Ahrefs is great at backlinks. But it costs $129 a month for one person, and the cheapest full plan, Lite, gives you 1,000 credits a month. Every report you open uses one.
Most people look for an Ahrefs alternative for one of three jobs: checking backlinks, finding content gaps against competitors, or doing both on a smaller budget.
So we sorted this guide by those jobs, not by brand. On 21 October 2026 we checked the pricing page of every tool here. We also ran our own tools on real sites, Ahrefs included, to show what you can see for free.
Here's which alternative fits which job, what it really costs, and when Ahrefs is still worth it.
For backlink checks and core SEO in one account on a small budget, start with seotools.pro. The Backlink Analyzer comes with Pro at $49 a month, and Business ($99) adds backlink gap analysis and API access. Pick Majestic if you only care about links, SE Ranking or Semrush for a full suite, and Mangools or Ubersuggest for simple research on the tightest budget.
- Ahrefs Lite is $129 a month with 1,000 credits per user. Opening a report or applying a filter uses a credit. Extra credits are $50 per 500.
- Lite does include Content Gap and Link Intersect (in Competitive Analysis). Content Explorer and Batch Analysis start on Standard at $249 a month.
- For one user on monthly billing, the cheapest full plan with backlink data ranged from $348 a year (Ubersuggest) to $1,668 (Semrush). seotools.pro Pro came to $588.
- Every vendor counts links its own way. Compare referring domains, not raw backlink totals.
- Stay with Ahrefs if links are your main job every day and the budget is there. Its index is still a benchmark for many SEOs.
Ahrefs alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Cheapest full plan with backlinks (monthly) | Link gap tool | Extra users | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seotools.pro | $49 (Pro) | Backlink Gap on Business ($99) | Not listed on the pricing page | Small teams that want links, audits and keywords in one affordable account |
| Majestic | $49.99 (Lite) | Clique Hunter on Pro ($99.99) | 1 user on Lite and Pro | Link-only research and link building |
| Semrush | $139 (SEO) | Backlink Gap (plan limits not listed) | From $45 a month | Full marketing suite with SEO, PPC and content |
| SE Ranking | $129 (Core) | Backlink Gap Analyzer | From $16 a month | Agencies and client reporting |
| Moz Pro | $99 (Standard) | Link Intersect | $49 a month | Teams that report on Domain Authority |
| Serpstat | $69 (Individual) | Link Intersection | Team plan, $129 for 3 users | Keyword and competitor research on a budget |
| Mangools | $49 (Basic) | No named tool | Premium, $69 for 3 seats | Beginners and simple research |
| Ubersuggest | $29 (Individual) | Backlink Opportunity | $5 a month each | Solo site owners on the smallest budget |
| Ahrefs (for reference) | $129 (Lite) | Link Intersect (in Competitive Analysis) | $40 a month (up to 2 more) | Deep backlink research |
Why People Look for an Ahrefs Alternative
It's rarely about the data. Ahrefs says it has 35 trillion external backlinks in its history and crawls 5 million pages a minute. People leave for more practical reasons.
1. The price for one person
Lite is $129 a month, or $107.50 a month billed yearly. Ahrefs doesn't offer a free trial, and its pricing page says, "We never run discounts."
For a freelancer or a small business, that's a lot. On Capterra, a sole-trader SEO copywriter wrote:
"Unfortunately as a sole trader it's a little pricey for me, though I would love to keep using the paid version."
— Erin H., SEO Copywriter, Capterra review, April 2025A marketing manager at a company of 2 to 10 people said the same in April 2026: "Ahrefs is not cheap, and for a small business just getting started with SEO, it can be hard to justify the monthly cost."
2. Credits
Ahrefs moved to usage-based pricing in 2022. Its help center explains it plainly: "1 credit is consumed whenever you open a report, apply filters, or request additional data." Site Audit and Rank Tracker don't use credits.
Lite gives 1,000 credits per user a month. That doubled from 500 in April 2026, according to the pricing tracker PricingSaaS, which helps. But a busy research week can still use them up. Extra credits cost $50 per 500. Pay-as-you-go charges are off by default.
Not everyone likes paying twice. A marketing manager at a small company put it bluntly on Capterra:
"…why pay for a monthly subscription and then pay for more credits to get too [sic] the information."
— Tony L., Marketing Manager, Capterra review, October 2024Ahrefs itself admits this was hard to get right. In its own post on the pricing changes, it wrote that "developing usage-based pricing for a complex product like Ahrefs turned out to be quite a challenge" (Ahrefs blog).
3. Teams pay per person
Lite includes 1 user. You can add up to 2 more, at $20 a month for light use or $40 a month for heavy use. For more people, you need Standard at $249 a month.
Dennis Yu of BlitzMetrics wrote about his team cancelling in July 2024: "Ahrefs is a great product, but their pricing makes no sense for teams like ours anymore." His advice wasn't to leave Ahrefs entirely, though. He told readers to get their own $29 Starter plan instead (BlitzMetrics). More on that option below.
What people actually search for
We ran "ahrefs alternatives" through our own Keyword Research tool. In the US it gets about 590 searches a month, with a difficulty of just 7. The "free" versions add up fast: "free ahrefs alternative" and "free ahrefs alternatives" get about 170 each.
So this guide covers paid and free options, and starts with the jobs people buy Ahrefs for.
How We Compared the Tools
Many lists online still quote old Ahrefs prices, like a $99 Lite plan or 500 credits. And many are written by one of the tools in the list. We're one of them too, so here's exactly what we did:
- Prices and limits come from each vendor's own pricing page or plan feed on 21 October 2026. Monthly billing, list prices in US dollars, no promo codes.
- "Cheapest full plan with backlinks" means the lowest regular plan that includes backlink research. We left out light starter tiers (Ahrefs Starter, Moz Starter) and cover them separately.
- Gap tools are listed only where the vendor names them. Where a pricing page doesn't say which plan includes a tool, we say so.
- Our own data comes from seotools.pro's free tools, run on the same day. Backlink counts and traffic are estimates from our data, not the other vendors' numbers.
Job 1: Backlink Research
This is why most people buy Ahrefs. You want to see who links to a site, how strong those links are, and which ones you could get too.
One thing to know first: every tool has its own crawler and its own index. The numbers won't match between tools. That's normal.
A quick test: why raw backlink counts mislead
We ran 3 tools from this list through our free Batch Domain Analysis, side by side, for 5 US keywords:
majestic.com shows 3,364,725 backlinks. mangools.com shows 91,015. That looks like a huge gap.
But look at referring domains: 34,903 vs 12,127. That's about 96 links per domain for Majestic and about 7.5 for Mangools. Sitewide links, like a footer link repeated on every page, inflate the total. Referring domains tell you more about real reach.
The traffic tells another story. mangools.com gets an estimated 23,934 US visits a month from Google, about 3 times majestic.com's 7,790. More links didn't mean more traffic here.
The best options for backlinks
- seotools.pro Backlink Analyzer shows backlinks, referring domains, the dofollow split, anchors and the strongest links. It's on Pro ($49) and free to try.
- Majestic is built only for links. Lite ($49.99) uses its Fresh Index of the last 120 days. Pro ($99.99) adds the Historic Index, which covers 2006 to March 2024.
- Semrush says its database holds "43T+ backlinks across 800M+ domains".
- SE Ranking says it has indexed 2.9 trillion backlinks.
- Moz Pro says its Link Explorer covers 45.5 trillion links.
Those are each vendor's own claims, and they don't count the same thing. Don't pick a tool on index size alone. Test it on a site you know well, like your own.
Job 2: Content Gaps and Link Gaps
A content gap is the list of keywords your competitors rank for and you don't. A link gap is the list of sites that link to your competitors but not to you. Both turn into a to-do list.
On Ahrefs, both live in Competitive Analysis. Its help center says Content Gap "can be found as one of the tools under Competitive Analysis", and you can compare up to 10 competitors. It's on Lite.
Here's where the alternatives keep their gap tools:
- Semrush: Keyword Gap and Backlink Gap, up to 5 competitors. The pricing page doesn't list which plan includes them.
- SE Ranking: Competitive Research for keywords, plus a Backlink Gap Analyzer. Core includes "Unlimited keyword, competitor, backlink research".
- Moz Pro: Keyword Gap (up to 3 competitors) and Link Intersect (up to 5). Standard includes 50 Competitive Research queries.
- Majestic: Clique Hunter compares up to 10 sites to find links your competitors have but you don't. It's on Pro, not Lite. There's no keyword gap tool.
- Serpstat: competitor keyword research and a Link Intersection tool.
- Ubersuggest: Keyword Gap and Backlink Opportunity. Every plan lists competitive analysis.
- Mangools: no named gap tool. You can look up a competitor's keywords in KWFinder and its links in LinkMiner, one at a time.
- seotools.pro: backlink gap analysis is on Business ($99). There's no one-click content gap report on any plan yet. The free workflow below gets you most of the way.
A free content gap check in 4 steps
- Pick 3 competitors. Use the sites that rank above you for your main keywords.
- Run them through Batch Domain Analysis. Add your site and up to 5 keywords. You'll see who ranks for what, and where you don't.
- Open each competitor in the Organic Traffic Checker. It shows their top keywords and the pages that earn them.
- Check the best gaps in Keyword Research. Keep the ones with real volume and a difficulty you can win.
Here's what step 3 looks like for ahrefs.com itself:
It's more manual than Ahrefs' one report. But it costs nothing, and for one site with a few competitors, it's often enough.
Job 3: Budget
Here's what each option costs for one person, and what changes for a team.
1. seotools.pro: the best value all-in-one
This is our tool, so read this section knowing that. We built seotools.pro for small teams that need the core SEO jobs done without a big monthly bill.
Price: Lite $24, Pro $49, Business $99 a month. Billed yearly, that's $20, $41 and $83 a month. Each plan has a 7-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
For backlinks: the Backlink Analyzer starts on Pro. Business, the plan for teams and agencies, adds backlink gap analysis and API access. Lite doesn't include the Backlink Analyzer.
No credits: plans list projects and keyword allowances, not per-report credits. Pro has 30 projects and a 100,000-keyword allowance. Business has 100 projects and 400,000.
You can try it free first. Here's ahrefs.com in our free Backlink Analyzer:
- Backlinks, site audits, keyword research and rank tracking in one account
- Backlink Analyzer from $49 a month, with no per-report credits
- Free tools work on any site, 3 checks a day, no sign-up
- Done-for-you link building if you'd rather not do outreach yourself
- No one-click content gap report yet
- Backlink gap and API access need Business ($99)
- Newer brand, so fewer tutorials and courses
Who it's for: small businesses, freelancers and small teams whose work is mostly SEO. If you want links without the outreach, our link building service does it for you.
See backlinks, referring domains and the strongest links in seconds. Then try any paid plan free for 7 days.
- Backlink Analyzer on Pro, $49 a month
- Backlink gap and API on Business
- No per-report credits
- 2 months free on yearly billing
2. Majestic: links and nothing else
Majestic is a backlink index, not an SEO suite. It's known for its own link metrics, Trust Flow and Citation Flow.
Price: Lite is $49.99 a month ($41.67 billed yearly) for 1 user and the Fresh Index. Pro is $99.99 a month ($83.33 billed yearly). It adds the Historic Index, Compare and Clique Hunter. The API plan is $399.99 a month and includes 5 users.
Watch out for: it has only light keyword tools (Keyword Checker, plus Search Explorer on Pro), rank tracking only through Google Search Console on Pro, and no site audit. There's no free trial, but Lite and Pro have a 7-day money-back guarantee for new customers.
Pick it if link building is your whole job and you already have other tools for keywords.
3. Semrush: the full-suite rival
Semrush is Ahrefs' biggest competitor. It covers SEO, ads, content and social. Adobe completed its purchase of Semrush in April 2026.
Price: the SEO plan is $139 a month ($117.33 billed yearly) for 5 websites and 500 tracked keywords. Extra users start at $45 a month. There's a free plan with 10 reports a day.
Watch out for: it costs more than Ahrefs Lite. It's an upgrade in features, not a saving. We compared it in detail in Semrush alternatives for small teams.
Pick it if you also run Google Ads or need its market research tools.
4. SE Ranking: the closest match for agencies
SE Ranking has backlinks, rank tracking, audits, competitor research and client reports in one place.
Price: Core is $129 a month ($103.20 billed yearly) with 1 seat and 10 projects. Growth is $279 a month ($223.20 billed yearly) with 3 seats. Extra seats are listed "from $16".
Watch out for: for 1 person, it's the same price as Ahrefs Lite. Its value is in seats, daily rank tracking and reports. AI search tracking is an $89 add-on.
Free trial: 14 days, no card needed.
Pick it if you report to clients and want gap tools without credits.
5. Moz Pro: Domain Authority and fixed quotas
Moz created Domain Authority, a score many clients still ask for. Moz Pro covers links, keywords, rankings and site crawls.
Price: Standard is $99 a month ($79 billed yearly) for 1 user, 5,000 backlink queries a month and 50 Competitive Research queries. There's also a $49 Starter plan for a single site, with 75 backlink queries a month. Extra seats are $49 a month.
Watch out for: on 21 October the page showed a "save up to 40%" banner, so prices may shift.
Pick it if your clients or your boss report on Domain Authority.
6. Serpstat: research on a budget
Price: Individual is $69 a month ($50 billed yearly), with backlink analysis and 2,000 results per report. Team is $129 a month ($100 billed yearly) for 3 users and 10,000 results per report.
Watch out for: the 7-day trial needs a card. Serpstat charges $1 to verify it and returns it.
Pick it if you want keyword and competitor research for much less than Ahrefs.
7. Mangools: the easiest to learn
Mangools is a set of simple apps, including KWFinder for keywords and LinkMiner for backlinks. LinkMiner uses Majestic's link data.
Price: Basic is $49 a month ($29.90 billed yearly) for 1 login. Premium is $69 a month ($44.90 billed yearly) with 3 seats.
Watch out for: there's no site audit and no named gap tool. Paid plans have a 48-hour money-back guarantee.
Pick it if you're new to SEO and want simple answers fast.
8. Ubersuggest: the cheapest paid plan
Price: Individual is $29 a month ($16 a month billed yearly) for 1 project and 2,000 backlink rows. Extra users are $5 a month each. There's also a $290 one-time lifetime plan.
Watch out for: the data is lighter than the bigger tools. When we checked, the page showed a countdown banner for its lifetime deal. Lifetime purchases are final and non-refundable.
Pick it if you run 1 small site and every dollar counts.
Free Ahrefs Alternatives
If you're not ready to pay, these cover the basics:
- seotools.pro free tools. Backlink Analyzer, Organic Traffic Checker, Keyword Research and Website Audit work on any site, 3 checks a day each, no sign-up.
- Ahrefs Free. The new name for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. It gives limited Site Explorer and Site Audit data for sites you own.
- Google Search Console. Free, and it's Google's own data on your links and searches. It only shows your own site.
- Semrush Free. 10 reports a day, no card needed.
For one site that's still fixing the basics, free tools are often enough. We explain when to upgrade in free vs paid SEO tools.
When You Should Stay With Ahrefs
An alternative isn't always the right call. Stay with Ahrefs if:
- Links are your main job every day. Its index is still a benchmark for many SEOs.
- You need Content Explorer. It starts on Standard, and few cheaper tools match it.
- You need light access only. Starter is $29 a month with 200 credits. It's built for light use, and it doesn't include Competitive Analysis.
- You own the sites you check. Ahrefs Free may be all you need.
Ahrefs is not overpriced for heavy users. The question is whether you use enough of it to justify $129 a month.
How to Switch Without Losing Data
- List what you really use. Check your last 3 months and note the reports you open every week.
- Export before you cancel. Download your backlink lists, lost links, gap reports and rank history as CSV files.
- Connect Google Search Console. It keeps 16 months of your search data, whatever tool you use.
- Test on your own site. Run your domain in the new tool and compare referring domains, not raw backlink totals.
- Overlap for 2 weeks. Start the new trial before your Ahrefs renewal date.
- Switch to yearly once you're sure. The tools here cut about 16% to 45% for yearly billing.
The Verdict
Ahrefs is still one of the best backlink tools you can buy. But at $129 a month with credits, many small teams pay for more than they use.
If you need backlinks plus audits, keywords and rank tracking in one place, seotools.pro Pro is $49 a month with the Backlink Analyzer, and Business adds backlink gap analysis. Pick Majestic for pure link work, SE Ranking or Semrush for a full suite, and Mangools or Ubersuggest for the tightest budget.
The easiest way to decide: check your own site's backlinks free today and compare the result with what you see in Ahrefs.
FAQ
What is the best Ahrefs alternative?
For small teams that want backlinks plus core SEO in one place, seotools.pro. The Backlink Analyzer starts on Pro at $49 a month. For pure link research, Majestic. For a full suite with client reporting, SE Ranking.
Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?
Yes. seotools.pro's free Backlink Analyzer, Organic Traffic Checker and Keyword Research give 3 checks a day each, with no sign-up. Ahrefs Free and Google Search Console are free for sites you own.
How much does Ahrefs cost in 2026?
On 21 October 2026, Starter was $29 a month, Lite $129, Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499. Billing yearly saves up to 17%. There's no free trial.
How do Ahrefs credits work?
One credit is used when you open a report, apply a filter or request more data. Lite includes 1,000 credits per user a month. Site Audit and Rank Tracker don't use credits. Extra credits are $50 per 500. Standard and higher plans have unlimited fair usage.
Does Ahrefs Lite include Content Gap?
Yes. Content Gap and Link Intersect are part of Competitive Analysis, which is included on Lite. You can compare up to 10 competitors.
Sources
Prices and limits checked on each vendor's pricing page or plan feed on 21 October 2026: Ahrefs, Majestic, Semrush, SE Ranking, Moz Pro, Serpstat, Mangools, Ubersuggest and seotools.pro. Credit rules from the Ahrefs help center. Index sizes as stated by Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking and Moz. Reviews quoted from Capterra. Prices change often, so check before you buy.