Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover research & trends. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Ahrefs | SparkToro | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $129 | From $38 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | SEO & Discovery, Research & Trends | Research & Trends, Brand Deals & Sponsorships |
| 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.
Only on this side
Find where an audience already spends time
SparkToro answers the question a media kit needs and analytics cannot: what else the people you reach are reading, watching and following. Type an audience description and it returns the podcasts, newsletters and accounts they overlap with. Reports are the unit of billing and four a month goes quickly once you start comparing.
Our note
The output is most valuable at exactly two moments: before pitching a sponsor, and before choosing which shows to guest on. Buy a month, do the research in a week, and cancel. Nothing here rewards a standing subscription for most creators.
Only on this side
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.