suggestions I could implement in five minutes. Marmalead's felt more like a progress bar than a to-do list.

The price gap

This is really what settled it for me.

eRank Pro: $5.99/month. The free tier is surprisingly generous too. Keyword Explorer, basic listing audits, and shop stats are all free with daily limits.Marmalead: $19/month. No free tier. No annual discount that meaningfully changes the math.

For very similar functionality, Marmalead costs 3x more. I couldn't justify the difference. The $13/month savings is $156/year. That buys a lot of listing renewals.

Some sellers argue Marmalead's interface is nicer and the experience is more polished. That's true. It looks better. But I don't need my keyword tool to look pretty. I need it to show me data and help me pick tags. eRank does that for a third of the price.

What eRank does that Marmalead doesn't

Shop Analyzer. Type in any Etsy shop URL and eRank shows you their top listings, estimated revenue, tags they use, and keyword performance. This is incredibly useful for competitor research. Marmalead has competitor features but they're less detailed.Free tier. eRank's free plan covers most of what a new seller needs. You can start with the free tier, learn how Etsy SEO works, and upgrade to Pro when your shop is making money. Marmalead has no free option, so you're paying before you've made a single sale.Bulk analysis. eRank Pro lets you audit your entire shop at once and flag which listings need the most SEO work. Useful when you have 50+ listings and can't manually check each one every month.

What Marmalead does that eRank doesn't

Brainstorm tool. Type in a keyword and Marmalead generates related keyword ideas with a visual map. It's good for creative exploration when you're stuck. eRank has related keywords too, but Marmalead's presentation makes it easier to discover unexpected connections.Simpler interface. If you're not data-oriented and find eRank's numbers overwhelming, Marmalead's single engagement score is easier to work with. Some sellers just want "use this keyword: yes or no." Marmalead is closer to that.

My recommendation

For most Etsy sellers: Start with eRank's free plan. Upgrade to eRank Pro ($5.99/month) when you're making regular sales and want deeper data. Skip Marmalead unless you specifically prefer its interface and don't mind paying 3x more for similar data.For brand new sellers: eRank free. Absolutely. Don't spend $19/month on SEO tools when you don't have products listed yet. Learn the basics with the free tier, list your first 10-15 products, and then consider paid tools once you have data to work with.For established sellers ($2,000+/month): The tool matters less than how you use it. Either one works. If you're already on Marmalead and happy, there's no reason to switch. The $13/month difference is negligible at that revenue level.

For more on the tools I actually use and recommend for Etsy selling, check our [best Etsy seller tools for 2026](/blog/best-etsy-seller-tools-2026). And if you want to research tags without paying for a separate tool, our [tag analyzer](/tools/tag-analyzer) shows tag performance data across Etsy, Gumroad, and Shopify.

One more thing. No SEO tool fixes bad products or bad photos. I've seen sellers spend hours optimizing tags for listings with terrible mockup images. The tool isn't the problem. Fix the photos first, then optimize the keywords. We covered listing optimization in our [guide to selling digital downloads on Etsy](/blog/how-to-sell-digital-downloads-on-etsy) if you want the full picture.