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Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs Frase

Ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Marketing

Backlink and keyword research platform run on its own web crawler, metered by credits since 2024

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Frase logo

Frase

SEO

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

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ahrefs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ahrefs the April 2024 move from unlimited usage to credits was a real downgrade for existing customers: Lite meters 1,000 credits per user per month and the data tools lock when they are gone, so heavy research on the entry plan now forces an upgrade to Standard at 249 USD.; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and Frase actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and Frase differ
AttributeAhrefsFrase
Starting priceFree$49/month
Pricing modelPer month by credits and usage limitssubscription
Free tierYesNo
CategoryMarketingSEO
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: 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 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 April 2024 move from unlimited usage to credits was a real downgrade for existing customers: Lite meters 1,000 credits per user per month and the data tools lock when they are gone, so heavy research on the entry plan now forces an upgrade to Standard at 249 USD.
  • Pay-as-you-go credits are charged automatically once enabled, so a busy research month can produce an unbudgeted overage bill rather than a hard stop.
  • Every paid tier includes exactly one user, and additional seats cost 40, 60 or 80 USD a month by tier, so a three-person team on Standard pays 369 USD a month rather than 249.
  • Row caps bind before credit caps for many jobs: Lite returns at most 2,500 rows per report, which is not enough to export a mid-sized site backlink profile in one pass.
  • Ahrefs states plainly that it never runs discounts and offers no free trial of the paid plans, so evaluation means paying a full month or working from the ownership-verified free tier.
  • Rank Tracker updates weekly on every tier including Enterprise, so teams needing daily positions have to buy a separate tracker such as SE Ranking or Semrush.
  • A growing share of capability is sold as add-ons rather than included: Report Builder at 99 USD a month, Content Kit from 99 USD, Project Boost at 20 or 200 USD per project, and Brand Radar from 199 USD.

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

Free
  • Ahrefs FreeFree
    • Limited Site Explorer and Site Audit for sites you verify ownership of
    • No access to competitor data
    • Where paid subscriptions land after cancellation
  • Starter$29/month
    • Search and competitor data with reduced row limits
    • No projects tier of the main plan ladder
    • Sits below Lite on the published pricing page
  • Lite$129/month
    • 1 user included, up to 2 more at 40 USD each per month
    • 1,000 credits per user per month, the only tier with a credit cap
    • 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 6 months of historical data
  • Standard$249/month
    • 1 user included, up to 5 more at 60 USD each per month
    • Unlimited report credits under fair use
    • 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years of historical data

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 want to start without paying.
  • 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 Free 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 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ahrefs and $49/month for Frase.
Does Ahrefs or Frase run on more platforms?
Ahrefs runs on Web. Frase runs on web.
Can I use Ahrefs for free?
Yes. Ahrefs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Frase starts at $49/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 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: How much does Ahrefs cost?

Starter is 29 USD a month, Lite 129, Standard 249, Advanced 449 and Enterprise 1,499 with an annual commitment. Paying annually saves up to 17 percent, which Ahrefs describes as two months free, and it is arranged through support rather than on the site.

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 are Ahrefs credits and when did they start?

Ahrefs replaced unlimited report usage with credits in April 2024. It meters report credits, crawl credits and API units. Lite includes 1,000 credits per user per month; Standard and above are unlimited under a fair use policy. Purchased pay-as-you-go credits last three billing months.

Frase: Is there a free trial?

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

Source
Ahrefs: Is Ahrefs or Moz better?

Ahrefs has the deeper and fresher link index and stronger competitive research, and it is the default for link work. Moz is cheaper at entry, owns Domain Authority as a reportable metric, and has a real local listings product. If you report DA to clients or manage multi-location listings, Moz earns its place; otherwise Ahrefs wins on data.

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
Ahrefs: Is there a free version or a trial?

There is Ahrefs Free, limited to Site Explorer and Site Audit on sites you verify you own, so it gives you no competitor data. Ahrefs states it never runs discounts and does not offer a trial of the paid plans.

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
Ahrefs: How many users are included?

One, on every paid tier up to Advanced. Extra seats cost 40 USD a month on Lite, 60 on Standard, 80 on Advanced and 100 on Enterprise, and unpaid additional users are billed automatically as pay-as-you-go.

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