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Ahrefs vs Semrush
Short answer: Pick Ahrefs if you want comprehensive SEO and AI search analytics; pick Semrush if you want unified SEO and AI search visibility. Ahrefs starts at $129/month; Semrush has a free plan, paid from $117.33/month.
Which to pick
Pick Ahrefs if you want…
- Comprehensive SEO and AI search analytics
Pick Semrush if you want…
- Unified SEO and AI search visibility
- All-in-one SEO and PPC platform
- A free plan to start with
Side by side
- What it is
- Ahrefs:Ahrefs is an SEO platform offering tools for backlinks, keywords, site audits, AI-driven content and brand visibility.
- Semrush:Semrush is an SEO and AI visibility platform that helps brands grow and measure online visibility across search and AI answers.
- Best for
- Ahrefs:Comprehensive SEO and AI search analytics
- Semrush:Unified SEO and AI search visibility
- Who it’s for
- Ahrefs:Marketers, SEO professionals, content creators, and enterprises needing search and AI insights.
- Semrush:SEO specialists, content marketers, agencies, and businesses of any size.
- Pricing
- Ahrefs:Paid
- Semrush:Freemium
- Starting price
- Ahrefs:$129/month (Lite)
- Semrush:$117.33/month (SEO)
- Free plan or trial
- Ahrefs:—
- Semrush:Free plan (Free) · Free trial
- Plans
- Ahrefs:Lite $129 per month · Standard $249 per month · Advanced $449 per month
- Semrush:Free $0 · SEO $117.33 per month (billed annually) · Starter $165.17 per month (billed annually) · Pro+ $248.17 per month (billed annually) · Additional Users Starting at $45/mo
- Works with
- Ahrefs:—
- Semrush:Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Semrush API, Semrush MCP
Ahrefs features
- Site Explorer. Analyze competitor backlinks, organic traffic and SEO performance.
- Keywords Explorer. Discover keyword opportunities with search volume and difficulty data.
- Site Audit. Automated website health checks with 100k+ crawl credits per month.
- AI Content Helper. Generate and grade SEO-friendly content using AI.
- Brand Radar. Track brand mentions, citations and sentiment across AI chatbots.
- Rank Tracker. Monitor keyword rankings and SERP history in real time.
- API Access. Integrate Ahrefs data into custom dashboards and workflows via 100+ endpoints.
- Report Builder. Create customizable marketing reports with widgets and scheduling.
Semrush features
- Keyword research. Find high-traffic keywords, see difficulty, and identify opportunities.
- Competitor analysis. See how competitors rank, get traffic, and discover gaps.
- AI visibility tracking. Monitor how your brand appears in AI answers and LLM prompts.
- Technical site audit. Crawl sites for technical issues that affect SEO and AI visibility.
- Backlink analysis. Analyze backlinks and citations used by LLMs for your brand.
- Content creation. Generate SEO-ready articles and optimize existing content for keywords and AI prompts.
- Local search visibility. Manage listings, monitor local rankings, and improve Google Business Profile performance.
- Marketing reports & rank tracking. Build automated reports and track keyword rankings daily across locations and devices.
Ahrefs vs Semrush FAQ
What is the difference between Ahrefs and Semrush?+
Semrush offers similar SEO tools but focuses more on paid advertising analytics.
Should I use Ahrefs or Semrush?+
Pick Ahrefs if you want comprehensive SEO and AI search analytics. Pick Semrush if you want unified SEO and AI search visibility, all-in-one SEO and PPC platform or a free plan to start with.
Is Ahrefs or Semrush free?+
Ahrefs is paid, from $129/month (Lite). Semrush has a free plan; paid plans start at $117.33/month (SEO).
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Semrush?+
Semrush is cheaper to start with: Semrush's SEO plan ($117.33/month) against Ahrefs' Lite plan ($129/month).
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.