Ahrefs
SEO toolset for backlinks, keyword research, audits and rank tracking
Ahrefs report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for backlink and competitor research
Ahrefs is the one SEO people reach for when they want to see a rival's links and best pages, because it runs its own crawler and index. Lite is $129 a month, or about $107.50 on yearly billing, for one user. But rankings update weekly on every plan, and Lite caps each user at 1,000 report credits a month.
Who Ahrefs is for
- Great if most of your SEO time goes on backlinks and what's working for rivals
- Handy when you only need data on your own site, which Ahrefs Free covers
- Good for freelancers who work alone, since each plan includes one user
Who Ahrefs is not for
- Skip it if you want daily rankings, as Rank Tracker updates weekly on every plan
- Pricey if you're a small business on a budget, at about $107.50 a month even paid yearly
- Tight if you research a lot on Lite, where each user gets 1,000 credits a month
Why Ahrefs gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyLite, 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.
- CFree plan and trialAhrefs 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.
- CFeaturesIts 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.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. The reports are clean, but credits, projects and crawl budgets take some learning before you know what each click costs you.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ahrefs's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/ahrefs#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/ahrefs.svg" alt="Ahrefs: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Ahrefs stands among SEO tools
Ahrefs's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 6 of 21) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $29 a month, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 8 of the 21 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Ahrefs’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 21, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 21, level with 17
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 21, level with 13
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 18
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 21, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Ahrefs, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Ahrefs you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 16 of the 21 other SEO tools grade higher. It costs $348 a year.
What you could not
- Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date.
- An index of the links between billions of web pages.
- Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results.
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- It plugs into other products, Google Search Console, Looker Studio and Google Business Profile among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Ahrefs’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is a web-based SEO toolset built on its own crawler's index of pages and links. Site Explorer shows any site's backlinks, ranking keywords and top pages, alongside keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and tracking of how brands appear in AI answers. A free account covers sites you can prove you own.
Ahrefs has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29 per month, billed monthly. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Ahrefs pricing
- Starts at
- $29 per month, 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 trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Free | $0 | Limited Site Explorer and Site Audit for websites you verify as yours. No Keywords Explorer or Rank Tracker. |
| Starter | $29per 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 | $129per 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 | $249per month, billed monthly | 1 user, 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years of history, unlimited credits, Content Explorer and keyword clusters. |
| Advanced | $449per 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 | $1,499per month, annual commitment required | From 3 users, 100 projects, unlimited history, uncapped API, SSO and audit log. Sold through sales. |
Read from ahrefs.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Ahrefs before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on ahrefs.com
Works with
- Google Search Console
- Looker Studio
- Google Business Profile
Ahrefs alternatives
- Ahrefs vs Semrush
Free plan · from $117.33/mo
- Ahrefs vs SE Ranking
Free trial · from $103.20/mo
- Ahrefs vs Moz Pro
Free plan · from $49/mo
- Ahrefs vs Serpstat
Free trial · from $50/mo
- Ahrefs vs Mangools
Free plan · from $37.70/mo
Common questions
Is Ahrefs free?
Ahrefs has a 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. Paid plans start at $29 per month, billed monthly.
How much does Ahrefs cost?
Ahrefs lists 6 plans. Ahrefs Free: $0. Starter: $29 per month, billed monthly. Lite: $129 per month, billed monthly. Standard: $249 per month, billed monthly. Advanced: $449 per month, billed monthly. Enterprise: $1,499 per month, annual commitment required. Prices were read from ahrefs.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Ahrefs work on?
Ahrefs is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Ahrefs offer any discounts?
Ahrefs publicly lists the following: Save up to 17% by paying annually.
Does Ahrefs have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Ahrefs is listed for Web.
Does Ahrefs have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Ahrefs is listed for Web.
Is Ahrefs open source?
Ahrefs is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Ahrefs have an API?
Yes. Ahrefs offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Ahrefs integrate with?
Ahrefs's listing names Google Search Console, Looker Studio and Google Business Profile. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is made by Ahrefs Pte. Ltd.
What are the alternatives to Ahrefs?
The closest alternatives to Ahrefs in our directory are Semrush, SE Ranking, Moz Pro, Serpstat and Mangools. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Ahrefs.
How does Ahrefs compare with other SEO tools?
Ahrefs's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 21 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 4. It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 6 of 21) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Is Ahrefs good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Ahrefs D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $29 a month, against a middle price of $34.45 for the category: 8 of the 21 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Ahrefs?
To replace Ahrefs you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 16 of the 21 other SEO tools grade higher. It costs $348 a year. What you could not make: Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. An index of the links between billions of web pages. Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results. A crawler that checks every page of a site. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.