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Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs OnCrawl

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
OnCrawl logo

OnCrawl

SEO

Technical SEO crawler that joins crawl data with server log files

From
On request
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.; OnCrawl no pricing is published anywhere on the site, so early-stage comparison against Botify or Lumar requires getting quotes from all three before any evaluation can start.
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, OnCrawl covers Log file analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and OnCrawl actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and OnCrawl differ
AttributeAhrefsOnCrawl
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by credits and usage limitsquote
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 OnCrawl

  • Log file analysis
  • Crawl and log cross-analysis
  • Structured data and Core Web Vitals checks
  • Data Explorer
  • Google Search Console integration

Both cover

  • API access

What people use each for

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

Ahrefs

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

OnCrawl

  • A large publisher or marketplace diagnosing wasted crawl budget on parameterised or low-value URLsnot Ahrefs
  • A technical SEO team that needs server log data joined to crawl data, not just a crawl report on its ownnot Ahrefs
  • An enterprise site comparing crawl-plus-log platforms against Botify or Lumar before committing to a multi-year contractnot Ahrefs
  • A team wanting custom segmentation of crawl and log data without writing SQL against a raw exportnot 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.

OnCrawl

  • No pricing is published anywhere on the site, so early-stage comparison against Botify or Lumar requires getting quotes from all three before any evaluation can start.
  • Log file analysis requires the customer to actually supply raw server logs, which many marketing teams cannot get from their infrastructure team without a separate internal project.
  • It is a smaller company than Botify, so enterprise buyers evaluating vendor stability and roadmap longevity weigh that against the lower likely price.
  • The interface and terminology assume a working knowledge of crawl budget and log analysis concepts, so it is a poor fit for a generalist marketer without technical SEO background.
  • Data retention periods are tied to plan tier, so historical trend analysis beyond the contracted retention window is not available without upgrading before the data would otherwise be purged.

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

OnCrawl

On request
  • OnCrawl$undefined/month
    • Priced by monthly crawl volume, log line volume and data retention
    • Small-site, mid-market and enterprise tiers, all quote-based
    • Free trial available on request

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 OnCrawl if

  • You need log file analysis.
  • You also want crawl and log cross-analysis.
OnCrawl review

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or OnCrawl better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at Free and OnCrawl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or OnCrawl?
Ahrefs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ahrefs and On request for OnCrawl.
Does Ahrefs or OnCrawl run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ahrefs for free?
Yes. Ahrefs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OnCrawl starts at On request.
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 OnCrawl is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that OnCrawl cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. OnCrawl covers Log file analysis, Crawl and log cross-analysis, Structured data and Core Web Vitals checks, Data Explorer. Both handle API access.

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.

OnCrawl: Do I need to provide my own server logs?

Yes, log file analysis is only available if you can export raw access logs from your web server or CDN; without them OnCrawl functions as a crawler only.

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.

OnCrawl: How much does OnCrawl cost?

It is not published. Pricing is quoted based on crawl volume, log volume and retention period; get a quote before comparing it to Botify or Lumar.

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.

OnCrawl: Is this suitable for a small business site?

Generally not economically; the log analysis capability that justifies the cost only pays off once a site is large enough that Google is not crawling every page anyway.

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.

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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