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Updated today · Independent Analysis
Ahrefs vs SE Ranking
Capability Overview
Ahrefsvs SE Ranking
4.6G2-0.2 vs SE Ranking
Only in Ahrefs
- ✦ Keyword Explorer
- ✦ Site Explorer
- ✦ Site Audit
✓ Free planFrom $29/mo(cheaper)3M+ users users · est. 2011
SE Rankingvs Ahrefs
4.8G2+0.2 vs Ahrefs
Only in SE Ranking
- ✦ Rank Tracking
- ✦ Website Audit
- ✦ Keyword Research
From $129/mo(pricier)1M+ users users · est. 2013
Quick VerdictIndependent Analysis
SE Ranking wins for independent consultants needing budget-friendly SEO suites starting at $55/mo. Ahrefs wins for enterprise marketing teams requiring deep backlink intelligence starting at $29/mo.
When to Choose Ahrefs vs SE Ranking
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Scenario: SERP Feature Tracking for Featured
Ahrefs
SERP Feature Tracking for Featured Snippet Opportunities
Ahrefs identifies which queries in your tracked keyword set trigger featured snippets or People Also Ask boxes that you don't own, prioritizing content optimization for the highest-click SERP features.
SE Ranking
Daily Rank Tracking for Local and National SERPs
SE Ranking's keyword tracker monitors positions daily across multiple locations and devices, showing ranking velocity trends that weekly trackers miss for fast-moving local SEO campaigns.
Scenario: Content Decay Detection via Organic
Ahrefs
Content Decay Detection via Organic Traffic History
Ahrefs' organic traffic history charts identify pages that peaked 12-24 months ago and are now losing clicks, prioritizing content updates where a refresh delivers faster ROI than creating new content.
SE Ranking
Competitor Traffic Estimation With Source Breakdown
SE Ranking's competitor analysis estimates organic, paid, and referral traffic for any domain, giving teams a benchmark to calibrate their own growth targets against achievable peer performance.
Ahrefs Unique Strength
Broken Link Building via Site Explorer 404 Detection
Ahrefs Site Explorer finds competitor pages with 404 errors that still have referring domains, identifying link reclamation targets where replacement content can attract established link equity.
→ Choose Ahrefs if this scenario applies to you. SE Ranking doesn't offer a comparable solution.
SE Ranking Unique Strength
White-Label SEO Reports for Agency Client Deliverables
SE Ranking's white-label module generates branded PDF reports with custom logos and domains, letting agencies deliver professional SEO reporting without building a separate reporting layer.
→ Choose SE Ranking if this scenario applies to you. Ahrefs doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
Ahrefs Plans
Free tier available
Ahrefs Free
FreeBest for: Individuals wanting basic data on their own site
- ✓Basic site data
- ✓fix what matters
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARStarter
$29/momonthlyor$348/yr
Best for: Individuals wanting to see what people search and spy on competitors
- ✓Basic SEO data
- ✓search visibility
View on vendor site
Lite
$129/mobilled annually$1548/yr
Best for: Small businesses and personal projects
- ✓5 projects
- ✓6 months historical data
- ✓750 tracked keywords
- ✓5 tracked prompts
- ✓100,000 crawl credits
View on vendor site
Standard
$249/mobilled annually$2988/yr
Best for: Freelance SEOs and marketing consultants
- ✓20 projects
- ✓2 years historical data
- ✓2,000 tracked keywords
- ✓10 tracked prompts
- ✓500,000 crawl credits
View on vendor site
Advanced
$449/mobilled annually$5388/yr
Best for: Lean in-house marketing teams
- ✓50 projects
- ✓5 years historical data
- ✓5,000 tracked keywords
- ✓20 tracked prompts
- ✓1,500,000 crawl credits
View on vendor site
Enterprise
$1499/mobilled annually$17988/yr
Best for: Fortune 500 teams needing advanced customization, automation, controls
- ✓Uncapped API access
- ✓SSO & enterprise-grade security
- ✓Access management & audit log
- ✓Unlimited historical data
- ✓Personalized higher limits & data exports
View on vendor site
SE Ranking Plans
Paid plans only
Core
$129/momonthlyor$1238/yrsave 20%
Best for: SEO + GEO for marketing teams with repeatable delivery
- ✓10 projects & 1 manager seat
- ✓2k keywords & 100 prompts to track daily
- ✓5 domains in GEO research
- ✓250k pages/mo in audit
- ✓25K API credits & MCP access
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARGrowth
$279/momonthlyor$2678/yrsave 20%
Best for: Automation and collaboration for multi-client SEO + GEO
- ✓30 projects & 3 manager seats
- ✓5k keywords & 250 prompts to track daily
- ✓15 domains in GEO research
- ✓2M pages/mo in audit
- ✓100K API credits & MCP access
View on vendor site
Enterprise
Contact SalesBest for: Large teams and complex tasks needing custom SEO & GEO platform
- ✓Custom limits and pricing
- ✓Full API & advanced integrations
View on vendor site
Capability Breakdown
5 differences found across 15 standardized features
Feature
Ahrefs
SE Ranking
Local SEO
✗
✓
White Label
✗
✓
Historical Data
✓
✗
Backlink Gap
✓
✗
Traffic Analytics
✓
✗
Total (raw)
28
15
Ahrefs Features
- •Backlink Analysis
- •Keyword Explorer
- •Site Explorer
- •Site Audit
- •Rank Tracker
- •Content Explorer
- •Keywords Explorer
- •Competitor Research
- •SERP Overview
- •Link Intersect
- •Traffic Checker
- •API Access
- •Alerts
- •Broken Link Checker
- •Web Analytics
- •Competitive Analysis
- •Brand Radar
- •MCP Server
- •Report Builder
- •AI keyword suggestions
- •Keyword clusters
- •SERP comparison
- •Looker Studio integration
- •Social Media Manager
- •GBP Monitor
- •Custom AI prompts tracking
- •Forecasting
- •SSO
SE Ranking Features
- •Rank Tracking
- •Website Audit
- •Keyword Research
- •Competitor Analysis
- •Backlink Analysis
- •On-Page SEO Checker
- •Local Marketing
- •White Label
- •API Access
- •Reporting
- •Lead Generator
- •Content Marketing
- •Social Media Analytics
- •Page Changes Monitor
- •SERP Analyzer
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
Pros
- +Industry-leading backlink index size and freshness
- +Keyword Explorer shows clicks, not just search volume
- +Content Explorer finds link opportunities in seconds
- +Site Audit tool provides actionable technical SEO fixes
- +Robust competitive analysis via Content Gap feature
Cons
- −Pricing is higher than many direct competitors
- −No built-in PPC, social media, or content creation tools
- −Credit-based system can be confusing and lead to overages
- −Local SEO features are less developed than competitors
- −Interface can be overwhelming for SEO beginners
Pros
- +Flexible keyword rank tracking frequency (daily, 3-day, weekly)
- +Comprehensive white-labeling and client reporting tools
- +Content Marketing platform with AI writer on all plans
- +Generous project and keyword limits for the price point
- +Includes local marketing and social media management tools
Cons
- −Smaller backlink and keyword databases than Ahrefs/Semrush
- −Historical rank tracking data is limited on lower-tier plans
- −User interface can feel less polished than premium competitors
- −Lacks advanced link-building outreach management features
- −Slower crawling speed for large, complex site audits
At a Glance
User Rating
4.6/5vs4.8/5
Ahrefs
SE Ranking
▲
Starting Price
$29/movs$129/mo
Ahrefs
SE Ranking
▲
Feature Count
28 featuresvs15 features
Ahrefs
▲
SE Ranking
User Base
3.0Mvs1.0M
Ahrefs
▲
SE Ranking
Ahrefs · Price & Data SyncLast verified: July 2, 2026 · CE-SEO-2026W26-6219DC · ✓ Pricing updated Jun 3, 2026
SE Ranking · Price & Data SyncLast verified: June 28, 2026 · CE-SEO-2026W26-8B67C5 · ✓ Pricing updated May 28, 2026
Recent Price History
Ahrefs
Ahrefs removed the "Free" plan
Plan removed · Jun 3, 2026
Ahrefs
Ahrefs added a new "Ahrefs Free" plan at $0/mo (Free)
Plan added · Jun 3, 2026
Ahrefs
Ahrefs updated "Enterprise" from Custom to $1499/mo
Price change · Jun 3, 2026
SE Ranking
SE Ranking removed the "Pro" plan
Plan removed · May 28, 2026
SE Ranking
SE Ranking added a new "Growth" plan at $279/mo
Plan added · May 28, 2026
SE Ranking
SE Ranking added a new "Enterprise" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 28, 2026
SE Ranking
SE Ranking added a new "Core" plan at $129/mo
Plan added · May 28, 2026
SE Ranking
SE Ranking removed the "Essential" plan
Plan removed · May 28, 2026
Ahrefs
Ahrefs removed the "Ahrefs Free" plan
Plan removed · May 21, 2026
Ahrefs
Ahrefs added a new "Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Free)" plan at $0/mo
Plan added · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
AhrefsFree · from $29/mo
SE Rankingfrom $129/moSources & Data Trail · Ahrefs
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-02)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.6/5 · 670 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.7/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
Sources & Data Trail · SE Ranking
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-06-28)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.8/5 · 1,547 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.8/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews