SEO Tools
Ahrefs review
Bootstrapped SEO suite known for its backlink index, priced per plan with paid extra seats and AI add-ons.
Ahrefs at a glance
- Category
- SEO Tools
- Starting price
- $29/month (Starter); $129/month (Lite)
- Pricing model
- flat per plan plus paid extra seats
- Public pricing
- Yes
- Free plan
- Yes
- Contract
- monthly or annual; Enterprise annual
- G2 rating
- 4.5 (709 reviews)
- Headquarters
- Singapore
- Employees
- 149 (about page)
- Funding or owner
- Bootstrapped
Buying Ahrefs: security, admin and contract
- SAML SSO
- Enterprise only.
- Contract
- Enterprise requires annual commitment; other plans monthly or annual.
Questions to ask Ahrefs before you sign
- Is SCIM provisioning included, or a paid add-on?
- Which plan includes audit logs, and how long are they kept?
- Where is our data stored, and can we choose the region?
- Can we sign your standard DPA without changes?
- What will the price be at renewal, and is the increase capped?
Questions are listed where Ahrefs's public pages leave the answer open.
Who Ahrefs is for
Choose Ahrefs if
- SEO and link-building teams who value backlink and competitor data.
- Small teams of 1 to 3 users.
Look elsewhere if
- Individuals and small businesses on tight budgets (cost is the top complaint)
- Large teams: each extra seat is billed separately.
Ahrefs pricing
| Plan | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | per plan | entry plan |
| Lite | $129/mo | per plan | 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 crawl credits, 6 months history, 1 user, extra seat $40/mo (up to 2 more) |
| Standard | $249/mo | per plan | 20 projects, 2,000 keywords, 500,000 crawl credits, 2 years history, extra seat $60/mo (up to 5 more) |
| Advanced | $449/mo | per plan | 50 projects, 5,000 keywords, 1.5M crawl credits, 5 years history, extra seat $80/mo (up to 10 more) |
| Enterprise | $1,499/mo | per plan | annual commitment, uncapped API, SSO, custom limits |
Page says annual billing saves up to 17% but lists no annual prices; shown prices are monthly. USD prices from ahrefs.com/pricing?currency=USD, checked 2026-10-24.
Ahrefs features by buying criteria
| Criterion | What we found |
|---|---|
| Technical site audit | Crawl credits per month: 100,000 (Lite), 500,000 (Standard), 1.5M (Advanced) |
| Rank tracking | Tracked keywords: 750 / 2,000 / 5,000 on Lite / Standard / Advanced. |
| Content optimization and AI features | AI prompt checks: 150 / 300 / 600; Brand Radar AI add-on from $199/mo. |
| Reporting and white label | Report Builder add-on $99/mo (50 reports, 500 widgets, scheduling) |
| Project and credit limits | Projects: 5 / 20 / 50; verified projects unlimited; historical data 6 months / 2 years / 5 years. |
| Pricing model and transparency | Flat tiers; extra seats, Brand Radar, prompt packages, Report Builder are add-ons. |
What reviewers say about Ahrefs
Praised for
- Accurate SEO data.
- Strong backlink and competitor analysis.
Common complaints
- Expensive for individuals and small businesses.
- AI tool inaccuracies.
- No local SEO tools.
Themes paraphrased from public reviews on G2 and similar sites, not quotes.
What most Ahrefs reviews leave out
- SSO is listed only with the Enterprise plan at $1,499/mo, which needs an annual commitment.
- Extra seats cost $40 to $80/mo depending on plan.
- Historical data depth ranges from 6 months on Lite to 5 years on Advanced.
- Brand Radar AI add-on starts at $199/mo, custom prompt packages billed per check beyond quota.
- Company is bootstrapped with about 149 staff per its about page.
Ahrefs alternatives
SemrushMarketing teams that want keyword, audit, backlink and AI visibility tools in one login.EUR 112.52/month billed annually (SEO plan), EUR 134 billed monthly
Moz ProSmall businesses (about 58% of G2 reviewers)$49/month monthly or $39/month annual (Starter, third-party sources)
SE RankingSmall agencies that need white-label reports and many client projects (via Agency Pack)EUR 87.20/month billed annually (Core); EUR 109/month billed monthly
MangoolsFreelancers and small sites that mainly need keyword research and rank tracking.Not verified: not confirmed by the vendor; third-party listings cite about $29.90/month (Basic, annual billing)
SerpstatSmall businesses and freelancers who want an all-in-one SEO suite at a low monthly price.$50/month (Individual)
ClearscopeContent teams and agencies that want unlimited users on a flat monthly price.$129/month (Essentials)
Ahrefs compared
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Ahrefs's own pricing, product or documentation pages, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Unknown values are left out instead of estimated.