The SEO toolkit market has exploded in recent years. While Ahrefs remains one of the most popular all-in-one SEO platforms, its high cost and steep learning curve drive many advanced users to consider ahrefs alternatives. In a competitive landscape where Google commands ~90% of global search traffic (StatCounter, 2025) and roughly 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine, having the right SEO tools is critical.
Savvy SEOs and digital marketers often balance budgets, features, and ease-of-use to choose tools that fit their specific needs. In this guide, we’ll explore seven top ahrefs alternatives (both free and paid) to Ahrefs, comparing their features, pros/cons, and real-world use cases. We’ll also look at how each stacks up against Ahrefs’ core capabilities. (For quick tasks like on-page optimization, remember that free utilities – e.g. DigitizeBlock’s Keyword Density Checker – can be useful adjuncts alongside these main platforms.)
Relevant market stats underscore the stakes. For example, StatCounter data shows Google holds ~89.6% of the search market share (May 2025), meaning an effective SEO toolset must work well with Google’s data. Similarly, surveys find 60% of marketers say inbound practices (like SEO content) produce their highest-quality leads, highlighting why sophisticated keyword research and backlink analysis tools (even if third-party) remain in high demand. In the first half of this article, we’ll link to authoritative sources for context (such as StatCounter and industry surveys). The rest of the piece will dive deep into each tool, using scenarios and comparative tables to clarify strengths and weaknesses.
Why Seek Ahrefs Alternatives?
Ahrefs is known for its vast backlink and keyword databases, site audits, rank tracking, and content tools. However, it comes at a premium (plans start at ~$99/month) and can be overkill or underpowered for some use cases. For example, a small marketing agency might need solid rank tracking and audits but may not require all of Ahrefs’ enterprise features. Or a developer on a tight budget may prefer a no-cost solution for technical SEO crawling. On the other hand, some advanced SEOs want even deeper features (like PPC data or social insights) that Ahrefs doesn’t emphasize.
In practice, SEOs often juggle multiple tools. For basic needs, free options like Google Search Console or keyword Chrome extensions can suffice for rank tracking and basic data. For specialized tasks, there are dedicated tools (e.g. site crawlers, content analyzers, or niche backlink checkers). Moreover, ahrefs competitors like Semrush and Moz each carve their own niche. As Oneupweb notes, “if you’re looking for an SEO tool that offers similar features to Ahrefs, Semrush is your best bet”, but that comes with trade-offs (we’ll detail these below).
Rather than rely on just one platform, many teams mix and match: for example, using Google Search Console (free) for official index and performance data, a cheaper paid tool for keyword ideas, and a specialized backlink tool for competitor research. The good news is that there are plenty of mature Ahrefs alternatives on the market, ranging from powerhouse suites to single-purpose utilities. We’ve organized our list of the Top 7 SEO tools (free & paid) that advanced users turn to, and we provide detailed profiles for each – including pros, cons, and how it directly compares to Ahrefs.
Throughout this article, we’ll bold each tool name when introducing it and use real-world scenarios to illustrate how SEOs might use it. We also use anchor phrases (like Ahrefs alternative) linking to industry comparisons and reviews for further reference.
1. SEMrush – All-in-One SEO Suite (Paid)
Overview: SEMrush is widely regarded as Ahrefs’ biggest rival. It’s an all-in-one platform that covers keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink audits, rank tracking, technical site audits, content marketing, PPC campaign insights, and more. SEMrush maintains huge databases: it claims 20 billion tracked keywords and over 43 trillion backlinks. In real-world terms, imagine an agency managing SEO for dozens of clients across industries. SEMrush’s extensive toolkit allows that agency to research any competitor’s organic and paid keyword strategy, track multiple domains’ rankings, and run technical audits – all from one interface.
Use Case: A digital agency, “BrightWave Marketing,” handles diverse clients – from a local bakery to a national e-commerce brand. Their SEO manager, Sara, uses SEMrush to discover competitor ad keywords for the e-commerce client, identify long-tail keyword opportunities for the bakery, and audit both sites for crawl errors and duplicate content. Meanwhile, BrightWave’s content team leverages SEMrush’s content marketing suite to brainstorm blog topics and track social shares. In this scenario, SEMrush’s breadth is the draw: it consolidates many tasks (SEO, content, PPC) in one platform.
Pros: SEMrush excels with its comprehensive feature set. It includes robust keyword research (with filters for local/global volumes, difficulties, trends), backlink audit tools, and even a PPC competitive analyzer (a feature Ahrefs lacks). It also offers advanced reporting, API access, and an extensive “Sensor” tool for monitoring SERP volatility (useful for e-commerce during algorithm updates). For enterprise users, SEMrush can crawl large sites and generate detailed technical SEO audits. Oneupweb notes that SEMrush’s competitor analysis tools provide highly actionable insights, especially on PPC side.
Another advantage is data freshness and variety. SEMrush tends to update keyword data frequently, including trends and changes in CPC and volume. Their position-tracking can pull data not only from Google, but also from Bing, Baidu, and even YouTube search (with certain plans). SEMrush’s interface is well-designed for teams – you can add multiple sub-accounts, share projects, and set white-label reporting.
Cons: The biggest drawback is cost. SEMrush’s pricing starts higher than Ahrefs: the Pro plan begins around $140/month (vs Ahrefs’ $99 Lite plan). And the higher-tier plans can become very expensive, often requiring additional seat or add-on fees for features like multi-location tracking or more project slots. Some users find that SEMrush’s interface, while powerful, can feel cluttered or “busy,” especially with all modules (Advertising, Content, etc.). Ahrefs users sometimes complain that SEMrush’s UI isn’t as intuitive, though this is subjective.
Data coverage also differs subtly: while SEMrush boasts more keyword volume data points, Ahrefs is often said to have a faster crawler for finding new backlinks. However, SEMrush is catching up: its backlink database (43 trillion and growing) is now on par with Ahrefs’ (which tracks roughly twice as many keywords as SEMrush, implying Ahrefs’s keyword DB is even larger).
Semrush vs Ahrefs: In direct comparison, both are very capable SEO suites. Key differences include:
- Keyword & Backlink Data: Ahrefs traditionally held an edge in sheer backlink database size and speed of index updates (identifying new/lost links sometimes days faster). SEMrush has more breadth in paid keyword data (PPC) and social metrics. If your focus is link research, Ahrefs might still be marginally better; for PPC and multi-platform tracking, SEMrush leads.
- Site Audits: Ahrefs’ Site Audit module is robust, but SEMrush’s audit may catch slightly different issues (their integration of on-page and link auditing is comprehensive). Both let you crawl the entire site.
- Rank Tracking: Both tools have position tracking with mobile/location options. Ahrefs gives more default keywords per plan, while SEMrush’s position tracking is bundled with other tools.
- Content Tools: SEMrush includes a writing assistant and topic research that integrates with WordPress, features Ahrefs lacks (aside from the Ahrefs blog writer). On the other hand, Ahrefs recently added an AI paraphrase tool (free) for rewording text, which SEMrush does not offer (see “Anchor Link” section below).
- User Base & Training: SEMrush has a large library of webinars and a known user community. Pricing structures differ significantly (see Oneupweb’s SEMrush vs Ahrefs analysis).
In short, many advanced SEOs use both SEMrush and Ahrefs for different strengths. If forced to choose one, SEMrush is slightly more of a “digital marketing platform” (incorporating ads, social, content) whereas Ahrefs is more focused on search data.
2. Google Search Console – Essential Free Ahrefs Alternative (Free)
Overview: Google Search Console (GSC) is the free, official tool from Google for monitoring your own sites. It’s not a direct substitute for Ahrefs, but it’s indispensable for organic SEO. GSC provides first-party data about how Google indexes and ranks your pages: search queries that bring users to your site, click-through rates, page indexing status, crawl errors, mobile usability, and more. Advanced SEOs use GSC every day for insights only Google can give.
Use Case: Consider a content lead at a mid-sized tech blog, tasked with improving organic traffic. They use GSC to see which queries already rank for the blog (even in low positions), then tweak content to push those queries higher. For example, GSC might show the blog is ranking in 3rd page for “best budget laptops 2025” with a 2% CTR. The SEO lead can optimize that article (internal links, better snippets) to capture more traffic. Meanwhile, developers use GSC’s URL Inspection and Coverage reports to fix crawl errors (e.g. 404 pages, indexing issues). GSC also alerts if Google penalties or manual actions occur.
Pros: Totally free and direct from Google, which means the data is accurate for your own domain. It’s the only way to see impressions, clicks, and average position for every keyword your site ranks for in Google. You get detailed mobile usability, core web vitals, and indexing status. GSC integrates well with Google Analytics and BigQuery for deeper analysis. It’s great for “site audit”-type tasks on your own site (e.g. sitemap submission, robots.txt checking, page experience metrics). Because it’s free, it’s often the first tool a small business or one-person team will use before investing in paid tools.
Cons: GSC only works with sites you can verify ownership of. You cannot use it to research competitor domains or keywords. It has no built-in keyword difficulty scores, content ideas, or backlink database. In short, GSC replaces only the site-centric features of Ahrefs (like checking your own performance). It lacks the competitive intelligence: you can’t directly see which sites link to your competitors through GSC, whereas Ahrefs excels at showing competitor backlinks. GSC’s interface is also relatively basic and can be confusing for beginners (for example, indexing issues must be fixed one URL at a time unless you use APIs).
GSC vs Ahrefs: They complement rather than replace each other. Ahrefs can estimate your competitors’ traffic and backlinks, but only GSC tells you exactly how you rank in Google. For instance, Ahrefs might estimate a page ranks #8 for a keyword, but GSC will show exactly that “page A” got 500 impressions and 5 clicks for “keyword X” last month. GSC also offers the only reliable count of your own search traffic metrics (Ahrefs’ traffic estimations are just projections). In practice, advanced SEOs use GSC and then cross-check with Ahrefs/SEMrush data for competitive context.
| Feature | Ahrefs | Google Search Console (GSC) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid (from $99/mo) | Free |
| Own-site Keyword Data | No (estimates only) | Yes (exact search queries, impressions, clicks) |
| Site Audit (Technical) | Yes | Limited (Coverage/URL Inspection) |
| Backlink Data | Yes (global index) | No (only shows links to your verified site in Links report) |
| Competitor Analysis | Yes (competitor link/keyword insights) | No |
| Who It’s Best For | Full SEO suite (link research, keyword research) | Site owners wanting official Google data |
3. Ubersuggest – Budget SEO Suite (Freemium)
Overview: Ubersuggest (by Neil Patel) began as a free keyword suggestion tool, but now offers a full SEO suite with both free and paid tiers. Its features include keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, and basic backlink data. It’s positioned as a more affordable Ahrefs alternative for solo entrepreneurs or small businesses. For example, a startup founder on a budget might use Ubersuggest to build an initial keyword strategy before upgrading.
Use Case: Imagine a small online crafts store, “Handmade Haven,” looking to improve its SEO without a big budget. The owner can use Ubersuggest’s free tier to get keyword ideas (it shows search volume, difficulty, and trends) and to see a snapshot of competitors’ organic keywords and backlinks. If she adds a paid plan ($29/mo at the lowest tier), she can then track a few branded keywords in the SERP and run site audits on her shop. Ubersuggest’s UI is friendly and not overwhelming – great for users new to SEO tools.
Pros: Ubersuggest is budget-friendly. It offers more free searches per day than Ahrefs (though still limited), and its paid plans (starting ~$29/month) are far cheaper. It also provides some content ideas (e.g. blog post suggestions for your keyword) and shows you the top ranking pages for any keyword with basic metrics (domain score, estimated visits). Neil Patel’s tool also integrates an SEO audit that highlights on-page issues and improvements. Many beginners find the interface simpler than Ahrefs or SEMrush.
Notably, SEO.com calls Ubersuggest “one of the best Ahrefs alternatives for people on a small budget”. It offers the essentials (keyword and backlink analysis) without the bells and whistles. For some free ahrefs alternatives, people even recommend browser extensions like SEO Minion (covered later) for quick on-page checks recommended by Reddit.
Cons: The trade-off is data depth and freshness. Ubersuggest’s keyword volumes and SEO scores can be less accurate (since it sources some data from Google Keyword Planner and Moz, and crawls for backlinks but with a smaller index than Ahrefs). It generally provides fewer data points than Ahrefs for any given query (fewer keyword suggestions, fewer backlinks listed). Advanced SEOs will notice gaps. For instance, Ahrefs might show 1,000+ backlinks to a page, while Ubersuggest might list only a fraction of those. Also, rank tracking in Ubersuggest is simple – no multi-location mobile tracking – whereas Ahrefs provides more sophisticated rank history.
Another con is interface limitations: Ubersuggest’s backlink audit doesn’t let you filter as flexibly, and its site audit covers fewer pages. And because Neil Patel promotes the tool heavily, some SEO veterans feel it’s skewed more toward content marketing advice than hardcore SEO data.
Ubersuggest vs Ahrefs: Ubersuggest is often thought of as a “lightweight Ahrefs,” offering core functions at a fraction of the price. It’s not a perfect substitute for deep analysis, but it can be a first step. If your needs are basic keyword ideas and a taste of backlink data, Ubersuggest suffices. However, for large-scale projects, heavy competition keywords, or detailed link research, Ahrefs or SEMrush still outperform. (Again, SEO.com points out you can always “Learn more about how Ubersuggest compares with Ahrefs in our Ahrefs vs Ubersuggest analysis” – indeed, the two share many features but differ in scale.)
| Feature | Ahrefs | Ubersuggest |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Entry Plan) | $99/month | $29/month |
| Keyword Suggestions | Very Large (billions) | Good (hundreds–thousands) |
| Backlink Database | Massive (trillions) | Smaller (millions) |
| Site Audit | Yes (detailed, large sites) | Yes (basic, limited sites) |
| Usage Limits | Moderate (varies by plan) | Generous (fewer restrictions at low cost) |
| Best For | All-in-one SEO pros (deep analysis) | Solopreneurs, small teams (budget-conscious) |
4. Moz Pro – Established SEO Platform (Paid)
Overview: Moz Pro is one of the older SEO tools on the market. Founded by Rand Fishkin, Moz offers a suite of SEO tools including keyword research, rank tracking, site crawl audits, and a well-known Domain Authority (DA) metric. Moz’s keyword explorer and link explorer have matured over the years. It’s positioned as a slightly more affordable ahrefs alternative to Ahrefs, with plans starting around $79/month.
Use Case: A mid-sized e-commerce company, “TechGadgets Inc.,” uses Moz Pro when focusing on foundational SEO tasks. Their in-house SEO specialist appreciates Moz’s community support and learning resources. They use the Keyword Explorer to find niche tech keywords and track rankings, relying on Moz’s “site crawl” to spot broken links or missing title tags. They also trust Domain Authority to quickly gauge how powerful a linking site is (though DA is an approximation). Moz’s interface is clean and beginner-friendly.
Pros: Moz Pro is easier on the wallet than Ahrefs. It includes a robust keyword research tool with metrics like Keyword Difficulty (KD) and organic CTR, and it pulls keyword suggestions from multiple sources. Its Site Crawl (formerly “Site Auditor”) finds on-page SEO issues. Moz also provides mobile rank tracking, something not all tools offer.
A big benefit is the MozBar Chrome extension and Moz’s APIs, which let users quickly check metrics on the fly. Moz’s community and documentation are excellent – if you ever get stuck, Moz’s blog and Q&A (on Moz.com) are very active. For agencies or consultants, Moz offers “solutions” like local SEO toolsets too.
Cons: The trade-offs mirror Ubersuggest’s: Moz’s database is simply much smaller than Ahrefs’. Moz says it tracks about 500 million keywords, which is just a fraction of Ahrefs or SEMrush. This means Moz may miss many long-tail or low-volume keywords that Ahrefs or SEMrush would show. Likewise, Moz’s link index is smaller (hundreds of millions vs. Ahrefs’ billions), so it might undercount backlinks to a site. The Moz community often notes that its keyword volumes can lag in freshness.
Another con is feature depth: Moz Pro provides “basic” tools, but lacks some advanced analytics. For example, Moz’s backlink report doesn’t offer as many link health metrics or easy bulk exports as Ahrefs. Moz also has stricter usage limits on the lower plans: its entry plan only lets you track a small number of keywords, whereas Ahrefs provides more rank checks on its starting tier.
Moz vs Ahrefs: Ahrefs generally outperforms Moz on data quantity (keywords and links) and depth (e.g. Ahrefs offers more granular filters). Ahrefs’ site audit is also often regarded as more thorough. However, Moz’s price point is lower and can be a good “step up” from Ubersuggest. Importantly, Moz’s best value is often seen by teams needing a solid, simpler toolkit without the extra cost of Ahrefs.
For example, SEO.com notes: “If you’re looking for a more affordable ahrefs alternative that still offers basic SEO tools, Moz Pro is a great option”. In practice, an SEO newbie might start with Moz to learn ranking and linking fundamentals (and still get a taste of a competitive rank checker) before graduating to Ahrefs for more advanced needs. Some teams even use both in tandem: using Moz for keyword ideas and Ahrefs strictly for link analysis.
5. Mangools – Budget-Friendly SEO Suite (Paid)
Overview: Mangools is a bundle of five SEO tools (KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, SiteProfiler) sold as a package. It bills itself as a “budget Ahrefs” (per its marketing). At ~$30/month (for a basic plan), it is far cheaper than Ahrefs. Mangools’ strength is ease-of-use: each tool has a clean, beginner-friendly interface. The bundle covers essential SEO tasks: keyword research, SERP analysis, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and basic site profiling.
Use Case: Consider a freelance content marketer, Maria, who manages content for several blogs. She uses Mangools’ KWFinder to discover low-competition keywords (e.g. “best travel backpacks 2025”), then checks the top results in SERPChecker to analyze difficulty metrics and domain authority. Her routine might involve using LinkMiner to peek at a top competitor’s backlinks and identify potential link targets. Meanwhile, SERPWatcher quietly tracks their sites’ rank changes daily. In Maria’s day-to-day, Mangools covers everything she needs without overwhelming complexity.
Pros: Mangools offers excellent UI/UX, often praised as more intuitive than Ahrefs or SEMrush. The learning curve is shallow. It is also very affordable, especially for single or small-team users. The set of tools is well-chosen for SEO: KWFinder is focused on “blue ocean” keywords (filtering to easy-to-rank terms), and LinkMiner’s “Link Strength” metric helps prioritize backlinks by quality. The SEO.com article mentions “excellent features like keyword lookup, competitor keyword research, [and] backlink analysis” with Mangools, highlighting its balanced feature mix.
By design, Mangools has strict usage limits even on mid-tier plans – for example, the basic plan only allows a small number of keyword lookups and rank tracking keywords per day. But for bloggers or small businesses, these are usually sufficient. The lower price effectively makes Mangools one of the “best Ahrefs alternatives” for beginners. It also includes some useful extras, like a Share of Voice metric in SiteProfiler, and a content outline generator in KWFinder (to inspire headings for your article).
Cons: The main drawback is data size. Mangools’ databases are tiny compared to Ahrefs. For example, LinkMiner’s backlink index (though it claims “more than 8 trillion links”) is still updated less frequently and has fewer metrics than Ahrefs’ index. KWFinder’s keyword database is also smaller – it might miss or undercount certain keyword volumes. Mangools also lacks some advanced features: no site audit crawler, no batch keyword analysis, and no content marketing tools. Rank tracking is limited to one domain per project (vs multiple in Ahrefs).
Mangools vs Ahrefs: Mangools essentially trades depth for price and simplicity. Where Ahrefs might show thousands of related keywords, KWFinder might only show the top 100 with complete data. Ahrefs’ Site Explorer (backlink and organic research) gives more detail than LinkMiner’s view. However, Mangools often integrates its tools in clever ways that novices find helpful (e.g. clicking a keyword in KWFinder seamlessly opens SERPChecker or SERPWatcher).
Compared to Ahrefs, the biggest difference is scale. If Mangools is covering the broad strategy for a small site or Niche content site, Ahrefs is the tool for competitive landscapes and large sites. The trade-off is cost: many SEOs mention that Mangools “took away” the budget-conscious segment that Ahrefs originally targeted by offering half the price for most essential features. In practice, a user might do initial research with Mangools, and if their site grows or needs more depth, upgrade to Ahrefs.
6. Majestic SEO – Link Intelligence Specialist (Paid)
Overview: Majestic is a specialized tool focused mainly on backlinks. It’s among the oldest link databases (along with Moz’s Link Explorer and Ahrefs). Majestic’s key features include Site Explorer (for link analysis) and Backlink History (for trends). Unique metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow try to quantify link quality.
Use Case: A link-building strategist named Kevin is researching potential link partners for his client, a real estate website. He uses Majestic’s Site Explorer to get a detailed view of any URL or domain’s backlinks, including Historical Index (showing how links have grown over time). He trusts Majestic’s Link Context feature to see “in context” where on the page a link appears. Since Majestic is purpose-built for links, Kevin can do things like filter out nofollow links, see anchor text distributions, and find pages with high Trust Flow related to real estate. For broken-link or guest-post opportunities, Majestic’s specialized backlink data can be very valuable.
Pros: Majestic’s primary advantage is its focused data depth for links. It boasts one of the largest link databases, with over 54 trillion URLs indexed (as of 2025). Its backlink index is independent from Ahrefs’, so it can sometimes catch links Ahrefs misses (and vice versa). Majestic also allows huge bulk exports and has advanced link graph analysis in its API. For pure link research, Majestic’s interface (though somewhat dated) offers flexible filtering by new vs. old links, link types, geographic / topic data on linking sites, etc. It also has a free (limited) “Site Explorer” for quick lookups.
Many SEOs consider Majestic a trusted tool for verifying link-building progress. For example, an SEO might cross-check Ahrefs and Majestic when auditing a site’s backlink profile, since discrepancies between the two can reveal hidden links or indexing issues. Majestic’s historical index (showing link counts over time) is valuable to see if links have been lost after an update.
Cons: Majestic’s con is that it only does links (no keyword research, no rank tracking, no technical audits). Its interface is clunkier and less intuitive than more modern tools. It can also be overwhelming – the pure quantity of data requires expertise to interpret well. Importantly, Majestic does not crawl Google search results – it only lets you analyze links. So it cannot replace Ahrefs or SEMrush for understanding organic keyword performance.
In terms of pricing, Majestic’s plans (~$50/mo for the basic plan) might seem reasonable, but even then it’s pricey if you need multi-user access or high limits. Another downside is that Majestic’s site auditing and on-page features are minimal; it even lacks basic broken-link checking for your own site.
Majestic vs Ahrefs: Majestic positions itself as a complementary tool. Ahrefs includes backlink analysis but combines it with many other modules. In fact, SEO.com says “Majestic is one of the best Ahrefs competitors” for those focused on data collection. Compared to Ahrefs, Majestic often shows more historical links (since it has its own large crawler) but lacks Ahrefs’ Domain Rating and detailed link metrics like Estimated Traffic or Click data. Ahrefs’ All Features approach means Majestic is narrower but still used by link specialists.
For instance, Ahrefs might show a domain has “50K total backlinks,” while Majestic might list “75K” due to differences in their crawling. Ahrefs uses its own Domain Rating (DR) for link authority, whereas Majestic’s Trust Flow (TF) attempts a similar concept. Some users prefer Ahrefs’ newer UI and data visualization; others value Majestic’s raw link archives. In practice, top SEOs often consult both: use Ahrefs for a quick, modern overview, and Majestic when they need deep dives into the link graph.
7. Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Technical Crawler (Free/Paid)
Overview: Screaming Frog is a desktop program (Windows/Mac/Linux) that crawls websites to identify on-page issues and technical SEO problems. It’s not a keyword or rank tool, but it’s invaluable for site audits. The free version allows crawling up to 500 URLs; the paid license (around £219/year) lifts that limit and adds features like saving crawl data, JavaScript rendering, and scheduling.
Use Case: A web developer, Priya, is launching a site redesign for a client. Before and after launch, she runs Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider to check for broken links (404s), missing meta descriptions, duplicate page titles, and XML sitemap issues. This is something Ahrefs can also do with Site Audit, but Screaming Frog’s crawling is more exhaustive on a page-by-page basis (and it can scan local staging sites not publicly indexed). Priya uses it to ensure all new URLs are properly canonicalized and that the robots.txt settings are correct.
Pros: Screaming Frog is highly specialized and efficient for technical checks. It fetches each URL and reads it much like Googlebot (even executing some JavaScript, if configured). It will report issues such as broken links, redirect chains, large images, duplicate content, and more. It’s also extremely configurable with custom extraction (using XPath/regex) – developers can fetch specific data from pages. Importantly, Screaming Frog is free for small sites (up to 500 URLs), making it a great budget ahrefs alternative for quick audits.
Advanced users love that Screaming Frog can integrate with Google Analytics and Search Console data (if you connect it), so you can see crawl data alongside your own traffic metrics. It also supports extensions for links and page speed metrics.
Cons: Screaming Frog is purely a crawler – it does not provide keyword research or backlink analysis at all. So it’s not a one-stop SEO suite like Ahrefs; it does one thing extremely well. It also requires you to download and run the software on your computer (not a cloud service), which might be a barrier for some. Very large sites (thousands of pages) require the paid version. The free version, while great for small projects, will stop after 500 URLs, which might only cover a fraction of a bigger site.
Screaming Frog vs Ahrefs: In terms of site auditing, Screaming Frog can sometimes go deeper because it literally crawls every link. Ahrefs’ Site Audit, on the other hand, runs in the cloud and focuses on high-level issues. An SEO might use both: Screaming Frog for initial deep audits, then use Ahrefs’ audit to monitor ongoing health and additional metrics (like Core Web Vitals) not provided by Screaming Frog.
Because it’s so different in purpose, an apt summary is: Screaming Frog is to Ahrefs’ Site Audit what Google Search Console is to Google Analytics – it’s a free specialized tool for technical detail. Many agencies use it regularly (and often mention it as a must-have free SEO tool recommended on forums).
| Feature | Ahrefs | Screaming Frog |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid (min $99/mo) | Free (up to 500 URLs) / Paid (~£219/year) |
| Site Crawl (On-page SEO) | Yes (Cloud-based) | Yes (Desktop, comprehensive) |
| Backlink Analysis | Yes (massive DB) | No |
| Keyword Research | Yes | No |
| Best For | Broad SEO projects | Technical site audits |
Honorable Mentions and Wrap-up
Aside from the “top 7” above, there are many other niche tools that SEO pros use. For completeness:
- SEO Minion (free Chrome plugin) – good for on-page checks (broken links, redirects, SERP previews). It’s more of a quick add-on than full software.
- SE Ranking – a cheaper paid suite like Ubersuggest, strong in rank tracking and white-label reporting. Some SEOs use it for automated ranking reports for clients.
- Serpstat – an all-in-one similar to SEMrush/Ahrefs (mentioned as #10 by SEO.com). It has content analysis and an AI detector, but a smaller brand presence.
- Keyword Surfer (free Chrome extension) – gives quick volume and CPC estimates while searching Google, for fast keyword brainstorming.
- Digitize Block – Offers a versatile free to use keyword density checker tool for it’s user to help set their content straight before publishing anywhere
- AnswerThePublic – great for finding user questions to inform content ideas (Ahrefs offers something similar in Keywords Explorer with “Questions” tab).
- CognitiveSEO, Raven Tools, SpyFu, GrowthBar, etc. – each has its own focus (some old-school, some new AI-driven).
No single tool is perfect. Most advanced users end up using multiple tools to get the full picture: e.g. using SEMrush or Ahrefs as a base, then supplemental tools like Screaming Frog for audits and smaller free tools for quick tasks. Also, remember foundational free tools: Google Analytics and Google Search Console provide indispensable data that no paid tool can fully replace. For example, GSC shows exactly which keywords lead people to your site, something Ahrefs can only estimate.
Conclusion
In summary, the best Ahrefs alternative depends on your specific needs:
- For comprehensive all-in-one features (with a big budget), SEMrush is the closest rival to Ahrefs, offering even more marketing data (PPC, social).
- For budget or smaller-scale use, Ubersuggest and Mangools provide many core features at much lower cost (though with smaller databases).
- For foundational SEO and official data, Google Search Console (free) is irreplaceable for your own site’s performance.
- For link-building focus, Majestic is the stalwart choice (often used alongside Ahrefs) to dive deep into backlink profiles.
- For technical audits, Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free for small sites) is a must-have that even top agencies rely on.
We’ve also sprinkled in relevant stats and linked to authoritative sources. As SEO tools evolve, new entrants appear (AI writing aids, rank trackers, SERP analyzers, etc.), so keep an eye on updates (for example, Ahrefs has recently added new AI writing features like a paraphrasing tool, and others may launch novel features). Finally, remember that tools are just part of SEO success – strategic thinking and content quality are irreplaceable.