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SEO software · head to head

SE Ranking vs Ahrefs

Mateus Rocha Written by Mateus Rocha · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Priya Nandakumar · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

SE Ranking is a general suite built to be affordable: audits, keyword research, backlink checks and daily rank tracking from €109 a month, with white-label reporting as an add-on. Ahrefs is a specialist's instrument built around a very large crawler and link index, with its Lite plan at €119. Small businesses and agencies choose SE Ranking; full-time SEOs choose Ahrefs.

Side by side

SE RankingAhrefs
What it isAll-in-one SEO platform priced below the big twoSearch-focused suite with a large backlink index
Best forSmall businesses and agenciesSEO specialists and content teams
HeadquartersUnited KingdomSingapore
Pricing modelTiered monthlyTiered monthly + add-ons
PricingPublished monthly tiers by projects, tracked keywords and seats, with Core listed at €109 a month or €87.20 billed annually, and add-ons for AI search visibility, the agency white-label pack and extra seats.Published monthly tiers from a €27 Starter plan for basic research, with Lite at €119 for one user, extra users billed separately and the Brand Radar AI add-on; Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for verified sites.
Free optionFree trialFree plan
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		€109 per month billed monthly, or €87.20 per month billed annually (Core plan)€27 per month (Starter plan); the Lite plan is €119 per month, billed monthly
Place in our SEO software ranking#1 of 12#5 of 12
Websiteseranking.comahrefs.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best SEO Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose SE Ranking if

you look after a few sites or clients, need daily rank tracking down to city or ZIP level and branded reports, and want to keep the subscription around €100 a month.

SE Ranking, #1 in the ranking · Visit SE Ranking →

Choose Ahrefs if

you spend your days in backlink and content research, need the larger index for competitive link work, and use the tool enough to justify higher tiers and paid extra users.

Ahrefs, #5 in the ranking · Visit Ahrefs →

Where they differ

Link index for serious link work

SE Ranking states 2.9 trillion backlinks and 428 million domains in its index, with 58% of links rechecked within 90 days. Ahrefs publishes 35 trillion backlink history records and 494 billion pages, adds fresh link data every 15 to 30 minutes, and Content Explorer finds topics that attract links. The two count differently, but for prospecting, freshness favors Ahrefs.

Edge: Ahrefs

Cost for a small team

Billed monthly, SE Ranking Core is €109 with 10 projects and 2,000 keywords tracked daily, and extra seats start at €14.40. Ahrefs Lite is €119 with 5 projects and 750 tracked keywords, and each extra user is €37.40; its €27 Starter plan covers only basic research. For a team of two or three with modest usage, SE Ranking is the cheaper configuration.

Edge: SE Ranking

Local tracking and client reports

Both track rankings from country level down to city and ZIP code. SE Ranking checks daily, and its Agency Pack, €59 a month on annual billing, adds a white-label platform, 30 client seats and unlimited scheduled reports. Ahrefs updates rankings weekly as standard, and lists Report Builder and its Looker Studio integration from the Standard plan at €229. SE Ranking fits agency reporting better.

Edge: SE Ranking

Trying it before you commit

SE Ranking has a 14-day free trial of the suite with no credit card. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for sites you verify, with 5,000 crawl credits a month per project and up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords shown. One lets you test competitor research for two weeks; the other lets you keep auditing your own site indefinitely. Which is worth more depends on the job.

Edge: even

Tally: SE Ranking 2, Ahrefs 1, even 1.

When neither fits

A marketing team that wants paid search research and competitor traffic estimates beside SEO is better served by Semrush, which has the broadest toolset. And if the work is technical crawling of a very large site, Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the crawler to buy.

See Semrush and Screaming Frog SEO Spider among the 12 products in Best SEO Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is SE Ranking a real alternative to Ahrefs?

For audits, keyword research, rank tracking and routine backlink checks, yes, and at a lower price. For heavy backlink research or niche and non-English keyword work, SE Ranking's smaller databases show. It depends on how much of your week is link analysis.

Can I use SE Ranking together with the free Ahrefs tools?

Yes, and it is a sensible combination. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for verified sites and provides Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics data for your own domain. SE Ranking then covers rank tracking, competitor research and client reporting as the paid suite.

Do SE Ranking and Ahrefs track AI visibility?

Both do. SE Ranking's plans include a daily allowance of AI prompts to track, 100 on Core, and its AI Search add-on costs €79 a month, or €63.20 on annual billing. Ahrefs sells Brand Radar AI as an add-on starting at €179 a month, with custom prompt packages priced separately.

What do SE Ranking and Ahrefs cost per month?

SE Ranking lists Core at €109 and Growth at €235 billed monthly, or €87.20 and €188 billed annually. Ahrefs lists Starter at €27, Lite at €119, Standard at €229 and Advanced at €419 a month, with up to 17% off for annual billing. Each includes one user, except SE Ranking Growth with three.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.