SEO suites · 2026 head-to-head

SemrushvsAhrefs

Both are all-in-one SEO research suites with keyword databases of almost the same size. Semrush, now owned by Adobe, sells more marketing toolkits around its SEO plans; Ahrefs, independent and bootstrapped, stays closer to SEO data.

Updated 7 rounds29 cited sources

The short answer

Semrush is a visibility platform: SEO plans with daily rank tracking, AI prompt tracking bundled from its $199 Starter plan, and separate toolkits for local, ads, social, PR and traffic data under one login. Ahrefs is an SEO data platform built around its backlink and keyword indexes, with a permanent free plan, plus API access and 5–20 daily AI prompts from its $129 Lite plan. Choose Semrush if you want daily rankings, AI prompt tracking and marketing beyond SEO from one vendor. Choose Ahrefs if link research is the job, you want API access below the top tier, or you’re starting free.

Choose Semrush if…

  • You want rankings updated daily without paying for an add-on
  • You want to track 50 or more AI search prompts a day on one plan
  • Local, ads, social or PR work belongs in the same account as your SEO

Choose Ahrefs if…

  • Backlink research and link building are most of the job
  • You want API access on a $129 plan, not only at the top tier
  • You'd rather start on a free plan for your own verified sites
Price ladder

What each one costs, rung by rung

Every published plan on one dollar scale, read from both pricing pages on September 21, 2026. Move the budget to see which plan each one sells you at that price.

Monthly budget

$199/month

Semrush at $199

Starter

$199/mo · $165.17/mo billed yearly

SEO limits plus 50 AI prompts a day, 1 brand-performance domain

Next rung: Pro+, $299/mo

Ahrefs at $199

Lite

$129/mo · $107.50/mo billed yearly

5 projects, 750 keywords, 1,000 credits, 5 AI prompts, API

Next rung: Standard, $249/mo

Semrush plans

Per plan, one user each; toolkits sold separately

Starts at

$139.95/month· $117.33/mo billed yearly

  • SEO

    5 websites, 500 tracked keywords, 3,000 reports a day; no AI prompts

    $139.95/mo

    $117.33/mo yearly

  • StarterAt $199

    SEO limits plus 50 AI prompts a day, 1 brand-performance domain

    $199/mo

    $165.17/mo yearly

  • Pro+

    15 websites, 1,500 keywords, 100 prompts, historical data

    $299/mo

    $248.17/mo yearly

  • Advanced

    40 websites, 5,000 keywords, 200 prompts, Share of Voice, API

    $549/mo

    $455.67/mo yearly

  • Enterprise

    Unlimited websites; custom limits

    Custom

7-day free trial on SEO, Starter and Pro+ (card required, exports off); free plan with 10 reports a day

Semrush pricing page

Ahrefs plans

Per plan, one user each; credits on Starter and Lite

Starts at

$29/month

  • Ahrefs Free

    Unlimited verified sites; site audit, 1K backlinks and keywords visible

    Free

  • Starter

    Monthly only; 1 project, 50 tracked keywords, 200 credits

    $29/mo

  • LiteAt $199

    5 projects, 750 keywords, 1,000 credits, 5 AI prompts, API

    $129/mo

    $107.50/mo yearly

  • Standard

    20 projects, 2,000 keywords, unlimited credits, 10 prompts

    $249/mo

    $207.50/mo yearly

  • Advanced

    50 projects, 5,000 keywords, 20 prompts, 5 years of history

    $449/mo

    $374.17/mo yearly

  • Enterprise

    Annual commitment; 3+ users, 100 projects, 10,000+ keywords

    $1,499/mo

No free trial; Ahrefs Free plan for your own verified sites

Ahrefs pricing page

What the list prices leave out. Semrush’s page shows the SEO plan as “$139”, but its plan data and knowledge base say $139.95. Semrush sells Local, Content, Advertising, Social, AI PR and Traffic & Market as separate toolkits, the standalone AI Visibility Toolkit at $99 a month per domain, and API units in packages on top of Advanced. Ahrefs adds $40–$80 a month per extra user on self-serve plans, $50 per 500 extra credits on Lite, $199 a month per AI Visibility Index platform or $699 for all, Content Kit from $99, and a paid add-on for daily rank updates. Roundups quoting Semrush Guru at $249.95 or Business at $499.95 describe plans its pricing page no longer lists.

Monthly list prices in USD, checked on .

Round by round

Seven rounds, one call each

Every round names a winner and says why. Where the gap is too small to decide anything, it's a draw.

Round 1

Keyword research

Draw

Draw — the two keyword databases are almost the same size, so the tie-breaker is whether you need more locations or more reports per dollar.

Semrush

Semrush’s knowledge base lists 28.8 billion keywords across 142 geographic databases as of 2026. Its $139.95 SEO plan allows 3,000 reports a day at 10,000 rows each, so heavy research fits on the entry plan.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs states 28.7 billion keywords, filtered from 110 billion it has seen, across 217 locations. Lite meters research at 1,000 credits a month with 2,500 rows per report; Standard and above have unlimited credits under fair use.

Round 3

Site audits & rank tracking

Semrush wins

Semrush, on rank tracking: positions update daily on every paid plan, where Ahrefs updates weekly unless you buy its daily add-on. Site audits are close to even.

Semrush

Round winner

Semrush’s Position Tracking checks 500 to 5,000 keywords daily by plan, AI Overviews included, with multi-location and device tracking from Pro+. Site Audit covers 100,000 to 1 million pages a month, with AI-crawler checks from Starter and JavaScript rendering from Pro+.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker covers 190+ locations down to ZIP code and 19 SERP features, updated weekly by default. Its Site Audit runs 170+ checks, can run always-on, and is free for your own verified sites through Ahrefs Free.

Round 5

API & free access

Ahrefs wins

Ahrefs — its API comes with every plan from the $129 Lite, where Semrush’s needs the $549 Advanced plan plus units, and Ahrefs Free gives real data on your own sites with no card and no expiry.

Semrush

Semrush’s API is part of the $549 Advanced plan, with API units sold in packages at prices it doesn’t publish; its MCP server comes with every plan. The free plan gives one demo project and 10 reports a day, and the 7-day trial needs a card.

Ahrefs

Round winner

Ahrefs includes API and MCP access on Lite, Standard and Advanced, with row caps per request by plan. Ahrefs Free — formerly Webmaster Tools — covers site audits, backlinks and keywords for unlimited verified sites, with no card and no expiry.

Round 6

Price for a solo founder or small team

Draw

Draw — Ahrefs costs less for light use, with a free plan and a $29 Starter; Semrush gives more for daily use with AI tracking, at 50 prompts and 3,000 reports a day for $199.

Semrush

Semrush’s cheapest paid plan is SEO at $139.95 a month, or $117.33 billed yearly, with no AI prompt tracking; Starter adds 50 daily prompts at $199. Each plan includes one user, extra seats cost $45 to $100 a month, and the 7-day trial needs a card.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs starts at $0 with Ahrefs Free, then Starter at $29 a month (monthly only, one project, 200 credits) and Lite at $129. There’s no trial, refunds are generally not issued, and Lite takes up to two extra users at $40 each.

Round 7

Breadth beyond SEO

Semrush wins

Semrush, clearly: separate toolkits for local listings, advertising, social, AI PR and all-channel traffic sit under one login, where Ahrefs’ local and social tools are still in beta.

Semrush

Round winner

Semrush sells Local ($30–$60 per location, with listing management across 70+ directories on Pro), Advertising ($99–$220), Social ($20–$250), AI PR ($149–$499) and Traffic & Market ($289, all-channel traffic from a panel of over 200 million users), each on top of the SEO plan.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs covers paid keywords and ad history inside its SEO reports, plus GBP Monitor and a Social Media Manager, both in beta, and Web Analytics for your own site. It isn’t built for ad launches, listing distribution or competitors’ all-channel traffic.

Spec sheet

Every detail, side by side

8 facts at a glance, then 17 capabilities. Where a product isn't built for something, the cell says what it's built for instead.

  • Included
  • Partly, or as an add-on
  • Not what it's built for
Semrush and Ahrefs, fact by fact and feature by feature
CapabilitySemrushOnline visibility platformAhrefsSEO & marketing platform
At a glance
What it isSEO, AI search and marketing toolkitsSEO data platform with AI visibility tools
Founded2008 · Boston · owned by Adobe since 20262010–11 · Singapore · bootstrapped
Starts at$117.33/mo yearly · $139.95 monthly$29 Starter · Lite $129 ($107.50 yearly)
Free accessFree plan + 7-day trial (card needed)Ahrefs Free for verified sites · no trial
Rank trackingDaily on every paid planWeekly; daily is a paid add-on
AI prompt tracking50–200 a day, from $199 Starter5–20 a day, from $129 Lite
APIAdvanced ($549) only; units sold on topLite, Standard and Advanced, from $129
Users1 per plan; extra $45–$100 each1 per plan; extra $40–$80 each, capped
Research data
Keyword databaseIncluded: 28.8B keywords, 142 databases (2026)Included: 28.7B filtered keywords, 217 locations
Backlink indexIncluded: 43T backlinks stated; shows the last 6 monthsIncluded: 35T link-history records; About page says 3T
Competitor traffic estimatesIncluded: Organic and paid; all-channel via $289 toolkitPartly, or as an add-on: Organic and paid search estimates
Usage limits at entryIncluded: 3,000 reports a day, 10,000 rows eachPartly, or as an add-on: Lite: 1,000 credits a month, 2,500 rows
Historical dataPartly, or as an add-on: Pro+ and Advanced onlyIncluded: 6 months on Lite, 2 years Standard, 5 Advanced
Audits, tracking & content
Site auditIncluded: 100k–1M pages a month; JS rendering from Pro+Included: 170+ checks, always-on; free for verified sites
Rank trackingIncluded: Daily on every paid plan, 500–5,000 keywordsPartly, or as an add-on: Weekly by default; daily is a paid add-on
Local SEOIncluded: Local toolkit, $30–$60 per locationPartly, or as an add-on: GBP Monitor, in beta on paid plans
Content writing toolsIncluded: Content Toolkit $60/mo; optimization on Pro+Partly, or as an add-on: Content Kit add-on, from $99/mo
AI search
AI prompt trackingIncluded: 50–200 a day from Starter; none on SEO planIncluded: 5–20 a day on Lite and up, per platform
AI engines coveredIncluded: ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, PerplexityIncluded: Those five plus Copilot; Claude in custom prompts
AI reports for any domainIncluded: 300 a day from StarterPartly, or as an add-on: AI Visibility Index add-on, from $199/mo
Plans & access
Free planPartly, or as an add-on: 1 demo project, 10 reports a dayIncluded: Ahrefs Free: unlimited verified sites
Free trialIncluded: 7 days, card required, exports offNot what it's built for: No trial; refunds generally not issued
APIPartly, or as an add-on: Advanced only; units sold in packagesIncluded: Lite and up; rows per request capped by plan
MCP accessIncluded: All four plansIncluded: Lite and up, alongside the API
Extra usersIncluded: $45, $80 or $100 a month by planPartly, or as an add-on: $40–$80 each, capped at 2–10 extra
Fit quiz

Which one fits you?

3 questions. The pick updates as you answer, and says why.

01What takes up most of your SEO time?
02What else should the tool cover?
03How will you use it, and pay for it?

Your pick

Answer the questions and the better fit for your situation shows up here.

A third option · from the team that wrote this page

If what you need is the articles, not the research

Semrush and Ahrefs are research platforms: they show what to target, who ranks and what to fix, and then someone still has to write the articles. Rankbox, which publishes this comparison, does the writing. It maps the questions your buyers ask, writes long-form articles from live web research with the sources cited, scores every draft for SEO and AI-answer readiness, and delivers finished articles to your site on a schedule through its publishing API, at $49.50 a month for 30 articles. It isn’t a research suite — if you need rankings, competitor data or site audits every day, one of the two above is still the better buy.

See how Rankbox works

7-day free trial · Card required · Cancel anytime

What Rankbox does, in order

  1. 1Maps the questions your buyers ask, starting from your site and category
  2. 2Writes long-form articles from live web research, with the sources cited
  3. 3Scores every draft for SEO and AI-answer readiness before it goes out
  4. 4Delivers finished articles on a schedule through its publishing API

$49.50/month for 30 articles

FAQ

Semrush vs Ahrefs: common questions

  • Is Semrush or Ahrefs better?

    Semrush fits daily rank tracking, bundled AI prompt tracking and marketing beyond SEO; Ahrefs fits backlink research, API access from $129 and free use on your own sites. Their keyword databases are close to the same size, at about 28.7–28.8 billion keywords each, so the choice usually comes down to scope rather than data.

  • Which is cheaper, Semrush or Ahrefs?

    Ahrefs is cheaper to start: Ahrefs Free costs nothing, Starter is $29 a month and Lite is $129, against Semrush’s $139.95 SEO plan. With AI prompt tracking included, Ahrefs Lite is $129 for 5 daily prompts and Semrush Starter is $199 for 50. Semrush’s entry plan allows 3,000 reports a day, while Lite meters use at 1,000 credits a month. Both pricing pages were checked on 21 September 2026.

  • Is there a free trial for Semrush or Ahrefs?

    Semrush has one and Ahrefs doesn’t. Semrush offers a 7-day free trial on its SEO, Starter and Pro+ plans; it needs a card and turns off exports. Ahrefs offers no trial and generally no refunds, but its permanent Ahrefs Free plan, formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, covers site audits, backlinks and keywords for your own verified sites. Semrush also has a free plan, limited to one demo project and 10 reports a day.

  • Which has the bigger backlink database?

    It’s contested, and the vendors’ own figures don’t settle it. Semrush states 43 trillion backlinks, which Ahrefs describes as live and dead links combined. Ahrefs lists 35 trillion records of backlink history on its data page but 3 trillion external backlinks on its About page. A Style Factory comparison updated 2 September 2026 saw Semrush show more referring domains in 9 of 10 tests; other third-party reviews favour Ahrefs.

  • Is Semrush owned by Adobe now?

    Yes. Adobe completed its acquisition of Semrush on 28 April 2026, at $12.00 a share in cash, about $1.9 billion in equity value; Semrush is now a wholly owned Adobe subsidiary and no longer listed on the NYSE. Semrush told customers there were no immediate changes to services, billing or existing contracts. In June 2026 Adobe launched Adobe Brand Visibility, an enterprise product that uses Semrush’s AI visibility data.

  • Can Semrush and Ahrefs track ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews?

    Yes, both do. Semrush’s AI data covers ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity, with prompt tracking on its Starter, Pro+ and Advanced plans or through its $99 AI Visibility Toolkit; the $139.95 SEO plan includes no prompt tracking. Ahrefs’ Brand Radar includes 5–20 daily custom prompts on Lite and up, Claude among the options, and sells an AI Visibility Index covering six engines, Copilot included, from $199 a month per platform.

  • Which is better for a beginner or a small business?

    Ahrefs is the cheaper place to start, and Semrush gives more room once you use it every day. Ahrefs Free covers site audits, backlinks and keywords for your own verified sites at no cost, and Starter is $29 a month. Semrush’s SEO plan, at $139.95, allows 3,000 reports a day and updates rankings daily, and its 7-day trial lets you try it before paying.

  • Does Ahrefs include API access on cheaper plans than Semrush?

    Yes. Ahrefs includes API and MCP access on Lite ($129), Standard and Advanced, with a cap on rows per request that rises by plan. Semrush’s pricing page lists API access on Advanced ($549) only, with API units sold separately in packages; its MCP access comes with all four plans, including the $139.95 SEO plan.

Method & sources

Where every fact comes from

29 sources from 8 publishers.

How we compared

From Semrush’s and Ahrefs’s own pricing pages, documentation and changelogs, plus dated third-party reporting, last read on September 21, 2026. We haven’t benchmarked either product ourselves, so where a round turns on judgment the verdict says so, and every factual claim traces to a source below. Rankbox makes a product in this space; it appears once, as the third option, and nowhere in the scoring.

More head-to-heads

Still shortlisting?

The same rounds, run on the other pairs people weigh.

All head-to-heads
Keep exploring

Find the questions your buyers ask

Key terms

Rather have the articles than another tool?

Paste your URL. Rankbox reads your site and shows the content gaps, the competitors you’re up against, and the topics it would write first.

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