Ahrefs

Research competitors, audit sites and track search opportunities

SEO Software

4.7/5(585)CapterraFree plan available

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Last checked: September 9, 2026

Ask Ahrefs answering a competitor analysis question

Our Take

Ahrefs is a strong candidate for a team doing recurring competitor, backlink and keyword research.

Connected keyword, backlink and competitor research
Technical audits and rank tracking

Data and credit limits vary by tier
Extra users and specialist add-ons cost more

Best for:

Solo usersSmall teamsGrowing businesses

Best use case: Finding competitor content opportunities, reviewing backlinks and monitoring technical fixes over time.

Independent SEO specialists and agency or in-house teams can use the research tools.

Read the full assessment

Ahrefs is a strong candidate for a team doing recurring competitor, backlink and keyword research. Its project, audit and tracking tools help turn an initial investigation into ongoing work. Starter provides a small paid entry point, while Lite and Standard suit more regular research with different data and credit limits. Choose from the websites, historical depth and exports you need. Treat estimated competitor traffic as a research signal and compare your own site against first-party measurements.

Strengths

Connected keyword, backlink and competitor research
Technical audits and rank tracking
Project history, exports and reporting
Free owned-site entry point and paid developer access

Tradeoffs

Data and credit limits vary by tier
Extra users and specialist add-ons cost more
Competitor estimates need interpretation
No free trial of the paid plans

Who it suits

SEO consultants
Content and search teams
Site owners monitoring technical health

About Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a search-research and website-monitoring platform built around its own web crawl and search datasets. Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer support competitor, backlink and keyword research, while Site Audit and Rank Tracker help monitor technical issues and search positions. Dashboards and reports organize work across projects. The platform also offers AI-brand monitoring, web analytics and developer access. Plan limits distinguish verified sites, unverified projects, historical data, exports and usage credits. The value comes from regularly turning that information into decisions, with first-party analytics providing context for third-party estimates.

Pricing & Plans

Prices use the currency shown. Tax, usage limits and billing terms vary by provider.

Save up to 17%

Ahrefs Free

$0/mo

Limited tools for websites whose ownership you verify.

Site health and search insights for owned sites
Ownership verification required
Tool-specific limits; does not replace paid competitor research

Full plan details & limits

Limited tools for websites whose ownership you verify.

Free for verified site owners

Starter

$29/mo

Entry plan with monthly renewal only.

200 credits/month
1 unverified project
unlimited verified projects
500 crawl credits per verified project

Full plan details & limits

Entry plan with monthly renewal only.

$29/mo

1 month historical data
Site Explorer
Keywords Explorer
Site Audit
Rank Tracker
SEO Dashboard
SEO Toolbar
Web Analytics
Bot Analytics (beta)
Report Builder
Additional users cannot be bought
Additional credits cannot be bought

Recommended

Lite

$129/mo

Lower paid plan with single-user baseline and add-on user capacity.

1 user
up to 2 additional users
1,000 credits/user/mo
5 unverified projects

Full plan details & limits

Lower paid plan with single-user baseline and add-on user capacity.

$129/mo

6 months historical data
750 tracked keywords
100,000 crawl credits/mo
25,000 max pages/project
500,000 export rows/mo
150 Brand Radar checks/mo
5 tracked AI prompts
50 keyword lists
200 target URLs per Batch Analysis report
5 reports and 30 widgets in Report Builder
100,000 API integration units/mo

Standard

$249/mo

Mid-tier plan with expanded quotas.

1 user
up to 5 additional users
unlimited credits/user
20 unverified projects

Full plan details & limits

Mid-tier plan with expanded quotas.

$249/mo

2 years historical data
2,000 tracked keywords
500,000 crawl credits/mo
50,000 max pages/project
1.5M export rows/mo
300 Brand Radar checks/mo
10 tracked AI prompts
100 keyword lists
500 target URLs per Batch Analysis report
5 reports and 30 widgets in Report Builder
400,000 API integration units/mo

More plans, volume options & API pricing (3)

Advanced

$449/mo

Higher-tier plan with more users, projects, and data allowances.

1 user
up to 10 additional users
unlimited credits/user
50 unverified projects

Full plan details & limits

Higher-tier plan with more users, projects, and data allowances.

$449/mo

5 years historical data
5,000 tracked keywords
1.5M crawl credits/mo
250,000 max pages/project
4M export rows/mo
600 Brand Radar checks/mo
20 tracked AI prompts
200 keyword lists
1,000 target URLs per Batch Analysis report
15 reports and 150 widgets in Report Builder
1M API integration units/mo
portfolios
content explorer
batch analysis
SERP comparison
Brand Radar
more in Site Explorer/Keywords Explorer/Google Search Console
Data Studio connectors

Enterprise

Variable cost

Top-tier plan with annual commitment required.

from 3 users
unlimited additional users
unlimited credits/user
100 unverified projects

Full plan details & limits

Top-tier plan with annual commitment required.

From $1,499/month with annual commitment

unlimited historical data
10,000+ tracked keywords
5M+ crawl credits/mo
5M max pages/project
from 10M export rows/mo
from 2,500 Brand Radar checks/mo
from 83 tracked AI prompts
from 500 keyword lists
unlimited API/MCP rows
25 reports and 250 widgets in Report Builder
uncapped API access
SSO and enterprise-grade security
access management/audit log
personalized higher limits and data exports
forecasting and trends
Annual commitment required
Enter the negotiated total including any additional capacity

Brand Radar AI

Variable cost

A separately configured AI-brand research offering.

Brand Radar AI

Full plan details & limits

A separately configured AI-brand research offering.

From $199/month; confirm selected coverage

View full pricing details

Everything you need to know

Explore more details about Ahrefs.

FeaturesSite Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit + more.

Site Explorer
Keywords Explorer
Site Audit
Rank Tracker
Brand Radar
Content Explorer
Web Analytics
Bot Analytics
GBP Monitor
Social Media Manager
Dashboard
Portfolios
Report Builder
Ask Ahrefs AI assistant
Ahrefs Free for verified site owners
Ahrefs Toolbar
Data Studio connectors
Ahrefs API
Ahrefs Connect
MCP access on qualifying plans

RatingsCapterra: 4.7/5, TrustRadius: 8.8/10

CapterraAhrefs4.7/5 · 585
Source Checked September 8, 2026
TrustRadiusAhrefs8.8/10 · 401
Source Checked September 8, 2026

Customer ratings from the linked platforms, separate from our recommendations. Scores and counts can change; each platform uses its own review process.

Integrations & connectionsHow Ahrefs fits into your workflow

Ahrefs Connect, Ahrefs API, Data Studio connectors, MCP access on qualifying plans

Platforms & availabilityWeb workspace · Chrome and Firefox browser toolbar

Ahrefs

Free plan: Available. Free trial: Not available.

Cost considerationsBilling, usage limits and additional fees

U.S. monthly prices: Starter $29, Lite $129, Standard $249 and Advanced $449. Verified annual invoices are Lite $1,290, Standard $2,490 and Advanced $4,490; stack estimates divide those totals by twelve rather than using rounded headlines. Additional users cost $40/$60/$80 monthly on Lite/Standard/Advanced, within plan limits. Enterprise starts at $1,499/month with an annual commitment. Brand Radar coverage and extra prompt checks are separate. Report Builder is $99/month; Project Boost is $20 or $200/project/month. No free trials are offered.