Ahrefs
SEO teams and link builders who use backlink research every day and can justify the Standard plan or higher.
Quick overview
- Pricing
- Free for your own sites; paid from $29/month (Starter)
- Plans
- Ahrefs Free: $0 for verified sites (Site Explorer, Site Audit, Web Analytics). Starter: $29/month, 200 credits, monthly only, no extra users. Lite: $129/month ($1,290/year), 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 1,000 credits per user/month, up to 2 extra users at $40/month. Standard: $249/month ($2,490/year), 20 projects, 2,000 keywords, unlimited credits, up to 5 extra users at $60/month. Advanced: $449/month ($4,490/year), 50 projects, 5,000 keywords, up to 10 extra users at $80/month. Enterprise: $1,499/month, annual commitment, extra users $100/month. No free trial, no discounts, refunds generally not issued. Add-ons: Content Kit from $99/month, Report Builder $99/month, Brand Radar AI from $199/month.
- G2 rating
- 4.5 / 5.0
- Comparisons
- Featured in 4 comparisons
Key features
- Site Explorer backlink research (35T backlink history, 16 years of data)
- Keywords Explorer, Site Audit and Rank Tracker (from Lite; weekly rank updates)
- Content Explorer, Batch Analysis and Portfolios (Standard and up)
- API and MCP access (from Lite)
- Ahrefs Free for verified sites, no card
- Brand Radar AI and AI prompt tracking (Brand Radar from $199/month)
Pros
- One of the largest vendor-stated backlink indexes, with 16 years of history
- Unlimited credits from Standard
- API and MCP access included from Lite
- Free plan for your own verified sites
Cons
- No free trial, no discounts and refunds generally not issued
- Lite caps each user at 1,000 credits a month
- One user on Lite to Advanced; extra seats cost $40 to $80/month and are capped
- Rank Tracker updates weekly on every plan
Ahrefs in our comparisons
Ahrefs alternatives
SE Ranking is the best Ahrefs alternative for most people: the same $129/month as Ahrefs Lite buys daily tracking of 2,000 keywords across 10 projects, with a 14-day trial and no card. Pick Semrush if backlink data volume matters most, Mangools if you work alone on a small budget, and Moz Pro if you need three seats without paying per user.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Best Link Building Tools
Ahrefs is the best link building tool for finding prospects, with Content Explorer and broken backlinks on its $249/month Standard plan, but it has no outreach features. Pair it with Hunter for contacts, BuzzStream for month-to-month relationship tracking, or Pitchbox if you run outreach at agency scale.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Best SEO Software for Agencies
SE Ranking is the best SEO software for most agencies: Growth plus the Agency Pack covers 30 projects, 5,000 daily keywords, 3 staff and full white label for $292.20/month billed annually. Semrush has deeper data but charges per user and has no published price above 15 projects. Add AgencyAnalytics if clients want one branded portal for all channels.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Semrush alternatives
SE Ranking is the best Semrush alternative for most teams: its $129/month Core plan tracks 2,000 keywords daily and includes local and content tools. Pick Ahrefs for backlink research, Moz Pro for small teams that want users included, and Mangools, Serpstat or Ubersuggest when budget comes first.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026