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Last updated: October 29, 2026

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4 Best Ahrefs Alternatives in 2027 (Cheaper & Free)

Ahrefs has one of the best backlink indexes in SEO, but its Lite plan costs $129/month and annual billing saves only up to 17%. Most people searching for an alternative want the same keyword and competitor data with a free trial, a lower price, or better value per dollar.

Quick answer: the best Ahrefs alternatives

• Semrush — best for an all-in-one SEO and competitor toolkit.
• SE Ranking — best for agencies and rank tracking on a budget.
• Moz Pro — best for beginners and simple rank tracking.
• Ahrefs — best for backlink research.

Ahrefs alternatives compared

Prices checked on October 29, 2026 on each vendor's pricing page.

* From recent pricing guides; the vendor page hides prices. Verify before buying.

Why people switch from Ahrefs

• Lite costs $129/month, Standard $249 and Advanced $449.
• Annual billing saves only up to 17%.
• Starter ($29/month) is limited to keyword research and competitor monitoring.
• Solo bloggers and small businesses often use a fraction of the data.

The 4 best Ahrefs alternatives in detail

1. Semrush — best for an all-in-one SEO and competitor toolkit

Pricing: SEO Toolkit $117.33/month (annual), $139 monthly. Free option: Free plan, no card. Official pricing.

• Pros:
  • Keyword, backlink and competitor data in one tool
  • Free plan and 7-day trial
  • AI search visibility tools
• Cons:
  • Expensive for solo users
  • Learning curve

Choose it if: you want an all-in-one SEO toolkit and want to test it free for 7 days first.

Try Semrush free → 7-day free trial

2. SE Ranking — best for agencies and rank tracking on a budget

Pricing: Core $103.20/month (annual), $129 monthly. Free option: No free plan. Official pricing.

• Pros:
  • 2,000 keywords tracked daily on Core
  • 20% off with annual billing
  • 14-day trial
• Cons:
  • Smaller backlink database than Ahrefs
  • No free plan

Choose it if: you track many keywords for clients: 2,000 tracked daily on Core, 20% off annually.

Try SE Ranking free → 14-day free trial

3. Moz Pro — best for beginners and simple rank tracking

Pricing: Starter from about $49/month. Free option: Free tools (MozBar, limited keyword research). Official pricing.

• Pros:
  • Easy to understand metrics
  • Lower entry price
• Cons:
  • Starter tracks only 50 keywords
  • Smaller data sets than Semrush

Choose it if: you are starting out and want simpler metrics at a lower price.

Try Moz Pro free → Free trial

4. Ahrefs — best for backlink research

Pricing: Starter $29/month, Lite $129/month. Free option: Ahrefs Free: site data and issue fixes. Official pricing.

• Pros:
  • Industry-leading backlink index
  • Clean interface
• Cons:
  • Lite costs $129/month
  • Annual billing only saves up to 17%

Choose it if: you only need keyword research: Ahrefs Starter costs $29/month.

Try Ahrefs free → Starter trial

Pick in 10 seconds

• All-in-one, with a free trial → Semrush
• Agency rank tracking → SE Ranking
• Beginner, small budget → Moz Pro
• Keyword research only → Ahrefs

FAQ

Is Semrush better than Ahrefs?

Semrush covers more marketing areas and has a free plan and a 7-day trial. Ahrefs is often preferred for backlink research. For most small businesses, Semrush's trial makes it the safer first test.

Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?

Google Search Console is free and shows your own site's real search data. Semrush has a free plan with limited queries, and Ahrefs Free shows data for your own site.

What is the cheapest Ahrefs alternative?

Moz Pro starts at about $49/month and SE Ranking Core at $103.20/month on annual billing.

Related

• Ahrefs Pricing 2027: Starter $29, Lite $129 & Full Costs
• Ahrefs vs Semrush (2027): Prices, Trials & Which to Choose