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SEO & AI toolsAhrefs alternatives
By Cathy Riddell · Prices checked 1 Nov 2026 · Last updated 1 Nov 2026
How this page was made: I compared each vendor’s official pricing and feature pages on 1 Nov 2026. Hands-on test notes are added only after I’ve used the product on a real account; until then they’re marked as pending. My review method.
SE Ranking
Same entry price as Ahrefs Lite, with higher tracking limits
- Core: US$129/mo, or US$103.20/mo billed annually (official page, 1 Nov 2026)
- 2,000 keywords tracked daily vs 750 on Ahrefs Lite
- 10 projects, 250k audited pages a month, API and MCP access
- Local and content marketing plus AI visibility tracking included
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
Quick picks by need
Ahrefs vs the closest alternatives
| Ahrefs Lite | SE Ranking Core | Semrush SEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (monthly) | US$129/mo | US$129/mo | US$139/mo |
| Billed annually | Saves up to 17% | US$103.20/mo | US$117.33/mo |
| Tracked keywords | 750 | 2,000 daily | 500 daily |
| Projects | 5 non-verified, unlimited verified | 10 | 5 websites |
| Users | 1 (add 2 more at US$40/mo each) | 1 manager seat | Extra users from US$45/mo |
| Historical data | 6 months | Historical data on Growth | Historical data on Pro+ |
| Free option | Ahrefs Free (limited Site Explorer and Site Audit for your own site) | 14-day trial, no card | Free plan; 7-day trial |
All figures from each vendor’s official pricing page, read 1 Nov 2026. USD.
How do the Ahrefs alternatives compare at a glance?
| Tool | Best for | Price (official page) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top pickSE Ranking | Small businesses and freelancers who want an all-in-one tool with high tracking limits | Core US$129/mo, or US$103.20/mo billed annually; Growth US$279/mo, or US$223.20/mo billed annually (official page, checked 1 Nov 2026) | Visit SE Ranking |
| Semrush | Teams who want the largest all-in-one toolkit | Free plan; SEO plan US$139/mo, or US$117.33/mo billed annually; Starter US$199/mo; Pro+ US$299/mo (official page, checked 1 Nov 2026) | Visit Semrush |
| Moz Pro | Businesses managing a single website | Entry plan US$49/mo for a single website; Standard US$99/mo, or US$79/mo paid yearly (official page, checked 1 Nov 2026) | Visit Moz Pro |
| Mangools | Solo marketers on a tight budget | Basic US$452.40/yr billed annually (about US$37.70/mo); Premium US$632.40/yr; Agency US$1,172.40/yr (official page, checked 1 Nov 2026) | Visit Mangools |
| SpyFu | Competitor keyword and PPC research | Basic US$39/mo; Pro + AI US$59 for the first month, then US$119/mo; Team/Agency US$249/mo (official page, checked 1 Nov 2026) | Visit SpyFu |
| Ubersuggest | Beginners who want simple keyword ideas | Check current pricing on the official Ubersuggest pricing page | Visit Ubersuggest |
Why look for an Ahrefs alternative?
- Price: Ahrefs Lite is US$129/mo, Standard US$249/mo and Advanced US$449/mo, and Ahrefs says it never runs discounts.
- Tracking limits: Lite tracks 750 keywords with 6 months of history.
- Users: each plan includes 1 user, and extra users are paid add-ons.
- No free trial: Ahrefs Free gives limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit for your own site, and a separate Starter plan is US$29/mo (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
SE Ranking: best overall Ahrefs alternative
SE Ranking’s Core plan matches Ahrefs Lite’s US$129/mo monthly price (US$103.20/mo billed annually) and includes 10 projects, 2,000 keywords tracked daily, 250k audited pages a month, unlimited keyword, competitor and backlink research, local and content marketing tools, Looker Studio/GA/GSC integrations, 25K API credits with MCP access, and AI visibility tracking across 5 AI engines. Growth is US$279/mo (US$223.20/mo annually) for 30 projects and 5,000 keywords (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
Trade-off: Core includes one manager seat (Ahrefs Lite also includes 1 user); SE Ranking says extra seats can be bought, and Growth includes 3.
Try SE Ranking free for 14 days Affiliate link · disclosure
Semrush: the closest like-for-like all-rounder
Semrush’s SEO plan is US$139/mo, or US$117.33/mo billed annually, for 5 websites and 500 tracked keywords, with Position Tracking, Site Audit and AI search tracking. Starter is US$199/mo and Pro+ US$299/mo (15 websites, 1,500 keywords, historical data). There’s a free plan with 10 reports a day and a 7-day free trial (official page, 1 Nov 2026). See SE Ranking vs Semrush.
Moz Pro: best for a single website
Moz offers an entry plan at US$49/mo designed for individuals managing a single website. Standard is US$99/mo, or US$79/mo paid yearly, with 3 tracked sites, 300 tracked keywords and 400K crawled pages a month; Medium is US$179/mo (US$143/mo yearly) with 2 users, 10 sites and 1,500 keywords. Moz lists a free trial (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
Mangools: best budget bundle
Mangools bundles its SEO tools with AI Search Watcher. Basic is US$452.40/yr billed annually (about US$37.70/mo), with 100 keyword research requests a day, 200 tracked keywords updated weekly and 100k backlinks a month. Premium is US$632.40/yr and Agency US$1,172.40/yr; Mangools says annual billing saves about 35% and API and MCP access are included (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
Trade-off: rank tracking updates weekly, not daily.
SpyFu: best for competitor and PPC research
SpyFu’s Basic plan is US$39/mo with 10k-row search results and exports, 10+ years of historical data, 5k weekly tracked keyword rankings and a site audit. Pro + AI is US$59 for the first month, then US$119/mo, with unlimited results and exports. Team/Agency is US$249/mo with 5 users. SpyFu says paying annually saves 25% (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
Ubersuggest: simple keyword ideas for beginners
Ubersuggest offers keyword research and site audit tools with AI features. Its pricing page was showing a countdown “special offer” on lifetime plans when I checked, so I haven’t quoted a price; see the official pricing page.
Should I just stay on Ahrefs?
If you rely on Ahrefs’ backlink index and Content Explorer, and your team is trained on it, switching costs time. Ahrefs Standard (US$249/mo) adds Content Explorer, 2 years of history and 2,000 tracked keywords (official page, 1 Nov 2026). If you mainly track rankings and audit a small site, the alternatives above cost the same or less with higher limits.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Ahrefs?
For most small businesses, SE Ranking: Core is US$129/mo (US$103.20/mo billed annually), the same monthly price as Ahrefs Lite, and tracks 2,000 keywords a day vs 750 on Lite (official pages, 1 Nov 2026).
What is the cheapest Ahrefs alternative?
Of the tools here with a published price, Mangools Basic (US$452.40/yr, about US$37.70/mo billed annually) and SpyFu Basic (US$39/mo) cost the least. Moz Pro has a US$49/mo plan for one website (official pages, 1 Nov 2026).
Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?
Semrush has a free plan with 10 reports a day, and Ahrefs itself offers Ahrefs Free with limited Site Explorer and Site Audit for your own site. SE Ranking has a 14-day free trial with no credit card (official pages, 1 Nov 2026).
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
Ahrefs’ pricing page says it never runs discounts and points website owners to Ahrefs Free for limited free access (official page, 1 Nov 2026).
Is SE Ranking as good as Ahrefs?
On published limits, SE Ranking Core tracks more keywords for the same monthly price. Ahrefs’ strengths are its own web index and tools like Content Explorer on Standard and above. I’ll add hands-on comparisons after testing both on the same site.
Cathy is an Adelaide-based digital agency founder who sets up and runs small-business software for real clients. She writes every BizStacked guide and keeps the prices on each page dated and sourced. How I review →
Related guides
Sources
- https://ahrefs.com/pricing: Ahrefs official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://seranking.com/subscription.html: SE Ranking official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://www.semrush.com/prices/: Semrush official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://moz.com/products/pro/pricing: Moz Pro official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://mangools.com/plans-and-pricing: Mangools official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://www.spyfu.com/pricing: SpyFu official pricing page, checked 1 Nov 2026
- https://ubersuggest.com/en/pricing: Ubersuggest official pricing page, read 1 Nov 2026; it was showing a countdown “special offer” on lifetime plans, so no price is quoted
Prices are in USD unless stated and come only from the official vendor pages above. Vendors change prices and run promotions often, so confirm on the official page before you buy. Star ratings aren’t published until hands-on testing is complete.