Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover seo & discovery. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Ahrefs | Writesonic | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $129 | From $79 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | SEO & Discovery, Research & Trends | Writing & Scripts, AI Content Tools, SEO & Discovery |
| 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.
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Article writing, aimed at getting cited by AI
Writesonic sold itself as an AI writer for years and now sells itself as an AI search visibility platform, which is the same article generator plus tracking of whether ChatGPT and its competitors mention you when somebody asks. The writing half still works and still produces articles at volume. The pricing has moved with the positioning, and the entry plan now costs what a mid tier used to.
Our note
This is no longer the budget AI writer people bookmarked in 2023, and the pricing reflects the new positioning rather than the old one. If you want articles written, Jasper and Copy.ai are the comparison; if you want to know why an assistant recommends a competitor, this is a narrower and more current answer.
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.
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