Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs Firstup

Ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Marketing

Everything you need to rank higher & get more traffic

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Firstup logo

Firstup

Employee Engagement

Intelligent communication platform for workforce engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ahrefs the entry Lite plan is $129 a month and caps projects at 5 and tracked keywords at 750; Firstup none of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Firstup covers AI-powered delivery.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and Firstup actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and Firstup differ
AttributeAhrefsFirstup
Starting price$29/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
CategoryMarketingEmployee Engagement
Founded20102008

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Firstup

  • AI-powered delivery
  • Personalized content
  • Multi-channel communication
  • Analytics and insights
  • Mobile app
  • Campaign management
  • Employee segmentation
  • Integrations

What people use each for

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

Ahrefs

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

Firstup

  • Targeted internal communications to email, mobile app and desktop channelsnot Ahrefs
  • Reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate emailnot Ahrefs
  • Automated employee journeys for onboarding and lifecycle momentsnot 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

Firstup

  • None of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales
  • AI content creation, intelligent delivery timing, translations and user generated content all require the Professional package
  • Employee journey automation, the flow builder and journey analytics require the top Premier package
  • Intranet capabilities are a paid add-on on top of any package rather than part of the platform
  • No free tier, trial price or self-serve signup is published

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

Firstup

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • AI personalization
    • Multi-channel delivery
    • Analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Ahrefs if

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

Choose Firstup if

  • You need ai-powered delivery.
  • You also want personalized content.
Firstup review

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or Firstup better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at $29/month and Firstup at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Firstup?
Ahrefs starts at $29/month and Firstup at On request.
Does Ahrefs or Firstup run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Firstup is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that Firstup cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Personalized content, Multi-channel communication, Analytics and insights.

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
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
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
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