Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs Lucky Orange

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
Lucky Orange logo

Lucky Orange

Marketing

All-in-one conversion optimization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Lucky Orange session-based pricing scales poorly during traffic spikes or successful campaigns
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Lucky Orange covers Heatmaps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and Lucky Orange actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and Lucky Orange differ
AttributeAhrefsLucky Orange
Pricing modelPer month by credits and usage limitsUnknown
Founded20102012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

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 Lucky Orange

  • Heatmaps
  • Session Recordings
  • Live Chat
  • Surveys
  • Form Analytics
  • Shopify
  • BigCommerce
  • Wix

Both cover

  • WordPress
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Ahrefs

  • SEO researchnot Lucky Orange
  • Competitor analysisnot Lucky Orange
  • Content planningnot Lucky Orange
  • Backlink analysisnot Lucky Orange
  • Rank trackingnot Lucky Orange

Lucky Orange

  • User experience analysisnot Ahrefs
  • Bug reproductionnot Ahrefs
  • Conversion optimizationnot Ahrefs
  • Customer journey mappingnot Ahrefs
  • Usability testingnot 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.

Lucky Orange

  • Session-based pricing scales poorly during traffic spikes or successful campaigns
  • Lacks A/B testing capabilities that competitors like Crazy Egg offer
  • Less privacy-focused than Hotjar for session recording data

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

Lucky Orange

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 monthly sessions
    • 30 days data retention
    • Basic features
  • Build$32/month
    • 5,000 monthly sessions
    • Live chat
    • Heatmaps
  • Grow$72/month
    • 15,000 monthly sessions
    • All Build features
  • Expand$184/month
    • 50,000 monthly sessions
    • All features

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 Lucky Orange if

  • You need heatmaps.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want session recordings.
Lucky Orange review

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or Lucky Orange better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at Free and Lucky Orange at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Lucky Orange?
Ahrefs starts at Free and Lucky Orange at Free.
Does Ahrefs or Lucky Orange run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ahrefs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Lucky Orange is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that Lucky Orange cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. Lucky Orange covers Heatmaps, Session Recordings, Live Chat, Surveys. Both handle WordPress, Web support.

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.

Lucky Orange: What is Lucky Orange's pricing based on?

Lucky Orange uses session-based pricing tiers. The Free plan tracks 100 monthly sessions; Build plan ($32/mo) tracks 5,000 sessions; Grow ($72/mo) tracks 15,000 sessions, up to Scale ($839/mo) for 300,000 sessions.

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.

Lucky Orange: Does Lucky Orange include live chat?

Yes, unlike pure heatmap tools, Lucky Orange includes live chat with canned responses, operator transfers, co-browsing, and typing preview in all paid plans.

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.

Lucky Orange: Can I get a 7-day free trial?

Yes, Lucky Orange offers a 7-day free trial with all features on every plan and no credit card required to start.

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.

Lucky Orange: Does Lucky Orange track session recordings?

Yes, Lucky Orange provides dynamic heatmaps and visitor session recordings showing customer behavior, including drop-offs in conversion funnels.

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.

Lucky Orange: How is Lucky Orange different from Hotjar?

Lucky Orange combines heatmaps with integrated live chat for real-time support, while Hotjar focuses more on feedback collection and UX research with better privacy defaults.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Ahrefs

More on Lucky Orange

Keep looking

Other head to heads