7 best Ahrefs alternatives
This page compares seven Ahrefs alternatives for keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking and site audits, including paid suites, budget tools and a free option from Google. Every starting price and free plan below was checked on the vendor's official pricing page on October 12, 2026. All research for this page was done with Firecrawl Alexandria.
Ahrefs alternatives compared
Starting prices as each vendor lists them on its pricing page, checked October 12, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | All-in-one SEO and AI search visibility | Yes (free plan) | $139/month (SEO plan), or $117.33/month billed annually | No (open source) |
| SE Ranking | Agencies and teams that want lower-cost rank tracking | No (free plan) | $129/month (Core), or $103.20/month billed annually | No (open source) |
| Moz Pro | Small businesses that want core SEO metrics | Yes (free plan) | Starter at $49/month; Standard at $99/month, or $79/month billed annually | No (open source) |
| Mangools | Freelancers who want a simple, low-cost toolkit | Yes (free plan) | $37.70/month billed annually ($452.40/year) for Mangools Basic | No (open source) |
| Serpstat | Budget all-in-one SEO research | No (free plan) | $50/month (Individual) | No (open source) |
| Ubersuggest | Solo site owners on a tight budget | Yes (free plan) | $16/month billed annually ($192/year) for Individual | No (open source) |
| Google Search Console | Free first-party search data for your own site | Yes (free plan) | Free | No (open source) |
| Ahrefs(for reference) | SEO software | Yes (free plan) | $29/month (Starter)Ahrefs pricing | See vendor |
Track your own competitors
This page compares 8 vendors' pricing, read from their own pricing pages with Firecrawl. Do the same for your market and see what changed whenever a competitor updates a plan.
Ask your AI
Compare Ahrefs alternatives in ChatGPT or Claude. Connect Firecrawl and your assistant can read live pricing pages and query Firecrawl Alexandria providers for you.
Why people look for Ahrefs alternatives
High price for the full toolset
The Starter plan costs $29/month but caps reports at 250 rows, so regular research usually means Lite at $129/month or more. Lite keeps only 6 months of historical data, and higher limits sit in the $249 and $449 tiers.
Source: Ahrefs pricing
Credit limits on lower plans
Lite includes 1,000 credits per user each month, and G2 reviewers report that audits and content gap analysis at volume use up the allowance quickly. Expensive and High Costs are among the most tagged cons on the review page.
Source: G2 Ahrefs reviews
Fair-use restrictions on unlimited plans
Trustpilot reviewers describe accounts on unlimited plans being restricted after heavy use, and Ahrefs replies that its fair use policy still applies. The profile held a TrustScore of 2.2 when checked.
Source: Trustpilot Ahrefs reviews
Paid seats and no trial of paid plans
Lite includes one user, and extra users cost $40/month each on that plan, rising to $100/month on Enterprise. Ahrefs does not list a trial of its paid plans. Ahrefs Free covers limited Site Explorer and Site Audit data for website owners, so most paid features cannot be tested before buying.
Source: Ahrefs pricing
The 7 best Ahrefs alternatives in detail
1. Semrush
Visit siteBest for All-in-one SEO and AI search visibility
Semrush covers keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, rank tracking and competitor research in one platform. Its pricing page also sells AI visibility, traffic and local toolkits as separate add-ons.
Strengths
- Free plan for trying the platform
- Free trial on paid plans
- Broad toolset beyond SEO, including AI visibility
Watch out for
The entry SEO plan already costs more than Ahrefs Lite, and add-on toolkits raise the total quickly.
- Starting price
- $139/month (SEO plan), or $117.33/month billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- The free plan is $0/month with no credit card required. Starter is $199/month and Pro+ is $299/month.
- Source
- Semrush pricing
2. SE Ranking
Visit siteBest for Agencies and teams that want lower-cost rank tracking
SE Ranking combines rank tracking, keyword and backlink research, site audits and AI search prompt tracking. The Core plan includes 10 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords and 250,000 audited pages per month.
Strengths
- Daily rank tracking included in the entry plan
- Unlimited keyword, competitor and backlink research on Core
- API credits and MCP access on every plan
Watch out for
Core includes only one manager seat, so teams need Growth for collaboration.
- Starting price
- $129/month (Core), or $103.20/month billed annually
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Growth is $279/month.
- Source
- SE Ranking pricing
3. Moz Pro
Visit siteBest for Small businesses that want core SEO metrics
Moz Pro offers keyword research, link analysis, site crawls and rank tracking, along with the Domain Authority metric. Moz also publishes free tools such as Link Explorer, Keyword Explorer and the MozBar extension.
Strengths
- Lower entry price than Ahrefs Lite
- Free SEO tools and browser extension
- Cancel or change plans at any time
Watch out for
The Standard plan is built for basic needs, so heavier research requires the Medium or Large plan.
- Starting price
- Starter at $49/month; Standard at $99/month, or $79/month billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- A free Moz Community account gives limited access to MozBar, Keyword Explorer and Link Explorer. A free trial is offered on the Medium plan ($143/month billed annually).
- Source
- Moz Pro pricing
4. Mangools
Visit siteBest for Freelancers who want a simple, low-cost toolkit
Mangools bundles KWFinder for keywords, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher for rank tracking, LinkMiner for backlinks and SiteProfiler. Its plans include API and MCP access.
Strengths
- Low annual price for a full keyword and rank tracking bundle
- Interface aimed at beginners
- API and MCP access included
Watch out for
Its backlink and site audit features are lighter than those in Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Starting price
- $37.70/month billed annually ($452.40/year) for Mangools Basic
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- Monthly billing is also available. A free account is available; the pricing page does not list its limits. Mangools also publishes free mini SEO tools.
- Source
- Mangools pricing
5. Serpstat
Visit siteBest for Budget all-in-one SEO research
Serpstat provides keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracking and site audits. The Individual plan includes 10,000 position checks and 50,000 export rows per month.
Strengths
- Lower entry price than most full SEO suites
- Free trial before buying
- API and MCP integration on Team plans
Watch out for
The Individual plan leaves out API and shared access, which need the Team plan.
- Starting price
- $50/month (Individual)
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- 7-day free trial. The pricing page advertises savings of up to 27% with annual billing. Team is $100/month.
- Source
- Serpstat pricing
6. Ubersuggest
Visit siteBest for Solo site owners on a tight budget
Ubersuggest offers keyword suggestions, rank tracking, site audits and AI search visibility checks for a small number of sites. The Individual plan covers one website with 125 tracked keywords and 1,000 audited pages weekly.
Strengths
- Lowest paid entry price on this list
- Lifetime purchase option
- Includes SEO training and templates
Watch out for
Plan limits are small, with 250 monthly credits and 1,000 audited pages on Individual.
- Starting price
- $16/month billed annually ($192/year) for Individual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- A free account adds more keyword suggestions, weekly rank tracking and SEO suggestions. Monthly and lifetime billing options are also listed. Business is $27.17/month billed annually.
- Source
- Ubersuggest pricing
7. Google Search Console
Visit siteBest for Free first-party search data for your own site
Search Console reports the queries, impressions, clicks and average positions your site earns in Google Search. It also shows index coverage, lets you submit sitemaps and inspect individual URLs.
Strengths
- Click and impression data straight from Google
- Index coverage and URL inspection tools
- No cost
Watch out for
It only covers sites you verify, so it cannot research competitors or their backlinks.
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- Google describes Search Console as a free service. The Search Console API is also free of charge.
- Source
- About Search Console
How this page is built
Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page, read with Firecrawl and checked on October 12, 2026. Each figure links to the page it came from.
To run the same research yourself, connect Firecrawl to ChatGPT and ask it to compare any tool's alternatives. It reads live pricing pages and pulls data from Firecrawl Alexandria providers such as AlternativeTo. Developers can make the same calls through the API.
Try these prompts in ChatGPT
“Compare the current starting prices of Ahrefs, Semrush and SE Ranking from their official pricing pages.”
“Which Ahrefs alternatives have a free plan, and what are the limits?”
“Find open source or self-hosted alternatives to Ahrefs and list their licenses.”
“Read Ahrefs's pricing page and explain what each plan includes.”
Ahrefs alternatives FAQ
- Is there a free alternative to Ahrefs?
- Google Search Console is free and shows the queries, clicks and positions your own site gets in Google Search. Semrush also has a free plan with limited usage, and Ahrefs Free gives site owners limited data on their own verified sites.
- What is the cheapest Ahrefs alternative?
- Among the paid tools here, Ubersuggest has the lowest entry price at $16 per month billed annually. Mangools Basic costs $37.70 per month billed annually, and Serpstat Individual starts at $50 per month.
- Is Semrush better than Ahrefs?
- Both cover keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking and site audits. Semrush offers a free plan and free trials on paid plans, while Ahrefs offers Ahrefs Free for website owners and no trial of its paid plans. Semrush's SEO plan starts at $139 per month and Ahrefs Lite at $129 per month, so the choice usually comes down to plan limits and which interface your team prefers.
- Does Ahrefs offer a free trial?
- Ahrefs does not list a trial of its paid plans, and its pricing page says it never runs discounts. Website owners can sign up for Ahrefs Free to get limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit. The cheapest paid plan, Starter, costs $29 per month.
- Which Ahrefs alternative is best for agencies?
- SE Ranking is built around rank tracking for multiple projects, with the Growth plan adding three manager seats, guest links and historical data. Semrush is the broader option if the agency also needs AI visibility, traffic or local toolkits.