Head-to-head · facts checked 14 Sept 2026
Ahrefs vs Keyword Insights
Ahrefs uniquely has 3 features · Keyword Insights uniquely has 3 features.
From
$58/mo (Basic)
Free plan
No — Pay As You Go available via $1 trial
The verdict
Ahrefs or Keyword Insights?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Ahrefs
Free
Free
Ahrefs data on your own site, key issues to fix
Ahrefs Free
Free
Free access to Ahrefs data on your own site; fix key issues
Starter
$29/mo
Basic keyword and competitor research; see what people search and spy on competitors
Lite
$129/mo · $1,290/yr
5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100K crawl credits, 6 months historical data, 1 user
Standard
$249/mo · $2,490/yr
20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 500K crawl credits, 2 years historical data, 1 user
Advanced
$449/mo · $4,490/yr
50 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, 1.5M crawl credits, 5 years historical data, 1 user
Enterprise
$1,499/mo
All Advanced features plus uncapped API, SSO, unlimited historical data, from 3 users, personalized limits, Annual commitment required
Keyword Insights
Basic
$58/mo · Save 20% annually
10,000 credits/mo, 1 user seat, 5 workspaces, AI Agent support
Professional
$99/mo · Save 20% annually
20,000 credits/mo, 3 user seats, 10 workspaces, team sharing
Premium
$299/mo · Save 20% annually
50,000 credits/mo, 5 user seats, 25 workspaces, live chat support
Enterprise
Custom
Custom credits, custom seats/workspaces, priority support, demo & onboarding
Pay as you go
$0.01/credit
They can be used only for keyword clustering, They cannot be used for content briefs, the AI Writer Agent, or other features, The selected credit amount is enough to cluster only 1 keyword without search-intent analysis and 0 keywords with search intent, Stored data is deleted after 30 days, Unused PAYG credits expire 30 days after the last purchase.
For everything else about each tool, read the full Ahrefs review and Keyword Insights review.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2011 | 2021 |
| HQ | Singapore | London, United Kingdom |
| AI model | Proprietary + Claude + Gemini (multi-model) | Proprietary (NLP + ML models with Information Gain) |
| User base | 1M+ (Fortune 500 widely adopted) | — |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome Extension, API, MCP Server | Web |
| Languages | 173+ countries/locations covered; multilingual keyword data and AI localization | 13 languages for briefs and writing; 100+ for clustering |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Free plan | Yes | No — Pay As You Go available via $1 trial (5,000 one-time credits) |
| Free trial | No | Yes — $1 for 7 days with access to all features and 5,000 credits |
| Starting price | $29/mo (Starter) | $58/mo (Basic) |
| Enterprise | $1,499/mo (annual commitment) | Custom pricing — request a demo |
| Refund policy | Generally no refunds; unused monthly subscriptions may be refunded on request | — |
| All plans | Free — Free Ahrefs Free — Free Starter — $29/mo Lite — $129/mo Standard — $249/mo Advanced — $449/mo Enterprise — $1,499/mo | Basic — $58/mo Professional — $99/mo Premium — $299/mo Enterprise — Custom Pay as you go — $0.01/credit |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | SEOs, content marketers, agencies, and enterprise teams needing comprehensive search and AI visibility data | SEO agencies, content marketers, and enterprise teams building topical authority |
| Differentiator | The only AI marketing platform built on a proprietary web index powering custom LLMs, combining traditional SEO with AI search visibility tracking (Brand Radar, Agent A) and the world's #1 SEO crawler infrastructure. | Clusters keywords by SERP similarity using NLP to reveal exact pages to build and topical gaps, plus surfaces Reddit/Quora/YouTube mentions to influence AI search answers. |
| Competitors | Semrush, Moz, Majestic, Serpstat, SE Ranking | Semrush, Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Frase |
| Features | ||
| AI Copywriting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlink Analysis | ✓ | ✕ |
| Content Brief | ✕ | ✓ |
| Content Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| GSC Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword Clustering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword Research | ✓ | ✓ |
| Long Form Writing | ✕ | ✓ |
| On Page SEO | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rank Tracking | ✓ | ✕ |
| SERP Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Topic Clusters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chrome Extension | ✓ | ✕ |
| CMS | — | WordPress |
| Google Docs | ✕ | ✕ |
| Key Integrations | Google Search Console, Looker Studio (Advanced+), Data Studio Connectors, MCP Server, ChatGPT/Claude/Copilot via API, IndexNow | Google Search Console, WordPress, Public API |
| Wordpress | ✕ | ✓ |
Section 02
Ahrefs vs Keyword Insights: common questions
Is Ahrefs or Keyword Insights cheaper?
Ahrefs's cheapest paid plan is $29/mo (Starter) and Keyword Insights's is $58/mo (Basic). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
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