Ahrefs is one of the best SEO tools available and is also one of my favorites. It offers a wide range of features, including a rank tracker, content explorer, site explorer, and site audit. If you have landed on this page, it is likely that you have a reason for seeking an alternative to Ahrefs. Fortunately, there are some tools that are comparable to Ahrefs in terms of features, and some of them are even more affordable. If cost is the reason why you are seeking an alternative, then I’ve got your back. I have included some SEO tools that are cheaper than Ahrefs and are also quite good.
Perhaps you are already familiar with Ahrefs’ pricing plans, but for the purpose of comparison, I will provide them here. Ahrefs offers four monthly plans starting at $99 and going up to $999, with the option to receive two months for free with an annual commitment.
Now that we have refreshed our memory regarding Ahrefs’ pricing, let’s compare each tool I mentioned earlier to Ahrefs and choose what works best for you.
1. SEMRush
Similar to Ahrefs, SEMRush is one of the most comprehensive SEO tools available and is probably the closest tool to Ahrefs that I have tried in terms of features and pricing. It offers all the features provided by Ahrefs and also has a dedicated section for advertising.
SEMRush’s main SEO features include:
Competitive Research: Gain valuable insights about any competitor in terms of traffic, organic keywords, and backlinks.
Keyword Research: Explore the extensive keyword research database and analyze any keyword. Find millions of keyword ideas for your project. In addition, position tracking is available in the keyword research feature, which helps track any domain rankings in the SERP.
Link Building: View in-depth backlink information about your own and your competitors’ backlinks.
On-Page and Tech SEO: The features included in this category, ranging from site audit and on-page SEO checker to log file analyzer, are designed to quickly identify any opportunity or technical SEO problem.
Pricing
SEMRush prices are similar to Ahrefs, but it offers more features. The cheapest plan is the Pro plan, which costs $129.95, followed by the Guru plan ($299.95). The most expensive plan is the Business plan, which is dedicated to large agencies and enterprises and costs $499.95.
For a full-year commitment, SEMRush offers up to a 17% discount.
Create a free account to see if the tool meets your expectations!
2. SE Ranking
SE Ranking offers an impressive array of features and a user-friendly interface that rivals Ahrefs but at a more affordable price point. One of the standout features of SE Ranking is its Keyword Rank Tracker, which allows you to effortlessly monitor your website’s Google rankings. Additionally, the On-Page SEO Checker provides actionable recommendations to optimize your pages and outrank your competitors.
The technical aspect of SE Ranking is equally impressive. The Website Audit feature boasts a clear dashboard that displays all critical metrics, including page indexation, core web vitals, HTTP status code, and page depth, along with practical recommendations on how to address them.
One of my personal favorite features of SE Ranking is the Competitor Analysis Tool. This feature provides a comprehensive report on your competitors’ traffic, keywords, backlinks, and ads, including historical data, to help you stay ahead of the competition.
And last but not least, the indispensable Backlink Checker is present on SE Ranking too, with the same capabilities as on the Ahrefs platform. This feature enables you to identify the content that generates the most backlinks, allowing you to create a more effective backlink strategy.
Pricing
SE Ranking is definitely more affordable than Ahrefs. If price is the reason you are looking to replace Ahrefs with another all-in-one SEO tool, then SE Ranking is the one to choose. It offers similar features at a lower price. The monthly plan designed for freelancers and beginners is $49, and the most popular plan for small agencies and teams costs $109. Like the other tools mentioned in this article, a 20% discount is applicable for an annual commitment.
In summary, SE Ranking offers an extensive range of powerful features that can help improve your website’s SEO performance without breaking the bank.
Start a free trial by creating an account! This way, you can experience SE Ranking’s features and see for yourself why it’s the best alternative to Ahrefs, especially if price is the reason you’re looking for another option.
3. Serpstat
Serpstat is a popular SEO platform that offers a comprehensive suite of five modules specifically designed for SEO professionals. These modules are similar to Ahrefs and include Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis, Keyword Research, Site Audit, and Competitor Research, each with its unique purpose.
Although I tested Serpstat’s platform for a few days using the free trial plan and found that it has all of Ahrefs’ features, they aren’t all as great. Ahrefs is more accurate than Serpstat in terms of reported organic keywords. However, Serpstat is a great alternative to Ahrefs for link analysis. My advice is to create a free trial and test Serpstat on your website and competitors to see how it compares.
Pricing
Serpstat offers four plans, ranging from $69/mo to $499, with an option for every budget. If you’re in search of a more budget-friendly alternative to Ahrefs, SE Ranking is the way to go.
Try the Serpstat for free and see how it works for you! It won’t cost you anything.
4. Mangools
Mangools is a user-friendly SEO tool consisting of five modules, each designed for specific SEO tasks. For instance, KWFinder is a keyword research tool, while SERPChecker allows you to analyze the SERP for any keyword across over 52k locations, including cities, countries, and DMA regions. With SERPWatcher, you can track your rankings, while LinkMiner is an effective backlink analyzer. Additionally, SiteProfiler offers essential SEO metrics such as Domain Authority and Citation Flow.
Mangools prides itself on its simplicity, as its slogan “Making SEO Simple since 2014” suggests. Its interface is straightforward and easy to understand, even for those without an extensive SEO background. Although Mangools lacks a competitor analysis feature compared to Ahrefs, its keyword research and rank-tracking tools are impressive, especially given its affordable monthly price of only $49. While not a complete alternative to Ahrefs, Mangools still offers valuable features for SEO professionals.
Pricing
Mangools is not only user-friendly, but it is also highly affordable. With three monthly plans available, it offers the largest price discount of all the SEO tools mentioned in this article for an annual commitment, at a whopping 35%.
If you’re a beginner in online blogging or marketing, Mangools provides the most affordable alternative to Ahrefs at only $29.90 per month for a full-year commitment. It is easy to use and suitable for anyone.
Start a 10-day free trial with no credit card needed!
FAQs
Yes, it does. You can access the free tools from here: https://ahrefs.com/free-seo-tools. The free SEO tools will help you with various SEO tasks, such as keyword research, on-page SEO, link building, and more.
Both Ahrefs and SEMRush are popular SEO tools that offer a wide range of features. The choice between Ahrefs and SEMRush depends on your specific needs and priorities, as well as your budget. It’s a good idea to try out both tools and see which one works best for your business.
Ahrefs is a highly complex SEO tool and it’s unlikely to find a free tool that offers all the features it provides. However, there are some cheaper paid alternatives such as Mangools, which costs only $29 .90 per month for an annual subscription, or SE Rankings, which charges $49 per month.
The best Ahrefs alternative is SEMRush. It offers the same features with an appropriate pricing model.
