Key Features
Backlink Analysis
The most accurate backlink index available — see who links to any website, track new and lost links and find link building opportunities.
Keyword Explorer
Keyword research across Google, YouTube, Amazon and more — search volume, keyword difficulty, click data and SERP analysis.
Site Audit
Technical SEO crawler that identifies issues affecting rankings — broken links, slow pages, missing tags and crawlability problems.
Competitor Analysis
See any website's organic traffic, top pages, keywords and backlink profile — understand exactly what's driving competitor rankings.
Rank Tracker
Track keyword rankings daily across locations — monitor your SEO progress and spot ranking drops before they impact traffic.
Content Explorer
Find top-performing content in any niche — identify link-worthy topics, trending articles and content gap opportunities.
Pros & Cons
What we like
Most accurate backlink index in the industry
Keyword Explorer covers 10+ search engines
Site Audit is comprehensive and actionable
Content Explorer is unique for content strategy
Free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for site owners
Constantly updated with new features
Watch out for
Expensive — $129/mo is steep for small teams
No free plan (Webmaster Tools is limited)
Semrush has broader marketing tools beyond SEO
Learning curve for beginners
Data refresh rate slower than Semrush on some metrics
Best Alternatives
Semrush
Broader marketing toolkit beyond SEO — better for PPC, social and content marketing alongside SEO
Surfer SEO
Better for content optimisation — scores pages against top-ranking results with NLP analysis
Diib
More affordable AI-powered SEO for small businesses
Rank Math
Free WordPress SEO plugin — pairs well with Ahrefs for on-page optimisation
Frequently Asked Questions
Ahrefs doesn't have a free plan but offers Ahrefs Webmaster Tools free for verified site owners — including Site Audit and backlink data for your own domains. Paid plans start at $129/month for the Lite plan with full access to all tools.
Ahrefs has the most accurate backlink index and is generally preferred by SEOs focused on link building and backlink analysis. Semrush has a broader toolkit covering PPC, social media, content marketing and local SEO alongside its SEO features. Both are strong — Ahrefs for backlink-first SEOs, Semrush for teams needing an all-in-one marketing platform.
Ahrefs is best used for backlink analysis, competitor research, keyword discovery and content gap analysis. Its Site Audit tool is excellent for technical SEO, and its Content Explorer helps find high-performing content ideas in any niche.