Ahrefs is an SEO tool providers. Ahrefs Site Explorer provides a suite of tools including a component for backlink & on-page SEO analysis, online brand mentions tracking, and domain comparison tool for competitor analysis, etc. They refer to themselves as “the largest index of live backlinks.”
$99
per month
Semrush
Score8.8 out of 10
N/A
Semrush is a relatively popular search engine optimization tool set from the company of the same name based in Pennsylvania and founded in 2008. Largely the platforms relies on competitive intelligence, and features SEO staples like backlink checking, keyword analysis to refine SEO and PPC campaigning and locate low-cost / high-yield keywords, analysis of competitors who co-occupy desired ad and listing spaces, domain vs. domain analysis, as well as site audit and domain tracking.
Semrush can…
Senior SEO Content Manager in Marketing at Rover (Consumer Services, 201-500 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
The User Interface and usability of the tool makes it very pleasant experience to use on a regular basis. Keyword research and topical clustering on the fly is really easy with SERP overviews and competitor keywords/traffic insights. Semrush is a little less user friendly and …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
It's competitive with Semrush, Moz and other tools of that same ilk. It's great for serious SEO work - not at the Enterprise level - but at the small business, small agency level. I would not consider it competitive with BrightEdge, Conductor, SEOClarity, etc. - but it IS …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
In my experience, Ahrefs and Semrush are both powerful tools for improving SEO and content marketing efforts. However, I chose to use Ahrefs over Semrush for a few reasons. Firstly, Ahrefs has a stronger focus on backlink analysis and identifying potential link building …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
SEO Strategist in Marketing at Power Digital Marketing (Marketing & Advertising, 201-500 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs is my clear choice when I need to better understand the link profile of my clients' websites as its database is unmatched. However, when it comes to keyword research, it is second only to Semrush. I wouldn't say that it's worse than Semrush as each is focused on …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Online marketing in Marketing at Monkey Vision (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Sadly we are coming [to] terms that even trough there are more and more options that Ahrefs has they are still incomplete or not working good enough. And the most important options (like frequent updates on rankings) are behind the most expensive membership.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Co-Founder in Marketing at Kingston Creative (Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Semrush and BuzzSumo are also good tools. Semrush is hardcore and technical; if you outgrew Ahrefs as an SEO practitioner and were doing intense work for one big client, I'd highly recommend it. BuzzSumo is more for a social media manager; it provides huge shortcuts for …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
The closest competitor to Ahrefs Site Explorer would likely be SEMRush. Ahrefs seems to have a significantly larger amount of data to work with. They claim that their service is powered by the second most active crawler in the world, next to Google.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
As a backlink management tool, Ahrefs Site Explorer is the best out there. Being able to look into backlinks and check for any that may be harming our sites is a process that the Ahrefs Site Explorer makes possible. While it does offer keyword tracking as well, I've found the SE…
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
The way Ahrefs presents the data collected is much more intuitive and easy to understand than the way SEMRush offers it. The interface of Ahrefs is more user-friendly than the one from SEMRush. I can get lost in the way SEMRush presents the data, and their help guides are not as …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Owner, Cofounder, and Chief Creative Marketer and Strategist in Marketing at White Buffalo Creative (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs is easier to use, their features deliver understandable and logical recommendations, and in my opinion and most importantly — they list parent topics, which is huge when designing/redesigning a website.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Internet Marketing Manager in Marketing at NetArt (Marketing & Advertising, 51-200 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
We found the user interface of Ahrefs slightly better than the rest. Also, the details involved in the outputs we more informative. For example, once an audit is done, the steps that are involved in fixing that issue are well explained in Ahrefs. Also, I found Ahrefs backlink …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
With the digital initiatives we have currently underway, both are really valuable so we keep them both. The digital ecosystem changes so rapidly that only relying on one SEO tool is, in my opinion, not a great idea, as each has its own strengths and weaknesses. And the cost is …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs provides more accurate and important data compared to other services. It has become a very trusted service among the SEO community and collected tremendous amount of data over the years of operation. Ahrefs is designed to meet the needs of a very demanding SEO expert, …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Growth Marketing Manager, HubSpot for Startups in Marketing at HubSpot (Internet, 1001-5000 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs is more flexible for a large organization and overall has more features than competitors packed within a single tool. Other tools just don't have as much ability as the Ahrefs tool does. We also found the UI to be overall better on Ahrefs and easier to understand than …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Director & Co-Founder in Marketing at Altosight (Internet, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs has the best backlink data even compared to funded competitors. On top of that, their analysis and tutorials make it possible to get value easily. Monitoring your website, your competitors, and finding SEO opportunities is very easy and there are some sophisticated …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Web Production Manager Responsible for SEO, Web Design, & Social Media Marketing in Marketing at Ascension Marketing (Marketing and Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs has more features and more accurate data than its competitors. While both Moz and Majestic are great tools and can be used as complimentary to Ahrefs, if you have to choose one tool, definitely choose Ahrefs. It has the biggest database of links and better stats for …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
SEM Analyst in Marketing at Vizergy (Marketing & Advertising, 51-200 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs Site Explorer gives us an easier way of obtaining backlinks when we're doing link building, whereas with other products I have a more difficult time finding viable backlinks. The keyword list you can export from Ahrefs is also a lot more clear than in other products …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Search Engine Optimization Manager in Marketing at BambooHR (Marketing and Advertising, 201-500 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
I feel like Ahrefs Site Explorer is the best in class for this type of tool. Moz has made great strides recently with their keyword research and backlink tool. It's come a long way, but I still feel Ahrefs Site Explorer is better at looking at sites, giving actionable insights, …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Marketing Strategist, Founder in Professional Services at California SEO Professionals (Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
You can dip deeper with Ahrefs Site Explorer's data. It is great for crawling websites, doing website audits too. For deep analysis and research, Ahrefs is a step ahead of its competitors. Ahrefs has many tools like site & keyword explorer, content explorer, rank tracker, site …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Marketing Specialist - Team Lead in Marketing at Select Blinds (Retail, 51-200 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
As stated previously, Ahrefa Site Explorer is the best to have an array of tools in your pocket when researching websites and practicing SEO. I would recommend using multiple tools intermittently to cover a variety of searches related to your project. Some platforms may be …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
SEO Content Strategist in Professional Services at Madeline Osman (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Ahrefs
After trying multiple premium and more affordable all-in-one SEO tools, alike, I'm confident that Ahrefs Site Explorer is the best value for the money with the most useful data for my SEO content projects.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Search Engine Optimization Specialist in Information Technology at WEBO Digital (Information Technology & Services, 11-50 employees)
Chose Semrush
Semrush overall UI is much better than Ahrefs and also more easier to use. Although both the tools have similar features, the reporting asp[etc if semrush is a lot better. Even the pricing of Ahrefs is a bit more expensive then semrush in my opinion.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Account Supervisor at Bolt PR (Marketing & Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Chose Semrush
Semrush is amazing. Not only is it easy to use, it's better than Moz or Ahrefs combined. The Keyword Research tool and planner is incredible. it makes it easy to pull what keywords we want to rank for and add them to our keyword list. It's helped with productivity and workflow. …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
SEO Manager in Marketing at StudioHawk (Marketing & Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Chose Semrush
We have used both Ahrefs and Semrush extensively at our agency and Semrush remains the tool of choice. We find that Semrush has the largest selection of tools & features to use, with the highest accuracy, and provides top-tier analysis recommendations. It's really is the …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Search Engine Optimization Specialist in Marketing at Scooters 'N Chairs (Market Research, 11-50 employees)
Chose Semrush
Moz isn't very powerful and better suited to beginners. Ahrefs is on par with Semrush, just a personal preference. Rank Ranger has inaccurate data and a terrible user interface.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Content Marketing Lead in Marketing at CTI Digital (Marketing & Advertising, 51-200 employees)
Chose Semrush
I have some experience using Ahrefs and Moz, but I find the interface to be more user-friendly in Semrush. This is particularly useful when we show clients the tool or take screenshots directly from Semrush for client-facing documents.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Strategist in Marketing at JMoriarty Marketing (Marketing & Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Chose Semrush
[Semrush] is a better overall tool for SEO management. It has so many different tools that you can use. Moz doesn't offer everything, but has its own benefits, which are more focused around serps and keywords. Ahrefs is particularly good when working with backlinks. Much …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
all the tools are very good in each of their domain, but the tool Semrush is cheaper when you compare it with Ahref's but it comes in to the category of costly when you compare it with other tools like rank pro. The tool is good but also needs a good learning curve to …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
Semrush provides a great amount of data to help with market and channel research while keeping current with changes in the search environment and how that impacts the competitive space for digital marketers. Other tools appear every week as things progress so quickly in search …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
Semrush has better brand recognition and value compared to its competitors. It has a futuristic vision and has been growing consistently organically and inorganically. It has helped achieve ROI and better inbound strategy YoY and thus we chose to go with Semrush. Also, our …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
Semrush is a good middle ground and it’s not a tool you are going to be disappointed with. I think it’s good at all aspects of SEO so if you don’t have a specific strategy in place it’s going to be your best option.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Head of SEO in Marketing at Catena Media (Gambling & Casinos, 501-1000 employees)
Chose Semrush
For me, Semrush has a good UX and is a trustworthy source of organic traffic data. When compared to other tools, they sometimes could be pretty much off when I observe data in Google Search Console and Google Analytics. That's why I think Semrush does a pretty good job for any …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
Semrush is a little pricey; it works very well and is very useful.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
President - Web Strategist and SEO Consultant in Corporate at Steve Scott SEO (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Semrush
Overall, I preferred the structure and the completeness of the SEMRush tool over the competitors. Many competitors had multiple tools to log into and learn with different interfaces and looks. Love how SEMRush has everything in one place and is more intuitive then these other …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. TR verified that a representative sample of customers was invited. More Info
Verified User
Chose Semrush
Semrush has integrated all in one and easy to navegate around its dashboard
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Customers have primarily utilized Ahrefs for its backlink analysis features. They regularly mention how the detailed insights and metrics provided help them evaluate their own and competitors’ link profiles, aiding in shaping their SEO strategies. Moreover, they commend the software for its keyword research functionality, where users express that it presents extensive data to identify high-ranking keywords and understand keyword difficulty effectively.
On the other hand, Semrush users often use it for its comprehensive suite of SEO tools, including keyword research, site audits, and competitor analysis. Reviewers have noted that the content template feature, which provides SEO recommendations for content creation, has been a helpful tool for addressing their specific SEO needs. Furthermore, customers repeatedly highlight the social media toolkit, stating that it allows for easy tracking of social media performance and scheduling posts, a use case not commonly associated with Ahrefs.
Features
Ahrefs
Semrush
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Ahrefs and Semrush
Feature
Ahrefs
7.8
71 Ratings
1% above category average
Semrush
7.9
152 Ratings
2% above category average
Keyword analysis
9.668 Ratings
8.7152 Ratings
Backlink management
8.569 Ratings
8.2145 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking
9.467 Ratings
8.2148 Ratings
Page grader
5.261 Ratings
7.0127 Ratings
Competitive analysis
9.469 Ratings
8.6147 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics
8.064 Ratings
8.0148 Ratings
Site recommendations
5.660 Ratings
7.3137 Ratings
Task management
7.032 Ratings
7.090 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Ahrefs and Semrush
Feature
Ahrefs
7.5
62 Ratings
1% below category average
Semrush
8.1
138 Ratings
6% above category average
Local SEO
8.450 Ratings
8.3126 Ratings
Social SEO
6.147 Ratings
8.0104 Ratings
Mobile SEO
6.046 Ratings
7.7111 Ratings
Global SEO
9.656 Ratings
8.3112 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Ahrefs and Semrush
Ahrefs is a must have in the SEO toolbox. It is one of the leading tools in the industry for serious SEO research. It can do almost everything you need on the non-technical side of SEO. In my opinion, it is not great if you need a detailed technical tool that identifies errors and helps with fix suggestions. In that instance, I think there are better tools on the market. But - for content and keyword related tasks, I think it's must have.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
This is suited to plan for keywords in a single market, but it struggles when you need to consolidate several markets. It is well-suited to discover new keywords directly related to the ones being used currently to expand the content the company is creating to get better results.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
I have been using this platform in my organization to develop several SEO tools to help to grow our website much.
It has all the main features which include competitor research, keyword research, website audit, content research, and rank tracking.
I have been using all these functions in the organization for several purposes. It provides complete information and complete performance details of the SEO.
It provides us the detailed keyword research with volume, CPC, and other information.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Can't export graphs: some graphs within the tool would be useful as an export. Unfortunately, exporting them is not an option.
No "blanket" reporting options: though Ahrefs is excellent for gathering and exporting intel/data, there are no blanket SEO reports provided. Exporting data is great, but simple report exporting would make it better.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Their index is too vast to ignore when looking at a complete backlink profile. We find links in Ahrefs that do not appear in any other link detection tool. For this reason, it's a must for our agency to use for the foreseeable future. Plus, it's very affordable considering the data you get
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Ahrefs is very easy to use - you can jump right in and understand most of the assets. Overall, the dashboard snapshots give a very good picture of inbound link activity. For deeper analysis of historical trends, the system can become cumbersome, making it hard to do full work without exporting and reformatting the data.
The interface is a little less intuitive than it could be. The data is often available but filtering and manipulating the data can be a little difficult at times. Expanded comparisons would be helpful since most of the time seeing more than a few competitors at a time allows for a better sense of how to forecast.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Ahrefs has always been responsive when there's been a technical issue with the site. There are usually very little problems, but if there are, they announce it on their social media accounts which keeps its customers informed. Email support is prompt and the customer service people are very helpful, knowledgable and friendly.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
I'm in a FB group for Semrush paid users and it amazing! They are fast to respond, take suggestions and help with questions. I have not felt alone in using this product at all. Highly recommend their support team. When I had an issue I can jump into the group and they will help get me the right person to help or even tag their programmers to look at something that is going on. Love the group!
Majestic and Ahrefs are really close in terms of tool. Ahrefs does offer competitive comparison and they do have a more up to date data base. Majestic however has a more comprehensive historical view of sites which is also extremely valuable. Majestic also offers a link velocity chart that is missing on Ahrefs. Ahrefs makes up for this with their links gained/lost calendar which Majestic is missing.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
We have used both Ahrefs and Semrush extensively at our agency and Semrush remains the tool of choice. We find that Semrush has the largest selection of tools & features to use, with the highest accuracy, and provides top-tier analysis recommendations. It's really is the ultimate all-in-one tool when comparing other performance measurement tools in the digital marketing space.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Using Semrush on behalf of our clients, we have seen some impressive growth in organic visibility, traffic, conversion and revenue, across multiple industries.
The site checks available with Semrush have helped us to pitch and sell our services, securing new clients.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
