Ahrefs vs Semrush comes down to team size and use: Ahrefs Lite ($129/mo) is cheaper for one to three people and stronger on backlinks, while Semrush ($139/mo) is cheaper for five users and broader across PPC and content.
By Vlad Ivanov · Last updated: October 2026Key Takeaways
- Entry plans: Ahrefs Lite $129/mo vs Semrush SEO $139/mo, monthly billing (Ahrefs, Semrush).
- Extra users: $40 to $80/mo on Ahrefs depending on plan, from $45/mo on Semrush.
- Ahrefs Lite allows only 2 extra users, so a 5-person team pays $489/mo on Ahrefs Standard vs $319/mo on Semrush SEO.
- Tracked keywords on the entry plan: 750 on Ahrefs Lite, 500 on Semrush SEO.
- In our ChatGPT test, both Ahrefs-vs-Semrush prompts gave Semrush a slight edge for keyword research volume and Ahrefs the edge for backlinks.
- “ahrefs vs semrush” gets about 880 US searches a month (DataForSEO, October 2026).
What is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is an SEO platform built around its own web crawler and backlink index. The main tools are Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Content Explorer. Plans run from Starter at $29/mo (basic competitor research) to Lite $129, Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499 (Ahrefs pricing).
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a broader marketing platform: SEO, PPC, content, local and AI search visibility. Its SEO plans run from SEO at $139/mo to Starter $199, Pro+ $299 and Advanced $549, with extra users from $45/mo (Semrush prices). Annual billing brings the SEO plan to $117.33/mo.
How do Ahrefs and Semrush compare on price?
For one person, Ahrefs is $10 a month cheaper. The gap reverses as the team grows, because Ahrefs Lite caps extra users at two and the next plan up costs $249.
| Team size | Ahrefs (list price, monthly) | Semrush (list price, monthly) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $129 (Lite) | $139 (SEO) | Ahrefs by $10 |
| 3 users | $129 + 2 x $40 = $209 (Lite) | $139 + 2 x $45 = $229 (SEO) | Ahrefs by $20 |
| 5 users | $249 + 4 x $60 = $489 (Standard; Lite caps at 2 extra users) | $139 + 4 x $45 = $319 (SEO) | Semrush by $170 |
Annual billing cuts both by up to 17%. If seat costs are the problem, SE Ranking adds seats from $16, which I cover in the list of Semrush alternatives.
How do Ahrefs and Semrush compare feature by feature?
| Feature | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Lite, $129/mo | SEO, $139/mo |
| Cheap tier | Starter $29/mo | Free plan (limited) |
| Free tool for own sites | Ahrefs Free: Site Audit + Site Explorer on verified sites | Free plan |
| Tracked keywords, entry plan | 750 | 500 |
| Extra users | $40 to $80/mo, Lite capped at 2 | From $45/mo |
| Keyword research strength | Traffic Potential, Parent Topic, SERP history | Keyword Magic Tool grouping, intent filters, PPC data |
| Backlinks | Core strength | Good, own database |
| PPC and ads research | Limited | Strong |
Which is better for keyword research?
Ahrefs is better at telling you whether a keyword is worth it. Keywords Explorer shows Traffic Potential (what the top page actually gets across all its keywords) and Parent Topic (whether you can rank one page for the whole group). That stops you writing five articles for one search intent.
Semrush is better at producing big, sorted lists. The Keyword Magic Tool groups keywords into subtopics and filters by intent, CPC and SERP features, and its PPC data is deeper.
Neither tool knows who is searching. Both rank keywords by volume and difficulty, so a 4,000-search keyword full of students and job seekers looks better than a 90-search keyword your buyers type. That is the gap I built ICP Keywords for: it scores keywords against your Ideal Customer Profile and adds ideas from Reddit, YouTube comments and AI answers. More on that idea in what buyer intent keywords are.
When should you choose Ahrefs?
Choose Ahrefs if backlinks drive your strategy, if you are one to three people, or if you mostly need to decide which keywords are worth a page. Pair it with a manual SERP check before you trust any difficulty score. It is also the better pick if you can live on the free tier for your own sites and only pay when you need competitor data. If price is still too high, see the Ahrefs alternatives.
When should you choose Semrush?
Choose Semrush if you run PPC alongside SEO, if your team has four or more people, or if you want one platform for content, local and AI search tracking. Semrush is the tool most often recommended to B2B SaaS teams in AI answers: ChatGPT picked it for a B2B SaaS startup, while noting Ahrefs suits lean, founder-led SEO.
What did ChatGPT say about Ahrefs vs Semrush?
We asked ChatGPT “ahrefs vs semrush for keyword research” and “should a b2b saas startup use ahrefs or semrush” on 7 October 2026, with web search on. Both answers cited only ahrefs.com and semrush.com pages. The verdicts: Semrush has “a slight edge for most users” on keyword research, Ahrefs wins on SERP analysis, Traffic Potential and backlinks, and pre-product-market-fit startups might start with Ahrefs.
That second point is worth noticing: no independent comparison was cited at all. For how AI assistants choose sources, see how to get cited by Perplexity and the AI Overviews CTR statistics.
How did we compare them?
All prices and limits were read from ahrefs.com/pricing and semrush.com/prices on 7 October 2026. Team costs use list prices with monthly billing and the published extra-user prices; Semrush lists extra users as “starting at” $45, so your quote may differ. Search data is from DataForSEO (US). ChatGPT answers were captured through DataForSEO’s ChatGPT scraper as part of a 40-prompt test. Whichever tool you pick, keyword choice on a new site matters more than the tool: see keyword research for zero-DR sites and how to find low competition keywords.
ICP Keywords scores each keyword by how well it fits the person you sell to. From $29.90/mo or $25 for 2,000 credits. 100 free credits, 7 days, no card.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ahrefs or Semrush better for keyword research?
Both are strong. Ahrefs is better at judging whether a keyword is worth chasing, thanks to Traffic Potential and Parent Topic. Semrush is better at producing and organising very large keyword lists in the Keyword Magic Tool, and covers PPC keyword research in more depth.
Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?
For one person, yes: Ahrefs Lite is $129/mo and Semrush SEO is $139/mo on monthly billing. For a team of five, no: Ahrefs Lite allows only two extra users, so five people need Standard at $249 plus four users at $60, or $489/mo, against about $319/mo on Semrush SEO with four users from $45.
Which is better for backlinks, Ahrefs or Semrush?
Ahrefs is the usual choice for backlink research, and Ahrefs describes backlink intelligence as one of its core strengths. Semrush has its own backlink database and is good enough for most audits.
Which is better for a B2B SaaS startup?
If you are a founder doing SEO yourself and care about links and competitor content, Ahrefs Lite. If you run a marketing team that also does PPC and content, Semrush. If you mainly need to find the keywords your buyers search, a cheaper keyword-only tool such as ICP Keywords may cover it.
Can I use Ahrefs or Semrush for free?
Both have free tiers. Ahrefs Free works on sites you verify, with Site Audit and Site Explorer limits. Semrush has a free plan with limited features. Neither free tier gives full competitor research.
Do Ahrefs and Semrush show the same search volume?
No. They model search volume differently, so the same keyword often shows different numbers. Pick one as your reference and judge keywords by the live SERP rather than one tool’s figure.
Is there a cheaper alternative to both?
SE Ranking matches both on features from $129/mo with extra seats from $16. For keyword research only, LowFruits and ICP Keywords sell 2,000 credits for $25.
Vlad Ivanov runs the Words At Scale YouTube channel (26,000+ subscribers) and nine Search Console-verified sites, and built ICP Keywords, a keyword research tool for B2B and niche sites. Prices here were checked on both vendors’ pages on 7 October 2026. LinkedIn
