Is Semrush worth investing in as a beginner?

Right now, I'm having a hard time evaluating whether a domain is worth investing in; my primary source of new potential domains is expireddomains.net, as I do not have the investment capital to spend $50 a pop on a domain on Drop Catch, for example.

Let's say I find a domain I see potential in - is it worth the investment in Semrush as a paid tool for research evaluations ($117 a month is wild), or are there any free alternatives I can check out? I like https://websiteseochecker.com/ as it gives a basic overview of (what I think are) solid investment metrics such as page & domain authority & spam score. If you were in my position, would you continue to use free tools like this (or ones I'm not aware of yet) until I make some decent sales, or bite the bullet and subscribe to Semrush for potentially better evaluations?

I'd really appreciate some guidance on this.
-M