Moz vs Ahrefs vs Semrush 2026: Pricing and Positioning
Quick verdict: Semrush is our overall pick for Moz vs Ahrefs vs Semrush.
Three different ladders: Ahrefs Lite starts at $129/mo on a 1,000-credit allowance, Semrush Starter runs $139/mo ($117.33 annual) with the broadest suite plus a $0 free tier, and Moz Standard is $99/mo ($79 annual) built around Domain Authority and AI-search dashboards.
| Tool | Rating | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moz | 4.2/5 | $99/mo (Standard, monthly) | Moz Pro is a long-established SEO suite focused on Domain Authority metrics, keyword track… |
| Ahrefs | 4.5/5 | $129/mo (Lite, monthly) | Ahrefs is a backlink-driven SEO platform pairing the world's second-most active crawler wi… |
| Semrush Best overall Best free Best for teams | 4.5/5 | $139/mo (SEO, monthly) | Semrush is the most feature-broad SEO and digital marketing suite in the cluster - keyword… |
Bottom line: all three sell different jobs, and the 2026 price ladders (verified on each vendor's live pricing page 2026-10-16, USD) no longer overlap much. Ahrefs now prices by credit pool: Lite $129/mo includes 1,000 credits per user, while Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499 carry unlimited credits; extra seats cost $40/$60/$80/$100 per month per tier, and AI overage is metered ($0.020 to $0.010 per check on the $50/$100/$250 AI add-on tracks). Semrush rebranded its ladder to Starter $139/mo, Pro+ $199/mo and Advanced $299/mo (billed monthly; $117.33/$165.17/$248.17 per month when paid annually) plus a $0 free tier, and is the only one of the three positioning a plan explicitly around AI-search visibility. Moz kept its three-tier ladder with annual prepay: Standard $99/mo ($79/mo billed yearly, $950 first year), Medium $179/mo ($143/mo yearly, $1,719) and Large $299/mo ($239/mo yearly, $2,868), with AI Visibility Dashboards as the paid tier differentiator (3/6/12 included; extras $20 each, prompts tracked 150/300/600, add-on $50 per 100). For backlink-depth work, Ahrefs; for the broadest suite and a free on-ramp, Semrush; for Domain Authority workflows and enterprise prepay contracts, Moz. None of the three offers a free full-platform tier: Semrush's $0 plan is a trial-grade toolset, and Ahrefs Free and Moz's free tools are single-feature.
Pricing and details
Moz · 4.2/5
14-day free trial (Medium tier) · $99/mo (Standard, monthly)
Priced by user seats and tracked sites/keywords. Standard: 1 user / 3 sites / 300 keywords / 400K pages crawled. Medium: 2 users / 10 sites / 1500 keywords / 2M pages. Large: 3 users / 25 sites / 3000 keywords / 5M pages. All tiers include AI Visibility Dashboard, 4 tracked AI models. Enterprise at $49/mo for single-site individual use. No free plan.
Standard $79/mo ($950/yr) / Medium $143/mo ($1719/yr) / Large $239/mo ($2868/yr)
Moz Pro is a long-established SEO suite focused on Domain Authority metrics, keyword tracking, site audits and backlink research, now with AI Overviews tracking and AI Visibility Dashboards on every tier.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Domain Authority is the most-cited link metric in SEO - reliable backlink index and crawl depth
- Cheapest entry of the big three: $99/mo Standard (vs Ahrefs $129, Semrush $139)
- 2026 AI push: AI Visibility Dashboard, AI Overviews, 4 tracked AI models on every tier
- 14-day trial on Medium tier; enterprise plan at $49/mo for single-site individual use
Cons
- Backlink index depth trails Ahrefs - fewer domains and newer data on some link types
- No free plan - 14-day trial only
- Standard tier caps at 3 sites / 300 keywords; agencies need Medium or Large
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Ahrefs · 4.5/5
$29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite) · $129/mo (Lite, monthly)
Priced by credit pool and user seat. Lite: 5 projects / 750 tracked keywords / 100K crawl credits / 1 user (+2 seats at $40/mo each). Standard: 20 projects / 2000 keywords / 500K credits / 1 user (+5 at $60/mo). Advanced: 50 projects / 5000 keywords / 1.5M credits / 1 user (+10 at $80/mo). API and MCP access on all tiers. Ahrefs Free is a capped free tier with no credit pool.
Lite ~$119/mo / Standard ~$229/mo / Advanced ~$409/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%)
Ahrefs is a backlink-driven SEO platform pairing the world's second-most active crawler with rank tracking, keyword research, site audits and AI visibility monitoring, priced by credit pool and user seat.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Deepest backlink index of the cluster - 10+ years of web-scale data, second-most active crawler
- AI visibility dashboard and 5-20 tracked AI prompts on every tier (2026 add-on, no extra cost)
- Clean credit-pool system: pay for what you crawl, API and MCP on all tiers
- Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer remain the benchmark UX for competitor teardown
Cons
- $29 Starter is a 1-month trial only - it converts to $129/mo Lite after 30 days
- Credit-pool pricing: a heavy site audit burns through the 100K Lite credits fast
- No free plan - Ahrefs Free is a capped version with no credit pool
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Semrush · 4.5/5
7-day free trial (all tiers) · $139/mo (SEO, monthly)
All tiers include AI search visibility tracking. SEO: 5 sites / 500 keywords. Starter: +MCP / 50 AI prompts / 5 sites. Pro+: 15 sites / 1500 keywords / 100 prompts. Advanced: 40 sites / 5000 keywords / 200 prompts + API. Add-ons: users $45/mo, Lead Gen $90/mo, Base Report $10/mo, Pro Report $20/mo. Enterprise custom.
SEO ~$117.33/mo / Starter ~$165.17/mo / Pro+ ~$248.17/mo / Advanced ~$455.67/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%)
Semrush is the most feature-broad SEO and digital marketing suite in the cluster - keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, content optimization, local and AI visibility, plus API and MCP access, with the widest add-on ecosystem.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Widest feature surface: keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, content optimization, local, AI visibility, API and MCP all in one suite
- 2026 AI add-on: all tiers now track ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI visibility with 50-200 prompts
- MCP access on Starter and above - the cleanest agent integration in the cluster
- Add-on ecosystem: Lead Gen, Base/Pro Report, extra users at $45/mo
Cons
- Priced at a premium for the breadth - SEO at $139/mo is the floor, Advanced at $549/mo
- 7-day trial is short for a feature this wide
- No free plan - no standing free tier unlike Screpy
Pricing verified 2026-09-20
Frequently asked questions
Which is better overall, Moz or Ahrefs?
Semrush is our overall pick (4.5/5 vs 4.2/5). Three different ladders: Ahrefs Lite starts at $129/mo on a 1,000-credit allowance, Semrush Starter runs $139/mo ($117.33 annual) with the broadest suite plus a $0 free tier, and Moz Standard is $99/mo ($79 annual) built around Domain Authority and AI-search dashboards.
Do Moz and Ahrefs offer free plans?
Neither advertises a free plan; check current trial terms before committing.
What does Semrush cost?
$139/mo (SEO, monthly) — All tiers include AI search visibility tracking. SEO: 5 sites / 500 keywords. Starter: +MCP / 50 AI prompts / 5 sites. Pro+: 15 sites / 1500 keywords / 100 prompts. Advanced: 40 sites / 5000 keywords / 200 prompts + API. Add-ons: users $45/mo, Lead Gen $90/mo, Base Report $10/mo, Pro Report $20/mo. Enterprise custom. Prices were last verified on 2026-10-16.