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Software · head to head

Ahrefs vs Frase

Ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Software

Everything you need to rank higher & get more traffic

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Frase logo

Frase

Software

AI content optimization and research tool for briefs, drafts, and SEO audits

From
$49/month
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; Frase the entry-level Starter plan is capped at a single seat and site, which limits it to solo users rather than small teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Frase covers Content briefs and outlines.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and Frase actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and Frase differ
AttributeAhrefsFrase
Starting price$29/month$49/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Frase

  • Content briefs and outlines
  • AI article drafting
  • Content Guard monitoring
  • Content audits
  • CMS publishing
  • Internal linking suggestions

What people use each for

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

Ahrefs

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

Frase

  • Building SEO content briefs from competitor researchnot Ahrefs
  • Drafting articles with AI assisted by SERP datanot Ahrefs
  • Monitoring published content for ranking drops via Content Guardnot Ahrefs
  • Auditing existing site content at scalenot 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

Frase

  • The entry-level Starter plan is capped at a single seat and site, which limits it to solo users rather than small teams.
  • Overage charges apply per extra article or audit page once monthly plan limits are exceeded on Professional and Scale.
  • Free trial features are limited to Professional-tier functionality for 7 days rather than reflecting the full product.

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

Frase

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • 1 seat, 1 site
    • 10 articles/month
    • 50 audit pages/month
  • Professional$129/month
    • 3 seats, 5 sites
    • 40 articles/month
    • 250 audit pages/month
  • Scale$299/month
    • 5 seats, 10 domains
    • 100 articles/month
    • 1,000 audit pages/month
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • White-label portals
    • SSO/SAML
    • Dedicated account manager

Which should you pick?

Choose Ahrefs if

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

Choose Frase if

  • You need content briefs and outlines.
  • You work on web.
  • You also want ai article drafting.
Frase review

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or Frase better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at $29/month and Frase at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Frase?
Ahrefs starts at $29/month and Frase at $49/month.
Does Ahrefs or Frase run on more platforms?
Ahrefs runs on Web. Frase runs on web.
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 Frase is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that Frase cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. Frase covers Content briefs and outlines, AI article drafting, Content Guard monitoring, Content audits.

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
Frase: What does Frase cost?

Plans run Starter at $49/month, Professional at $129/month, and Scale at $299/month billed monthly, with cheaper annual rates and a custom Enterprise tier.

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
Frase: Is there a free trial?

Frase offers a 7-day trial with Professional-level features and no credit card required.

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
Frase: What happens if I exceed my plan's usage limits?

Professional and Scale plans support optional pay-as-you-go overages, disabled by default, charged per extra article or audit page beyond the monthly cap.

Source
Frase: What does Frase integrate with?

Frase publishes content to WordPress, Webflow, Sanity, and Wix, or can host pages directly via its own FraseCMS.

Source
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