Latest update: October 8, 2025
For thousands, Ahrefs is a go-to all-in-one SEO tool for everything from competitor analysis to keyword research and AI visibility tracking.
And let’s face it: they’ve honestly earned their market-leader position.
But it isn’t perfect – not for everyone anyway.
The main reasons why you might be exploring Ahrefs alternatives?
- Pricing: The Lite plan offers only essential data, but spending $200 on the Standard plan may be hard to swallow for smaller businesses.
- Data accuracy: While its backlink data is second to none, the organic traffic and keyword search volume data are often far off when compared to GSC and GA4.
- Limited features: Ahrefs is mostly an SEO tool with some content and social media marketing features, but lacks PPC or PR management functionalities.
The good news?
The market is now filled with SEO tools like Ahrefs that solve these problems.
Let’s analyze the top four.
Best Ahrefs Alternatives at a Glance
Tool | Key Features (what they do) | Pricing Starts From | Best For |
Semrush | Keyword research with detailed volume, difficulty, and CPC data; backlink analysis & toxic link audits; site crawl for technical SEO fixes; daily rank and SERP feature tracking; AI SEO Toolkit for brand visibility across AI engines. | $117.33/mo (Pro plan, annual). Add-on: AI SEO Toolkit $99/mo. | Data-hungry marketers and larger teams who want a full digital marketing suite beyond SEO. |
Ubersuggest | AI-powered keyword research on 100M+ keywords with intent/difficulty insights; site audits with beginner-friendly fixes; competitor and SERP analysis; AI visibility tracking for brand mentions in ChatGPT. | $29/mo (Individual plan). Lifetime deals from $290. | Beginners, solopreneurs, and small businesses needing affordable, core SEO functionality. |
SE Ranking | Daily keyword rank tracking; full site technical audit; on-page SEO analysis (meta, content, speed); content editor add-on for optimization; AI toolkit for keyword and brand visibility across AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. | $52/mo (Essential plan, annual). Add-ons: AI toolkit $71.20/mo, content editor $39.20/mo. | Agencies and SEOs looking for the best value all-in-one tool with solid accuracy and AI features. |
Sitechecker | Unified SEO dashboard integrating GSC/GA4; continuous site crawler for technical issues; real-time alerts on ranking drops or site errors; weekly keyword & AI Overview rank tracking; white-label client reporting. | $75/mo (Basic plan). | Agencies that prioritize monitoring, reporting, and proactive SEO management tied closely to Google data. |
Our Top 4 Ahrefs Alternatives for 2025
So, let’s start.
1. Semrush
Semrush is Ahrefs’ most direct competitor. It’s a comprehensive digital marketing platform with a massive suite of over 55 tools for SEOs and marketers who need data-rich insights to drive all their campaigns.
Semrush features
- Keyword Magic Tool: This is Semrush’s answer to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer. It’s a robust research tool that provides deep keyword search volume, difficulty, trends, and CPC data to power your content strategy.
- Backlink analysis & audit: Similar to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer, these tools allow you to monitor your backlink profile, analyze competitors’ links, and identify toxic links that could harm your rankings.
- Site Audit: Like Ahrefs Site Audit, this feature crawls your website to identify technical SEO issues and provides clear, actionable recommendations to fix them.
- Position Tracking: This tool monitors your daily keyword rankings and visibility across multiple devices and locations, including tracking SERP features, just like Ahrefs’ Keyword Tracker.
- AI SEO Toolkit: For an additional fee ($99/month), this dedicated toolkit, similar to Ahrefs’ Brand Radar, gives you a 360 view of your brand’s visibility across AI engines like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, Perplexity, and Gemini.
What customers say about Semrush
According to users, Semrush’s strengths include:
- A wide range of tools beyond pure SEO functionalities.
- Ease of use and a user-friendly UI.
- Keyword search volume and traffic data are better aligned with Google Search Console or Google Analytics readings.
- Excellent customer support.
The most cited Semrush’s weaknesses include:
- The price is too high and not flexible, especially for small companies.
- A steep learning curve to master all the features and data across multiple tools.
Semrush pricing
Semrush has 3 paid plans:
- Pro: $117.33/mo
- Guru: $208.33/mo
- Business: $416.66/mo
That’s when you buy an annual subscription.
There’s also a free plan, which is enough to get a feel of the UI and complete basic SEO tasks, but not enough for any consistent analysis or planning.
The AI SEO Toolkit is available as an add-on for $99/mo per domain.
Semrush vs. Ahrefs
With Semrush, you’re not just getting SEO software but a full marketing suite. So it’s the best alternative for users who want Ahrefs-level data depth but within a broader marketing context.
Talking of data, Semrush has more accurate keyword traffic estimates.
Finally, I liked the UI feels more modern — even if somewhat cluttered — but I suppose that’s just a personal preference.
2. Ubersuggest
If the Ahrefs or Semrush price tags are a non-starter, Ubersuggest could be your answer.
Created by Neil Patel, this is the go-to Ahrefs alternative for beginners, small businesses, and budget-conscious marketers who need core SEO functionality without the complexity or cost.
Ubersuggest features
- AI-Powered keyword research tool: Ubersuggest provides access to a 100-million keyword database, offering data on keyword difficulty, search volume, and intent. The AI-driven feature helps you identify high-traffic keywords before they become hyper-competitive.
- Site audits: The platform runs in-depth site audits to scan for SEO issues and provide actionable recommendations, much like Ahrefs’ tool, but with a more beginner-friendly interface.
- Competitor analysis: You can analyze competitor websites to identify their top pages and backlinks, gaps you beed to fill.
- AI search visibility tracking: Ubersuggest tracks your brand mentions in ChatGPT, showing you where your brand appears in generative search results to help you understand your AI visibility.
What customers say about Ubersuggest
According to user reviews, Ubersuggest’s strengths include:
- Ease of use, thanks to a user-friendly and intuitive interface.
- Valuable keyword tracking capabilities that enhance SEO strategy.
- Affordable pricing, which makes it accessible for anyone starting out in SEO.
The most cited Ubersuggest’s weaknesses include:
- Beyond the basics, it lacks advanced features for in-depth SEO work.
- Users often experience data inaccuracy, which undermines trust.
- Some users find the competitor analysis tool lacking.
Ubersuggest pricing
Ubersuggest is one of the cheaper Ahrefs alternatives.
It has a free version with basic functionality and a 7-day free trial that allows you to experiment with advanced features available in the 3 pricing tiers:
- Individual: $29/mo
- Business: $49/mo
- Enterprise: $99/mo
You can also purchase a Lifetime subscription for:
- Individual: $290
- Business: $490
- Enterprise: $990
Ubersuggest vs. Ahrefs
Compared to Ahrefs, Ubersuggest wins, hands down, on affordability and ease of use. It’s the perfect choice for those who find Ahrefs overly complex or expensive.
Sure, it can’t match Ahrefs’ massive backlink index or data depth. But it handles the fundamentals — keyword research, site health, and basic competitor analysis — exceptionally well.
And the Lifetime subscription? A real bargain. As long as they don’t pull the plug on the project in the next couple of years.
3. SE Ranking
SE Ranking has carved out a sweet spot in the market by striking a balance between comprehensive features and affordability. It’s the best value-for-money alternative for agencies and SEOs who need an all-in-one tool without the Ahrefs price tag.
SE Ranking features
- Rank Tracker: Provides daily keyword position tracking across major search engines and monitors SERP features like featured snippets and the local pack.
- Website Audit: Crawls your website for 120 technical SEO issues, similar to Ahrefs’ Site Audit.
- On-Page SEO Checker: Analyzes individual pages for keyword usage, meta tags, page speed, and overall content quality.
- Content editor: Available as an add-on, the feature allows you to create and optimize your content for SEO.
- AI Search Toolkit: This comprehensive toolkit monitors your brand visibility and keyword mentions across AI Overviews, ChatGPT, AI Mode, Perplexity, and Gemini.
What customers say about SE Ranking
SE Ranking strengths include:
- Clean interface
- Comprehensive feature suite that goes beyond SEO features.
- Great value for money.
When it comes to weaknesses, these get mentioned:
- Technical support that isn’t always “super-fast.”
- Smaller backlink index than in competing products.
- Inconsistent ranking updates and unreliable keyword difficulty scores.
- Limited reporting customization for agencies working with multiple clients.
SE Ranking pricing
SE Ranking offers three paid plans:
- Essential: $52/mo
- Pro: $95.20/mo
- Business: $207.20/mo
The prices include a 20% discount for annual subscribers.
AI Search and Content Marketing features are available as add-ons. Track 200 prompts will set you back by $71.20/mo, and using its AI-powered SEO content editor – by $39.20 (on the Pro plan).
There’s also a 14-day free trial that allows you to experience the full might of the platform.
SE Ranking vs. Ahrefs
SE Ranking is the pragmatic choice. It delivers a feature set that seriously rivals Ahrefs — including a comprehensive AI tracker — at a much more accessible price point.
However, bear in mind the recent price increases. As SE Ranking continues to establish itself as a reliable SEO platform, these might continue.
4. Sitechecker
Sitechecker operates in a different lane. It’s less of a direct Ahrefs replacement and more of a specialized “SEO & AI visibility control center” for agencies that prioritize real-time monitoring, alerts, and deep integration with Google’s ecosystem.
Sitechecker features
- SEO dashbord: You can monitor all your SEO metrics from multiple sources, including GSC/GA4, in one place.
- Website crawler: Scans your website for technical issues. Unlike Ahrefs Site Audit, it focuses on continuous monitoring. (Daily scans available in the Standard plan and above)
- Website monitoring: This feature provides instant alerts via email or Slack when rankings drop or critical site problems occur, so you can fix issues before they impact clients.
- Rank tracking: Monitors your keyword positions and, importantly, your rankings within AI Overviews, with weekly tracking in the basic plan.
- Agency-ready reporting: You can export data beyond GSC’s 1,000-row limit and generate clean, white-label reports for clients.
What customers say about Sitechecker
Sitechecker strengths include:
- Ease of use, thanks to a user-friendly and intuitive interface
- Powerful keyword tracking capabilities.
- Comprehensive analysis, providing detailed metrics and actionable reports.
- Cost-effectiveness.
As far as areas for improvement go, these are often related to pricing:
- Pricing too steep for small businesses, startups, and solo bloggers.
- Severe usage caps and limited features in the lower plans.
- Issues gathering data on smaller sites and occasional problems with data refreshing.
Sitechecker pricing
Sitechecker has 3 paid plans:
- Basic: $75/mo
- Standard: $166/mo
- Premium: $375/mo
There’s a 14-day free trial, so you can take the tool for a spin and see if it ticks your boxes.
Sitechecker vs. Ahrefs
Choose Sitechecker if your primary job is to monitor site health and report on performance. It’s for the team that lives in GSC and needs a real-time pulse on technical SEO.
While it can’t replace Ahrefs’ massive backlink and keyword research database, it offers superior functionality for proactive monitoring and reporting based on first-party data.
Other Ahrefs alternatives for your business
Semrush, Ubersuggest, SE Ranking or Sitechecker aren’t the only Ahrefs competitors to consider. Other SEO suites include:
- Moz Pro
- SEO Powersuite
- Monitor Backlinks
- Mangools
- Majestic
- Serpstat
- SpyFu
- Keywords Everywhere
So, what’s the best alternative to Ahrefs?
Most of the tools, apart from Semrush, are more affordable than Ahrefs, and price is important, as long as the tool meets your needs and fits into your workflow.
So what would I recommend as a top SEO tool instead of Ahrefs?
- For the data-hungry digital marketer: Semrush is your best bet. It’s as feature-rich as Ahrefs, offers a robust AI toolkit, a suite of marketing tools, and more accurate traffic/keyword data.
- For the beginner or solopreneur: Ubersuggest gives you the core tools you need in an easy-to-use package — at an unbeatable price.
- For the value-seeking agency: SE Ranking provides the most bang for your buck, with a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that handles nearly everything Ahrefs does.
- For the monitoring-focused team: Sitechecker is the perfect solution for agencies that need to stay on top of technical SEO and client reporting by leveraging first-party GSC data.