7 best Ahrefs alternatives compared in 2024 (free and paid)

Ahrefs is among the top SEO software out there. There are barely any contenders who can stand up to Ahrefs’ quality of data.

But after its latest changes, numerous people are searching for a substitute. In spite of being a market leader, Ahref is increasing the cost of its packages and lowering the number of credits for every plan. So you’re not wrong for trying to find software similar to Ahrefs.

That’s why in this article, we’ve mentioned the top Ahrefs alternatives and the things you’re going to miss if you picked them.

Why consider Ahrefs alternatives?

What is Ahrefs? Let’s look at that first. Ahrefs is a tool for SEO auditing and backlink analysis.

It’s among the top SEO tools available for marketing professionals who are trying to enhance their SEO plan. It includes powerful keyword analysis and competitor research features.

It includes the planet’s biggest collection of active links as well.

Ahrefs link index presently contains 395.7 billion web pages in its collection and their bot crawls 5 million web pages each minute. They add new information to their directory every 15-30 minutes as well.

Ahrefs main capabilities:

• Assess your website’s on-page SEO
• Examine the links
• Check the number of your rivals’ organic visitors
• Perform keyword analysis

You might ask, why do I need an Ahrefs alternative?

Being an all-in-one SEO toolkit, Ahrefs might include functionalities you’ll not utilize. In the initial stages, Ahrefs demands a longer time to understand all of its features.

With the basic plan starting at $99/month, it’s among the more expensive choices for SEO tools. And you might not be inclined to spend that much.

That’s why take a look and test out these Ahrefs alternatives prior to making a commitment.

Top Ahrefs alternatives to level up your SEO game

Here are the Ahrefs substitutes with matching functions and their pros and cons, starting with Semrush.

Semrush

Numerous people switched from Ahrefs after their latest rate changes. And Semrush has been the go-to solution for these people.

For a reason as well – Semrush is great SEO software, one of the biggest Ahrefs competitors, and an excellent Ahrefs alternative.

The best substitute for Ahrefs on our list, Semrush is also a full-fledged SEO toolkit with components similar to Ahrefs’.

Semrush started as software for analyzing keywords for pay-per-click ads and then developed into a complete SEO bundle. It is currently among the best-known SEO software out there.

But can Semrush beat Ahrefs?

Semrush’s cost is similar to Ahrefs’. The basic plan is $99.95 (paid annually) for Semrush and $99 (paid monthly) for Ahrefs.

Their capabilities are more or less the same as well but from a UX perspective, Ahrefs is superior. It consists of a sidebar describing all of its key components, making it easier to switch to other options.

Advantages and main functionalities:

Semrush’s toolkit is pretty much similar to Ahrefs’. The most significant distinction is that with Semrush, you can concentrate on things other than search platforms. It consists of tools to assist you regarding social media promotion, Google Advertising, and much else.

Below are Semrush’s key components:

• Extensive Keyword Analysis – To know what your prospects are looking up.
• SERP Research – For getting a brief picture of the niche you’re interested in.
• Website Analysis – For optimizing your technical and on-page SEO.
• Backlink Reviewer – Excellent to jumpstart your outreach marketing.
• Impact Hero tool – With the help of AI, this feature arranges content based on the stages of the consumer journey. It also finds the best-suited article and offers advice on optimizing your content.
• Keyword Magic tool – See the search results from a directory of more than 20 billion keywords.
• Social media monitor – Monitor the social media profiles of your rivals and measure their participation and development with yourself.
• Reasonable cost – Semrush’s plans are similar to Ahrefs. But it provides far too many options and has higher limits for affordable plans.

So if you’re looking for complete SEO software for an affordable cost, Semrush is a worthy Ahrefs alternative.

Disadvantages:

In general, Ahrefs and Semrush are pretty much the same. But they both have some minor distinctions.

Semrush is neither straightforward to use, nor it is as appealing as Ahrefs. But it’s still acceptable, and you will not have much trouble taking full advantage of it.

Whom is Semrush most suitable for? SEO experts and content marketing professionals searching for an all-in-one SEO suite with exceptional keyword analysis features.

You should also consider the link reporting software that is not as strong as Ahrefs.

Check out the 7 days free trial of Semrush

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is one of the modern Ahrefs competitors. And rightly so.

It’s detailed, contains many functions that are similar to Ahrefs, and is way more affordable.

Ubersuggest’s functionalities:

Ubersuggest contains every feature an SEO suite has in the same cost bracket. But its link index, SERP software, and keyword database are not on-par with Ahrefs.

Below are Unersuggests’ key functions:

• Keyword Research – To discover the top SEO possibilities in your target market.
• Website Audit – To look at a brief picture of your website, leading web pages, and other things.
• Link researching – To discover what’s effective in your niche and whom you should contact.

Ubersuggest’s disadvantages:

Quality of data – In the beginning, Ubersuggest was just a no-cost solution for affiliate marketing professionals with limited funds. However, it has evolved a lot from that moment.

Currently, Ubersuggest is on-par if not superior to any standard keyword analysis software out there.

Although, it’s not a match for Ahrefs. Particularly when we talk about keywords with less search volume. But, it’s decent enough to begin your work with.

Also, the website and backlink details are useful.

Ubersuggest’s advantages:

Ubersuggest’s user interface – Ubersuggest is simpler to operate and visually appealing as well. Its UI is its greatest advantage.

All the options are self-explanatory, and the variety of colors assists in examining keywords/SERPs easily.

Ubersuggest’s cost – Ubersuggest also has a no-cost option which is helpful.

For a newcomer, Ubersuggest is among the top Ahrefs alternatives.

If you are just starting and like to try out keyword analysis software, give it a go.

If it’s to your liking and you want to upgrade to the premium plan, Ubersuggest is much cheaper compared to Ahrefs.

The basic plan of $12 per month is decent, making it the cheapest Ahrefs alternative on our list. Although the search limits are a bit irritating.

Ubersuggest has developed a lot since its beginning. But it still couldn’t compare to the likes of Ahrefs.

It lacks important features such as detailed data categorization, SERP checker, and every one of Ahrefs’ helpful filters.

In addition to that, the data quality of Ahrefs’ is much better than Ubersuggest.

You’ll find information that is missing in Ubersuggest, particularly when analyzing keywords.

However, if you’re looking for an Ahrefs alternative, you likely want a cheaper option. In that case, Ubersuggest is among the top Ahrefs alternatives.

There are other good options in this article. But you’ll find a good combination of cost and features with Ubersuggest.

Get a 7-day free trial of Ubersuggest

SERPed

Next on our list of top Ahrefs alternatives is SERPed.

SERPed includes more than 40 various SEO features to assist you in getting a good position for your content, surpassing your rivals, and developing your company. All of this makes it one of the leading Ahrefs competitors.

SERPed contains some distinct SEO functions that the remaining Ahrefs alternatives are missing.

The Content Curator helps you in writing appropriate content and the Link Indexer tells you if your links or articles are crawled by Google.

Advantages:

Domain analysis – Utilize a single interface to analyze and buy website domains.

Find fresh website domains as well as the ones that are no longer valid within your target market.

This function is excellent in case you are frequently trying to come up with fresh website ideas and campaigns.

Live position monitoring – Precisely monitor at which position your campaigns and web pages are on search platforms such as YouTube and Google.

Comprehensively monitor your positions based on a region, town, or nation. You can also keep an eye on the mobile positions with the computer ones.

SEO campaign organization – With the Site Manager, manage customers and your own campaigns systematically. Monitor crucial details such as backlinks and search positions from a centralized dashboard.

Disadvantages:

SERPed might get intimidating – With more than 40 features, you can get confused as to where you should begin. Few features such as Social Exchange may not make sense for SEO software.

Absence of no-cost version – SERPed doesn’t have a free tryout version as the remaining software mentioned in this article do.

So can SERPed match Ahrefs?

SERPed contains distinct features that the remaining SEO tools are missing, allowing it to be a full-fledged SEO toolkit.

With the basic package of $79 per month, SERPed’s pricing is more reasonable than Ahrefs.

Whom is SRPed most suitable for?

Webmasters and self-employed professionals searching for an inexpensive Ahrefs alternative that contains a few extra perks.

Check out SERPed for a month for $7

Serpstat

Following SERPed, another top Ahrefs alternative is Serpstat. Serpstat offers the most acceptable middle ground between functionality, quality of data, and cost.

It would be difficult to come across SEO software with this many features at this reasonable cost among the other Ahrefs competitors.

Serpstat’s main capabilities and advantages:

Serpstat contains a loaded toolkit that is similar to Ahrefs’ many key functions, mainly for keyword analysis. Serpstat offers these features:

• Keyword Analysis – For discovering and monitoring top SEO possibilities.
• Page Analysis – Packed with keyword optimizing tips.
• SERP Crawler – For learning more about your rivals.
• Cost – Serpstat is more affordable compared to Ahrefs.

The greatest advantage of Serpstat is its cost. It’s not that very economical, but taking into account the bonus and the number of features it contains, the price is fair.

Serpstat’s disadvantages:

Serpstat is more affordable compared to Ahrefs, but that’s pretty much it.

Ahrefs offer superior functionalities, quality of data, data filters, and user interface.

Quality of Data – Serpstat’s database cannot match up to that of Semrush or Ahrefs.

It is less helpful and lacks multiple filters for data. That’s why it is difficult to discover easily-achievable SEO opportunities with the help of Serpstat.

However, Serpstat can be helpful with other stuff such as link details and SERP research.

UI – Aesthetics aren’t Serpstat’s strong suit.

Its UI is extremely packed, which sometimes makes it difficult to understand which option is where.

This makes Serpstat particularly inferior to Ahrefs, whose UI is amazing.

If you’re looking for SEO software that can offer a lot and is also within your price range, Serpstat should be your top pick.

Check out Serpstat for no cost

SE Ranking

One of the affordable SEO toolkits, SE Ranking is a newcomer in the market. It’s a fitting Ahrefs alternative, which is especially powerful for analyzing technical SEO.

After you enter details about a website, SE Ranking immediately crawls the website and provides a detailed analysis of critical problems that need your immediate attention.

SE Ranking may then suggest a few solutions to these problems like adding metadata and editing permalinks.

SE Ranking is good at providing comprehensive SEO insights and preparing content plans. Let’s check out in more detail:

Advantages:

• Top-level tailor-made analysis – Consists of segments such as search engine positions, number of website visitors, rivals, monetary data, and site analysis. Select the duration you want to examine, estimate, and want to include in your analysis.
• On-Page reviewer – Analyze the web pages’ present SEO condition and check suggestions about what you have to optimize.
• Search engine position monitor – View past details about your best-performing search phrases on mobile, tablet, and desktop computers.

Disadvantages:

• Information is not refreshed live – There’s one day delay if you want to view data about search engine positions.
• Missing indicators – No details are available for SERP functions, the intensity of competition, and historical patterns.

So can SE Ranking replace Ahrefs?

SE Ranking is inexpensive compared to Ahrefs.

The standard plan begins at $31 per month and scales depending on how often you review the search engine positions.

If you’re well-versed in SEO, you might experience that SE Ranking’s functions don’t let you do much.

Who will benefit from SE Ranking?

Self-employed professionals and content writers searching for affordable SEO software that will assist in creating and assessing their content marketing plan.

Get the 14 days trial version for no cost

Moz

Moz is among our favorite Ahrefs alternatives.

You might be familiar with Moz because of their top SEO blog as well as their Domain Authority indicator.

Another one of Ahrefs competitors, Moz is straightforward and simple to use.

It has a clean interface, which makes it easy to navigate through content marketing, search phrase analysis, and researching competitors.

Advantages:

• MozBar – Available as a Chrome Extension to analyze your website’s Page Authority and Domain Authority.
• No-cost features – You can use Backlink Research and Keyword Explorer to perform 10 no-cost searches every month.
• Once-a-week report – Get a crawl report which contains the details about your site’s 404 status errors, absent metadata, and identical content.

Disadvantages:

• Finite database – Moz’s link index is not as in-depth as that of Ahrefs.
• Limited technical features – A few technical analysis indicators such as website loading speed are missing from Moz.

So can Moz stand-up to Ahrefs?

Moz is simple to use and its functions are easy to understand for newcomers.

The standard plan begins at $99 per month but the SEO functionalities are not as comprehensive as Ahrefs.

Who will benefit from Moz?

Contractors and self-employed professionals trying to test out its no-cost plan.

Get a no-cost 30 days trial of Moz

SpyFu

The title says everything.

The final entry in our list of the best Ahrefs alternatives, SpyFu excels in monitoring your rivals.

The SypFu database contains the most in-depth competitor research you’ll find in this article. It monitors 5 billion search results and 80 million websites.

Advantages:

• Two decades of competitor details – SpyFu contains a comprehensive index, allowing you to analyze decades of historical details. Get a comprehensive report about your rivals’ Google advertising budget, links, high-performing search phrases, and visitor channels.
• Infinite results – SpyFu shows you an unlimited number of results for your search query, something which is missing in the remaining SEO tools.

Disadvantages:

• Weak keyword analysis – SpyFu doesn’t offer many recommendations and lacks refined filters that are available in the remaining software.
• Absence of visitor analytics – It can’t measure a website’s referral, inbound, organic, sponsored, or social media visitors to tell the difference in numbers.
• Minimal focus on self-evaluation – SpyFu pays strong attention to analyzing your rivals rather than assessing your website’s SEO.

But is it a good Ahrefs alternative?

SpyFu contains amazing competitor research functionalities however, it offers fewer in-depth SEO options than Ahrefs.

Although, it is affordable compared to Ahrefs with a basic plan of $39/month.

Who will benefit the most from SpyFu?

If you’re trying to learn more about your rivals’ SEO plan rather than analyzing yours, then SpyFu is a perfect fit for you.

Check out SpyFu or book a call

Bottom line: which is the best Ahrefs alternative?

Well, that concludes our list of top suggestions for leading Ahrefs alternatives.

To find a suitable replacement for Ahrefs, you have to consider your price range, the time it’ll take for you to understand the functions, and which features are essential for you.

If you’re a small business or a freelancer looking for an affordable yet powerful SEO tool, Semrush is a fantastic option. It offers a wide range of features, from keyword research to competitor analysis, and even content marketing tools.

For those who need a more budget-friendly option with solid keyword research capabilities, Ubersuggest is a great choice. It’s user-friendly and provides good insights without breaking the bank.

We suggest that you utilize the no-cost demo period to test out how every software operates and whether it fulfills your website’s requirements.

Did I miss anything? Did you try these Ahrefs alternatives? Do you have any questions or comments regarding these Ahrefs competitors? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.