Ahrefs vs Semrush
AhrefsTechBigs coverAhrefs
SEO Tools
- Score
- Not yet scored
- Price
- Free plan, paid from $29/mo
- Suits
- Solo, Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+)
- Free option
- Free plan
SemrushTechBigs coverSemrush
SEO Tools
- Score
- Not yet scored
- Price
- Flat rate from $117.33/mo
- Suits
- Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+)
- Free option
- Free trial
Our verdict
It depends on your prioritiesThe two largest platforms in the category, separated by how they count what you use and how they sell seats.
TechBigs verdict, published Sep 4, 2026
Semrush is the better first subscription for a team that wants keyword, audit and content work in one place. Ahrefs suits sites where link data and crawl budget matter most, provided you plan for the extra seats.
Read the full analysis
What the quotas count
Ahrefs steps up in projects, tracked keywords and crawl credits: 5 projects, 750 keywords and 100,000 credits on Lite at US$129; 20 projects, 2,000 keywords and 500,000 credits on Standard at US$249; 50 projects, 5,000 keywords and 1.5 million credits on Advanced at US$449. Semrush counts websites and keywords instead: 5 websites and 500 keywords on the SEO and Starter plans, 15 websites and 1,500 keywords on Pro+, 40 websites and 5,000 keywords on Advanced.
Seats are the hidden cost
Every published Ahrefs plan includes one user. Extra seats are sold per plan at US$40, US$60 and US$80 a month, so a three-person team on Lite pays US$129 plus two seats. Semrush also includes one user per plan. Neither vendor's headline price is a team price, which is worth doing the arithmetic on before comparing the two numbers.
Where the coverage differs
Both state site audits and competitor research. Semrush's pricing page also states keyword research and content optimisation; Ahrefs' pricing page emphasises its backlink checker and crawl credits. Ahrefs additionally publishes a free tier and a US$29 Starter plan, which Semrush does not: its entry point is the seven-day trial.
Where they differ
3 facts that can decide it; identical facts are below- PricingAhrefs: Free plan, paid from $29/moSemrush: Flat rate from $117.33/mo
- Free optionAhrefs: Free planSemrush: Free trial
- Team sizeAhrefs: Solo, Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+)Semrush: Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+)
Everything else
Same on both unless markedBasics
Scroll sideways to see every product.
| Basics | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing (products differ) | Free plan, paid from $29/mo | Flat rate from $117.33/mo |
| Pricing model (products differ) | Free plan available | Flat rate |
| Free plan (products differ) | Yes | No |
| Free trial (products differ) | No | Yes |
| Team size (products differ) | Solo, Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+) | Small teams (2–50), Mid-size (51–500), Enterprise (500+) |
| Category | SEO Tools | SEO Tools |
| Product type | SaaS | SaaS |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
Pricing
Ahrefs
- Ahrefs FreeFree
Free
- Starter$29/mo
Flat rate
- Lite$129/mo
Flat rate
- Standard$249/mo
Flat rate
- Advanced$449/mo
Flat rate
- Enterprise$1,499/mo
Flat rate
Semrush
- SEO$117.33/mo
Flat rate, 7-day trial
- Starter$165.17/mo
Flat rate, 7-day trial
- Pro+$248.17/mo
Flat rate, 7-day trial
- Advanced$455.67/mo
Flat rate
Features
Scroll sideways to see every product.
| Feature | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword research (products differ) | Not verified | Yes |
| Backlink analysis (products differ) | Yes | Not verified |
| Content optimisation (products differ) | Not verified | Yes |
| Local SEO (products differ) | Yes | Not verified |
| Rank tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Technical site audit | Yes | Yes |
| Competitor analysis | Yes | Yes |
Integrations
Scroll sideways to see every product.
| Integration | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console (products differ) | Native | Not listed |
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