Ahrefs is 100% cheaper
than Semrush
$0/mo (Ahrefs Free) vs Semrush SEO at $139/mo — covering 100% of the 6 compared capabilities.
Same job. Way less money.
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.
SEO plan at $139/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Ahrefs Free: 0 USD/monthly.
Semrush costs $139/mo on the SEO plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 1 of them covers at least 75% of the 6 compared capabilities. The cheapest option that covers everything we compared is Ahrefs at $0/mo (Ahrefs Free plan), 100% less.
Capability comparison
Ahrefs covers 100% of the 6 capabilities compared against Semrush. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword research | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rank tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site audit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlink analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Competitor analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✓ | ✓ |
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) |
| Free | Free |
| SEO | $139/mo |
| Starter SEO + AI Search | $199/mo |
| Pro+ SEO + AI Search | $299/mo |
| Advanced SEO + AI Search | $549/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Ahrefs than Semrush?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Ahrefs Free vs $139/mo on SEO. That is $1668 a year.
What does Ahrefs lack compared with Semrush?
Nothing among the 6 capabilities we compared.
When were these prices checked?
Semrush: 2026-08-31; Ahrefs: 2026-08-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Sources & freshness
- https://www.semrush.com/pricing/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-31)
- https://www.semrush.com/prices/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-26)
- Ahrefs data last verified 2026-08-26