Ahrefs begins at $108 a month, which provides as much as about $1,200 a 12 months for a plan designed for small companies. In case you’re a contract web optimization advisor or run an enterprise, you may be shelling out anyplace between $2,400 to $14,990 per 12 months.
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 web optimization instruments. Ahrefs has come a good distance since its days as a link-building instrument ten years again. At this time, it packs a whole lot of options like web site audit, AI content material grader, and Pages 2.0 report.
However let’s handle the large query: is Ahrefs well worth the worth you pay? Spoiler alert: I received’t provide the traditional ‘it relies upon’ reply we frequently hear in most web optimization and content material advertising conversations.
For context, some customers famous a 29% worth enhance earlier this 12 months, which in all probability makes you consider potential future worth hikes. On the flip facet, Ahrefs launched a extra reasonably priced Starter plan, which provides you 100 credit for $29 each month.
When you can proceed utilizing their free webmaster instruments, what do you have to consider when contemplating an improve? Proceed studying my deep dive for these very solutions.
Ahrefs ranks #14 in accordance with G2’s Fall 2024 Grid Report for web optimization instruments. Consumers are inspired to contemplate particular person wants when making buy selections.
Ahrefs: Paid vs. free web optimization instruments
Skip this part in the event you aren’t new to web optimization.
Ahrefs doesn’t provide a free trial. Evaluating Ahrefs’ free web optimization instruments with the paid variations isn’t actually truthful. A lot of the free instruments they provide are for easy duties novices could discover helpful. However in the event you’re hoping to get critical work finished, these free instruments received’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 provides eight free web optimization instruments:
- Key phrase generator: Generate as much as 20 key phrases
- Key phrase issue checker: Consider how laborious it’s to rank for a specific key phrase
- SERP checker: Have a look at the SERP overview of the primary 4 outcomes
- Key phrase rank checker: Verify in case your web site ranks within the high 100 for a particular key phrase
- Backlink checker: See the area score of your web site and the whole variety of backlinks
- Damaged hyperlink checker: Discover the variety of damaged hyperlinks in your web site
- Web site authority checker: Verify your web site’s authority
- Web site site visitors checker: See your web site’s natural site visitors and site visitors worth
As you possibly can see, these instruments are fairly restricted. That mentioned, Ahrefs Webmaster Instruments offers web site homeowners restricted free entry to web site explorer and web site audit options. Let’s get to the great half and see if the paid plans are value your cash.
Are Ahrefs options well 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 web optimization and content material advertising professionals who want information 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 an internet site’s natural site visitors, complete key phrases, and backlinks. The very best a part of this characteristic is that it compiles all this web optimization information right into a single dashboard.
One factor I actually like about web site explorer is the way it offers location-specific site 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 exhibits you natural key phrases by intent, lists your high natural rivals, and categorizes crawled pages with their HTTP codes.
What G2 customers are saying:
“Ahrefs provides a whole lot of options with an abundance of knowledge to assist higher evaluation, such because the Website Explorer instrument to see the place a web site stands in its total efficiency, the Key phrase Explorer instrument to search out trending low competitors key phrases to work on, the Website Audit characteristic to audit how efficient the efforts are and to establish gaps, and the Rank Tracker instrument 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 exhibits you the entire backlink profile of an internet site.
Most web optimization instruments provide one thing related, however I just like the number of filters you need to use right here. For instance, you possibly can filter backlinks by sorts, DR of internet sites from the place they arrive, site 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 instrument 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 characteristic 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 provides a ton of knowledge, 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 issue, key phrase, and search quantity in the appropriate means.
For instance, if I’m engaged on a featured snippet undertaking, it is sensible to trace which key phrases my rivals use to drive site visitors from featured snippets and AI overviews (AIOs). I’m not saying it’s important to write utilizing these key phrases. But when you have already got content material concentrating on them, it is likely to be value optimizing them to rank for featured snippets or AIOs.
Key phrase explorer
That is maybe essentially the most generally used instrument by novices and execs alike. Key phrase analysis instrument helps you to analyze key phrases, their search volumes, CPC, CTR, and the historical past of SERP positions.
I really like how Ahrefs has developed over the previous few years to supply extra key phrase information. You may filter key phrases by guardian matter, examine how their search volumes have modified during the last 12 months, see their site visitors potential, and even assess their intent.
One other standout characteristic for me is the flexibility to match immediately’s SERP with what it regarded 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 site visitors has dropped as a consequence of intent shifts or competitor developments.
It’s also possible to use AI to search out ache factors, technical ideas, and subtopics associated to your subjects.
Key phrase explorer helps discover information on particular key phrases however doesn’t mechanically uncover new key phrases to focus on.
What G2 customers are saying:
“I like how Key phrase Explorer gives the key phrase with its issue 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 major or secondary key phrase.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Nitin R., Vice President web optimization
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 net vitals, indexability, social tags, redirects, and JS/CSS points. Ultimately, you get a well being rating that exhibits the proportion of error-free inner URLs in your web site. You additionally get suggestions on fixing technical and on-page web optimization points.
My tackle it? You don’t must be in technical web optimization to get essentially the most out of the positioning audit characteristic. I just lately used the positioning audit to search 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 instrument offers me an in depth report with options for fixes. It is nearly like having a private web optimization advisor!”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Sanjay G., Content material Technique Head
Alternatives
While you enter an internet site URL in Website Explorer, you’ll come throughout the Alternatives characteristic on the left panel. This part exhibits you low-hanging fruit key phrases, featured snippet alternatives, content material with declining site visitors, and a lot extra.
This characteristic turns out to be useful after I need to shortly 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 the reason why G2 customers dislike Ahrefs
The notorious credit score system, together with excessive pricing and poor buyer assist, appears to be the highest the reason why G2 customers dislike Ahrefs. Let’s break these down.
Credit score system
Ahrefs tracks information utilization with credit. All instruments besides Website Audit and Rank Tracker devour 1 credit score while you entry experiences, apply filters, or request new information. 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 in the event you go over that restrict, you’ll be charged further.
For customers on the Lite plan, further credit value:
- $50 per 500 credit (pay-as-you-go), billed month-to-month
- $300 yearly to prepay for 500 further credit every month
Many customers aren’t large followers of this credit score system, particularly businesses managing a number of accounts.
What G2 customers are saying:
“The credit score system just isn’t excellent for company customers. I’ve a yearly subscription of $1990, however it might value me an extra $500 to $600 per 30 days, leading to a complete value of round $8000 per 12 months. With this finances, there are various different choices out there out there. It would not value 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 web optimization instruments out there available on the market.
What G2 customers are saying:
“It is pricing is all the time altering. After being pressured emigrate from a legacy account, I migrated to a costlier plan. After just a few weeks of utilizing it, I spotted I could not use to instrument anymore as a result of I hit my utilization restrict. That restrict? 600 occasions a month.
I’ve by no means used a instrument that’s this costly and has a primary utilization restrict. I pay over $2,000 a 12 months to be closely restricted within the utilization of the instrument. How am I anticipated to drive worth and study new options and functionalities of the instrument 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 assist
Customers additionally cite an absence of empathetic customer support as one more reason they dislike Ahrefs. Some critiques level out that customers couldn’t attain their CSMs after they wanted assist.
What G2 customers are saying:
“In case you made your account over two weeks in the past, you might be locked out of latest options underneath the identical plan on the similar worth. The girl from the reside chat insisted the one method to repair it was to cancel our account and begin a brand new one.
That is insane. Are new options being locked out from present subscribers on the similar degree? At earlier positions, I used to be ready to make use of the beta model of latest 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 after I tried to achieve out to the assist electronic mail, it simply took me to the identical actual one who refused to assist us.”
– Ahrefs Evaluate, Brandon S., Search Engine Optimization Supervisor
Ahrefs pricing
Ahrefs provides 4 pricing choices: Lite, Commonplace, Superior, and Enterprise.
- Lite plan prices you $1,290 per 12 months or $129 per 30 days in the event 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 12 months or $249 when paid month-to-month. It contains 20 tasks, two years of historical past, limitless credit, and a couple of,000 tracked key phrases.
- Superior plan prices $4,490 per 12 months or $449 per 30 days. It options 5 years of historical past, limitless credit, 50 tasks, and 5,000 tracked key phrases.
- Enterprise plan prices $14,990 yearly. This plan offers you 100 tasks, limitless historical past, limitless credit, and 10,000 tracked key phrases.
What Ahrefs alternate options do G2 customers advocate?
Whereas Ahrefs continues to be a preferred selection amongst content material advertising and web optimization professionals, G2 customers additionally advocate instruments like Google Search Console, Semrush, Moz Professional, and SE Rating.
Ahrefs: Regularly 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 spanking new customers to find out whether or not it’s the appropriate match for them.
Q. Is Ahrefs free?
Ahrefs isn’t a free web optimization instrument. Nevertheless, web site homeowners can entry Ahrefs Webmaster instruments like Website Explorer and Website Audit free of charge.
Q. Is Ahrefs correct?
Based on a research performed by AuthorityHacker, Ahrefs has a median discrepancy of twenty-two.5% and 0.99 correlation with Google Search Console (GSC) information. This exhibits that Ahrefs’ high quality of search site visitors estimations is at par with GSC.
Q. Which is healthier, Ahrefs or Semrush?
In case you’re simply worth, Ahrefs comes out cheaper in the event you pay yearly. Semrush prices $117.33 a month, whereas Ahrefs prices $108 per 30 days on a yearly plan. In case you’re after core web optimization instruments, Ahrefs is your go-to. However in the event you want a full advertising suite with Google Adverts marketing campaign efficiency monitoring and web optimization, Semrush is a greater match.
Q. Moz vs. Ahrefs: Which is healthier for web optimization?
Moz is cheaper than Ahrefs. On a yearly plan, Ahrefs prices $108 per 30 days, whereas Moz begins at simply $39 per 30 days. Whereas each web optimization instruments give attention to Google, Moz additionally gives you with information from serps like Yahoo and Bing.
A 2022 research by Tylor Hermanson and his workforce 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 shoppers, Ahrefs delivered practically 5 instances the quantity of rating key phrases in comparison with Moz.
Ahrefs: Value 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 well worth the funding if it aligns together with your targets and workforce construction.
Any funding in content material advertising instruments is barely worthwhile if it helps you enhance the metrics that matter most to your corporation.
So, right here’s what you need to ask your self: who in your workforce will truly use Ahrefs, and the way? In case your reply doesn’t contain at the very least two folks, you is likely to be higher off sticking with Google Search Console and Google Key phrase Planner.
However in the event you’re serious about getting Ahrefs for a workforce of writers, content material strategists, and web optimization specialists, you’ve received to ask your self just a few questions. Is your workforce aligned on targets to completely profit from Ahrefs’ choices? Do you want complete information past what free instruments present? Do you’ve got the finances to assist a long-term subscription? Do you’ve got the metrics to measure success with Ahrefs? Can Ahrefs combine easily into your present workflow?
In case you answered sure to all the above, go for it! But when finances is a sticking level, loads of alternate options provide related aggressive insights that will help you drive web optimization outcomes.
Take a look at six AIO methods that your web optimization and content material advertising workforce can use to drive site visitors to your web site.
