Ahrefs vs Similarweb
We give Ahrefs and Similarweb the same GPA: 2.0 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ahrefs
SEO toolset for backlinks, keyword research, audits and rank tracking
Similarweb
Traffic estimates, keyword research and competitor data for any site
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAhrefsFair | 2.0GPASimilarwebFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DLite, the plan Ahrefs aims at small businesses, is $129 a month, or $1,290 a year (about $107.50 a month) with the yearly saving. That's nearly three times this category's middle, for one user. Starter is $29, but it's monthly only with 200 credits. | DGraded against the suites it's listed beside. Competitive Intelligence is $125 a month billed yearly ($199 monthly) for 1 user, with traffic data but no SEO tools. That's dearer than Semrush's SEO plan, and keyword research, rank tracking and audits start at $333. |
| Free plan and trial | CAhrefs Free gives you Site Explorer, Site Audit and Web Analytics for sites you can prove are yours, with 5,000 crawl credits a month. Handy for your own site, but there's no keyword research or rank tracking, and no trial of the paid plans. | CThe free version on similarweb.com and the free browser extension show a high-level sample of any site's traffic and keywords. Good for a quick look, not for real work. There's also a 7-day trial of the self-service plans. |
| Features | CIts own link index, Site Explorer for any domain, keyword research, audits for 170+ issues, AI prompt tracking, and API and MCP access from Lite. The gap is rank tracking: the listing says it updates weekly on every plan, and Lite caps reports at 1,000 credits a month. | CTraffic and engagement estimates, demographics and channel mix for any site, with SEO, AI and ad intelligence on dearer plans. Things the suites don't do, but the $125 plan has no SEO tools, and other sites' figures are estimates, not their analytics. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. The reports are clean, but credits, projects and crawl budgets take some learning before you know what each click costs you. | CNo rating on record. Typing in a domain is simple, but the platform is big, and reading traffic estimates and channel splits takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a browser toolbar, linked to Search Console, Looker Studio and Google Business Profile, with an API and an MCP server from Lite. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb plus a free extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera. It connects to Looker Studio, Excel, Salesforce, HubSpot, Snowflake, Tableau and Power BI, but only on business packages with API access. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | backlink and competitor research | sizing up a competitor's traffic |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ahrefs and Similarweb. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ahrefs starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Similarweb starts at $125 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Ahrefs starts $96 a month lower. Of the other SEO tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Ahrefs for less, and 9 score higher than Similarweb for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ahrefs starts at $29 per month, billed monthly. Similarweb starts at $125 per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly).
At a glance
| Ahrefs | Similarweb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per month, billed monthly | $125 per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Ahrefs Free: Site Explorer, Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits a month per project) and Web Analytics for verified sites, plus the SEO Toolbar and 1 AI Content Helper doc a month. | Free version on similarweb.com and a free browser extension: a high-level sample of traffic, keyword and ranking data for any site, without the deeper drill-downs. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of the self-service plans |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. | Similarweb |
| Price read from | ahrefs.com | similarweb.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Ahrefs
- SEOs who spend most of their time on backlinks and competitor research
- Site owners who want free audits and ranking data for their own sites
- Freelancers and consultants who can work within one included user
Similarweb
- Sizing up a competitor's traffic and where it comes from
- Market researchers and analysts comparing many websites
- Marketing teams that want SEO, ads and traffic data in one place
Worth knowing
Ahrefs
- Rank Tracker updates rankings weekly on every plan the pricing page lists.
- Lite caps each user at 1,000 credits a month for reports; Starter has 200 and cannot add users or add-ons.
- Each plan includes one user; extra users cost $40, $60 or $80 a month and are capped at 2, 5 or 10.
- AI writing tools (Content Kit) start at $99 a month, and Project Boosts cost $20 or $200 a month per project.
Similarweb
- Self-service plans cover one user and 3 or 6 months of history; extra seats and up to 37 months of history come in custom packages sold through sales.
- Keyword research, rank tracking, site audit and backlinks start with the $333 plan; the $125 plan covers traffic and competitor analysis only.
- The API, data feeds and integrations such as Looker Studio, Excel and Salesforce need a business package with API access.
- Traffic figures for other people's sites are Similarweb's estimates, not those sites' own analytics.
Key features
Ahrefs
- Site Explorer
- See the backlinks, organic keywords and top pages of any website, with history going back 6 months to 5 years by plan.
- Keywords Explorer
- Find keyword ideas with volume and difficulty; Standard and above add AI suggestions, clusters, search intents and translations.
- Site Audit
- Crawl your sites for 170+ technical and on-page SEO issues, using 100,000 to 1.5 million crawl credits a month by plan.
- Rank Tracker
- Track 750 to 5,000 keywords on the self-serve plans, with rankings updated weekly.
- Brand Radar and AI prompts
- Plans track 5 to 20 of your own prompts in AI chat tools daily. Brand Radar AI, for researching any brand's AI mentions, starts at $199 a month.
- API and MCP server
- Every plan from Lite includes API and MCP access, capped at 100 to 500 rows per request below Enterprise.
Similarweb
- Website traffic and engagement
- Estimated visits, engagement, audience demographics and marketing channel mix for any website, set side by side with competitors.
- Keyword research and rank tracking
- Keyword research, keyword gap analysis and a rank tracker with SERP analysis, included from the Competitive Intel & SEO & AEO plan.
- Site audit and backlinks
- Technical site audits and backlink data sit in the same SEO bundle, alongside an organic search overview of any domain.
- AI brand visibility
- Tracks how a brand appears in AI chatbot answers, with 150 tracked prompts, sentiment and citation analysis, and traffic arriving from AI tools.
- Ad intelligence
- The top self-service plan shows competitors' ad creatives and campaigns, search and display ads, advertiser demand signals and ad spend.
- Free browser extension
- Shows traffic, AI chatbot visits, top keywords and ranking for the site in the current tab, on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera.
Plans
Ahrefs
Ahrefs Free$0
Limited Site Explorer and Site Audit for websites you verify as yours. No Keywords Explorer or Rank Tracker.
Starter$29
per month, billed monthly
200 report credits a month, with Keywords Explorer, Rank Tracker and Site Audit. Monthly only; no extra users or add-ons.
Lite$129
per month, billed monthly
1 user, 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 6 months of history, 1,000 credits a month, 100,000 crawl credits, API and MCP access.
Standard$249
per month, billed monthly
1 user, 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years of history, unlimited credits, Content Explorer and keyword clusters.
Advanced$449
per month, billed monthly
1 user, 50 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, 5 years of history, 1.5 million crawl credits and Looker Studio integration.
Enterprise$1,499
per month, annual commitment required
From 3 users, 100 projects, unlimited history, uncapped API, SSO and audit log. Sold through sales.
Similarweb
Competitive Intelligence$125
per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
1 user and 3 months of history: traffic and engagement, demographics, marketing channels and competitor alerts. No SEO tools.
Competitive Intel & SEO & AEO$333
per month, billed annually ($399 billed monthly)
1 user and 6 months of history. Adds keyword research, rank tracking, site audit, backlinks and 150 tracked AI chatbot prompts.
Competitive Intel, SEO & AEO & Ads$542
per month, billed annually ($649 billed monthly)
Everything in the SEO plan plus ad intelligence: creatives, search and display ads, advertiser demand and ad spend. 1 user.
Businesses & EnterprisesCustom
Sold through sales: more seats, up to 37 months of history, country-level data, AI Studio, API, data feeds, SSO and managed services.
Ways to pay less
Ahrefs
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% by paying annually
Ahrefs' pricing page offers up to 17% off for annual billing on Lite, Standard and Advanced. Existing monthly customers switch by contacting support.
Similarweb
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate with annual billing
Billed annually, Competitive Intelligence is $125 a month instead of $199, the SEO plan $333 instead of $399, and the Ads plan $542 instead of $649.
