Ahrefs is cheaper, but covers only 0 of 10 compared capabilities
$0/mo (Ahrefs Free) vs SE Ranking Core at $129/mo — covering 0% of the 10 compared capabilities.
Cheaper. Not the same job.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Core plan at $129/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Ahrefs Free: 0 USD/monthly.
SE Ranking costs $129/mo on the Core plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 10 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Ahrefs covers 0% of the 10 capabilities compared against SE Ranking. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Ahrefs | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Rank tracking | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
| Keyword research | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
| Backlink analysis | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
| Site audit | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
| Competitor analysis | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
| White-label reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Local SEO | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
| AI search visibility | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
| Content optimization | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
| API access | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities SE Ranking has that Ahrefs lacks.
- Rank tracking — Track keyword rankings over time.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Keyword research — Research keywords and their search volume.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Backlink analysis — Analyze the backlinks pointing to a site.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Site audit — Scan a site for technical SEO issues.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Competitor analysis — Compare your site's SEO performance against competitors.Missing from Ahrefs.
- White-label reporting — Generate SEO reports branded with your own logo.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Local SEO — Track and optimize rankings for local search results.Missing from Ahrefs.
- AI search visibility — Track how a site appears in AI-generated search answers.Missing from Ahrefs.
- Content optimization — Get suggestions to improve a page's content for search rankings.Missing from Ahrefs.
- API access — Pull SEO data programmatically via an API.Missing from Ahrefs.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Ahrefs Free | Free |
| Starter | $29/mo |
| Lite | $129/mo |
| Standard | $249/mo |
| Advanced | $449/mo |
| Enterprise | $1499/mo (billed yearly) |
| Core | $129/mo |
| Growth | $279/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Ahrefs than SE Ranking?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Ahrefs Free vs $129/mo on Core. That is $1548 a year. But it covers only 0 of 10 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does Ahrefs lack compared with SE Ranking?
Rank tracking, Keyword research, Backlink analysis, Site audit, Competitor analysis, White-label reporting, Local SEO, AI search visibility, Content optimization, API access — 10 of the 10 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
SE Ranking: 2026-10-26; Ahrefs: 2026-10-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://seranking.com/subscription.html (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- Ahrefs data last verified 2026-10-26