# The 10 best Ahrefs alternatives in 2026 > 10 Ahrefs alternatives compared: Semrush, SE Ranking, Moz Pro, Majestic for backlinks, budget tools, and free options like Ahrefs Free and Search Console. Source: https://terradium.io/blog/ahrefs-alternatives Last updated 14 October 2026 · Prices checked 14 October 2026 **The short answer** If you want another full suite, **Semrush** is the closest match to Ahrefs, and **SE Ranking** covers most of the same ground for less with daily rank tracking. For backlinks only, **Majestic** is the specialist pick. If you need a free Ahrefs alternative, **Ahrefs Free** and **Google Search Console** cover your own site at no cost. **Terradium** has no backlink index, so it can't replace Ahrefs' link data. It's the pick when your goal is being cited in AI answers and you need the content to get there. An Ahrefs alternative is an SEO tool that replaces some or all of what Ahrefs does (backlink analysis, keyword research, rank tracking and site audits) at a lower price, with a free tier, or with features Ahrefs doesn't include. Which one fits depends on whether you use Ahrefs as a full suite or mainly as a backlink checker. ## Why people switch from Ahrefs Ahrefs is one of the strongest SEO platforms for link and crawl data. People still look elsewhere, usually for these reasons: - **Price.** Ahrefs' main plans are Lite ($129/mo), Standard ($249/mo) and Advanced ($449/mo); Enterprise is $1,499/mo with an annual commitment. - **No free trial.** Ahrefs says it doesn't offer one and never runs discounts, so you pay before you can try the paid features. - **Seats.** Each plan includes 1 user. Extra users cost $40/mo on Lite (2 at most), $60/mo on Standard, $80/mo on Advanced and $100/mo on Enterprise. - **Weekly rank tracking.** Rank Tracker updates weekly on every plan, from Lite to Enterprise. Teams that report daily movements need another tool. - **Lite limits.** Lite includes 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 1,000 credits per user and 6 months of history. That's the short answer to "Ahrefs pricing": it's built for teams that use the data heavily, and less so for occasional checks. ## Ahrefs alternatives at a glance Prices are each tool's cheapest paid plan, billed monthly, read off the vendor's pricing page on the date above. "See pricing page" means the vendor geo-prices or we couldn't verify a number. | Tool | Type | Paid plans from | Free option | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Semrush | All-in-one SEO suite | [$139/mo (SEO)](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/) | Free plan (10 reports/day) | | SE Ranking | All-in-one SEO suite | [$129/mo (Core)](https://seranking.com/subscription.html) | 14 days, no card trial | | Moz Pro | All-in-one SEO suite | [$49/mo (Starter)](https://moz.com/products/pro/pricing) | Free Moz account (limited) | | Majestic | Backlink analysis | [$49.99/mo (Lite)](https://majestic.com/plans-pricing) | None | | SEO PowerSuite | Desktop SEO software | [$29.10/mo (Professional)](https://www.link-assistant.com/pricing.html) | Free version (1 project, 500-URL crawl) | | Mangools | Beginner-friendly SEO toolkit | [See pricing page](https://mangools.com/plans-and-pricing) | Free account (limited) | | Ubersuggest | Budget SEO tool | [See pricing page](https://app.neilpatel.com/en/pricing) | Free account (limited) | | Ahrefs Free (Webmaster Tools) | Free SEO tool (site owners) | [Free](https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools) | Free for verified sites | | Google Search Console | Free Google tool | [Free](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9128668) | Free | | Terradium | AI visibility + AI SEO content | [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing) | 7 days trial | ## Full-suite Ahrefs alternatives ### Semrush *All-in-one SEO suite · [$139/mo (SEO)](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/) · Free plan (10 reports/day)* Semrush is Ahrefs' closest competitor: keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlinks and competitor research, now sold as combined SEO + AI Search plans. The entry SEO plan covers 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily, with Position Tracking and Site Audit. **Pros** - Daily rank tracking, where Ahrefs is weekly - A free plan (1 demo project, 10 reports a day) and a 7-day free trial - AI-search tracking on the SEO + AI Search plans, or as a standalone AI Visibility toolkit **Cons** - Not cheaper than Ahrefs at the entry level - Extra users start at $45/mo each - White-label reporting is a paid add-on **Best for:** Teams that want a full suite with daily rank tracking and a free trial. Read our [Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison](https://terradium.io/blog/semrush-vs-ahrefs) for the detail. ### SE Ranking *All-in-one SEO suite · [$129/mo (Core)](https://seranking.com/subscription.html)* SE Ranking is the main cheaper Ahrefs alternative for a full suite. The Core plan includes 10 projects, 2,000 keywords and 100 AI prompts tracked daily, and 250,000 audit pages a month. **Pros** - Daily keyword tracking on the entry plan, with more keywords than Ahrefs Lite - 14-day free trial with no credit card - Extra manager seats from $16 **Cons** - One manager seat on Core - The full AI Results Tracker is a separate add-on - White-label (Agency Pack) is annual billing only **Best for:** Small teams and agencies that want a broad suite and daily tracking for less. ### Moz Pro *All-in-one SEO suite · [$49/mo (Starter)](https://moz.com/products/pro/pricing) · Free Moz account (limited)* Moz Pro is a long-running SEO suite built around Domain Authority and Link Explorer. Standard includes 1 user, 3 tracked sites, 300 tracked keywords and 150 tracked AI prompts. **Pros** - A $49/mo Starter plan for single-site owners - AI visibility tracking included on Standard and up, across GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity - Free trial, plus a free Moz Community account with limited access **Cons** - Fewer tracked keywords per dollar than SE Ranking - Extra seats cost $49/mo each - Trial length isn't stated on the pricing page **Best for:** Small businesses that want a familiar suite with AI prompts bundled in. Compare the two directly in our [Moz alternatives guide](https://terradium.io/blog/moz-alternatives). ## Backlink-only picks If you mostly used Ahrefs to check links, a specialist tool can cost much less. ### Majestic *Backlink analysis · [$49.99/mo (Lite)](https://majestic.com/plans-pricing)* Majestic is a dedicated backlink index with Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics, and Fresh and Historic indexes. Lite is 1 user with the Fresh Index; Pro adds the Historic Index, raw exports and custom reports. **Pros** - Focused backlink data at a lower price than Ahrefs Lite - Historic Index on Pro for long-term link research - 7-day money-back guarantee for first-time Lite and Pro customers **Cons** - No keyword research, rank tracking or site audit - API access requires the API plan - Prices exclude VAT **Best for:** Link builders and outreach teams who only need backlink data. ### SEO PowerSuite *Desktop SEO software · [$29.10/mo (Professional)](https://www.link-assistant.com/pricing.html) · Free version (1 project, 500-URL crawl)* SEO PowerSuite is desktop software covering backlinks, rank tracking, site audits and keyword research, sold on yearly licenses (Professional is $349/yr). **Pros** - Unlimited projects and tracked keywords on paid plans - Free-forever version with a 500-URL crawl and up to 1,100 backlinks - Google AI Overviews tracking on every plan **Cons** - No monthly billing - Desktop software you install, rather than a browser app - White-label reports start on Enterprise **Best for:** Budget-minded SEOs who want unlimited tracking and backlink checks without a monthly bill. ## Budget and beginner alternatives ### Mangools *Beginner-friendly SEO toolkit · [See pricing page](https://mangools.com/plans-and-pricing) · Free account (limited)* Mangools bundles KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner (backlinks) and SiteProfiler on every plan, with a simple interface aimed at beginners. **Pros** - All five apps on every plan, including a backlink tool - Free account and a 48-hour full refund - 1 AI Search Watcher monitor with 5 prompts on every plan **Cons** - Rank tracking is weekly except on the Agency plan - Lookup limits are tight for heavy research - Geo-priced, so check the pricing page for your region **Best for:** Bloggers and beginners who want a cheaper Ahrefs alternative that's easy to learn. ### Ubersuggest *Budget SEO tool · [See pricing page](https://app.neilpatel.com/en/pricing) · Free account (limited)* Ubersuggest is a budget keyword and site-audit tool with monthly or one-time lifetime plans. Paid tiers allow 150 to 900 reports a day and 1 to 15 projects. **Pros** - Free account and a 7-day trial on monthly plans - Lifetime plans as an alternative to subscriptions - AI Search Visibility for 10 to 20 prompts per brand **Cons** - Rank tracking is weekly - Lifetime purchases are non-refundable - Geo-priced, so check the pricing page for your region **Best for:** Small businesses on a tight budget. ## Free Ahrefs alternatives ### Ahrefs Free (Webmaster Tools) *Free SEO tool (site owners) · [Free](https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools) · Free for verified sites* Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) is the free option from Ahrefs itself: Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics for an unlimited number of verified websites. **Pros** - Free, using the same Ahrefs data for your own sites - Site Audit with 170+ issue checks - Web Analytics up to 1M events per project **Cons** - Only for sites you've verified; competitors need a paid plan - 5,000 crawl credits per project per month, and 1,000 backlinks or keywords visible at once **Best for:** Site owners who want a free Ahrefs alternative for their own site. ### Google Search Console *Free Google tool · [Free](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9128668) · Free* Google Search Console is Google's free view of how your site performs and gets indexed in Google Search. It's first-party data, not an estimate. **Pros** - Free - URL Inspection shows crawl, index and serving details for any page - Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in the Performance report **Cons** - Your site only, with no competitor or backlink research - No separate filter for AI Overview traffic **Best for:** Everyone, alongside whichever paid tool you choose. ## The AI visibility add-on Ahrefs sells AI-search data through Brand Radar, and paid plans include 5 to 20 tracked AI prompts. If your main question is whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google AI Overviews cite you, a dedicated tracker may suit you better. Our [roundup of AI visibility tools](https://terradium.io/best-ai-visibility-tools) compares them on price and prompts. ### Terradium *AI visibility + AI SEO content · [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing)* Terradium combines AI visibility tracking with AI-written SEO content. Each week it samples 15 questions on 3 of 4 engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini), reports whether you're mentioned and cited, and lists what to write next. It writes 30 articles a month and publishes them to a built-in CMS or your own site. **Pros** - Tracking and the content that closes the gaps in one tool - Weekly Actions list built from gaps in AI answers - 7-day free trial **Cons** - No backlink index, which is Ahrefs' core strength - No site crawler, Google rank tracking or large keyword database - Weekly sampling on 3 engines, less often than daily trackers **Best for:** Teams whose problem is content and AI answers, not links. **Where Terradium fits** Be clear about this one: Terradium has **no backlink index**. It can't show who links to you or to a competitor, and it doesn't crawl your site or track Google rankings. If those are why you use Ahrefs, keep Ahrefs or pick Semrush, SE Ranking or Majestic from this list. What Terradium does is the other half of modern search: it tracks whether AI answers mention and cite you, and writes 30 articles a month aimed at the questions you're missing. Use it next to your SEO suite. To see if AI crawlers can read your site first, run the free [AI crawler checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-crawler-checker). ## How to choose - **Full suite or backlinks only?** For a suite, compare Semrush and SE Ranking. For links only, Majestic or SEO PowerSuite. - **Daily or weekly ranks?** Ahrefs is weekly on every plan. Semrush and SE Ranking track daily. - **Do you need to try it first?** Semrush, SE Ranking and Moz offer trials; Ahrefs doesn't. - **Your own site only?** Ahrefs Free plus Google Search Console may be all you need. - **Count seats.** Add every extra user to the monthly price before comparing. - **Working on a Mac?** See our guide to the [best SEO software for Mac](https://terradium.io/blog/best-seo-software-for-mac-the-modern-macos-stack). Comparing more suites? See our [Semrush alternatives](https://terradium.io/blog/semrush-alternatives) guide. ## Questions **What is the best Ahrefs alternative?** Semrush is the closest full-suite match and tracks rankings daily. SE Ranking covers most of the same ground for less, and Majestic is the specialist pick if you only need backlink data. **Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?** Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) gives free Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics for sites you've verified. Google Search Console is also free and shows how your own site performs in Google Search. Neither covers competitor research. **How much does Ahrefs cost?** Ahrefs' main plans are Lite at $129/mo, Standard at $249/mo and Advanced at $449/mo, each with 1 user included. Enterprise is $1,499/mo with an annual commitment, and Ahrefs doesn't offer a free trial. **Is Ahrefs more accurate than Moz?** Neither vendor's pricing page gives an accuracy figure we could compare, and we haven't benchmarked them. Choose on the data you'll use, and check either tool against your own Google Search Console data. **Does Terradium have a backlink index?** No. Terradium tracks whether AI answers mention and cite your brand and writes SEO content, but it has no backlink index, site crawler or Google rank tracking. Pair it with an SEO suite if you need those.