Ahrefs

A Business SEO tool for keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and site auditing.

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  • Overview
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Reviews

Ahrefs Overview

  • Updated August 31, 2025

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool designed to help businesses and marketers optimize their online presence. It offers robust features like keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and comprehensive site audits.

With Ahrefs, users can uncover valuable insights to improve search engine rankings, monitor website performance, and develop effective content strategies. Its user-friendly interface and detailed data make it a go-to solution for enhancing digital marketing efforts and driving organic traffic.

Key Features

Site Explorer: Explore any website’s SEO performance in detail. Check backlinks, organic search traffic, and top pages. It’s a handy way to study competitor strategies or measure your own site’s strength with metrics like Domain Rating (DR) and keyword rankings.

Keywords Explorer: Find the most valuable keywords for your site. It shows search volume, difficulty, traffic potential, and related terms across major search engines. You also get SERP previews and estimates for how many backlinks you might need to rank.

Site Audit: Run a full crawl of your website to uncover technical problems. Issues like broken links, duplicate content, or slow pages are flagged, and you receive a health score along with steps to fix them.

Rank Tracker: Keep an eye on your keyword positions across devices and regions. The tool reveals trends, competitor comparisons, and SERP features, helping you adjust your strategy with confidence.

Content Explorer: Search for the best-performing content in any niche. You can spot trending topics, review social shares, and identify link-building opportunities, which makes it easier to spark new content ideas.

Backlink Analysis: With one of the largest backlink databases available, you can review your own or competitors’ link profiles. Track new, lost, or broken links, evaluate quality, and uncover chances to grow your authority.

Link Intersect: See which websites link to your competitors but not to you. By revealing these gaps, it helps you find high-potential link-building prospects.

Content Gap Analysis: Discover keywords that competitors rank for while your site doesn’t. These insights guide you toward content ideas that can increase organic traffic.

SEO Dashboard: Bring your most important SEO data together in one place. Monitor projects, study trend graphs, and connect Google Search Console for a complete view of performance.

Web Analytics: Gain real-time visibility into website traffic. Learn who visits, how often, and which pages attract the most attention, so you can measure growth clearly.

SEO Alerts: Stay informed with instant updates about important changes, like lost backlinks or ranking drops. Quick notifications let you act fast to protect your SEO.

Price

  • Ahrefs Webmaster Tools: Free, limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit for website owners. Best for freelancers.
  • Starter: $29/mo, 1 project, 100 credits, basic keyword research, Site Explorer, Site Audit. Best for freelancers.
  • Lite: $129/mo, 5 projects, 500 credits, SEO dashboard, Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. Best for small teams.
  • Standard: $249/mo, 20 projects, unlimited credits, adds Content Explorer, Batch Analysis, advanced Site Explorer features. Best for middle-sized teams.
  • Advanced: $449/mo, 50 projects, unlimited credits, adds Looker Studio integration, Web Explorer, HTTP authentication crawling. Best for middle-sized teams.
  • Enterprise: $1,499/mo, 100 projects, unlimited history, API access, SSO, audit log, custom limits. Best for large teams.

Check pricing details: https://ahrefs.com/pricing

Pros

Competitor

Pros of Ahrefs
Semrush Ahrefs boasts a massive backlink database, with over 395.7 billion pages updated every 15-30 minutes, which outshines Semrush for link analysis. Its Site Explorer offers intuitive insights into backlinks and organic traffic, and users find it easier to navigate than Semrush’s interface. G2 reviews praise Ahrefs’ data accuracy for SEO tasks, especially link-building, where it often scores higher than Semrush.
Moz Pro Ahrefs surpasses Moz Pro with a larger backlink index and deeper keyword research. Its Domain Rating metric updates frequently, which makes it more reliable than Moz’s Domain Authority. Keywords Explorer covers multiple search engines, unlike Moz’s Google focus. Trustpilot users highlight Ahrefs’ detailed SERP analysis, and its $29/month Starter plan undercuts Moz’s $99/month entry point.
Ubersuggest Ahrefs offers a robust feature set compared to Ubersuggest’s basic tools. Its Link Intersect and Content Explorer provide advanced insights Ubersuggest lacks, and its backlink analysis includes detailed metrics. Capterra reviews note Ahrefs’ reliability for professional SEO, and its Standard plan ($249/month) offers unlimited credits, unlike Ubersuggest’s restrictive limits.
Serpstat Ahrefs excels with a larger backlink database and more comprehensive Site Audit, catching over 100 technical issues. Its Keywords Explorer supports 10+ billion keywords across multiple search engines, which surpasses Serpstat’s scope. G2 users rate Ahrefs higher for its interface and competitor analysis, and its $29/month Starter plan is competitive with Serpstat’s $55/month entry.
SE Ranking Ahrefs leads with real-time backlink updates and a larger database. Its Content Explorer and Link Intersect tools offer unique insights SE Ranking can’t match. SoftwareAdvice reviews highlight Ahrefs’ accuracy in tracking traffic and rankings, and its $29/month Starter plan provides better value for freelancers than SE Ranking’s $65/month plan.

Cons

Competitor

Cons of Ahrefs
Semrush Ahrefs lacks Semrush’s broader marketing tools, like PPC tracking and social media analytics, which Semrush includes. Its credit-based limits on lower tiers ($29/month Starter) feel restrictive, whereas Semrush’s $139.95/month Pro plan offers daily tracking without credits. Reddit users note Semrush’s versatility for cross-functional teams, and its Sensor tool for SERP volatility is unmatched by Ahrefs.
Moz Pro Ahrefs can overwhelm beginners, as its data-heavy interface is less intuitive than Moz Pro’s simpler design. Moz offers stronger educational resources, which help new users. Ahrefs lacks local SEO tools, and its $249/month Standard plan is pricier than Moz’s $179/month Medium plan. Gartner reviews favor Moz’s straightforward reporting for small teams.
Ubersuggest Ahrefs’ $29/month Starter plan is pricier than Ubersuggest’s $12/month Individual plan or free tier, which appeals to budget users. Ubersuggest’s simpler interface suits beginners, and Capterra users find it better for quick keyword checks. Ahrefs’ credit limits on lower plans restrict usage, whereas Ubersuggest’s paid plans have fewer constraints.
Serpstat Ahrefs trails Serpstat in regional SEO, as Serpstat supports keyword clustering across 230 regions, which Ahrefs doesn’t prioritize. Serpstat’s $55/month plan includes white-label reporting, reserved for Ahrefs’ $1,499/month Enterprise plan. G2 users praise Serpstat’s AI content tools, and its pricing feels more scalable for international users.
SE Ranking Ahrefs falls behind SE Ranking for agencies, as SE Ranking’s $65/month plan includes daily tracking and white-label reports, which Ahrefs restricts to its $1,499/month Enterprise plan. SE Ranking offers local SEO and customizable tracking, and Trustpilot users like its client-friendly reporting. Its task manager for SEO projects is a feature Ahrefs lacks.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites

Reddit Review
G2 Review
Efficient App Review
Trustpilot Review