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Both cover seo & discovery and research & trends. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Ahrefs | SE Ranking | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $129 | From $129 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | SEO & Discovery, Research & Trends | SEO & Discovery, Research & Trends |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Backlink and keyword data at full depth
Ahrefs runs its own crawler, which is why its backlink index is the one other tools get compared against, and why the keyword data goes deeper than the free alternatives. Site Explorer and Content Gap are what most people open it for. It is priced for businesses rather than for individuals, and the company states outright that it never discounts.
Our note
Between this and Semrush the split is old but holds: Ahrefs for backlinks and content research, Semrush for advertising data and rank tracking breadth. Pick on which half of the job is yours, because paying for both is rarely worth it.
The full SEO toolkit at a smaller price
SE Ranking does rank tracking, keyword and competitor research, backlink checks and site audits, and prices them well under what the two market leaders charge for the same list. It has since added tracking for what the AI answer engines say about a brand. Agencies use it because reporting and white labelling are built in rather than sold on.
Our note
SE Ranking is what you buy when Ahrefs and Semrush are right and also twice the price. The add-on list is where the cost creeps back, so price the agency pack in before comparing.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.