Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs Asana

Ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Marketing

Everything you need to rank higher & get more traffic

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Asana logo

Asana

Technology

Manage your team's work, projects, & tasks online

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Asana has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ahrefs the entry Lite plan is $129 a month and caps projects at 5 and tracked keywords at 750; Asana the free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Asana covers Multiple project views.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and Asana actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and Asana differ
AttributeAhrefsAsana
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMarketingTechnology
Founded20102008

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ahrefs

  • Site Explorer
  • Keywords Explorer
  • Site Audit
  • Rank Tracker
  • Content Explorer
  • Competitive analysis
  • Backlink checker
  • Keyword research

Only in Asana

  • Multiple project views
  • Task dependencies
  • Milestones
  • Portfolios
  • Goals & OKRs
  • Workflow automation
  • Resource management
  • Reporting dashboards

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ahrefs

  • SEO researchnot Asana
  • Competitor analysisnot Asana
  • Content planningnot Asana
  • Backlink analysisnot Asana
  • Rank trackingnot Asana

Asana

  • Project planning & trackingnot Ahrefs
  • Campaign managementnot Ahrefs
  • Product launchesnot Ahrefs
  • Event planningnot Ahrefs
  • Agile & Scrum managementnot Ahrefs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ahrefs

  • The entry Lite plan is $129 a month and caps projects at 5 and tracked keywords at 750
  • Crawl credits are metered by tier, from 100,000 on Lite to 1,500,000 on Advanced
  • Enterprise at $1,499 a month requires an annual commitment
  • Brand Radar AI, custom prompts and Content Kit are separate add-ons starting at $199, $50 and $99 a month
  • The $29 Starter plan covers search and competitive research basics rather than the full toolset

Asana

  • The free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team
  • Timeline and Gantt views, reporting dashboards and time tracking all require Starter at $10.99 per user per month
  • Portfolios, goals, workload management and approvals need Advanced at $24.99 per user per month
  • Salesforce, Tableau and Power BI integrations are Advanced or above
  • Monthly billing costs more, at $13.49 and $30.49 against the annual rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Ahrefs

$29/month
  • Starter$29/month
    • Core keyword research
    • Backlink analysis
    • Competitor research
  • Lite$129/month
  • Standard$249/month
  • Advanced$449/month

Asana

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Ahrefs if

  • You need site explorer.
  • You also want keywords explorer.

Choose Asana if

  • You need multiple project views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want task dependencies.

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or Asana better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at $29/month and Asana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Asana?
Asana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Ahrefs and Free for Asana.
Does Ahrefs or Asana run on more platforms?
Ahrefs runs on Web. Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Asana for free?
Yes. Asana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ahrefs starts at $29/month.
What is Ahrefs best used for?
Ahrefs is most often used for seo research, competitor analysis, content planning, backlink analysis. Of those, seo research and competitor analysis are not what Asana is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that Asana cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ahrefs: What are Ahrefs' main features?

Ahrefs' three main features are Site Explorer (for organic performance), Keywords Explorer (for keyword research), and Content Explorer (for content discovery). The platform includes backlink analysis, competitor research, technical SEO audits, rank tracking, and content workflows.

Source
Asana: Does Asana have a free tier?

Yes. Asana offers a free Personal plan for up to 2 users, plus free trial access to paid plans.

Source
Ahrefs: What is the size of Ahrefs' backlink database?

Ahrefs maintains a database of 28 trillion internal backlinks and 35 trillion external backlinks that are updated frequently, providing the depth and freshness of link data that differentiates it from competitors.

Source
Asana: What is the starting price for Asana paid plans?

Asana Starter plan begins at $10.99 per user per month when billed annually, or $13.49 per user when billed monthly.

Source
Ahrefs: What is Ahrefs' pricing?

Ahrefs pricing starts at $29/month for Starter plan, $129/month for Lite, $249/month for Standard, $449/month for Advanced, and $1,499/month for Enterprise, with annual discounts available.

Source
Asana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?

Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.

Source

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