I was an Ahrefs customer for maybe a year or two before I switched to an alternative.
So you’re probably now where I was — looking for an Ahrefs alternative.
Ahrefs wasn’t (and isn’t) a bad SEO tool, but I switched because I wanted an alternative that provided:
- a more comprehensive, all-in-one marketing solution
- more accurate ranking tracking and data
- better pricing options
And I also just wanted to try an alternative to see how it compares to Ahrefs, and it’s been great so far. So I stayed with them. (Hint: it’s Semrush. And full disclosure: I’m affiliated with them).
But Semrush isn’t the only alternative to Ahrefs in the SEO market, there are several others and I’ll be going straight into the details of each one.
A brief overview of top Ahrefs alternatives
| Ahrefs Alternative | Free Trial | Pricing | Website |
| SEMrush | Yes | $99.95 to $374.95 monthly (billed annually) $119.95 to $449.95 monthly (billed monthly) | semrush.com |
| SE Ranking | Yes | $18.72 to $151.20 (billed annually) $23.40 to $189 (billed monthly) | seranking.com |
| Mangools | Yes | $26.91 to $80.91 monthly (billed annually) $44.10 to $116.10 monthly (billed monthly) | mangools.com |
| Surfer | Yes | $49 to $199 monthly (billed annually) $59 to $239 monthly (billed monthly) | surferseo.com |
| Majestic | Yes | $41.67 to $333.33 monthly (billed annually) $49.99 to $399.99 monthly (billed monthly) | majestic.com |
| Ubersuggest | Yes | Monthly pricing: $12 to $40 Lifetime pricing: $120 to $400 | neilpatel.com/ubersuggest |
| Screaming Frog | — | Free to $259 per year | webceo.com |
| Moz Pro | Yes | $69 to $419 monthly (billed annually) $99 to $599 monthly (billed monthly) | moz.com |
| SEO PowerSuite | Yes | Free to $499 per year | rankactive.com |
| SpyFu | Yes | $16 to $299 monthly (billed annually) | spyfu.com |
| Google Search Console | — | Free | search.google.com/search-console |
| Serpstat | Yes | $55 to $399 monthly (billed annually) $69 to $499 monthly (billed monthly) | serpstat.com |
| Raven Tools | Yes | $39 to $399 monthly (billed annually) $49 to $479 monthly (billed monthly) | raventools.com |
13 powerful alternatives to Ahrefs
Here are thirteen outstanding Ahrefs alternatives for serious SEO projects:
1. Semrush — my go-to Ahrefs alternative
Semrush is a comprehensive all-in-one marketing solution that provides everything you need for SEO, including features for keyword research, ranking tracking, backlink analysis, site auditing, and more.
But my biggest loves for Semrush are its near-accurate data and reporting features, allowing you to track rankings and analyze competitors in a way that’s very close to what Ahrefs can do.
You can also integrate Semrush with your Google Analytics and Search Console accounts—so you won’t have to leave the platform to get insights about your website.
Pros
- 4.6/5 average user rating on G2
- Easy-to-follow tutorials
- A super comprehensive site audit feature
- Seamless integration with Google Analytics and Search Console
- Supports non-English languages, like Spanish, Deutsch, French, etc.
- All-in-one marketing tool (meaning you won’t have to buy other tools to market your business since many of those are in Semrush already)
Cons
- So many tools and features to explore in one platform
- Requires a bit of a learning curve for beginners
Semrush Pricing
- Free trial: 30 days
- Monthly pricing: $119.95 to $449.95
- Annual pricing: $99.95 to $374.95
2. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is another great alternative to Ahrefs.
It’s an all-in-one SEO platform that provides everything from keyword research and backlink analysis to competitor tracking, rank tracking, site auditing, keyword grouping, and more.
There’s also a content marketing tool in SE Ranking that helps you discover topics with good traffic potential, create briefs for writers, and optimize content for search engines. It’s also cloud-based, like other Ahrefs alternatives in this article, giving you access to your data anytime, anywhere — without the need to download or install anything.
Pros
- 4.8/5 average user rating on G2
- User-friendly dashboard
- Site audit feature with an automated reporting solution
- White-label reports (especially helpful if you’re an agency)
- Less expensive than many topline SEO tools
Cons
- Multiple users complain the keyword database could be more updated
- Some users also say the mobile app could be improved
SE Ranking Pricing
- Free trial: 14 days
- Monthly pricing: $39 to $189
- Annual pricing: $31.20 to $151.20
3. Mangools
Mangools comes with a family of five powerful SEO tools for keyword research, link building, website analysis, rank tracking, and SERP analysis, making it a complete all-in-one SEO platform.
Inside the software, you’ll find KWFinder, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, SiteProfiler, and SERPChecker — each with its own set of features to help you get the most out of your SEO efforts.
But if you’ve been around the SEO block for a while, you already know Mangools is most popular for its KWFinder tool. Now let’s look at some of the major pros and cons of Mangools.
Pros
- 4.6/5 average user rating on G2
- Powerful keyword research tool
- An almost entirely comprehensive all-in-one SEO toolset
- Visually appealing and user-friendly interface
- Great customer support
Cons
- The site auditing tool is quite basic; not very technical
- Daily search limits can be a challenge
Mangools Pricing
- Free trial: 10 days
- Monthly pricing: $49 to $129
- Annual pricing: $29.90 to $89.90
4. Surfer
Of all the Ahrefs alternatives out there, Surfer is one of the most comprehensive SEO tools that come with on-page optimization tools.
Using its content intelligence and natural language processing (NLP) technology, the tool helps to analyze top-ranking content for any keyword and shows you exactly how to optimize your pages for better rankings.
It also comes with an AI outline generator that helps you create search-optimized content outlines for your blog posts and pages, so you can save time on content creation.
Besides these on-page optimization tools, Surfer also includes a keyword research tool, SERP comparison tool, backlink checker, and a few other features, making it an all-in-one SEO tool.
Pros
- 4.8/5 average user rating on G2
- AI-powered content intelligence & NLP technology
- On-page optimization tools
- AI content outline generator
- SERP comparison tool for tracking your rankings
Cons
- Upgrade or contact support every time you exhaust usage credits
- No free trial available for paid plans
Surfer Pricing
- Free trial: Not available (but you can sign up for a free account with basic features)
- Monthly pricing: $59 to $239
- Annual pricing: $49 to $199
5. Majestic
If you’re looking for an Ahrefs alternative that focuses mainly on backlink data and analysis, Majestic is a great tool for that.
The tool comes with a variety of features for link building, such as a backlink checker, anchor text analysis, and an SEO keyword generator.
Plus, its Fresh Index crawls the web to provide you with up-to-date intelligence about your backlinks over the past 120 days (or roughly 3 months).
There’s also a Link Graph feature, which allows you to see the link profile of any page in a visual interface, so you can easily identify strong links and prioritize your link-building activities.
Pros
- 4.7/5 average user rating on G2
- Comprehensive & powerful backlink analysis tool
- Regularly updated link data
- Link Graph feature for visualizing link profiles
- 7-day money-back guarantee for new customers
Cons
- Not suitable if you’re looking for an all-in-one SEO tool
- Multiple users complain it can be slow sometimes
Majestic Pricing
- Free trial: 14 days
- Monthly pricing: $49.99 to $399.99
- Annual pricing: $41.67 to $333.33
6. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is another free Ahrefs alternative that comes with a variety of features for keyword research, website analysis, and SERP analysis.
It also comes with a Chrome extension that helps you get keyword insights like search volume, CPC, and competition right from your browser while you’re doing keyword research.
There’s also a “top pages by traffic” feature that shows you the most popular pages of any website. Plus, you can use the tool to track your rankings and monitor competitor rankings over time.
Pros
- Free keyword research tool
- Chrome extension for getting keyword insights
- Easy-to-use interface
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) writer
- Less expensive than many other Ahrefs alternatives
Cons
- The keyword database could be more updated
- Free trial period is only 7 days — which might not be enough for some users to determine whether or not to stick with the tool
Ubersuggest Pricing
- Free trial: 7 days
- Monthly pricing: $12 to $40
- Annual pricing: $120 to $400
7. Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is another Ahrefs alternative that comes with a range of features for SEO and website auditing.
But it’s usually most useful for site auditing purposes, as it helps to analyze the deep technical aspects of your website that many other Ahrefs alternatives can’t.
It also comes with a spider tool that allows you to crawl entire websites so you can identify and fix any broken links, duplicate content, faulty redirect chains, and other technical SEO issues. It also helps to identify any SEO issues like missing titles or meta descriptions so you can fix them easily.
Pros
- Accurate technical SEO data
- Spider tool for identifying broken links, duplicate content, etc.
- Easily find in-depth info about any URL
- Easy-to-use interface for technical SEO audits
- Free account available
Cons
- Has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners
- Takes quite a long time for an SEO spider to capture crawled data — especially for bigger sites
Screaming Frog Pricing
- Free trial: Not available (but you can sign up for a free account with limited features)
- Monthly pricing: Not available
- Annual pricing: $259
8. Moz Pro
Moz Pro is one of the best Ahrefs alternatives out there — most because they both perform almost the very same functions.
It’s a great all-in-one SEO tool that comes with capabilities for keyword research, SERP analysis, traffic analysis, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and a few other features.
But one standout feature of Moz Pro is the MozBar tool — a Chrome extension that allows you to see domain authority and page authority scores for any website or page, plus other SEO data within the SERP.
Moz Pro also offers a range of tutorials, webinars, and other resources — especially through their blog — that can help you understand SEO better and make use of the tools effectively.
Pros
- MozBar Chrome extension for quickly finding SEO data
- SERP analysis and rank tracking capabilities
- Keyword explorer: a comprehensive keyword research tool
- Advanced tutorials and webinars with SEO and related topics
- Moz Local for local SEO
Cons
- More expensive than some other Ahrefs alternatives
- User interfaced (UI) hasn’t been updated in quite a long time
Moz Pro Pricing
- Free trial: Not available (but you can sign up for a free account with limited features)
- Monthly pricing: $99 to $599
- Annual pricing: $79 to $479
9. SEO PowerSuite
If you’re looking for an Ahrefs alternative that focuses on more technical aspects of SEO, then SEO PowerSuite is worth checking out.
SEO PowerSuite comes with four different tools: Rank Tracker, WebSite Auditor, SEO SpyGlass, and LinkAssistant.
The Rank Tracker tool is particularly useful for monitoring your search engine rankings over time and tracking your website’s performance. WebSite Auditor, on the other hand, helps with SEO auditing and also helps to identify any technical issues with your website.
The SEO SpyGlass and LinkAssistant tools are useful for backlink analysis and monitoring so you can identify any potentially harmful links pointing to your website and disavow them.
Pros
- A 4-in-1 SEO tool for comprehensive SEO analysis
- Detailed SERP and keyword data tracking
- Rank tracker and website auditor help with technical
- Easy-to-use backlink analysis and monitoring feature
- Free version available
Cons
- No monthly pricing plan
- Have to download the software to your computer
SEO PowerSuite Pricing
- Free trial: Not available (but there’s a free version with limited features)
- Monthly pricing: Not available
- Annual pricing: $299 to $499
10. SpyFu
As the name suggests, Spyfu is a great option if you’re looking for an Ahrefs alternative that focuses on competitive analysis — or “spying” on your competitors.
This tool will help you understand and track your competitors better so you can formulate a stronger SEO strategy.
The tool provides deep insights into your competitors’ keyword strategies and also offers data on their backlink profiles, including the number of linking root domains, referring pages, and more.
Pros
- Competitive keyword research and analysis
- Detailed backlink profiles
- SERP tracking and analysis
- PPC & Adwords competitor research tool
- 10+ years of search history data
Cons
- Beginners might need to learn a lot to use it
- Doesn’t provide databases for countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria
SpyFu Pricing
- Free trial: 7 days
- Monthly pricing: $39 to $299
- Annual pricing: $16 to $149
11. Google Search Console
This is probably the most basic yet one of the most important Ahrefs alternatives out there — especially if you’re looking for a completely free SEO tool.
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that helps you monitor your website’s visibility in search engine results.
You won’t get all the comprehensive data that you would get with Ahrefs and other tools on this list, but GSC offers detailed data about your website’s performance, including how often it appears in Google search results and how many people click on the link.
It also provides data on any potential issues that could be affecting your website’s visibility, such as crawl errors, security issues, and more.
Pros
- Completely free
- Detailed analytics data about your website
- Helpful insights about potential issues affecting search visibility
- Ability to submit sitemaps and URLs for indexing
- Ability to view AMP, mobile usability, and other search features
Cons
- Limited keyword research capabilities
- No in-depth backlink analysis
Google Search Console Pricing
- Completely free
12. Serpstat
Serpstat is one of the best Ahrefs alternatives for comprehensive SEO analysis, content marketing, PPC, and marketing in general.
This tool helps you track and analyze your website’s visibility in search engine results, as well as your competitors. It also offers data on keywords, backlinks, and more.
One of the best features of Serpstat is its keyword clustering tool which helps you organize your keywords into groups and get better insights into how your website is performing. And this is important because it helps you come up with more targeted SEO strategies.
Pros
- Comprehensive SEO analysis tool
- Detailed keyword research tool
- Keyword clustering feature
- A detailed backlink analysis tool
- PPC and paid search research capabilities
Cons
- High cost for smaller websites
Serpstat Pricing
- Free trial: 7 days
- Monthly pricing: $69 to $499
- Annual pricing: $55 to $399
13. Raven Tools
If you’re looking for a tool that combines SEO analysis with social media, then Raven Tools might be what you’re looking for.
This tool offers comprehensive SEO data including keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor research.
But one standout benefit of Raven Tools is that it also offers in-depth data on your SEO and social media performance and helps you manage your accounts.
Pros
- Comprehensive SEO analysis tool
- In-depth SEO & social media performance data
- Ability to manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard
- Detailed backlink analysis tool
- Competitor research capabilities
Cons
- Multiple users complain about data accuracy
- Quite expensive for small businesses
Raven Tools Pricing
- Free trial: 7 days
- Monthly pricing: $49 to $479
- Annual pricing: $39 to $399
FAQs on Ahrefs alternatives
Let’s answer some of the most common questions related to Ahrefs alternatives.
Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?
Yes, some free Ahrefs alternatives offer basic SEO features like keyword research and backlink analysis. For example, Ubersuggest, Surfer, and Moz all offer a free version of their services.
But as you might expect, the data and features you get with the free versions are limited and won’t provide as much insight as the paid versions.
Is Semrush more accurate than Ahrefs?
I’ve used both and from what I experienced, no, both tools are equally accurate. The main difference is in features and how the tools are used. For instance, Ahrefs has stronger link building tools and Semrush is often better for keyword research.
So, the accuracy of either tool might depend on the type of data you’re looking for and how you use it.
Is there a free version of Ahrefs?
Unfortunately, no. Ahrefs does not offer a free version of its service at this time. But they provide free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, which provide basic SEO data for any website.
You can use the free account to see which keywords your website is ranking for, view backlinks to your site, and check out any potential security issues.
Are there monthly subscription plans for Ahrefs alternatives?
Yes, some tools offer monthly subscription plans for Ahrefs alternatives. For example, Semrush offers a monthly plan that starts at $199.95/month.
But the downside to most monthly plans, compared to annual plans, is that they tend to be more expensive in the long run. You don’t get the same discounts and other perks that come with annual plans.
Do Ahrefs alternatives offer more features than Ahrefs?
It depends on the tool. Some Ahrefs alternatives offer features that are not available in Ahrefs, such as SERP tracking, PPC & Adwords competitor research tools, and more.
Other tools offer basic SEO features like keyword research and backlink analysis — features that are already available in Ahrefs. So it really depends on your needs and budget.
What is better than Ahrefs?
That’s a question only you can answer — because it depends on your needs and budget. But if you’re looking for an affordable tool with comprehensive features, I’d say Semrush might be a great option.
If you’re looking for a free tool, then Ubersuggest or Moz might be worth exploring. Semrush also has a free version, but its features are limited.
And if you’re specifically looking for a tool that focuses on backlink analysis, then Majestic may be worth considering.
At the end of the day, you’ll need to compare each tool and decide which one is the best option for you and your situation. Good luck!
