Ahrefs vs Semrush Comparison 2026
Ahrefs and Semrush split an old line: Ahrefs for backlinks and content research, Semrush for advertising data and rank tracking breadth, and paying for both is rarely worth it according to Ahrefs' own listing. Ahrefs starts at $129 a month for Lite, with no trial and no discount ever. Semrush starts higher, at $139 a month for the SEO plan covering five sites and 500 tracked keywords, and its own listing calls it the most expensive tool in this catalog. Pick the half of the job that is actually yours.
Backlink and keyword data at full depth
Keyword and competitor research at agency depth
At a glance
- Ahrefs starts cheaper, at $129.
- Only Ahrefs has a free tier.
Side by side
Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $129 | From $139 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
Ahrefs
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.
Semrush
Keyword and competitor research at agency depth
Semrush is the tool an SEO reaches for when they need to know what a competitor ranks for and what it is worth. Position tracking, site audits and keyword gaps are all there, along with newer reporting on how brands surface in AI answers. It costs more than most creators can justify, and the entry plan tracks five sites and 500 keywords.
Why people weigh these two
- Semrush instead of Ahrefs
- Semrush goes just as deep on competitor research, starting at $139 with no free tier at all, where Ahrefs at least gives you one.
- Ahrefs instead of Semrush
- Ahrefs matches the backlink and keyword depth Semrush is known for, and keeps a free tier to test first, where Semrush offers no free plan at all.
Which one should you pick
Choose Ahrefs for backlinks and content research: Site Explorer, Content Gap and the crawler-built index other tools measure themselves against. Lite is $129 a month with no trial and no discount, ever, which is cheaper than Semrush's entry plan but still built for a business budget rather than a hobby site.
Choose Semrush for advertising data and rank-tracking breadth: what a competitor bids on, daily position tracking across locations and devices, and newer reporting on how a brand surfaces in AI answers. The SEO plan is $139 a month for five sites and 500 tracked keywords, and that site cap is the limit most accounts hit first. If the audience arrives from a feed rather than a search box, this is an expensive way to learn nothing.
Common questions
- What is the actual difference between Ahrefs and Semrush?
- Backlinks and content research against advertising data and rank-tracking breadth. That split is old, but Ahrefs' own listing says it still holds, and paying for both tools is rarely worth it unless both halves of the job are yours.
- Which one costs more to start?
- Semrush. Its SEO plan is $139 a month against Ahrefs' Lite plan at $129, and Semrush's own listing calls it the most expensive tool in this catalog.
- Does either one have a free plan?
- Ahrefs does, limited to Site Explorer and Site Audit on a site you verify, with no trial of the paid tiers at all. Semrush has no free plan, only a trial of unstated length, after which the SEO plan runs $139 a month.
- Which one tracks how a brand shows up in AI answers?
- Both, in different ways. Ahrefs sells Brand Radar standalone as well as inside its plans. Semrush folds AI visibility reporting and MCP access into its SEO plus AI Search tier at $199 a month.
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.