Ahrefs vs Semrush
Both are SEO tools aimed at marketers, freelancers, agencies and site owners. They differ most on backlink data, rank tracking and site audits.
At a glance
| Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 81/100 | 84/100 Higher |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Paid from | £23/mo monthly; keyword and competitor research only | £113/mo monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords |
| Positioning | full suite | full suite |
| Launched | 2011 | 2008 |
| Best for | Anyone whose SEO work centres on links and competitor research. | Teams that want every SEO and AI-search job in a single suite and can justify the price. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | Ahrefs | Semrush | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 3/5 | Ahrefs |
| Value for money | 2/5 | 2/5 | Tie |
| Keyword research | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Free plan | 3/5 | 1/5 | Ahrefs |
| Rank tracking | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Site audits | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Breadth of features | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
| Backlink data | 5/5 | 4/5 | Ahrefs |
| AI-search tracking | 4/5 | 5/5 | Semrush |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. Ahrefs leads on 3 dimensions, Semrush on 4. The overall figure weights these for SEO tools generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | Free | Free | your own sites only |
| Starter | £23 | monthly; keyword and competitor research only | |
| Lite | £99 | monthly; 750 tracked keywords, 6 months of history | |
| Standard | £199 | monthly; 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years of history | |
| Advanced | £359 | monthly; 5,000 tracked keywords, 5 years of history | |
| Semrush | SEO | £113 | monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords |
| Starter (SEO + AI) | £161 | monthly; £133.84/mo billed annually; 50 AI prompts | |
| Pro+ | £242 | monthly; £201.09/mo billed annually; 1,500 tracked keywords | |
| Advanced | £444 | monthly; £369.23/mo billed annually; API access |
Pricing checked 23 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. Ahrefs: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves up to 17%. Enterprise needs an annual commitment. Semrush: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves up to 17%.
Verdict
Ahrefs
- +Its backlink and site data come from what Ahrefs describes as the world's second-most active web crawler.
- +A genuinely useful free plan for sites you own, and a £23 Starter plan for light keyword research.
- +API and MCP access included on every paid plan from Lite upwards.
- −Lite is £99 a month with only six months of historical data and one user.
- −Additional users cost £32–£64 a month each depending on plan.
Semrush
- +The widest toolset in the category — keyword research, rank tracking, audits, competitor analysis and AI-search tracking in one login.
- +Every plan includes some AI-search tracking; Starter and above add daily prompt tracking, starting at 50 prompts.
- +Tracks rankings daily and supports multi-location and device tracking on Pro+ and above.
- −Expensive — £113 a month for the entry SEO plan, and extra users cost from £36 a month each.
- −Historical SEO data and content optimisation tools start at Pro+, £242 a month.
Common questions
Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?
Ahrefs starts at £23/mo (monthly; keyword and competitor research only), and Semrush starts at £113/mo (monthly; £95.07/mo billed annually; 500 tracked keywords) — so Ahrefs is the cheaper entry point. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Does Ahrefs or Semrush have a free plan?
Ahrefs has a free plan, and Semrush has no free plan.
Which is better, Ahrefs or Semrush?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Semrush comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- ahrefs.com — checked 23 September 2026Ahrefs Free covers data for sites you own; researching competitors needs a paid plan.
- semrush.com — checked 23 September 2026Free trial available on paid plans; no free plan listed on the pricing page.