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Marketing · head to head

Ahrefs vs SEMrush

Ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Marketing

Everything you need to rank higher & get more traffic

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SEMrush logo

SEMrush

All industries

Do SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC and social media marketing from just one platfor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SEMrush has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ahrefs the entry Lite plan is $129 a month and caps projects at 5 and tracked keywords at 750; SEMrush free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
  • They diverge on capability: Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, SEMrush covers Site audit.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ahrefs and SEMrush actually diverge.

Attributes where Ahrefs and SEMrush differ
AttributeAhrefsSEMrush
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile app
CategoryMarketingAll industries
Founded20102008

Identical on both: 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
  • API access

Only in SEMrush

  • Site audit
  • Competitor analysis
  • Backlink analytics
  • Rank tracking
  • Content marketing
  • PPC research
  • Social media tools
  • Google Ads

Both cover

  • Keyword research
  • Google Search Console
  • Google Analytics
  • WordPress
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Ahrefs

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

SEMrush

  • SEO keyword research and competitor analysisnot Ahrefs
  • Website performance tracking and auditingnot Ahrefs
  • Content marketing optimizationnot Ahrefs
  • PPC advertising researchnot 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

SEMrush

  • Free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
  • Keyword tracking capped at 500 per month on entry tiers (SEO and Starter plans)
  • Additional users cost £45/month per user above base subscription
  • Most advanced features require Advanced plan (£455.67/month), making entry cost significant for small teams

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

SEMrush

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SEMrush review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Ahrefs if

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

Choose SEMrush if

  • You need site audit.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want competitor analysis.
SEMrush review

Questions people ask

Is Ahrefs or SEMrush better?
Neither clearly leads. Ahrefs starts at $29/month and SEMrush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or SEMrush?
SEMrush has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Ahrefs and Free for SEMrush.
Does Ahrefs or SEMrush run on more platforms?
Ahrefs runs on Web. SEMrush runs on Web, Mobile app.
Can I use SEMrush for free?
Yes. SEMrush has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ahrefs starts at $29/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 SEMrush is typically brought in for.
What can Ahrefs do that SEMrush cannot?
Ahrefs covers Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker. SEMrush covers Site audit, Competitor analysis, Backlink analytics, Rank tracking. Both handle Keyword research, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, WordPress.

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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