# Semrush vs Ahrefs: data, pricing and which to pick

> Semrush vs Ahrefs compared round by round: keyword research, backlinks, site audit, rank tracking, AI search tracking and pricing, plus who should pick which.

Source: https://terradium.io/blog/semrush-vs-ahrefs

Last updated 14 October 2026 · Prices checked 14 October 2026

**The short answer**

Pick **Semrush** if you want daily rank tracking, AI-search prompt tracking bundled into the plan, and a cheaper way to add colleagues. Pick **Ahrefs** if your work leans on backlink and competitor research and you want the cheaper entry plan, and you can live with weekly rank updates.

Neither one is built to fix what AI answers say about you. **Terradium** ($29/mo) is the focused option for that job: it tracks your questions on AI engines and writes the articles meant to get you cited. It runs next to either suite, not instead of it.

Semrush vs Ahrefs is a comparison of the two best-known all-in-one SEO suites. Both cover keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits and rank tracking, and both now sell AI-search visibility tracking. The practical differences are in plan limits and pricing: Semrush starts at $139/mo, tracks keywords daily and sells AI tracking inside its "SEO + AI Search" plans. Ahrefs starts at $129/mo, updates rank tracking weekly on every plan and sells AI tracking through Brand Radar.

This page compares them on what each vendor publishes on its own pricing and product pages, on the date at the top. We didn't run our own data tests, so you won't find a "who has the bigger database" verdict here.

## Semrush vs Ahrefs at a glance

| 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) |
| Ahrefs | All-in-one SEO suite | [$129/mo (Lite)](https://ahrefs.com/pricing) | Ahrefs Free for your own verified sites |
| Terradium | AI visibility + AI SEO content | [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing) | 7 days trial |

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry plan (monthly) | SEO, $139/mo | Lite, $129/mo |
| Mid plans | Starter $199, Pro+ $299 (SEO + AI Search) | Standard $249, Advanced $449 |
| Top published plan | Advanced: custom pricing | Enterprise: $1,499/mo, annual commitment |
| Annual discount | Up to 17% | Up to 17% |
| Free trial | 7 days | None |
| Free plan | 10 reports a day, 1 demo project | Ahrefs Free, for sites you've verified |
| Rank tracking updates | Daily | Weekly, on every plan |
| Tracked keywords on entry plan | 500 | 750 |
| AI prompt tracking | From Starter: 50 prompts daily | Included: 5 prompts daily on Lite |
| Extra users | From $45/mo each | $40, $60 or $80/mo by plan |

## Round 1: Keyword research

Both suites are built around a keyword research tool: Semrush's Keyword Research toolkit and Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer. The difference you'll feel on day one is what each plan unlocks.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry plan | "Basic keyword research and competitor analysis" on SEO | Keywords Explorer on Lite, 50 keyword lists |
| Fuller toolset | Keyword research and optimization tools from Starter | AI suggestions, keyword clusters and search intents from Standard |
| Report size | Not listed per row on the pricing page | 2,500 rows per report on Lite, 30,000 on Standard |
| Usage cap | Paid limits not itemized on the pricing page; free plan is 10 reports a day | 1,000 credits per user on Lite, unlimited from Standard |

**Verdict:** a draw on capability, with different gates. Semrush's entry SEO plan is labeled "basic", so plan on Starter for the full toolkit. Ahrefs Lite is credit-capped, so heavy researchers end up on Standard. Neither vendor's database-size claims are compared here.

## Round 2: Backlink analysis

Backlinks are where Ahrefs built its reputation. Ahrefs describes itself as "powered by the world's second-most active crawler and 10+ years of web-scale data," and Site Explorer is on every paid plan. Standard adds broken backlinks, linking authors and Content Explorer for finding link prospects.

Semrush lists Backlink Analysis as a core feature and includes competitor analysis from the entry plan. It doesn't publish a crawler-size claim on its pricing page.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Backlink tool | Backlink Analysis | Site Explorer |
| Link prospecting | Digital PR (listed in its feature menu) | Content Explorer (Standard and up) |
| Broken backlinks report | Not listed on the pricing page | Standard and up |
| Free access | Free plan, 10 reports a day | Ahrefs Free: Site Explorer for your verified sites only |

**Verdict:** Ahrefs, if link research is the center of your work. Its pricing page itemizes more link reports by plan, and its free tier shows your own backlinks. Analyzing a competitor's links needs a paid Ahrefs plan.

## Round 3: Site audit

Both crawl your site and flag technical issues.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Included on entry plan | Site Audit | Site Audit, 100,000 crawl credits a month |
| Larger sites | Multi-million-page crawling on Enterprise | 500,000 credits on Standard, 1.5M on Advanced; 25,000 to 250,000 max pages per project |
| AI angle | "AI-ready" Site Audit from Starter | AI detection and "Ask AI" in Site Audit through Project Boost add-ons ($20 or $200/mo per project) |
| Free | Free plan: 10 reports a day across tools | Ahrefs Free: Site Audit on verified sites, 5,000 crawl credits per project a month |

**Verdict:** Ahrefs for transparency, because it publishes crawl budgets per plan and lets you audit your own site free. Semrush bundles its AI-readiness checks into the Starter plan rather than charging for them separately. If you need a dedicated crawler, a desktop tool like Screaming Frog is common next to either; Mac users can see our guide to the [best SEO software for Mac](https://terradium.io/blog/best-seo-software-for-mac-the-modern-macos-stack).

## Round 4: Rank tracking

This round has the clearest difference.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Update frequency | Daily | Weekly, on every plan from Lite to Enterprise |
| Tracked keywords | 500 (SEO, Starter), 1,500 (Pro+), 5,000+ (Advanced) | 750 (Lite), 2,000 (Standard), 5,000 (Advanced) |
| Locations and devices | Multi-location/device tracking from Pro+ | Not itemized on the pricing page |
| Share of voice | Advanced plan | Not itemized on the pricing page |

**Verdict:** Semrush. Daily updates matter when you're watching a migration, a launch or a client's volatile terms. Ahrefs gives you more keywords per dollar on the entry plan, but you'll see changes a week later.

## Round 5: Content tools

Semrush lists Content Creation tools, and content optimization and keyword cannibalization analysis are on Pro+. Ahrefs has AI Content Helper; its Content Kit add-on (AI Content Helper, AI Content Grader and AI Content Inventory) is listed on the pricing page as "Soon", and Ahrefs Free includes one AI Content Helper document a month.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Content optimization | Pro+ ($299) | AI Content Helper, via the Content Kit add-on |
| AI writing | Content Creation toolkit | AI Content Helper |
| Free taste | Free plan reports | 1 AI Content Helper document a month on Ahrefs Free |

**Verdict:** a draw, and neither is a writer. Both help you optimize a draft against search data. If you want full articles written for you, that's a separate tool, which is where Terradium comes in below.

## Round 6: Pricing, seats and trials

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cheapest full plan | $139/mo | $129/mo |
| Light-use plan | Free plan | $29/mo Starter (renews monthly, no extra users or add-ons) |
| Extra users | From $45/mo | $40/mo (Lite, up to 2), $60/mo (Standard, up to 5), $80/mo (Advanced, up to 10) |
| Free trial | 7 days | None; Ahrefs says it never runs discounts |
| Client reports | Pro Report add-on, $20/mo, includes white-labeling | Report Builder: 5 reports on Lite, or a $99/mo add-on for 50; white-label not listed |

Here's the arithmetic for a three-person team on each vendor's comparable mid plan, billed monthly. Semrush Pro+ is $299; its pricing page doesn't say how many logins are included, so assuming one, two extra users from $45 each make it $299 + $90 = from $389/mo. Ahrefs Standard is $249 plus two users at $60 each: $249 + $120 = $369/mo. Add AI prompt tracking and the picture changes, because Semrush Pro+ already includes 100 daily prompts while Ahrefs Standard includes 10.

**Verdict:** Ahrefs is cheaper to enter. Semrush is the only one of the two you can trial before paying, and it bundles more AI tracking into the price.

## AI search features: Semrush AI Visibility vs Ahrefs Brand Radar

Both vendors now track how AI assistants answer questions about your market. They package it differently.

**Semrush** sells AI visibility two ways. The SEO + AI Search plans include it: Starter tracks 50 prompts daily with 1 domain for AI brand performance and 300 AI visibility reports a day, and Pro+ tracks 100 prompts. The standalone AI Visibility toolkit is $99/mo per domain and tracks 25 custom prompts daily across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity, with AI competitor analysis, prompt research and a site audit for AI readiness.

**Ahrefs** sells Brand Radar. Every paid plan includes free tracked AI prompts, updated daily: 5 on Lite, 10 on Standard, 20 on Advanced. Custom-prompt packages start at $50/mo for 2,500 checks, where one prompt on one platform in one location is one check. The AI Visibility Index starts at $199/mo and, per Ahrefs, lets you research any brand across 475M+ prompts modeled from its keyword database, covering AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.

| | Semrush | Ahrefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Included prompts | 50 daily (Starter), 100 daily (Pro+) | 5, 10 or 20 daily by plan |
| Standalone option | AI Visibility toolkit, $99/mo per domain, 25 prompts | Brand Radar from $199/mo; custom prompts from $50/mo |
| Market research | AI visibility reports for any domain | AI Visibility Index across 475M+ prompts (Ahrefs' figure) |
| Engines | ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot |

Both measure. Neither writes the content that changes the answer. For a dedicated comparison of AI trackers, including both of these, see [the best AI visibility tools](https://terradium.io/best-ai-visibility-tools).

### Semrush

*All-in-one SEO suite · [$139/mo (SEO)](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/) · Free plan (10 reports/day)*

Semrush is an all-in-one suite that now sells SEO and AI-search visibility as combined plans. Every paid plan tracks keywords daily and includes Position Tracking and Site Audit; AI prompt tracking starts on Starter.

**Pros**

- Daily rank tracking on every plan, with multi-location and device tracking from Pro+.
- AI prompt tracking bundled into Starter (50 daily) and Pro+ (100 daily).
- A 7-day free trial and a free plan with 10 reports a day.
- White-label reporting for $20/mo through the Pro Report add-on.

**Cons**

- The entry SEO plan has only "basic" keyword research, and AI visibility features start on Starter ($199/mo).
- Extra users start at $45/mo, and team users are listed on the custom-priced Advanced plan.
- Pricing is split across many toolkits and add-ons, which makes totals harder to estimate.

**Best for:** teams that need daily rankings and want AI tracking in the same bill. Looking further afield? See [Semrush alternatives](https://terradium.io/blog/semrush-alternatives).

### Ahrefs

*All-in-one SEO suite · [$129/mo (Lite)](https://ahrefs.com/pricing) · Ahrefs Free for your own verified sites*

Ahrefs is a backlink- and crawler-led SEO platform. Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker and a few Brand Radar prompts come on every paid plan, and Ahrefs Free covers your own verified sites at no cost.

**Pros**

- Lower entry price ($129/mo Lite) and a $29/mo Starter plan for light use.
- Detailed, published limits: crawl credits, rows per report, history length and projects per plan.
- A useful free tier for site owners: Site Explorer, Site Audit and Web Analytics on verified sites.
- Brand Radar's AI Visibility Index for researching a whole market, not just your own prompts.

**Cons**

- Rank Tracker updates weekly on every plan, including Enterprise.
- No free trial, and Lite caps you at 1,000 credits per user.
- Brand Radar's index is a separate purchase from $199/mo.

**Best for:** link builders and competitive researchers who don't need daily rankings. See [Ahrefs alternatives](https://terradium.io/blog/ahrefs-alternatives) for other options.

### Terradium

*AI visibility + AI SEO content · [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing)*

Terradium tracks how AI assistants answer the questions your buyers ask, and writes the articles meant to get you cited. Each week it samples 15 questions on 3 of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini, reports whether you're mentioned and your site cited, and lists what to write next.

**Pros**

- Tracking and content in one tool: 30 AI-written articles a month from a plan, research, write and improve pipeline.
- Publishes to a built-in CMS or your own site through a signed webhook.
- $29/mo with a 7-day free trial.

**Cons**

- Weekly sampling and 15 questions, fewer than Semrush's or Ahrefs' daily prompt tracking.
- No backlink index, site crawler, Google rank tracking or keyword database at Semrush or Ahrefs scale.

**Best for:** small teams whose problem is AI answers and content, used alongside an SEO suite.

**Where Terradium fits**

Terradium is not a Semrush or Ahrefs replacement. It has no backlink index, no site crawler or technical audit, no Google keyword-position tracking, no large keyword database and no PPC data. If you need those, keep one of the suites.

What it adds is the part neither suite does: it turns gaps in AI answers into a weekly list of articles and writes them, 30 a month, for $29/mo. Many teams run it next to Ahrefs or Semrush, using the suite for search data and Terradium for AI visibility and content. To see where you stand first, try the free [AI visibility checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-visibility-checker).

## Who should pick which

- **Pick Semrush if** you report rankings to clients or stakeholders often, need daily updates or local and device tracking, and want AI prompt tracking without buying a second product.
- **Pick Ahrefs if** backlinks and competitor research drive your work, weekly ranking updates are enough, and you want the lower entry price.
- **Pick the Ahrefs Starter plan or Ahrefs Free if** you're a solo site owner who mainly needs to see your own site's links and issues.
- **Add Terradium to either if** you want to be named in AI answers and need the content to get there. It's a $29/mo add-on, not a third suite.
- **Look elsewhere if** both feel too expensive. [SE Ranking vs Semrush](https://terradium.io/blog/se-ranking-vs-semrush) covers a cheaper all-in-one.

## Questions

**Is Semrush or Ahrefs better?**

Neither is better for everyone. Semrush suits teams that need daily rank tracking and AI prompt tracking bundled into the plan. Ahrefs suits teams focused on backlink and competitor research that can live with weekly rank updates.

**Which is cheaper, Semrush or Ahrefs?**

Ahrefs is cheaper to enter: Lite is $129/mo against Semrush's $139/mo SEO plan, and Ahrefs also sells a $29/mo Starter plan for light use. Semrush offers a free plan and a 7-day trial, while Ahrefs has no free trial.

**How good is Ahrefs?**

Ahrefs is a strong choice for backlink research, with Site Explorer on every paid plan and Content Explorer for link prospecting from Standard. Its main limitation is that Rank Tracker updates weekly on every plan, including Enterprise.

**Do Semrush and Ahrefs track AI search?**

Yes. Semrush includes 50 daily prompts on its Starter plan and sells a standalone AI Visibility toolkit for $99/mo per domain. Ahrefs includes 5 to 20 daily prompts by plan and sells Brand Radar, with custom prompts from $50/mo and the AI Visibility Index from $199/mo.

**Which has the bigger database, Semrush or Ahrefs?**

We don't compare database sizes on this page because we haven't tested them. Ahrefs describes its crawler as the world's second-most active, and each vendor publishes its own data claims on its site.

**What are tools similar to Semrush?**

Ahrefs and SE Ranking are the closest all-in-one alternatives. SE Ranking is cheaper at each comparable tier and includes AI prompt tracking on its entry plan.