What does Ahrefs do?
Ahrefs is an SEO platform for backlink, competitor and keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and AI brand tracking. Ahrefs Free is $0 for sites you verify; paid plans run from $29/mo (Starter, 200 credits) to $1,499/mo (Enterprise), with Lite at $129/mo. It suits SEOs who live in competitor data; skip it if you need a free trial.
- Site Explorer. Shows any site's backlinks, the keywords it ranks for and its top pages, so you can study competitors. On Ahrefs Free it works only for sites you verify.
- Keywords Explorer. Finds keyword ideas with search volume and difficulty; one credit covers up to 10,000 keywords. Not included in Ahrefs Free (Starter and up).
- Site Audit. Crawls your site for technical SEO issues. It uses crawl credits, not report credits: 5,000 a month per project on Ahrefs Free, 100,000 on Lite.
- Rank Tracker. Tracks your Google positions for a set list of keywords, from 50 on Starter to 5,000 on Advanced. It doesn't use report credits.
- Brand Radar. Tracks mentions and citations of a brand in AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot; custom prompts also cover Claude. Lite and higher include 150 to 600 prompt checks a month.
- Web Analytics. Website traffic analytics, free on every plan with up to 1M events per project.
- Report Builder. Builds custom reports from Ahrefs data. Lite and Standard include 5 reports; the $99/mo add-on gives 50 reports with scheduling.
- Credits. On Starter and Lite, each report you open costs 1 credit, and actions like applying filters or changing dates cost another. Standard and higher have unlimited credits.
Who is Ahrefs for?
Ahrefs is a good fit if you're a website owner, an affiliate marketer, an SEO specialist or a business owner, and you need help ranking on Google or getting cited by AI.
How much does Ahrefs cost?
Ahrefs starts at $29/mo. It also has a free plan. Its pricing page lists a free trial. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026 on the official pricing page.
- Starts at
- $29/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- No free trial listed; free account for verified sites
Starter, billed monthly only: 200 credits a month, 1 month of history, 1 user. Lite is $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo. Annual billing 'saves up to 17%' but no annual prices are shown. Ahrefs Free covers sites you verify.
Ahrefs plans compared
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Free | $0 | $0 | Only for websites you verify (unlimited verified sites): Site Explorer shows up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords at once; Site Audit 5,000 crawl credits a month per project; Web Analytics up to 1M events per project; no Keywords Explorer |
| Starter | $29/mo | Not listed | 1 user, 200 credits a month (extra credits and users can't be bought), 1 month of history, 250 rows per report, 1 unverified project, 50 Rank Tracker keywords, no exports; renews monthly only |
| Lite | $129/mo | Not listed | 1 user (up to 2 extra at $40/mo), 1,000 credits per user a month, 6 months of history, 2,500 rows per report, 5 unverified projects, 750 tracked keywords, 150 AI prompt checks a month |
| Standard | $249/mo | Not listed | 1 user (up to 5 extra at $60/mo), unlimited credits, 2 years of history, 30,000 rows per report, 20 unverified projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 300 AI prompt checks a month |
| Advanced | $449/mo | Not listed | 1 user (up to 10 extra at $80/mo), unlimited credits, 5 years of history, 75,000 rows per report, 50 unverified projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, 600 AI prompt checks a month |
| Enterprise | $1,499/mo | Not listed | Annual commitment required; from 3 users (extra users $100/mo), unlimited history, 150,000 rows per report, from 10,000 tracked keywords, from 2,500 AI prompt checks a month, API access and SSO |
Prices checked on the US pricing page on Oct 24, 2026. The page says paying annually saves up to 17% but shows no annual prices; you contact support to switch to annual billing, and Starter renews monthly only. On Lite, extra credits are pay-as-you-go at $50 per 500 (turned off by default), and credits reset each month on your renewal date; Starter can't buy extra credits. Verifying a site you own adds 500 credits a month for that project on every plan. Add-ons: Brand Radar AI from $199/mo, custom prompt packages from $50/mo (2,500 checks), Report Builder $99/mo and Project Boost Pro $20/mo per project. Example: a 3-person team on Standard pays $249 + 2 × $60 = $369/mo.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 on Ahrefs's pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
Ahrefs pros and cons
What stands out
- Free account for sites you own, with Site Explorer, Site Audit and Web Analytics
- $29/mo Starter plan for occasional keyword and competitor lookups
- Standard and higher plans have unlimited report credits
- AI prompt tracking (Brand Radar custom prompts) is included from Lite up
- No contracts or setup fees; downgrades take effect at the end of the billing period
Watch out for
- Starter has only 200 credits a month, 1 month of history and no exports
- Lite caps report credits at 1,000 per user a month; extra credits cost $50 per 500
- No annual prices are published; you have to contact support to switch
- No free trial, and Ahrefs says it does not issue refunds in general
- Brand Radar's full AI Visibility Index is a separate cost from $199/mo
- Extra users cost $40 to $100/mo each on top of the plan price
Based on Ahrefs's own pages, not hands-on testing.
What are the alternatives to Ahrefs?
We list 11 other AI SEO & AEO tools: AgencyAnalytics, Brand24, Frase, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, Profound, Rank Prompt, SE Ranking, Semrush, Similarweb, Surfer SEO. Each one below shows its starting price and when you might pick it instead.
AgencyAnalytics · From $20/client/moChoose AgencyAnalytics if you want a lower starting price ($20/client/mo vs $29/mo).
Brand24 · From $199/moChoose Brand24 if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Otterly.ai · From $29/moChoose Otterly.ai if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Profound · Custom pricingChoose Profound if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Rank Prompt · From $39/moChoose Rank Prompt if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
SE Ranking · From $129/moChoose SE Ranking if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Semrush · From $139/moChoose Semrush if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Similarweb · From $99/moChoose Similarweb if you'd like a second option to compare for ranking on Google.
Compared in
Ahrefs FAQ
How much does Ahrefs cost per month?
As of Oct 24, 2026 (US pricing page): Starter $29/mo, Lite $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo and Enterprise $1,499/mo with an annual commitment. Ahrefs Free costs $0 for sites you verify. Extra users add $40 to $100/mo each, depending on the plan.
Is Ahrefs free?
Partly. Ahrefs Free costs $0 but works only for websites you can prove you own. It includes Site Explorer (up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords shown at once), Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits a month per project), Web Analytics, the SEO Toolbar and 1 AI Content Helper doc a month. Keywords Explorer and research on other people's sites need a paid plan.
What happened to Ahrefs Webmaster Tools?
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is now called Ahrefs Free, according to Ahrefs' own Webmaster Tools page. It still covers verified websites with Site Explorer, Site Audit and Web Analytics at no cost.
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
No. The pricing page doesn't list one, and its FAQ says Ahrefs doesn't run discounts. The cheapest way to try the paid tools is the $29/mo Starter plan, which renews monthly.
What are Ahrefs credits and what happens when you run out?
Credits apply only to Starter and Lite. Opening a report costs 1 credit; filters, date changes and some other actions cost 1 more. Reopening the same report within 30 minutes, paging and sorting are free, and Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Brand Radar don't use credits. Starter is capped at 200 a month with no top-ups; Lite can turn on pay-as-you-go at $50 per 500 credits. Credits reset on your renewal date.
Is Ahrefs worth it for beginners or small sites?
If you only need data on your own site, Ahrefs Free covers that at $0. Starter at $29/mo allows about 200 report views a month with 1 month of history, which fits occasional checks. Regular competitor research points to Lite (1,000 credits) or Standard (unlimited credits).
Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?
At the entry level, yes: Ahrefs has a $29/mo Starter plan and a free account for verified sites, while Semrush's SEO plan is $139/mo ($117.33/mo billed yearly). Ahrefs Lite ($129/mo) costs about the same as Semrush's SEO plan, but Semrush offers a 7-day trial and Ahrefs doesn't.
Ahrefs vs SE Ranking: which costs less?
SE Ranking's Core plan is $129/mo ($103.20/mo billed yearly) with a 14-day trial and 100 AI prompts tracked daily, but no free plan. Ahrefs Lite is also $129/mo, with no trial, while Ahrefs Starter ($29/mo) and Ahrefs Free give cheaper ways in.
Is there an annual discount on Ahrefs?
The pricing page says paying annually saves up to 17%, but it shows no annual prices and asks you to contact support to switch. Starter can only be paid monthly.
Does Ahrefs give refunds?
Ahrefs says it generally doesn't issue refunds. Monthly subscribers who haven't used the service can ask for one, but Ahrefs may decline if the account shows material activity. When you cancel, you keep access until the period ends, then move to Ahrefs Free.
Sources and how we checked
- Official pricing page, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Official website
- Ahrefs help center: About the Starter plan, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs help center: What can I use for free in Ahrefs?, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs help center: Which actions consume credits, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs help center: Usage-based pricing for credit-based plans, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is now Ahrefs Free, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs FAQ, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ahrefs Brand Radar, checked Oct 24, 2026