Ahrefs
The SEO suite best known for its backlink index, powered by one of the most active crawlers on the web.
Pricing
| Plan | Per month | Limits | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | — | your own sites only |
| Starter | £23 | — | monthly; keyword and competitor research only |
| Lite | £99 | 5 sites | monthly; 750 tracked keywords, 6 months of history |
| Standard | £199 | 20 sites | monthly; 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years of history |
| Advanced | £359 | 50 sites | monthly; 5,000 tracked keywords, 5 years of history |
Checked 23 September 2026. Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves up to 17%. Enterprise needs an annual commitment.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- +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.
Limitations
- −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.
- −AI prompt tracking is limited — five prompts on Lite, twenty on Advanced.
Capability scores
| Dimension | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword research | 5/5 | |
| Backlink data | 5/5 | |
| Rank tracking | 4/5 | |
| Site audits | 4/5 | |
| AI-search tracking | 4/5 | |
| Breadth of features | 4/5 | |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | |
| Free plan | 3/5 | |
| Value for money | 2/5 | |
Ahrefs compared
Alternatives
Semrush
The broadest SEO suite on the market, now bundling AI-search visibility tracking into most plans.
SE Ranking
A capable all-round SEO platform priced well below the big two, with strong rank tracking and AI-search (GEO) tools.
Mangools
A set of simple, beginner-friendly SEO tools — best known for KWFinder — at the lowest prices in this comparison.
Common questions
How much does Ahrefs cost?
Ahrefs has a free plan; paid plans start at £23/mo (monthly; keyword and competitor research only). Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves up to 17%. Enterprise needs an annual commitment. Checked against the vendor's pricing page on 23 September 2026.
Does Ahrefs have a free plan?
Yes. Ahrefs Free covers data for sites you own; researching competitors needs a paid plan.
Is Ahrefs any good?
It scores 81 out of 100 on our weighted capability scoring, ranking second of 4 for SEO tools. Anyone whose SEO work centres on links and competitor research. Its main limitation: lite is £99 a month with only six months of historical data and one user.
Sources & verification
- ahrefs.com — checked 23 September 2026Ahrefs Free covers data for sites you own; researching competitors needs a paid plan.