Best Ahrefs Alternatives
Ahrefs is not expensive at the bottom. Starter is $29 a month and there is a free tier for your own verified site. The problem is the jump: Standard, the plan most people actually need, is $249 a month, and API access on top is its own line item. That is what sends people looking, so this page is grouped by which of those problems you have. Everything here is a tool we have reviewed, with pricing taken from the vendor's own page.
If you want the full suite for less than $249
The closest like-for-like options. All three do keyword research, rank tracking and site audits rather than just content scoring.
$99/mo and the closest full-suite option we review. It is also the comparison people search for most against Ahrefs.
$129/mo for the Core plan. API is an add-on from $149/mo, so price the two together if the API is why you are here.
$139/mo and the obvious head-to-head. Has a limited free account, and the API sits on the Advanced plan.
If you need an API
A distinct problem, and one most comparison pages ignore. Semrush and SE Ranking, both above, offer one: Semrush on its Advanced plan, SE Ranking as an add-on from $149/mo. The three below are the cheaper routes. Note an API is usually gated behind a higher plan here too, so check the tier before assuming it beats Ahrefs on price.
$23/mo, and the Neuron API is available from the Gold plan. The cheapest route to an API on this page.
$39/mo with an MCP server, CLI and API. The most developer-friendly of the content tools.
$58/mo with a public API on Premium. Keyword clustering rather than a full suite.
If you only optimise content
These are content tools, not backlink tools. If what you use Ahrefs for is briefs and on-page scoring rather than its link index, they are a fraction of the price. If you need the link data, they are not replacements.
$24/mo and the cheapest content tool here. No API stated.
$59/mo. On-page and content scoring, with the API on its higher tiers.
$129/mo. Content scoring only, priced like a full suite, so it has to be worth it on quality alone.
Every AI SEO & Content Tool we've reviewed
Koala AI
POP
Semrush
AirOps
Clearscope
Keyword Insights
Rankability
SE Ranking
Surfer
NEURONwriter
Scalenut
SearchAtlas
Content Harmony
Frase
Writesonic
MarketMuse
AI SEO
Junia AI
RankIQ
SEO Writing AI
WriterZen
Frequently asked
Is there a free alternative to Ahrefs?
Ahrefs itself has a free tier, Webmaster Tools, for sites you can verify ownership of. Among the alternatives we review, Semrush has a limited free account and Junia AI and AI Overview Optimizer have free tiers, but none of them give you a backlink index for free. If free is the requirement, start with Ahrefs' own free tier rather than switching.
Which Ahrefs alternatives have an API?
Of the ones we review: Semrush on its Advanced plan, SE Ranking as an add-on from $149/mo, NEURONwriter from the Gold plan, Frase which ships an MCP server and CLI alongside its API, and Keyword Insights on Premium. Surfer offers one on its higher tiers. SearchAtlas, Scalenut, Clearscope and MarketMuse do not publicly state one.
What is the cheapest Ahrefs alternative?
NEURONwriter at $23/mo and Scalenut at $24/mo, but both are content optimisation tools rather than full SEO suites. For something closer to what Ahrefs does, SearchAtlas at $99/mo is the cheapest we review.
Is Semrush better than Ahrefs?
They are the two names most often weighed against each other and neither wins outright. Semrush is $139/mo against Ahrefs' $249 Standard, and covers more ground in paid search and advertising. Ahrefs is generally preferred for its backlink index. Which matters more depends on whether you do link building or campaign management.
Can anything replace Ahrefs' backlink index?
Not among the tools on this page, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. Ahrefs' differentiator is its own web crawl, and the alternatives here compete on price, on content features or on breadth rather than on link data. If the index is why you pay for Ahrefs, the honest answer is that switching costs you something.