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SEO software · head to head

Semrush vs Ahrefs

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

Both are large suites that bill extra users separately: Semrush's SEO plan is €134 a month and Ahrefs Lite €119. Semrush spreads wider, with advertising, traffic and local toolkits sold around the SEO core. Ahrefs stays on search and is trusted by many link builders. Marketing teams tend to land on Semrush, full-time SEO specialists on Ahrefs.

Side by side

SemrushAhrefs
What it isBroad search and digital marketing suite, now owned by AdobeSearch-focused suite with a large backlink index
Best forMarketing teams wanting breadthSEO specialists and content teams
HeadquartersUnited StatesSingapore
Pricing modelTiered monthly + add-onsTiered monthly + add-ons
PricingPublished monthly tiers, with the SEO plan listed at €134 a month or €112.52 billed annually for one user, extra charges per additional user and separately sold toolkits for advertising, traffic and local; a limited free account and a 7-day trial are available.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 planFree plan
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		€134 per month billed monthly, or €112.52 per month billed annually (SEO plan)€27 per month (Starter plan); the Lite plan is €119 per month, billed monthly
Place in our SEO software ranking#4 of 12#5 of 12
Websitesemrush.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 Semrush if

your team wants SEO, paid search research and competitor traffic estimates behind one login, and you accept that local, content and AI visibility work may mean buying separate toolkits.

Semrush, #4 in the ranking · Visit Semrush →

Choose Ahrefs if

backlink analysis and link building are the daily job, you prefer a fast, search-only interface to a wider marketing suite, and a free tier limited to your own sites is enough to evaluate it.

Ahrefs, #5 in the ranking · Visit Ahrefs →

Where they differ

Backlink index

By their own figures the two are close. Semrush states more than 43 trillion backlinks and 390 million referring domains, refreshed at least hourly. Ahrefs publishes 35 trillion backlink history records and 209.5 million vetted referring domains, with fresh links added every 15 to 30 minutes. The counts are not measured alike, so judge them on domains you know; many link builders still prefer Ahrefs.

Edge: even

Marketing beyond organic search

Semrush sells whole toolkits around SEO: Advertising from €94.94 a month billed annually, Traffic and Market at €277.15, and Local from $30 per location. Ahrefs covers paid search inside Site Explorer, showing competitors' paid keywords, costs per click and ad copy, but has no separate advertising product. A team that plans PPC, market research and SEO together gets more of it from Semrush.

Edge: Semrush

How the bill grows

Billed monthly, Semrush's SEO plan is €134 with one user, 5 projects and 500 tracked keywords, and extra users start at €43. Ahrefs Lite is €119 with one user, 5 projects and 750 tracked keywords, extra users cost €37.40, and a €27 Starter plan exists for basic research. Semrush's other toolkits are further subscriptions. At the entry level Ahrefs is the smaller bill.

Edge: Ahrefs

Ownership and direction

Semrush became part of Adobe in April 2026. That brings resources and probably closer ties to Adobe's marketing products, but its long-term pricing for small customers is not settled. Ahrefs remains independent and publishes a lot of free research and education. Whether a corporate owner reassures or worries you depends on how much of Adobe you already run.

Edge: even

Trying it without paying

Semrush offers a seven-day free trial and a free account with one demo project and 10 reports a day. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for sites you verify, covering Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics with 5,000 crawl credits a month per project. Semrush's trial lets you test competitor research before paying; the free Ahrefs tools only show your own sites.

Edge: Semrush

Tally: Semrush 2, Ahrefs 1, even 2.

When neither fits

Anyone who uses SEO data only a few hours a month will overpay with either. SE Ranking covers keyword research, audits, backlinks and daily rank tracking at a price small teams can sustain, and Mangools suits founders, bloggers and small sites that mainly need approachable keyword research and rank tracking.

See SE Ranking and Mangools among the 12 products in Best SEO Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Semrush or Ahrefs cheaper?

At the entry level, Ahrefs. Billed monthly, Ahrefs Lite is €119 and Semrush's SEO plan €134, and Ahrefs also has a €27 Starter plan for basic research. Extra users cost €37.40 on Ahrefs Lite and from €43 on Semrush. Annual billing brings Semrush's SEO plan to €112.52 a month.

Can I try Semrush and Ahrefs without paying?

Semrush has a seven-day free trial and a limited free account with 10 reports a day. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools gives free audits and backlink data for sites you have verified, showing up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords. That is enough to judge Ahrefs's data on your own domain, not on competitors.

Is Ahrefs better than Semrush for link building?

Many link builders prefer it, and Content Explorer helps find topics that attract links. On published size the two are close: Semrush states over 43 trillion backlinks and Ahrefs 35 trillion backlink history records. Semrush's edge is the wider toolset, including separate advertising and traffic toolkits.

Does Ahrefs cover paid search like Semrush?

Partly. Ahrefs Site Explorer shows which keywords competitors bid on, their costs per click, ad positions and ad copy. Semrush goes further with a separate Advertising Toolkit, from €94.94 a month billed annually, which adds campaign tools for Google and Meta and, on its Pro tier, competitor display, video and social ads.

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.