Ahrefs Alternatives 2026: 5 Options, 4 Free
Ahrefs alternatives: Semrush, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Seobility and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•SEO Tools
Verdict:Ahrefs is known for its backlink index, and that is the one thing none of these tools copy for free. Before leaving, note that Ahrefs itself has a free tier: Ahrefs Free covers unlimited verified sites, a site audit with 5K crawl credits per project each month and a Site Explorer view limited to 1K backlinks and keywords. If you only work on your own domain, that plus Google Search Console is a complete zero-cost setup, and Screaming Frog's free crawl adds technical checks for small sites. The real cost appears when you need competitor links. Then the choice is a paid suite. Semrush has a small free account and starts at $139 monthly, so it is not cheaper than Ahrefs Lite at $129. SE Ranking's Core plan is $103.20 a month on annual billing and bundles tracking with research, which suits agencies who report to clients more than they hunt links. Seobility is the cheap option at $69.90 for Premium, but it is a checker, not a research tool. One thing to know: Ahrefs now lists Starter at $29 a month, which is a low entry point if you only need basic access and wanted to compare. Leave if you never look at competitors; stay if link research drives your work.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | Free (1 demo project, 10 reports per day across tools); paid from $139 per month, billed monthly (SEO plan; $117.33 billed annually) | Web browser | Teams wanting broader marketing tools | Docs only |
| Google Search Console | Free (Free service; Google states no usage plans) | Web browser | Free first-party search data | Docs only |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Free (Free version crawls up to 500 URLs); paid from $279 per user/year (paid licence) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Technical crawls without a subscription | Docs only |
| Seobility | Free (Basic plan: 5 checks per day); paid from $69.9 per month (Premium, 50 checks per day) | Web browser | Basic on-page checks | Docs only |
| SE Ranking | Paid from $129 per month, billed monthly (Core; $103.20 billed annually) | Web browser | Rank tracking plus research for agencies | Docs only |
| Ubersuggest | Free; paid from $29 | Web | SEO | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You audit only your own site and want free data (Google Search Console is the pick)
- You need technical crawls on a desktop (Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the pick)
- You want a paid suite with tracking at a lower annual rate (SE Ranking is the pick)
- You want wider marketing tools in one login (Semrush is the pick)
- You need simple on-page checks (Seobility is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Ahrefs features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Ahrefs today: Free (Ahrefs Free: unlimited verified sites, Site Audit 5K crawl credits per project per month, Site Explorer shows up to 1K backlinks and keywords); paid from $29 per month (Starter; Lite is $129 monthly) (Ahrefs pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Ahrefs alternatives
Ahrefs has a steep ladder: Starter is $29 a month, then Lite $129, Standard $249, Advanced $449 and Enterprise $1,499, with annual billing saving up to 17%. Each plan includes one user; extra seats cost $40 (Lite), $60 (Standard) or $80 (Advanced) a month each. Lite caps credits at 1,000 per user and 5 non-verified projects. Brand Radar from $199 a month and Report Builder at $99 are billed separately.
Semrush
Compared with Ahrefs: A free account gives one demo project and 10 reports a day; paid starts at $139 monthly against Ahrefs Lite at $129. Semrush covers more marketing areas, though its free tier is too small for regular backlink work.
Price: Free (1 demo project, 10 reports per day across tools); paid from $139 per month, billed monthly (SEO plan; $117.33 billed annually) (Semrush pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Teams wanting broader marketing tools.
Worth knowing: 7-day trial of paid plans.
Google Search Console
Compared with Ahrefs: Free and exact for your own sites: queries, clicks, indexing and links reported by Google. It has no competitor backlink index like Ahrefs Site Explorer, so you lose rival research but pay nothing.
Price: Free (Free service; Google states no usage plans) (Google Search Console pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary free service.
Best for: Free first-party search data.
Worth knowing: Covers your own verified sites only, not competitors.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Compared with Ahrefs: Free desktop crawler for up to 500 URLs, or $279 a year unlimited. It replaces Ahrefs Site Audit for technical checks, but has no backlink index, keyword database or rank tracker.
Price: Free (Free version crawls up to 500 URLs); paid from $279 per user/year (paid licence) (Screaming Frog SEO Spider pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. Proprietary desktop software.
Best for: Technical crawls without a subscription.
Seobility
Compared with Ahrefs: Free Basic plan allows 5 checks a day; Premium is $69.90 a month. It covers on-page and crawl checks only and does not offer Ahrefs backlink data or keyword research.
Price: Free (Basic plan: 5 checks per day); paid from $69.9 per month (Premium, 50 checks per day) (Seobility pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Basic on-page checks.
Worth knowing: Premium has a 14-day trial.
SE Ranking
Compared with Ahrefs: Trial only, then Core at $129 monthly or $103.20 billed annually. Includes tracking and research in one suite, with a smaller backlink focus than Ahrefs, which is better known for link data.
Price: Paid from $129 per month, billed monthly (Core; $103.20 billed annually) (SE Ranking pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Rank tracking plus research for agencies.
Worth knowing: 14-day free trial, no credit card.
Other popular options (paid)
Ubersuggest
Compared with Ahrefs: Ubersuggest lists paid tiers from US$29 to US$99 and a free account, well under Ahrefs Lite at $129 a month. Guides pitch it as the budget pick, with less depth for backlink research.
Price: Free; paid from $29 (Ubersuggest pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Which one to pick
- You audit only your own site and want free data: Google Search Console
- You need technical crawls on a desktop: Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- You want a paid suite with tracking at a lower annual rate: SE Ranking
- You want wider marketing tools in one login: Semrush
- You need simple on-page checks: Seobility
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Semrush, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Seobility, SE Ranking: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Ahrefs. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Seobility, SE Ranking, Ubersuggest. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.