Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?

No, for a comparable entry plan. Ahrefs Standard is $249/month billed monthly; Semrush SEO, which also tracks 500 keywords, is $139.95/month billed monthly. Ahrefs Lite ($129/month billed monthly) is cheaper than both but tracks fewer keywords and projects.

Does Ahrefs have a free trial like Semrush?

No. Ahrefs offers no free trial at all, only a separate limited free account for verified site owners. Semrush has both a limited free plan and a 7-day trial with a card.

Which is better for an agency managing several clients, Ahrefs or Semrush?

Semrush, and only Semrush, for this scenario. Ahrefs has no plan that bundles client reporting at any price, only a separate $99/month add-on, and its AI prompt allowance tops out short of what a 10-client brief needs. Semrush Pro+ with one Pro Report per client covers it.

Does Ahrefs or Semrush have better backlink data?

Ahrefs' backlink index is the long-standing category benchmark, which is why it remains the default pick for deep competitor backlink research even where it costs more and skips the trial.

Is Ahrefs a good alternative to Semrush?

Yes, if backlink research is the main job and you are comfortable paying before you can try it. Semrush goes further on client reporting and AI prompt tracking at the entry price; Ahrefs is built around the deepest backlink index in the category.

Ahrefs vs Semrush: backlink depth or client reporting?

Traditional SEO suites · Verified 30 Sep 2026 · By Joonas Rotko

Ahrefs

Hands-on

From Starter, billed monthly

$29/mo

Semrush

Hands-on

From SEO, billed annually

$117.33/mo

$139.95/mo billed monthly

Quick answer

For a single site, Semrush SEO ($139.95/month billed monthly) costs less than Ahrefs Standard ($249/month billed monthly), and both track Google AI Overviews. For a consultant or agency needing client reports, Ahrefs has no fitting plan at any price: it sells reporting only as a separate $99/month add-on, never bundled. Prices verified 30 Sep 2026.

Across the three setups below: Semrush in 3 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

Small business owner, one website
Semrush
My pick
$117.33/mo billed annually
Both track Google AI Overviews. Semrush SEO is $139.95/month billed monthly; Ahrefs Standard is $249/month billed monthly, the cheapest Ahrefs plan that clears 100 tracked keywords.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if backlink depth matters more than price. Ahrefs is built around the deepest backlink index in the category.
See Semrush plans
Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites
Semrush
My pick
$117.33/mo billed annually
Semrush SEO includes 3 client reports at $139.95/month billed monthly. Ahrefs has no plan that bundles client reporting at all, only a separate $99/month add-on.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Semrush wins by default: Ahrefs sells reporting only as an add-on, never included in a plan.
Skip it if not really an option here: no Ahrefs plan covers a 3-client brief that needs bundled reports.
See Semrush plans
Small agency, about 10 clients
Semrush
My pick
$608.17/mo billed annually
Semrush Pro+ with 1 report per client covers a 10-client brief needing AI prompts and reports. Ahrefs tops out at 20 AI prompts on Advanced, short of the 100 this brief needs, and still has no bundled reports.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Semrush wins by default: Ahrefs fails on both AI prompt volume and bundled reporting.
Skip it if not really an option here: Ahrefs has no fitting plan for this brief, at any price.
See Semrush plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are Ahrefs and Semrush really different?

Trying before you buy
Ahrefs
No free trial of any kind
Semrush
A limited free plan, then a 7-day trial with a card
Semrush lets you test the real product first; Ahrefs does not offer that option at all.
Client reporting
Ahrefs
Not bundled into any plan; a separate $99/month add-on
Semrush
3 base reports on every plan, white label at $20/month per client report
Semrush is built for reporting to clients; Ahrefs is not.
AI search at the entry price
Ahrefs
5 AI prompts on Lite, Ahrefs' own Brand Radar
Semrush
Google AI Overviews only on SEO; prompts from Starter
Ahrefs bundles some AI prompt tracking from its cheapest plan; Semrush gates it to a higher tier.
Refunds
Ahrefs
No standing refund policy, only a discretionary review for non-use
Semrush
Money-back for 7 days, annual plans only
Semrush has a real (if narrow) refund window; Ahrefs does not.

What will Ahrefs or Semrush cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Small business owner, one website

1 site · 100 tracked keywords · AI search visibility: Google AI Overview tracking or AI prompt tracking (10 prompts) · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Ahrefs

$249

$208

Standard

Above 20 sites: Advanced (+$166/mo, billed annually).

Semrush

My pick

$139.95

$117.33

SEO

Above 5 sites: Pro+ (+$130.84/mo, billed annually).

See Semrush plans

Usage, limits and billing

Ahrefs

Uses 1 of 20 sites, 100 of 2,000 tracked keywords, 10 of 10 AI prompts.
AI visibility covered by AI prompt tracking (10 prompts).
On monthly billing: $2,988 a year.
On annual billing: $2,490 a year.
Above 2,000 tracked keywords: Advanced, $166/mo more.
Above 10 AI prompts: Advanced, $166/mo more.

Semrush

Uses 1 of 5 sites, 100 of 500 tracked keywords.
AI visibility covered by Google AI Overview tracking.
On monthly billing: $1,679.40 a year.
On annual billing: $1,407.96 a year.
Above 500 tracked keywords: Pro+, $130.84/mo more.

Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites

3 sites · 300 tracked keywords · client reports · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Ahrefs

Fit unconfirmed

Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published

Semrush

My pick

$139.95

$117.33

SEO

Above 5 sites: Pro+ (+$130.84/mo, billed annually).

See Semrush plans

Usage, limits and billing

Ahrefs

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

Semrush

Uses 3 of 5 sites, 300 of 500 tracked keywords.
On monthly billing: $1,679.40 a year.
On annual billing: $1,407.96 a year.
Above 500 tracked keywords: Pro+, $130.84/mo more.

Small agency, about 10 clients

10 sites · 1,000 tracked keywords · 100 AI prompts · 10 white-label reports · client reports · 3 users

MonthlyYearly, per month

Ahrefs

Fit unconfirmed

Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published

Semrush

My pick

$659

$608.17

Pro+ with 10 x Pro Report and 2 extra users

Above 15 sites: Advanced with 10 x Pro Report (+$247.50/mo, billed annually).

See Semrush plans

Usage, limits and billing

Ahrefs

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

Semrush

Uses 10 of 15 sites, 1,000 of 1,500 tracked keywords, 100 of 100 AI prompts, 10 of 10 white-label reports.
On monthly billing: $7,908 a year.
On annual billing: $7,298.04 a year.
Above 1,500 tracked keywords: Advanced with 10 x Pro Report, $247.50/mo more.
Above 100 AI prompts: Pro+ with AI Visibility Toolkit (Base) and 10 x Pro Report, $99/mo more.

How I calculated this

For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.

Small business owner, one website: One site and about 100 keywords, enough for your core service and location terms. For AI search, either Google AI Overview tracking or 10 tracked AI prompts counts. One login.
Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites: Three client sites at about 100 keywords each, with client reports. One person does the work.Ahrefs, monthly billing: Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published.Ahrefs, annual billing: Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published.
Small agency, about 10 clients: Ten clients at about 100 keywords and 10 AI prompts each, with a white-label report for every client. Google AI Overview tracking alone doesn't count here, since clients ask about ChatGPT too. Three people log in.Ahrefs, monthly billing: Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. AI prompts limit isn't published. White-label reports limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.Ahrefs, annual billing: Ahrefs Free is priced, but sites limit isn't published. Sites limit isn't published. Tracked keywords limit isn't published. AI prompts limit isn't published. White-label reports limit isn't published. Client reports limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.

Ahrefs vs Semrush side by side

I compare SEO suites on: Real cost for your setup, both billing bases; AI search visibility: which engines, how many prompts, which plan; Sites and tracked keywords per plan; Client reporting and white label; Users and seat price; Ease of setup for a non-specialist.

Ahrefs and Semrush compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion	Ahrefs	Semrush
Real cost for your setup, both billing bases	Standard: $249/mo monthly, $208/mo annually	SEO: $139.95/mo monthly, $117.33/mo annually
AI search visibility: which engines, how many prompts, which plan	Brand Radar AI prompts from Lite (5); no Google AI Overview tracking confirmed	Google AI Overviews on every plan; prompts from Starter
Sites and tracked keywords per plan	20 projects, 2,000 keywords on Standard	5 sites, 500 keywords on SEO
Client reporting and white label	No bundled reports on any plan; Report Builder add-on $99/month	White label at $20/month per client report
Users and seat price	1 user included; $60/user per month per extra seat	1 user included; $45/user per month per extra seat

All details, including automation and AI workflows

All compared details for Ahrefs and Semrush
Criterion	Ahrefs	Semrush
Ease of setup for a non-specialist	No trial; a separate limited free account only	Free plan, then a 7-day trial with a card
Real cost for your setup, both billing bases (full detail)	Lite: $129/month billed monthly or $108/month billed annually. Standard: $249/month billed monthly or $208/month billed annually. Advanced: $449/month billed monthly or $374/month billed annually. Enterprise: $1,499/month billed annually, annual commitment required.	Free: $0/month billed monthly. SEO: $139.95/month billed monthly or $117.33/month billed annually. Starter: $199/month billed monthly. Pro+: $299/month billed monthly. Advanced: $549/month billed monthly.
AI search visibility (full detail)	Brand Radar AI prompts bundled from Lite: 5, Standard 10, Advanced 20. These are check-based prompt packages, priced per check, not a simple prompt count; larger custom packages (Basic/Growth/Scale) start at $50/month billed monthly. No confirmation Ahrefs tracks Google AI Overviews specifically.	AI Overview tracking on every plan. Prompt tracking starts at Starter: 50 a day, rising to 200 on Advanced. Engines: Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini & more.
Site audit	500,000 crawl credits a month on Standard, up to 1,500,000 on Advanced	100,000 pages a month on SEO, up to 1,000,000 on Advanced
Backlink data	Ahrefs' backlink index is the category benchmark; no per-plan link-count figure is published	Included
Trial and refunds	No free trial of any kind. Refunds are discretionary, non-use only, no stated day window.	7-day trial, card required. Money-back for 7 days on annual plans only.
Automation and AI workflows: MCP	API and MCP access on every plan, including Lite	Included on every plan
Automation and AI workflows: API	Every plan, including Lite	Advanced only ($549/month billed monthly)

Who should pick Ahrefs, and who should pick Semrush?

Ahrefs

Hands-on

Ahrefs starts at $129/month billed monthly and gives every plan API and MCP access, but there is no free trial and no standing refund policy, just a discretionary review for non-use. It suits anyone who wants the deepest backlink index in the category and is fine paying to try it.

Best for: The deepest backlink data, tried on your own dime.

Strengths

API and MCP access on every plan, including Lite.
AI prompt tracking (Brand Radar) bundled into every paid tier.
Annual billing saves roughly one month's price on every plan.

Limits

No free trial of any kind, only a separate free account with limited data.
No refund policy beyond a discretionary review for non-use.
No public affiliate program, so this pick links straight to Ahrefs, not through a tracked link.

Skip it if you want to try before you buy.

Ahrefs review Ahrefs alternatives

Semrush

Hands-on

Best for small business owners
Best for consultants managing a few sites
Best for small agencies

Semrush tracks Google AI Overviews from the SEO plan up, but AI prompt tracking starts at Starter ($199/month billed monthly). It suits teams already reporting from Semrush and agencies that need white label reports through the Pro Report add-on.

Best for: Agencies that want white label reports through the Pro Report add-on.

Strengths

A limited free plan to look around first.
White label reports through the Pro Report add-on, $20/month per report.
MCP access on the SEO, Starter, Pro+ and Advanced plans.

Limits

No AI prompt tracking on the SEO plan.
The SEO and Starter plans each stop at 5 sites and 500 keywords.
Refunds only on annual plans, first 7 days.

Skip it if you want AI prompt tracking on the SEO plan, which has none.

Semrush review Semrush pricing Semrush alternatives

My pick: Semrush in 3 of 3 scenarios.

See Semrush plans See Ahrefs plans

Neither Ahrefs nor Semrush? Try these

SE Ranking
From $103.20/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want AI prompt tracking and white label bundled at a lower entry price than either Ahrefs or Semrush.
SE Ranking review SE Ranking alternatives
Moz
From $49/mo billed monthly
Pick it if Google AI Overview and multi-model prompt tracking on the entry plan matters more than backlink depth.
Moz review Moz alternatives
Otterly.AI
From $25/mo billed annually
Pick it if you only want to know whether AI answers mention your brand, not run a rank tracker.
Outside this category: A GEO tracker, not an SEO suite. Worth it only if AI visibility is the whole question.
Otterly.AI review Otterly.AI alternatives

Switching between Ahrefs and Semrush

Neither tool offers free migration from the other, so plan to rebuild projects and keyword lists by hand. Ahrefs has no trial to build the new setup in before you cancel, so keep the old account running in parallel; Semrush's free plan and 7-day trial make that easier.

What would change my pick?

Ahrefs bundling client reports into a plan would make this a real contest for consultants and agencies.
Ahrefs adding any form of free trial would close its biggest gap against Semrush.
A price change on either side. The picks recalculate on their own.

Ahrefs vs Semrush: questions people ask

Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?: No, for a comparable entry plan. Ahrefs Standard is $249/month billed monthly; Semrush SEO, which also tracks 500 keywords, is $139.95/month billed monthly. Ahrefs Lite ($129/month billed monthly) is cheaper than both but tracks fewer keywords and projects.
Does Ahrefs have a free trial like Semrush?: No. Ahrefs offers no free trial at all, only a separate limited free account for verified site owners. Semrush has both a limited free plan and a 7-day trial with a card.
Which is better for an agency managing several clients, Ahrefs or Semrush?: Semrush, and only Semrush, for this scenario. Ahrefs has no plan that bundles client reporting at any price, only a separate $99/month add-on, and its AI prompt allowance tops out short of what a 10-client brief needs. Semrush Pro+ with one Pro Report per client covers it.
Does Ahrefs or Semrush have better backlink data?: Ahrefs' backlink index is the long-standing category benchmark, which is why it remains the default pick for deep competitor backlink research even where it costs more and skips the trial.
Is Ahrefs a good alternative to Semrush?: Yes, if backlink research is the main job and you are comfortable paying before you can try it. Semrush goes further on client reporting and AI prompt tracking at the entry price; Ahrefs is built around the deepest backlink index in the category.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked 30 Sep 2026. Ahrefs: hands-on. Semrush: hands-on.

Sources and changelog

56 facts from 8 source pages, oldest checked 29 Sep 2026.

Ahrefs plans and pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Ahrefs free trial and discounts (help center) (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Ahrefs Terms of Service (US) (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Semrush plans and pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Semrush cancellation and refund policy (checked 30 Sep 2026)

30 Sep 2026: Built for Batch 1 of the full comparison-page rewrite, priority #1 in the migration queue.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

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Ahrefs vs Semrush: backlink depth or client reporting?

Quick answer

Which one fits you?

How are Ahrefs and Semrush really different?

Trying before you buy

Client reporting

AI search at the entry price

Refunds

What will Ahrefs or Semrush cost for your setup?

Small business owner, one website

Solo marketer or consultant, 3 client sites

Small agency, about 10 clients

Ahrefs vs Semrush side by side

Who should pick Ahrefs, and who should pick Semrush?

Ahrefs

Semrush

Neither Ahrefs nor Semrush? Try these

Switching between Ahrefs and Semrush

What would change my pick?

Ahrefs vs Semrush: questions people ask

Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?

Does Ahrefs have a free trial like Semrush?

Which is better for an agency managing several clients, Ahrefs or Semrush?

Does Ahrefs or Semrush have better backlink data?

Is Ahrefs a good alternative to Semrush?

How I verified this

Compare Ahrefs or Semrush with another tool

Ahrefs vs …

Semrush vs …

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