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.
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
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 2
Ahrefs wins
Backlink data
Ahrefs, narrowly: link data is the product it was built on, and it cites Cloudflare Radar ranking its crawler first among SEO bots. Semrush states a larger index and one 2026 third-party test favoured it, so treat this as contested.
Semrush
Semrush states 43 trillion backlinks, crawls around 10 billion links a day and says new links appear in about 40 minutes on average. Its tool shows links seen in the last six months; Ahrefs describes the 43 trillion as live and dead links combined.
Ahrefs
Round winner
Ahrefs’ data page lists 35 trillion records of external backlink history, while its About page says 3 trillion external backlinks. It says the index takes fresh data every 15–30 minutes, and cites Cloudflare Radar, as of July 2026, ranking AhrefsBot the top SEO crawler.
Round 3
Semrush wins
Site audits & rank tracking
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 4
Semrush wins
AI search visibility
Semrush, narrowly and on value: Starter tracks 50 prompts a day for $199, against 5 on Ahrefs Lite. Ahrefs covers more engines and states a larger prompt index, at extra cost.
Semrush
Round winner
Semrush bundles AI tracking into Starter, Pro+ and Advanced (sold as Semrush One): 50, 100 or 200 tracked prompts a day, with AI data covering ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity from a stated 317-million-prompt database. It doesn’t document how a prompt counts across engines, and the $139.95 SEO plan includes no prompt tracking.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs’ Brand Radar includes 5, 10 or 20 custom prompts a day on Lite, Standard and Advanced, each checked on every platform you select, Claude included. Its AI Visibility Index — a stated 454M+ prompts across six engines, Copilot among them — costs $199 a month per platform or $699 for all.
Round 5
Ahrefs wins
API & free access
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
Draw
Price for a solo founder or small team
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
Semrush wins
Breadth beyond SEO
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.
Your situation
Which one fits you?
Three questions. The pick updates as you answer, and tells you why.
Your pick
VS
Answer the questions and the better fit for your situation shows up here.
Feature by feature
Everything else, in 17 rows
Where a product isn't built for something, the cell says what it's built for instead.
IncludedIncludedPartly, or as an add-onPartly, or as an add-onNot what it's built forNot what it's built for
Capability
Semrush
Ahrefs
Research data
Keyword database
Semrush
Included
28.8B keywords, 142 databases (2026)
Ahrefs
Included
28.7B filtered keywords, 217 locations
Backlink index
Semrush
Included
43T backlinks stated; shows the last 6 months
Ahrefs
Included
35T link-history records; About page says 3T
Competitor traffic estimates
Semrush
Included
Organic and paid; all-channel via $289 toolkit
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
Organic and paid search estimates
Usage limits at entry
Semrush
Included
3,000 reports a day, 10,000 rows each
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
Lite: 1,000 credits a month, 2,500 rows
Historical data
Semrush
Partly, or as an add-on
Pro+ and Advanced only
Ahrefs
Included
6 months on Lite, 2 years Standard, 5 Advanced
Audits, tracking & content
Site audit
Semrush
Included
100k–1M pages a month; JS rendering from Pro+
Ahrefs
Included
170+ checks, always-on; free for verified sites
Rank tracking
Semrush
Included
Daily on every paid plan, 500–5,000 keywords
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
Weekly by default; daily is a paid add-on
Local SEO
Semrush
Included
Local toolkit, $30–$60 per location
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
GBP Monitor, in beta on paid plans
Content writing tools
Semrush
Included
Content Toolkit $60/mo; optimization on Pro+
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
Content Kit add-on, from $99/mo
AI search
AI prompt tracking
Semrush
Included
50–200 a day from Starter; none on SEO plan
Ahrefs
Included
5–20 a day on Lite and up, per platform
AI engines covered
Semrush
Included
ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity
Ahrefs
Included
Those five plus Copilot; Claude in custom prompts
AI reports for any domain
Semrush
Included
300 a day from Starter
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
AI Visibility Index add-on, from $199/mo
Plans & access
Free plan
Semrush
Partly, or as an add-on
1 demo project, 10 reports a day
Ahrefs
Included
Ahrefs Free: unlimited verified sites
Free trial
Semrush
Included
7 days, card required, exports off
Ahrefs
Not what it's built for
No trial; refunds generally not issued
API
Semrush
Partly, or as an add-on
Advanced only; units sold in packages
Ahrefs
Included
Lite and up; rows per request capped by plan
MCP access
Semrush
Included
All four plans
Ahrefs
Included
Lite and up, alongside the API
Extra users
Semrush
Included
$45, $80 or $100 a month by plan
Ahrefs
Partly, or as an add-on
$40–$80 each, capped at 2–10 extra
Pricing
What each one costs
Published list prices, read from both pricing pages on September 21, 2026.
Semrush
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
Starter
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’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.
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.
Maps the questions your buyers ask, starting from your site and category
Writes long-form articles from live web research, with the sources cited
Scores every draft for SEO and AI-answer readiness before it goes out
Delivers finished articles on a schedule through its publishing API
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.
QWhich 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.
QIs 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.
QWhich 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.
QIs 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.
QCan 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.
QWhich 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.
QDoes 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.