SEO & Marketing ToolsOur pick #2 of 3

Ahrefs

by Ahrefs

4.5out of 5, from91 ratings

The strongest backlink and referring-domain data on the shortlist, in an interface that gets you to the answer quickly.

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Paid only. Paid plans; free Webmaster Tools for your own site

Why Ahrefs is on the shortlist

Ahrefs earns its slot on link data. Its index of backlinks and referring domains is the strongest of the tools here, and if your work involves digital PR, link building or working out why a competitor outranks you on authority rather than content, that is the number you live in.

The interface is unusually direct for the category: paste a domain, get the picture. Less time spent assembling a report is a real feature when the report is weekly.

Best for SEO specialists, agencies and anyone whose growth plan is link-led. If you own the site you are studying, their free Webmaster Tools tier gives you audit and backlink data for that site without a subscription.

Skip it if your work is content-led and you need a free or cheap way in. There is no general free tier for researching sites you do not own, and usage limits are worth understanding before you buy.

What readers say about Ahrefs

Ratings come from readers who use it, not from us, and they sit beside our pick rather than deciding it. Vendors cannot buy, edit or remove them.

Sample figures. Reader ratings open soon; the stars and counts shown are placeholders so you can see how the page will read, not measurements of anything.

4.5out of 5

91 reader ratings for Ahrefs

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How the votes fall

  1. 5 stars52
  2. 4 stars28
  3. 3 stars7
  4. 2 stars3
  5. 1 star1

Scored on

  • Ease of use4.5
  • Value for money3.8
  • Support4.0
  • Does the job4.8

91% of raters would recommend it to a business like theirs.

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One click is enough. Add detail if you have a minute; it helps the next person more than the star does.

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Written reviews (none yet)

Nobody has written about Ahrefs here yet. The first written review on a page is the one the next hundred readers use, so if you have run it in a real business, the form above is the place.

How Ahrefs is priced

We describe the shape of the pricing rather than quoting a figure, because figures go stale within weeks. The number is on the vendor's own page, one click away.

Paid only
No general free plan; free Webmaster Tools give audit and backlink data for sites you can verify as your own.
What you pay for
Tiered subscriptions from Lite upwards, with usage-based limits on how much data you can pull and extra users, projects and credits sold on top; the free Webmaster Tools tier covers only sites you own.
In one line
Paid plans; free Webmaster Tools for your own site
Check current pricing on Ahrefs

Who Ahrefs is for, and who should skip it

Best for

  • Link-led growth plans
  • Digital PR and outreach
  • SEO specialists and agencies

Skip it if

  • Content-led on a budget
  • You need a free way in

Alternatives to Ahrefs

The other picks on our SEO Tools shortlist, each with its own reason to be there.

  • Semrush

    The widest SEO and marketing toolkit in one subscription: keywords, competitors, site audits, rank tracking and paid-search data.

    4.3out of 5, from79 ratings

  • Moz Pro

    The gentlest entry point to real SEO tooling, with dependable rank tracking and the clearest teaching material in the category.

    4.1out of 5, from47 ratings

Ahrefs questions people ask

Does Ahrefs have a free plan?

Not for researching sites you do not own. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free and gives you site audits and backlink data for domains you can verify, which is genuinely useful for your own site. Competitor research needs a paid subscription.

Is Ahrefs worth it for a small business?

Worth it if your growth plan is link-led: digital PR, outreach, or working out why a competitor outranks you on authority rather than content. If your work is content-led and budget matters, it is a lot of subscription for the part you would use.

Ahrefs or Semrush?

Ahrefs for link data and a direct interface where you paste a domain and get the picture. Semrush for breadth across keywords, audits, ads and local listings in one bill. Decide which job you are actually paying for and pick the tool that is strongest at it.

What is Ahrefs best at?

Backlinks and referring domains. Its index is the strongest of the tools we list, and its keyword and content tools are good rather than merely present. Less time assembling a weekly report is a real feature when the report is weekly.

Are there usage limits on Ahrefs?

Yes, and they are worth understanding before you buy. Plans are tiered with limits on how much data you can pull, and heavy use can mean buying more capacity or a higher tier. Read the current pricing page rather than assuming a plan is unlimited.

What this page is, and what it is not

This entry is desk research: Ahrefs's own pricing and documentation read on the day this page was written, and our editorial judgement of who it suits. The reader ratings are separate from that judgement and do not change our position. We have not run every tool here in a live business for a year, so treat the day-to-day claims as informed reading rather than a field test.