Ahrefs has gained a solid reputation as an SEO tool and for good reason. It offers a robust suite of features that nearly meets all modern SEO needs. But the truth is it’s just not the cup of tea for everyone. Plus, their recent pricing update has rather motivated people to seek legit Ahrefs alternatives.
And chances are, that is what brings you to our blog today. But before you scroll down to the 9 Ahrefs alternatives, let me tell you that every tool comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. After reading this blog, you will be able to figure out which one of these Ahrefs competitors best serve your needs.
So let’s get into it.
List of Top Ahrefs Alternatives for SEO and Backlink Analysis
| Why people like Ahrefs | Why people may seek Ahrefs alternatives |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive, all-in-one SEO tool | Expensive, especially for smaller businesses |
| Excellent link-building features | No free plan or free trials |
| Unlimited rank tracker reports | Not beginner friendly |
| Generous keyword tracking limits | Confusing credit system |
| Detailed keywords explorer | One user per plan; extra users cost more |
| Useful content gap tool | High add-on fees |
| Strong competitive research features | API access limited to top-tier plan |
| Responsive customer support | |
| Robust site audit capabilities | |
| Lots of data filtering options | |
| Easy data export | |
| Reliable domain authority checker | |
| Free keyword tools | |
| Table 1: the goods vs bad about Ahrefs | |
1. Semrush
Overview and Primary Use
SEMrush is perhaps Ahrefs’ top competitor and has the closest similarity in terms of features. It offers a robust suite of tools including keyword research, competitor analysis, and content optimization, making Semrush a go-to choice for many digital marketers. Semrush has a vast keyword database with search volume, difficulty, CPC, competition, and related keywords insights. But that’s not all! Its technical SEO analysis greatly helps in identifying site wide errors that may impact your search visibility.
Although not as thorough as Ahrefs in terms of backlink analysis, Semrush has a pretty good link auditing tool with many filtering options available.
Some users find Ahrefs’ interface more user-friendly. This is one area that we believe Semrush could improve on. Overall, their extensive inventory of toolkits covers areas beyond just SEO, making it one of the top choices for businesses searching for alternatives to Ahrefs.
Semrush Key Features
- Domain Overview: Analyzes any URL or domain to reveals search traffic, backlinks, top-ranking pages, and keywords
- Keyword Research: Discover keyword ideas with search volume, competition level, and CPC
- Link Building: Track backlink profile and identify new backlink opportunities
- SEO Friendly Contents Creation: Provides content improvement recommendations for SEO, readability, and tone
- Site Audit: Identifies site wide technical SEO issues and respective solutions for site performance improvement
- Additional Tools: 40+ tools for social media management, PPC, and content marketing
Comparing Semrush to Ahrefs
While Ahrefs and Semrush are very similar in terms of features, there are some distinguishable differences:
- Pricing: Now wonder both tools are pricier. Semrush’s “Pro” plan costs $139.95/mo and Ahrefs “Lite” plan costs $129/mo. It may seem Semrush is pricier but when you compare their features, Semrush clearly wins the race. Semrush Pro allows 3,000 domain reports per day while Ahrefs’ base plan only includes 500 reports per month. Another big advantage is that Semrush has a “Free Forever” plan with limited features and you can analyze up to 10 domains per day with the Domain Overview tool. They also allow trial for the premium plans. On the other hand, Ahrefs offers free access to its Webmaster Tools with the limitation of checking verified domains only. They don’t have any free plan or trial period option. In my opinion, these are Semrush’s greatest edge over Ahrefs.
- Ease of Use: Anyone who tried both tools will agree Ahresfs has a more intuitive user interface. Some users may find Semrush’s interface a bit overwhelming given the sheer volume of features presented at once. However, Semrush launched the Copilot AI feature to tackle this and helps users by highlighting relevant insights on the dashboard.
- Data Quality: Ahrefs is famous for its precise, reliable keyword data and backlink analysis. While Semrush does offer comprehensive insights, its depth and accuracy are not always on par with Ahrefs.
- Specialized Features: One of Semrush’s strengths over Ahrefs is its suite of digital marketing tools that go beyond traditional SEO, making it a preferred choice for those who manage various aspects of digital marketing.
Pros and Cons of Using Semrush
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive SEO and digital marketing toolkit | Can be expensive, especially with added costs for features like SSO (Single Sign-On) |
| Free plan available with limited access | User interface can feel complex and overwhelming for beginners |
| Strong competitor analysis and backlink tracking | Data is robust but may not always match Ahrefs’ depth |
| Includes extensive features like social media management, content writing assistance, PPC research | |
| High-quality keyword and traffic analytics |
Ideal Users
- SEO Specialists
- Advertising Specialists
- Link Building Specialists
- Content Writers and Bloggers
- E-commerce Specialists
- Enterprise Businesses
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, Semrush is probably the closest tool to Ahrefs out there (in terms of feature quantity and quality). Semrush has been a favorite destination for digital marketers looking for a comprehensive alternative to Ahrefs.
2. Moz Pro
Overview and Primary Use
Moz Pro is a well-known SEO tool and chances are you first found them through their Domain Authority checker free tool. Moz Pro offers essential features such as site audits, domain analysis, and keyword research but they are not as comprehensive as Ahrefs and Semrush. Plus, they have a smaller keyword database. However, the UI is user-friendly and provides reliable data. Their “Moz Bar” browser extension makes on-the-go SEO research convenient by showing important metrics directly from the browser.
What makes Moz Pro a considerable Ahrefs competitor is its pricing. Starting price costs $49/month and even the 2nd tier premium plan costs less than Ahrefs.
Key Features and Capabilities
- Keyword Research: Offers a powerful keyword research tool and is excellent for discovering long-tail keywords.
- Site Audit: Crawl functionality tool helps easily identify technical SEO issues, ensuring your website runs smoothly.
- Link Research: Like Ahrefs and Semrush, Moz Pro includes a robust link research tool and allows auditing overall link profile, discover and analyze competitors’ backlinks, and find new link-building opportunities. Their link database is quite substantial.
- Domain Authority Checker: Moz has its own DA metric to gauge a website’s authority. One feature that has helped Moz gain popularity is its free DA score checker that allows analyzing up to 3 domains for free.
- Additional Tools: Moz Pro has some valuable additional features such as reporting, on-page optimization suggestions, and rank tracking.
Pros and Cons of Moz Pro
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive all-in-one SEO suite | Keyword database is smaller compared to Ahrefs |
| Slightly more affordable than Ahrefs | Site audit data is less comprehensive |
| Offers useful tools like Moz Bar and free DA checker | |
| High-quality link research and competitive analysis |
Comparing Moz Pro to Ahrefs
- Pricing: Moz Pro’s Starter plan starts at $49/month, but its true Ahrefs alternative is the Standard plan priced at $99/month. The pricing is surely cheaper than Ahrefs but if you compare the features, data allowances, and data quality, Ahrefs proves to be a better value for money, especially for advanced SEO needs.
- Ease of Use: Moz Pro has a more user-friendly interface, easier for beginners to get a hold off. Ahrefs is user-friendly too but its detailed and expansive feature set can sometimes feel overwhelming.
- Data Accuracy: Moz Pro offers good data quality but overall user feedback indicates Ahrefs has more accurate and reliable metrics, especially when measuring website authority and backlinks.
- Feature Development: We feel Moz Pro is relatively slow in developing new features. Both Ahrefs and Semrush are way ahead in terms of frequently updating and expanding toolsets.
- Keyword Research: Its site audits are not as thorough and the keyword database is smaller compared to Ahrefs.
Ideal User
- SEO Specialists
- Link Building Specialists
- Content Writers and Bloggers
- E-commerce Specialists
- Medium Size and Enterprise Businesses
Final Thoughts
Overall, Moz Pro is an all right choice for SEO professionals seeking alternatives to Ahrefs, despite its lack of data depth. It’s more suited for those in need of a less expensive SEO tool.
3. Ubersuggest
Overview and Primary Use
Ubersuggest by Neil Patel has proven to be one of the top SEO tools out there at a very reasonable pricing. It started out as a free tool, but now has both free and paid versions. Of course, the free version comes with many limitations. It is perhaps the best mix of affordability and SEO functionality. Ubersuggest has a ton of cool features that make it a solid choice in the SEO world.
Key Features of Ubersuggest
- Keyword Research: Ubersuggest offers comprehensive keyword idea generation along with search volume, difficulty, and CPC. They also show relevant query types such as questions, how-to guides which is really helpful in understanding search intent and finding long tail keywords.
- Topic Research: Helps find trending topics and content ideas
- Domain Overview: Gives an overview of a domain’s SEO health, traffic, authority, top keywords, top pages and backlinks
- SEO Audit: Crawls the entire website to list SEO problems and suggests fixes
- Backlink Analysis: Lists which pages are getting backlinks and suggests link-building opportunities
- AI Powered Content Writer: They have recently launched an AI backed blog writing tool that generates contents based on input. While it’s not too powerful right now, some blog writers may find it valuable
- Chrome Extension: Like Moz Bar, Ubersuggest has a browser extension that analyzes any site on the go and shows valuable insights
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Way more affordable than Ahrefs | Not as comprehensive as Ahrefs |
| Good keyword research data | Limited data quality for low-volume keywords |
| Beginner-friendly and easy to navigate | Fewer advanced features compared to Ahrefs |
| Offers a free version with limited features | Basic link data and limited filtering options |
| Beautiful and intuitive interface | |
| Justified data quality for its price |
Comparing Ubersuggest to Ahrefs
Pricing: Ubersuggest’s affordability is what makes it the greatest competitor for not just Ahrefs, but all the other tools we have mentioned so far and most other tools we will talk about in the later parts. Their Individual plan costs $12/month with the limitation of 1 website project. The Business plan, which can be counted as the actual competitor of Ahrefs Lite plan, costs $20/month – still significantly lower than Ahrefs $129/month pricing tag.
Data Quality: However, Ubersuggest’s data accuracy, depth and quality is far away from Ahrefs’ or other top tier competitors. Their backlink data is somewhat similar to Moz but not on the same level as Ahrefs.
Ease of Use: Ubersuggest is super easy to use. The interface is beautiful, highlights important metrics, navigation is straightforward. Even for a non-SEO expert, you can quickly figure out what’s what.
Specialized Features: While Ubersuggest has some pretty cool tools, it’s not as extensive as Ahrefs.
Ideal User
- Freelance SEO Specialists
- Competitor Analysts
- Backlink Analysts
- Small Businesses
- Content Writers and Bloggers
Final Thoughts
Ubersuggest stands out as a budget-friendly alternative to Ahrefs. We recommend it for SEO beginners and small size businesses who typically do not deal with huge amounts of data. But if you need more robust SEO data, Ahrefs might be the way to go.
4. Mangools
Overview and Primary Use
It’s like a budget-friendly version of Ahrefs with more user ease.
Mangools has some amazing SEO tools for keyword research, analyzing search results, link analysis and more. Mangools may not be the perfect tool for handling huge amounts of data or analyzing big websites, it’s best recommended for people just getting started in the SEO industry. The tools are straightforward and easy to navigate, which is a huge plus.
Key Features
Mangools differs from traditional SEO softwares as it’s actually five different tools:
- KWFinder: This is Mangools’ version of “Keywords Explorer”. It helps you discover long-tail keywords and assess keyword opportunities
- SERPChecker: Allows you to check out search engine results (SERPs) per keyword and provides competitive insights
- SERPWatcher: Essentially a rank tracker tool that lets you monitor your ranking positions for targeted keywords
- LinkMiner: Allows backlink tracking and helps you analyze your competitors’ backlinks
- SiteProfiler: SiteProfiler evaluates authority and extracts website performance and SEO metrics data
Pros and Cons of Mangools
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Tools have a clear layout and are much easier to use compared to Ahrefs | Data quality doesn’t quite match the depth and accuracy of Ahrefs, especially for link analysis |
| Includes all the essential tools needed for SEO | Lacks advanced filters which may limit in-depth analysis |
How Mangools Compares to Ahrefs
- Pricing: Mangools is one of the most affordable SEO tools out there, costing significantly lower than Ahrefs. The “Basic” plan costs $22.43/month and “Premium” plan costs $33.68/month (billed annually), making it a cost-effective choice for professionals with limited budgets. You can create a free account to try their features with limitations. Another plus point is that they have a 48-hour money back guarantee.
- Data Quality: Standard data quality for basic SEO needs but lacks the depth and precision found with Ahrefs. It may not be well suited for tracking low-volume keywords or performing in-depth competitive analysis.
- Ease of Use: Mangools is designed with simplicity and user ease in mind. It’s easy to navigate making it an excellent choice for SEO beginners. Ahrefs rather have a steep learning curve and take some time to get used to.
- Special Features: Offers five different features that satisfies basic SEO needs but lacks the advanced filtering options found in higher-end software like Ahrefs and Semrush.
Ideal User
- Freelance SEO Specialists
- Content Creators and Bloggers
- Link Analysts
- Small Businesses
Final Thoughts
Overall, Mangools is a solid, budget-friendly contender for Ahrefs. It has the essential SEO features professionals need and it’s way simpler to use.
5. Serpstat
Overview and Primary Use
Serpstat is a well-rounded SEO solution with a variety of features at a more affordable price. While it may not match Ahrefs’ precision, it boasts ample functionality for keyword research, backlink analysis, and rank tracking. Serpstat has positioned itself as a cost-effective Ahrefs alternative in the industry.
It monitors your web rankings across search engines and locations, as well as perform technical SEO analyses to identify and address issues. Let’s take a look at their key features:
Key Features
- Keyword Research: keyword research with Serpstat is quick and straightforward. While it doesn’t have the granularity and filtering options like Ahrefs, the tool is more than capable of finding SEO opportunities
- Domain Analysis: Allows discovering valuable SEO insights for any website
- Backlink Analysis: Find referring domains and evaluate backlink opportunities
- Additional Tools: Serpstat stands apart due to its sheer number of tools. With 55+ SEO tools including rank tracking, URL analysis, site audits, and AI-powered content writing, it’s a feature-rich SEO solution
Pros and Cons
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Offers more SEO tools compared to many other SEO platforms | Like other tools, the keyword research quality may not match Ahrefs |
| Offers a wider range of usage limits and features | May encounter discrepancies in traffic estimates and top keyword reports |
| Allows more searches per day, keyword tracking, and extensive analyses |
Comparing Serpstat to Ahrefs
- Pricing: Serpstat is a more budget-friendly solution with “Individual” plan starting at $59/month. However, the “Team” plan costs $119/month, which is the Ahrefs “Standard” plan’s near equivalent, priced at $249/month.
- Data Quality: If you have read this far, you can guess like any other tool, Serpstat doesn’t match Ahrefs’ data quality and accuracy. Still, their data quality is justified given the price range, especially for backlink analysis. The keyword research and traffic estimation are often less accurate compared to Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Ease of Use: Serpstat has a straightforward, user-friendly interface, which makes it even more appealing for beginners. Users can quickly learn how to utilize the tools, a big advantage over Ahrefs.
- Features: As mentioned earlier, it includes a lot of core SEO tools making it a feature rich SEO solution.
Ideal User
- Freelancer SEO Specialists
- Content Creators and Bloggers
- Small to Medium Sized Businesses
- E-commerce Websites
Final Thoughts
Serpstat is a well-suited budget-friendly alternative to Ahrefs, especially if you are looking to integrate SEO with content marketing. While it lacks the same depth of data or feature refinement as Ahrefs, it’s expansive toolkit at an affordable price point makes it perfect for small businesses and solo marketers.
6. SE Ranking
Overview and Primary Use
SE Ranking calls themselves “All-in-one SEO platform—For any project, any level, any budget.” What strikes first is their clean UI and feature rich dashboard. The tools generally provide high quality data that rivals big players like Ahrefs yet costs a lot less.
The whole thing is easy to set up, provides insightful analytics, and keeps the process straightforward. We find that their features are somewhat similar to Semrush. Here are some of these:
Key Features
- Rank Tracker: Monitors keyword rankings, shows search volume, traffic potential, and page ranking progress over time
- On-Page SEO Checker: Analyzes and suggests improvements for web page optimization
- Site Audit: Similar to Ahrefs’ “Site Audit”, it scans for technical SEO errors
- Backlink Checker: Reviews backlink profile and finds link-building opportunities
Pros and Cons
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive keyword rank tracking | Overall data quality does not quite match Ahrefs |
| Feature-rich tools with user-friendly interface | Database size is smaller |
| Continuously growing data resources | Steeper learning curve for advanced features |
| Uses AI to enhance data analysis | Extra fees for advanced agency tools |
Comparing SE Ranking to Ahrefs
- Pricing: SE Ranking is a way more affordable alternative to Ahrefs with “Essential” plan at $52/month and “Pro” plan costing $95.20/month. This makes it a more budget-friendly option for freelancers, small businesses, and agencies. They also have a 14 day trial period.
- Data Quality: SE Ranking’s data quality, particularly in rank tracking and keyword research, is overall good in terms of industry standard. While it’s not on par with Ahrefs’ precision and depth, their insights are dependable for most SEO needs. Its rank tracking is notably accurate, making it an ideal choice in this segment.
- Ease of Use: The tool’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly. However, given its versatile tool sets, beginners may need to spend a little while to get familiarized with all the features. If you have used Semrush before, SE Ranking will be a lot easier to navigate.
- Features: SE Ranking: Offers a comprehensive suite of over 35 SEO tools, including keyword rank tracking, on-page SEO checker, website audit, and backlink analysis. SE Ranking also supports multichannel marketing management, including social media, making it versatile for holistic digital marketing efforts.
- Ahrefs: Provides a broader range of advanced features, including in-depth backlink analysis, site audit, keyword research, content exploration, and more. Ahrefs’ extensive filtering options and deep insights are particularly beneficial for users who need detailed and sophisticated SEO data.
Special section:
BTW, what we find really unique and fascinating about SE Ranking is that they offer a demo account that you can check out anytime, without creating an account. This is very useful for anyone wishing to experience the look and feel of the tool before actually buying it or learning how things work. Check it out here.
Ideal User
- SEO Professionals
- Small to Medium Sized Businesses
- E-commerce Specialists
- Content Writer and Bloggers
Final thought
SE Raking is a well-deserving competitor of Ahrefs with its robust suite of features, rank tracking capabilities and affordable plans. If you are comfortable trading data quality with affordability, SE Ranking is your cue.
7. SpyFu
Overview and Primary Use
SpyFu isn’t your average SEO tool! Launched in 2005, its primary focus is spying on competitors’ keywords and campaigns. Since then, SpyFu evolved into a comprehensive platform ideal for competitor keyword research, SEO and PPC analysis. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for traditional SEO purposes. You can still gauge keyword insights, page rankings and performance.
Key Features
- SEO & PPC Research: Offers detailed insights into competitor’s organic and paid search performance
- Competitor Analysis: Track competitors’ strategies, keyword targeting, historical ad placement data and ad copies
- Backlinks Builder: While not as strong as Ahrefs, they have decent backlink profile checker and link-building opportunity finder
- Rank Tracking: Monitor the rankings for your own website as well as competitors’ websites
- SERP Analysis: Get snapshots of top-ranking pages for targeted keywords
Pros and Cons
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Over 10 years of historical data | Limited features for technical and on-page optimization |
| Comprehensive competitor insights, covering both organic and paid approaches | Organic keyword and backlink data not as extensive as Ahrefs |
| Affordable pricing | |
| User-friendly interface, easy to navigate | |
| 30-day money-back guarantee |
Comparing SpyFu to Ahrefs
- Pricing: SpyFu’s pricing starts at $39/month for “Basic” plan, or $33/month when billed annually, making it one of the most affordable options out there. The “Professional” plan is available for $79/month and billed $58/month annually. If you are lucky enough, you may land on their limited time $9/month offer like we did while writing this piece.
- Data Quality: Offers comprehensive competitor analysis data, with a focus on PPC strategies with Ad History. However, SpyFu is not the best choice for in depth backlink analysis, technical SEO and on-page optimization.
- Ease of Use: SpyFu has a clean, intuitive interface and is easy to use, even for beginners. The dashboard is well-organized so you can quickly access essential tools and data.
- Features: As mentioned before, SpyFu focuses heavily on the competitor analysis side. You can track competitors’ keywords, ad strategies, and overall SEO tactics. However, be ready to accept the lack of advanced technical SEO, on-page optimization, and link profile analysis.
Ideal User
- PPC Managers
- Competitor Analysts
- SEO Strategists
Final Thoughts
SpyFu is the top choice if you are bent on outperforming your competitors, especially in the paid marketing field.
8. SEO.com
Overview and Primary Use
SEO.com boasts themselves as “The Authority for All Things SEO” on their website.
SEO.com is the right tool if you were just using Ahrefs for website auditing. This is an excellent option for businesses that need to audit current SEO efforts for improvements, keep tabs on competitors, and perform keyword research.
Key Features
- Rank Tracking: SEO.com offers several tools for organic traffic analysis, yet one of the features we’re proud of most is the rank tracking. If you need fast reports that show you and your competitors’ rankings, this is the one.
- Keyword research: SEO.com is one of the best free keyword research tools that can cut your SEO time in half. It includes features like keyword research, site analyzer, traffic analysis, competitor research, and more. You also gain a competitive edge with recommendations to help you climb the rankings faster than competitors.
- Competitor analysis: If you’re looking for free competitor analysis tools for SEO, our very own SEO.com is an excellent choice. You can easily check your competitors’ domains to track their organic traffic, keywords, and pages within the SEO.com dashboard. You can also look at your competitor’s SEO best practices that you can emulate and spot growth opportunities for your own optimization efforts. The SEO reports are absolutely free!
- On-Page SEO: Our SEO Checker is an SEO audit tool that looks at your website’s overall health. A handy free SEO tool that can inform your on-page strategies, it generates a report that looks at your site’s: It summarizes your site’s SEO health and identifies on-page and technical SEO issues. SEO Checker also provides suggestions and fixes to address these issues. In addition to SEO Checker, leveraging our free SEO.com app can help with the content audit and keyword research. All these can make your SEO strategy more effective.
Pros & Cons
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive website performance dashboard | Data quality is not comprehensive |
| Lots of features such as rank tracking, keyword research, competitor analysis, on-page SEO reports, site audit tools | Reports are not as detailed as other tools |
| One of the lowest pricing | Smaller keyword database |
Comparing SEO.com to Ahrefs
- Pricing: One of SEO.com’s biggest advantages over Ahrefs is its pricing. The “SEO Starter” plan is completely free, while the “SEO Accelerator” plan is very affordable, costing just $24 per month—or $19 per month if you choose annual billing.
- Data Quality: As expected, SEO.com doesn’t quite match the data quality offered by Ahrefs. This could be a drawback, especially for those managing large-scale projects where high-quality data is crucial.
- Ease of Use: SEO.com is made with simplicity in mind. The dashboard and tools navigation is easier to navigate than Ahrefs.
- Features: SEO.com offers a range of features, including site performance monitoring, competitor analysis, on-page SEO reports, and keyword research. These are useful tools, but Ahrefs provides a more extensive suite of SEO tools, offering greater depth and breadth for more advanced SEO needs.
Ideal Users
- Freelancer SEO Specialists
- Content Creators and Bloggers
- Small Sized Businesses
Final Thoughts
If affordability is a concern, SEO.com is the best option along with Ubersuggest to go with. But be prepared to trade quality for costs.
9. Majestic SEO
Overview and Primary Use
Backlinks are a huge contributor to SEO. Having a good link profile analysis tool helps you understand competition, identify backlink opportunities, and maintain a healthy online presence. This is where Majestic SEO proved itself as a cheaper yet strong alternative to Ahrefs.
But remember that Majestic is focused on backlink analysis and lacks the broader SEO features like site auditing and rank tracking.
Key Features and Capabilities
- Backlink Analysis: Majestic SEO is well known for its extensive backlink data. The platform has two major databases – Fresh Index (shows links discovered in the last 120 days) and the Historic Index (dates back to 2006). These features help find a website’s both backlink history and current status. In some cases, Majestic’s backlink analysis produces better results than Ahrefs and other major SEO tools.
- Link Context: This is one of Majestic’s standout features. It shows where a link appears on the page (content, footer, or sidebar), the surrounding content, and whether it’s editorially placed or part of a directory. This is really helpful if you need a deeper understanding of the quality and relevance of your backlinks.
- Authority Metrics: Majestic uses proprietary metrics like Trust Flow, Citation Flow, and Topical Trust Flow to provide valuable insights into how links contribute to a site’s authority and overall SEO health.
- Keyword Research: Offers basic keyword research tools that can analyze keywords and generate new ideas. Note that these features are not as advanced as in Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Site Explorer: Allows users to explore the link profile of any website and delivers a complete overview, including the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and the distribution of link types.
Pros and Cons of Majestic SEO
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Best-in-class backlink analysis with extensive databases | Limited to backlink data |
| Unique feature for in-depth backlink insights | Outdated user interface |
| Affordable pricing compared to Ahrefs | Lacks advanced keyword research capabilities |
| Robust authority metrics |
Comparing Majestic SEO to Ahrefs
- Pricing: The “LITE” plan costs $49.99/month and $41.67/month if billed annually. The “Pro” plan offers more features and costs $99.99/month and $83.33/month if billed annually. This is way cheaper than Ahrefs’ starting plan “$129/month.”
- Data Quality: Majestic boasts a massive link database, with over 8 trillion URLs. Some industry experts view its backlink tools on par with Ahrefs.
- Ease of Use: While overall easy to use, we believe the user interface is one aspect where Majestic can improve. The UI is somewhat outdated and feels a bit clunky.
- Features: As discussed above, Majestic has advanced features for backlink research but lacks other SEO features. However, Ahrefs offers advanced tools that satisfy all SEO needs.
Ideal user
- Backlink Analysts
- Competitor Analysts
Final thought
Majestic SEO is a strong Ahrefs competitor if your sole focus is link building. But if you also require other SEO features such as keyword research or site auditing, we recommend getting an additional tool.
Bonus Tools
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo may feel like an unusual entry in this list since it’s primarily recognized as a content marketing and social media tool. We listed it here because of its content marketing capabilities which is a major factor in today’s digital marketing world. BuzzSumo shines by helping you find trending contents in your niche industry, provides insights into social media shares, influencer specific topics, and what type of content resonates best with your audience.
While a good content research tool for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit, it’s not as good for Instagram or Snapchat.
The basic plan is $199/mo making it a bit pricier.
Ideal User
- Bloggers and Writers
- Social Media Managers
- Influencer Marketing Managers
Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is a browser extension SEO tool that provides SERP and keyword insights on the go. One thing that sets it apart is that its crawling capabilities are not limited to Google. The tool supports 15+ websites. Simply install the extension on your browser and see keyword data as you search and visit websites.
The tool is very cheap with plans starting from $6/month. Their substitute tool “SEO Minion” comes free with all plans.
Ideal Users
- Bloggers
- PPC Specialists
- Competitor Analysts
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider isn’t your average SEO web tool but a super choice if you need a comprehensive sitewide audit. Screaming Frog has established themselves as a huge name in the industry when it comes to technical SEO. It’s a desktop app and you may find it a bit harder to navigate than Ahrefs. However, the data is qualitative and can point out specific issues with your site that not even Ahrefs may find.
The major trade off is that it’s a desktop app (some may find it useful), not suitable for keyword or backlink research and unless you are an experienced webmaster, you won’t be able to grasp most of its reports and features.
In our opinion, the tool is best suited for one time site wide analysis annually. Unfortunately, they don’t’ have any monthly plan and you have to buy the annual subscription of $259/month.
Ideal Users
- Technical SEO Analysts
- Webmasters
FAQs
Is Ahrefs SEO tool worth the cost?
Ahrefs is often seen as one of the leading SEO tools out there, but it’s not the only one. Other popular options for small businesses include Semrush, KWFinder, WooRank, and Moz, which all have their own strengths.
Who are Ahrefs’ top competitors?
The following are top alternatives to Ahrefs in our opinion:
- Semrush – best overall alternative
- Moz Pro – best alternative for basic SEO and competition analysis
- Ubersuggest – most affordable yet useful alternative
- Mangools – best alternative for beginners
- Serpstat – best alternative for contents creation
- SE Ranking – best alternative for rank tracking
- SpyFu – best competitor SEO and PPC analysis tool
- SEO.com – best alternative for DIY SEO auditing
- Majestic SEO – best alternative for link analysis
Is there a free version of Ahrefs?
Ahrefs offers some free tools as part of Webmaster Tools, which allow you to check keyword rankings, backlinks, and run site audits for verified websites. However, the full access is only available with paid plans. Plus, Ahrefs doesn’t offer a free trial.
Is there a free version of Ahrefs?
Ahrefs offers some free tools as part of Webmaster Tools, which allow you to check keyword rankings, backlinks, and run site audits for verified websites. However, the full access is only available with paid plans. Plus, Ahrefs doesn’t offer a free trial.
Is Ahrefs better than Semrush?
Both Ahrefs and Semrush are powerful SEO tools and a bit pricier. Semrush costs slightly less than Ahrefs. Ahrefs generally offers strong SEO tools with high quality data, while Semrush includes more features for broader marketing needs like advertising, content optimization and social media. The choice depends on your specific needs.
Is Ahrefs better than Moz? What’s the difference?
Ahrefs’ overall impression is better in terms of finding and analyzing backlinks, has more advanced tools and a more detailed keyword tracking system. Moz may not offer the same level of data depth or advanced features but has an intuitive interface and reliable keyword research tools.
What are the best keyword research tools?
- Semrush
- Moz Pro
- Ubersuggest
- Mangools
- Serpstat
- SE Ranking
- SpyFu
- SEO.com
- Majestic SEO
Does Google have any free SEO tool?
Yes, Google offers some free tools with basic features. Some of these are Google PageSpeed Insights for web page loading speed, Google Keyword Planner for keyword research, Google Search Console and Analytics to monitor rankings and traffic, and Google Trends to find trending topics for content ideas.
Which is the best free SEO tool for beginners?
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Ads Keyword Planner
- Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- MOZ DA Score checker
- Answer the Public
- Mangools SERP Snippet Simulator Tool
What is Ahrefs Lite? Is Ahrefs Starter Plan worth it?
Ahrefs Lite plan is the entry-level plan and has some essential tools for keyword research and tracking. It’s a good fit for new bloggers or small businesses new to SEO.
Is Ubersuggest better than Ahrefs?
While Ubersuggest is known for its simplicity, affordability and powerful SEO tools, it lacks the deeper insights found with Ahrefs, especially in backlink analysis and comprehensive SEO auditing. Overall, Ubersuggest is a good fit for beginners and smaller projects and ahrefs is more suitable for professionals and larger. multiple projects.
Can I do SEO on my own for free?
Yes, you can definitely do it yourself by learning SEO best practices, using free tools, and DIY methods. Once you gain experience and build expertise, you can move on to paid tools.
Are there any AI powered SEO tools I can use?
Yes. There are plenty of AI SEO tools that have proven to be a good ally in SEO freindly content generation and analysis.
