Ahrefs
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.
Verified against: ahrefs.com as of 2026-09-20
Quick verdict: Ahrefs earns 4.5/5 in our research-based assessment - the right answer when backlink depth is the point. The second-most active crawler in the world and 10+ years of web-scale data give it a moat that Semrush and Moz both acknowledge. The 2026 AI visibility push (5-20 tracked prompts on every tier) closes the gap with the AI-search race. Watch the pricing: the $29 Starter is a 1-month trial that converts to $129/mo Lite, and heavy projects on the credit pool burn through the 100K Lite allocation quickly. Pick Semrush for breadth and API, Moz for the cheaper entry, Screpy for the free tier, or SpyFu for pure competitor ad intelligence. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
- Our rating: 4.5/5
- Strongest dimension: Functionality (5/5, research only)
- Weakest dimension: Localization (3/5, research only)
- Pricing: $29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite) · $129/mo (Lite, monthly)
- Verification: Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-20. Sources: ahrefs.com
Ahrefs pricing details
- $29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite)
- paid plans from $129/mo (Lite, monthly)
- lite $129/mo / Standard $249/mo / Advanced $449/mo / Enterprise $1,499/mo
- lite ~$119/mo / Standard ~$229/mo / Advanced ~$409/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%)
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.
In our index: No free plan. $29 Starter is a 1-month trial only. Lite $129/mo (5 projects / 750 keywords / 100K credits) / Standard $249/mo (20 / 2000 / 500K) / Advanced $449/mo (50 / 5000 / 1.5M) / Enterprise $1,499/mo. Annual ~10% off. Ahrefs Free = capped free tier, no credit pool.
How Ahrefs scores across our 6 index dimensions
- Functionality: 5/5 (research only)
- Usability: 4/5 (research only)
- Stability: 5/5 (research only)
- Collaboration: 4/5 (research only)
- Localization: 3/5 (research only)
- Value: 3/5 (research only)
Score rationale: Deepest backlink index in the cluster (10+ years, second-most active crawler). Credit-pool pricing means heavy projects burn budgets quickly. No free plan; the $29 Starter is a 1-month trial only. No hands-on this round; figures from the official pricing page.
What Ahrefs does well
- 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
Where Ahrefs falls short
- $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
- Localization and API depth trail Semrush's add-on ecosystem
How Ahrefs compares to other SEO Tools tools
Our index tracks 5 SEO Tools tools. Ahrefs sits at 4.5/5, with lite ~$119/mo / standard ~$229/mo / advanced ~$409/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%). Here are the 4 closest alternatives we hold pricing and scoring evidence for.
- Semrush — 4.5/5 · 7-day free trial (all tiers) · $139/mo (SEO, monthly)
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. - Moz — 4.2/5 · 14-day free trial (Medium tier) · $99/mo (Standard, monthly)
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. - SpyFu — 4.1/5 · 14-day free trial · $59/mo (Starter, monthly)
SpyFu is a competitive intelligence platform focused on advertising and SEO keyword data - see what keywords competitors rank for, what ads they run and where their traffic comes from - positioned as a lighter, more affordable alternative to Ahrefs or Semrush. - Screpy — 4.0/5 · Free plan · $19/mo (Pro, monthly)
Screpy is an AI-powered all-in-one SEO and site monitoring platform combining rank tracking, PageSpeed, uptime, backlinks, AI content generation and AI visibility prompts in one dashboard, with a genuinely free tier.
Frequently asked questions about Ahrefs
How much does Ahrefs cost?
$29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite); paid plans from $129/mo (Lite, monthly); lite $129/mo / Standard $249/mo / Advanced $449/mo / Enterprise $1,499/mo; lite ~$119/mo / Standard ~$229/mo / Advanced ~$409/mo (billed annually, save up to 17%). Billing detail: 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. Figures verified 2026-09-20.
Does Ahrefs have a free plan?
No free plan is listed for Ahrefs, but a trial is offered ($29 Starter (1 month only, then converts to Lite)). Paid plans start at $129/mo (Lite, monthly).
What is Ahrefs rated in our index?
Ahrefs sits at 4.5/5 in our index, strongest on functionality (5/5, research only) and weakest on localization (3/5, research only). Ahrefs earns 4.5/5 in our research-based assessment - the right answer when backlink depth is the point. The second-most active crawler in the world and 10+ years of web-scale data give it a moat that Semrush and Moz both acknowledge. The 2026 AI visibility push (5-20 tracked prompts on every tier) closes the gap with the AI-search race. Watch the pricing: the $29 Starter is a 1-month trial that converts to $129/mo Lite, and heavy projects on the credit pool burn through the 100K Lite allocation quickly. Pick Semrush for breadth and API, Moz for the cheaper entry, Screpy for the free tier, or SpyFu for pure competitor ad intelligence. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
What are the drawbacks of Ahrefs?
$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 Localization and API depth trail Semrush's add-on ecosystem.
What does Ahrefs do well?
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.
How was Ahrefs verified?
Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-20. Sources: ahrefs.com.
What are the alternatives to Ahrefs?
We track Semrush, Moz, Screpy, SpyFu as the closest alternatives in our SEO Tools index, and 5 head-to-head comparisons against Ahrefs are available.