Ahrefs begins at $108 a month, which provides as much as about $1,200 a yr for a plan designed for small companies. Should you’re a contract search engine marketing guide or run an enterprise, you will be shelling out wherever between $2,400 to $14,990 per yr.
Having used Ahrefs for practically eight years throughout freelance and full-time content material advertising roles, I perceive why you would possibly select it over different search engine marketing instruments. Ahrefs has come a great distance since its days as a link-building software ten years again. Right now, it packs a variety of options like web site audit, AI content material grader, and Pages 2.0 report.
However let’s deal with the large query: is Ahrefs definitely worth the worth you pay? Spoiler alert: I gained’t provide the traditional ‘it relies upon’ reply we regularly hear in most search engine marketing and content material advertising conversations.
For context, some customers famous a 29% worth enhance earlier this yr, which most likely makes you concentrate on potential future worth hikes. On the flip facet, Ahrefs launched a extra reasonably priced Starter plan, which supplies you 100 credit for $29 each month.
When you can proceed utilizing their free webmaster instruments, what must you consider when contemplating an improve? Proceed studying my deep dive for these very solutions.
Ahrefs ranks #14 based on G2’s Fall 2024 Grid Report for search engine marketing instruments. Consumers are inspired to think about particular person wants when making buy selections.
Ahrefs: Paid vs. free search engine marketing instruments
Skip this part when you aren’t new to search engine marketing.
Ahrefs doesn’t provide a free trial. Evaluating Ahrefs’ free search engine marketing instruments with the paid variations isn’t actually truthful. Many of the free instruments they provide are for easy duties novices could discover helpful. However when you’re hoping to get severe work accomplished, these free instruments gained’t take you far.
| Options | Free Instruments | Paid Plan |
| Dashboard | ||
| Website explorer | ||
| Key phrase explorer | ||
| Website audit | ||
| Rank tracker | ||
| Aggressive evaluation | ||
| SERP historical past | ||
| Web page examine |
Ahrefs presents eight free search engine marketing instruments:
- Key phrase generator: Generate as much as 20 key phrases
- Key phrase problem checker: Consider how onerous it’s to rank for a selected key phrase
- SERP checker: Have a look at the SERP overview of the primary 4 outcomes
- Key phrase rank checker: Test in case your web site ranks within the prime 100 for a particular key phrase
- Backlink checker: See the area ranking of your web site and the overall variety of backlinks
- Damaged hyperlink checker: Discover the variety of damaged hyperlinks in your web site
- Web site authority checker: Test your web site’s authority
- Web site visitors checker: See your web site’s natural visitors and visitors worth
As you may see, these instruments are fairly restricted. That stated, Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments provides web site house owners restricted free entry to web site explorer and web site audit options. Let’s get to the nice half and see if the paid plans are value your cash.
Are Ahrefs options definitely worth the worth? What G2 customers suppose
G2 customers admire Ahrefs’ web site explorer, backlink checker, aggressive evaluation, key phrase explorer, web site audit, and alternatives options. I completely agree—these options are a goldmine for search engine marketing and content material advertising professionals who want knowledge to determine what’s working, what isn’t, and what wants fixing. Let’s see how these options might help you:
Website explorer
That is the part the place you land after logging into Ahrefs. Website explorer analyzes a web site’s natural visitors, complete key phrases, and backlinks. The very best a part of this function is that it compiles all this search engine marketing knowledge right into a single dashboard.
One factor I actually like about web site explorer is the way it provides location-specific visitors insights. Plus, I can join these insights with content material adjustments and algorithm updates, proven by inexperienced circles and “a” symbols on the timeline.
Website explorer additionally reveals you natural key phrases by intent, lists your prime natural rivals, and categorizes crawled pages with their HTTP codes.
What G2 customers are saying:
“Ahrefs presents a variety of options with an abundance of information to assist higher evaluation, such because the Website Explorer software to see the place a web site stands in its general efficiency, the Key phrase Explorer software to seek out trending low competitors key phrases to work on, the Website Audit function to audit how efficient the efforts are and to determine gaps, and the Rank Tracker software to see how the positioning is performing compared to rivals.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Jayant G., Search Engine Optimization Analyst
Backlink checker
The Backlink checker does what it says; it reveals you the whole backlink profile of a web site.
Most search engine marketing instruments provide one thing comparable, however I just like the number of filters you need to use right here. For instance, you may filter backlinks by varieties, DR of internet sites from the place they arrive, visitors of referring domains, anchor textual content, and even by date vary.
What G2 customers are saying:
“I can’t not point out the backlink profile. This software is great for checking the standard and amount of backlinks each for my web site and my rivals. Seeing the hyperlink progress over time, the highest referring domains, and the general backlink profile helps me fine-tune my link-building methods.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Sanjay G., Content material Technique Head
Aggressive evaluation
This function helps with a content material hole evaluation of your web site by evaluating what your rivals rank for versus what you don’t. Enter your web site’s area and one or two competitor URLs to get began.
The content material hole report presents a ton of information, however you could know why you’re doing the aggressive evaluation within the first place. That’s when you need to use the completely different filters like SERP options, key phrase problem, key phrase, and search quantity in the fitting approach.
For instance, if I’m engaged on a featured snippet undertaking, it is smart to trace which key phrases my rivals use to drive visitors from featured snippets and AI overviews (AIOs). I’m not saying you must write utilizing these key phrases. But when you have already got content material focusing on them, it is perhaps value optimizing them to rank for featured snippets or AIOs.
Key phrase explorer
That is maybe essentially the most generally used software by novices and professionals alike. Key phrase analysis software allows you to analyze key phrases, their search volumes, CPC, CTR, and the historical past of SERP positions.
I like how Ahrefs has advanced over the previous few years to supply extra key phrase knowledge. You’ll be able to filter key phrases by dad or mum matter, examine how their search volumes have modified during the last yr, see their visitors potential, and even assess their intent.
One other standout function for me is the flexibility to check right this moment’s SERP with what it seemed like three or six months in the past. It really works nice while you’re making an attempt to determine whether or not your article visitors has dropped attributable to intent shifts or competitor developments.
You too can use AI to seek out ache factors, technical ideas, and subtopics associated to your matters.
Key phrase explorer helps discover knowledge on particular key phrases however doesn’t routinely uncover new key phrases to focus on.
What G2 customers are saying:
“I like how Key phrase Explorer gives the key phrase with its problem and click on ratio. Click on ratio is essential for us; it is the true metric that helps us perceive whether or not to make it a main or secondary key phrase.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Nitin R., Vice President search engine marketing
Website audit
Ahrefs’ web site audit options crawls and scans your web site pages for over 170 technical and on-page points, together with core internet vitals, indexability, social tags, redirects, and JS/CSS points. In the long run, you get a well being rating that reveals the proportion of error-free inner URLs in your web site. You additionally get suggestions on fixing technical and on-page search engine marketing points.
My tackle it? You don’t need to be in technical search engine marketing to get essentially the most out of the positioning audit function. I not too long ago used the positioning audit to seek out and repair pages with damaged hyperlinks and 404 errors as a part of an interlinking undertaking.
What G2 customers are saying:
“I’ve by no means seen such an in-depth but easy-to-understand breakdown of my web site’s well being. From efficiency points to damaged hyperlinks, from safety points to content material high quality, Ahrefs’ web site audit software provides me an in depth report with strategies for fixes. It is nearly like having a private search engine marketing guide!”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Sanjay G., Content material Technique Head
Alternatives
While you enter a web site URL in Website Explorer, you’ll come throughout the Alternatives function on the left panel. This part reveals you low-hanging fruit key phrases, featured snippet alternatives, content material with declining visitors, and a lot extra.
This function turns out to be useful once I wish to rapidly consider completely different alternatives earlier than pursuing them.
Sufficient about the good things; let’s take a look at the place Ahrefs falls brief.
Three explanation why G2 customers dislike Ahrefs
The notorious credit score system, together with excessive pricing and poor buyer help, appears to be the highest explanation why G2 customers dislike Ahrefs. Let’s break these down.
Credit score system
Ahrefs tracks knowledge utilization with credit. All instruments besides Website Audit and Rank Tracker devour 1 credit score while you entry studies, apply filters, or request new knowledge. Standalone instruments like Batch Evaluation, Web page Examine, and Looker Studio additionally use credit while you entry them.
All pricing plans, besides the Lite plan, include limitless credit. On the Lite plan, you stand up to 500 credit per person every month, and when you go over that restrict, you’ll be charged additional.
For customers on the Lite plan, further credit price:
- $50 per 500 credit (pay-as-you-go), billed month-to-month
- $300 yearly to prepay for 500 additional credit every month
Many customers aren’t large followers of this credit score system, particularly companies managing a number of accounts.
What G2 customers are saying:
“The credit score system shouldn’t be superb for company customers. I’ve a yearly subscription of $1990, however it could price me a further $500 to $600 per thirty days, leading to a complete price of round $8000 per yr. With this finances, there are various different choices out there out there. It would not price as a lot even when I select to make use of 2 to three instruments concurrently.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Yannick X., Small Enterprise
Excessive costs
Customers discover Ahrefs’ pricing fashions advanced due to the credit score system. Some have additionally famous that Ahrefs’ costs are comparatively increased than these of different search engine marketing instruments out there in the marketplace.
What G2 customers are saying:
“It is pricing is all the time altering. After being compelled emigrate from a legacy account, I migrated to a dearer plan. After a couple of weeks of utilizing it, I spotted I could not use to software anymore as a result of I hit my utilization restrict. That restrict? 600 occasions a month.
I’ve by no means used a software that’s this costly and has a fundamental utilization restrict. I pay over $2,000 a yr to be closely restricted within the utilization of the software. How am I anticipated to drive worth and study new options and functionalities of the software if I am unable to even use it to the day-to-day requirement degree?”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Levi O., Affiliate Director, Content material Advertising and marketing
Poor buyer help
Customers additionally cite an absence of empathetic customer support as one more reason they dislike Ahrefs. Some evaluations level out that customers couldn’t attain their CSMs once they wanted assist.
What G2 customers are saying:
“Should you made your account over two weeks in the past, you’re locked out of recent options below the identical plan on the similar worth. The woman from the dwell chat insisted the one option to repair it was to cancel our account and begin a brand new one.
That is insane. Are new options being locked out from current subscribers on the similar degree? At earlier positions, I used to be in a position to make use of the beta model of recent options. Now, I am unable to even get what I paid for.
Customer support was of completely no assist. Simply the identical circles again and again. And once I tried to succeed in out to the help electronic mail, it simply took me to the identical actual one that refused to assist us.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Brandon S., Search Engine Optimization Supervisor
Ahrefs pricing
Ahrefs presents 4 pricing choices: Lite, Commonplace, Superior, and Enterprise.
- Lite plan prices you $1,290 per yr or $129 per thirty days when you select to pay month-to-month. It options six months of historical past, 500 credit per person, and 750 tracked key phrases.
- Commonplace plan prices $2,490 per yr or $249 when paid month-to-month. It consists of 20 initiatives, two years of historical past, limitless credit, and a couple of,000 tracked key phrases.
- Superior plan prices $4,490 per yr or $449 per thirty days. It options 5 years of historical past, limitless credit, 50 initiatives, and 5,000 tracked key phrases.
- Enterprise plan prices $14,990 yearly. This plan provides you 100 initiatives, limitless historical past, limitless credit, and 10,000 tracked key phrases.
What Ahrefs alternate options do G2 customers suggest?
Whereas Ahrefs continues to be a preferred selection amongst content material advertising and search engine marketing professionals, G2 customers additionally suggest instruments like Google Search Console, Semrush, Moz Professional, and SE Rating.
Ahrefs: Ceaselessly requested questions (FAQs)
Q. Does Ahrefs provide a free trial?
No, Ahrefs doesn’t provide a free trial, which might make it difficult for brand new customers to find out whether or not it’s the fitting match for them.
Q. Is Ahrefs free?
Ahrefs isn’t a free search engine marketing software. Nevertheless, web site house owners can entry Ahrefs Webmaster instruments like Website Explorer and Website Audit totally free.
Q. Is Ahrefs correct?
In keeping with a research performed by AuthorityHacker, Ahrefs has a mean discrepancy of twenty-two.5% and 0.99 correlation with Google Search Console (GSC) knowledge. This reveals that Ahrefs’ high quality of search visitors estimations is at par with GSC.
Q. Which is healthier, Ahrefs or Semrush?
Should you’re simply worth, Ahrefs comes out cheaper when you pay yearly. Semrush prices $117.33 a month, whereas Ahrefs prices $108 per thirty days on a yearly plan. Should you’re after core search engine marketing instruments, Ahrefs is your go-to. However when you want a full advertising suite with Google Adverts marketing campaign efficiency monitoring and search engine marketing, Semrush is a greater match.
Q. Moz vs. Ahrefs: Which is healthier for search engine marketing?
Moz is cheaper than Ahrefs. On a yearly plan, Ahrefs prices $108 per thirty days, whereas Moz begins at simply $39 per thirty days. Whereas each search engine marketing instruments give attention to Google, Moz additionally gives you with knowledge from search engines like google and yahoo like Yahoo and Bing.
A 2022 research by Tylor Hermanson and his staff discovered Ahrefs ranked for twice as many key phrases as Semrush, which itself had greater than double the key phrases of Moz. For Tylor’s purchasers, Ahrefs delivered practically 5 occasions the quantity of rating key phrases in comparison with Moz.
Ahrefs: Price it or overrated? My trustworthy take
I promised I wouldn’t provide the traditional “it relies upon” reply. So, let’s reduce to the chase: Ahrefs is definitely worth the funding if it aligns along with your objectives and staff construction.
Any funding in content material advertising instruments is barely worthwhile if it helps you enhance the metrics that matter most to your online business.
So, right here’s what it is best to ask your self: who in your staff will really use Ahrefs, and the way? In case your reply doesn’t contain a minimum of two individuals, you is perhaps higher off sticking with Google Search Console and Google Key phrase Planner.
However when you’re fascinated with getting Ahrefs for a staff of writers, content material strategists, and search engine marketing specialists, you’ve received to ask your self a couple of questions. Is your staff aligned on objectives to completely profit from Ahrefs’ choices? Do you want complete knowledge past what free instruments present? Do you’ve gotten the finances to help a long-term subscription? Do you’ve gotten the metrics to measure success with Ahrefs? Can Ahrefs combine easily into your present workflow?
Should you answered sure to the entire above, go for it! But when finances is a sticking level, loads of alternate options provide comparable aggressive insights that can assist you drive search engine marketing outcomes.
Take a look at six AIO methods that your search engine marketing and content material advertising staff can use to drive visitors to your web site.