Semrush vs Ahrefs: Which SEO Tool is Better?
Two tools dominate the SEO landscape: Semrush and Ahrefs. They also happen to be my two favorite SEO tools. So doing this comparison is going to be much tougher than the Semrush vs Moz comparison post I published a few years ago, where I clearly preferred one tool over the other.
I use both these tools at my digital marketing agency on a daily basis and if you have the budget, I’d suggest you do the same.
But what if you had the budget for just one all-purpose SEO tool?
Let’s face it: these tools aren’t cheap. An investment in both these tools would set you back almost $200 a month. And that’s assuming you’re signing up for the most basic plan.
So what if you had the budget for just one? Which SEO tool between these two would it be? That’s the question I’ll attempt to answer in this post.
Below is an in-depth comparison between Semrush and Ahrefs to help you decide which tool is a better fit for all your SEO needs.
I’ll be comparing these two tools on the following six parameters:
- Keyword research
- Backlink analysis
- Technical SEO audit
- Position tracking
- Additional features
- Pricing plans
So without further ado, let’s put Semrush and Ahrefs to the test and determine which tool emerges as the overall winner.
| Basic Plans (Comparison) | Semrush Pro | Ahrefs Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $119.95/mo | $99/mo |
| Users Included | 1 | 1 |
| Projects | 3 | 5 |
| Total Pages to Crawl | 100,000 | 10,000 |
| Keywords to Track | 500 | 500 |
| Scheduled PDF Reports | 5 | NA |
| Social Profiles for Monitoring | 50 | NA |
| Trial | 1-Month Free | 1 Week for $7 |
Table of Contents
- Semrush: Overview
- Ahrefs: Overview
- Keyword Research: Semrush vs Ahrefs
- Semrush: Keyword Research
- Ahrefs: Keyword Research
- Which Tool is Better for Keyword Research?
- Backlink Analysis: Ahrefs vs Semrush
- Semrush: Backlink Analysis
- Ahrefs: Backlink Analysis
- Which Tool is Better for Backlink Analysis?
- Technical SEO Audit: Semrush vs Ahrefs
- Semrush: Technical SEO
- Ahrefs: Technical SEO
- Which Tool is Better for Technical SEO Audit?
- Position Tracking: Semrush vs Ahrefs
- Semrush: Position Tracking
- Ahrefs: Position Tracking
- Which Tool is Better for Position Tracking?
- Additional Features: Semrush vs Ahrefs
- Pricing Plans: Semrush vs Ahrefs
- Semrush Pricing Plans
- Ahrefs Pricing Plans
- Final Thoughts: Semrush vs Ahrefs
Semrush: Overview
Semrush was launched in 2008 by a small group of SEO and IT specialists who combined their expertise to launch a competitive research service for online marketing. After a decade of experiments and progress, Semrush has slowly evolved into the world’s leading digital marketing toolkit, preferred by marketing experts all over the world.
From keyword research to link building and everything in between, Semrush is truly an all-purpose SEO tool that can help your site climb up Google search rankings and leave your competition in the dust.
I started using Semrush in 2015 to help my clients with their SEO requirements. At the time, I was experimenting with several tools by signing up for free trials and I didn’t have a particular preference.
To be honest, I was relying mostly on keyword data from Google Ads. That soon changed when I started logging into my Semrush account more and more to dive into the invaluable pool of keyword and competition data for my clients.
It soon became my go-to tool for all things SEO and PPC.
What started as a small experiment has turned into a fruitful investment that keeps giving returns. There’s not a day where I don’t use Semrush to get insightful data on the industry in general and for my sites in particular.
Try Semrush PRO free for 30 days (worth $119.95)
Ahrefs: Overview
Ahrefs was launched in 2010 primarily as a backlink analysis tool. But over time, the platform has gradually evolved into an all-purpose SEO analysis tool that can help you with site audit, keyword research, content marketing, and much more.
When I started using Ahrefs in late 2016, it was still primarily known for its backlink analysis capabilities. The reason I started using Ahrefs was that I was not satisfied with the data I was obtaining from Semrush’s backlink analysis tool (which was still in beta stage at the time).
What really drew me to Ahrefs was the super-smooth user interface and the ease with which you could obtain data. Not to mention the sheer depth of backlink data for your site as well as your competitors’ sites. There was no other tool on the market that could compete with Ahrefs in terms of backlink analysis.
As stated, Ahrefs kept introducing new features and soon developed into a full-fledged SEO tool that now helps you with more than just link building. You can use Keywords Explorer to generate hundreds of content ideas for your target keyword and use the Site Audit feature to find and fix technical SEO issues with your site.
But does it have what it takes to take on an SEO heavyweight like Semrush? Let’s find out!
Try Ahrefs Lite for 1 week for $7
Now that you have a basic overview of both these tools, let’s dive deeper and do an in-depth Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison.
Let’s start with keyword research…
Keyword Research: Semrush vs Ahrefs
Keyword research is perhaps the most important aspect of SEO.
It helps you get a deeper understanding of your target audience and how they are searching for your content or offerings.
If you nail the keyword research part of SEO, you can craft content for your website that satisfies both users and search engines.
As you’ll soon see, both Semrush and Ahrefs have commendable keyword research capabilities.
While Semrush has been a pioneer of sorts when it comes to keyword research, Ahrefs has made significant strides with Keywords Explorer, its flagship keyword research tool, in the last few years.
Read on to find out which tool is better for keyword research.
