What does Ahrefs do?
Ahrefs is an SEO platform for backlink and competitor research, keyword research, site audits and rank tracking, with Brand Radar for tracking how AI assistants mention your brand. Pricing (US, Oct 21, 2026): Ahrefs Free $0 for sites you verify, Starter $29/mo, Lite $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo and Enterprise $1,499/mo on an annual commitment.
- Site Explorer. Shows any site's backlinks, the keywords it ranks for and its top pages, so you can study competitors.
- Keywords Explorer. Finds keyword ideas with search volume and difficulty.
- Site Audit. Crawls your site for technical SEO issues. It uses crawl credits, not report credits.
- Rank Tracker. Tracks your Google positions for a set list of keywords, from 50 on Starter to 5,000 on Advanced.
- 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 plans include a small number of prompt checks.
- Credits. On Starter and Lite, each report you open costs 1 credit, and some follow-up actions, like applying filters, 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 21, 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: Site Explorer shows up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords at once; Site Audit 5,000 crawl credits a month per project |
| Starter | $29/mo | Not listed | 1 user, 200 credits a month, 1 month of history, 250 rows per report, 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, 6 months of history, 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, 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, 5,000 tracked keywords, 600 AI prompt checks a month |
| Enterprise | $1,499/mo | Not listed | Annual commitment required; from 3 users, unlimited history, from 10,000 tracked keywords, API access |
The pricing page says paying annually saves up to 17% but shows no annual prices, and says to contact support to switch to annual billing. Brand Radar's AI Visibility Index starts at $199/mo; extra custom-prompt packages start at $50/mo. Report Builder is a $99/mo add-on.
Checked Oct 21, 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 and Site Audit
- $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 on the monthly plans
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
- No annual prices are published; you have to contact support to switch
- Ahrefs says it does not issue refunds in general
- Brand Radar's full AI Visibility Index is a separate cost from $199/mo
- No free trial is listed on the pricing page or FAQ
Based on Ahrefs's own pages, not hands-on testing.
What are the alternatives to Ahrefs?
We list 7 other AI SEO & AEO tools: Frase, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, Profound, SE Ranking, Semrush, Surfer SEO. Each one below shows its starting price and when you might pick it instead.
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.
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.
Compared in
Ahrefs FAQ
How much does Ahrefs cost per month?
As of Oct 21, 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.
Does Ahrefs have a free plan?
Yes. Ahrefs Free works only for websites you can prove you own. It includes Site Explorer (up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords shown at once) and Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits a month per project), plus Web Analytics and the SEO Toolbar.
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
Its pricing page and FAQ don't list one. The cheapest way to try the paid tools is the $29/mo Starter plan, which renews monthly.
What are Ahrefs credits?
On Starter and Lite, each report you open costs 1 credit, and some follow-up actions such as applying filters cost another. Reopening the same report within 30 minutes, paging and sorting are free. Site Audit and Rank Tracker don't use credits.
Can Ahrefs track my brand in ChatGPT and AI Overviews?
Yes, with Brand Radar. It covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, and custom prompts add Claude. Lite includes 150 prompt checks a month; the full AI Visibility Index starts at $199/mo.
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.
Sources and how we checked
- Official pricing page, checked Oct 21, 2026
- Official website
- Ahrefs help center: About the Starter plan, checked Oct 21, 2026
- Ahrefs help center: What can I use for free in Ahrefs?, checked Oct 21, 2026
- Ahrefs FAQ, checked Oct 21, 2026
- Ahrefs Brand Radar, checked Oct 21, 2026