Ahrefs starts at $129/mo. Semrush starts at $139.95/mo. A $10/mo difference that masks very different feature sets, data quality, and use cases. Here's what you actually get for the money — and which one is worth it for your SEO workflow.
Annual billing saves ~16% on Ahrefs ($108/mo on Lite) and ~17% on Semrush ($117.33/mo on Pro).
| Feature | Ahrefs Lite | Semrush Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Backlink database | ✓ Best-in-class (35.3T links) | ~ Strong (43T, but more duplicates) |
| Keyword research | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Excellent |
| Keyword database size | 24.6B keywords | 25.6B keywords |
| SERP features tracking | ~ Basic | ✓ Comprehensive |
| PPC / paid search data | ✗ Very limited | ✓ Full PPC intelligence |
| Competitive analysis | ✓ Organic focus | ✓ Organic + paid |
| Site audit | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Rank tracking | ~ 750 keywords (Lite) | ~ 500 keywords (Pro) |
| Content marketing tools | ✗ Limited | ✓ Content marketing platform |
| Social media tracking | ✗ | ~ Social tracker add-on |
| Local SEO | ✗ | ✓ Listing management |
| Free tier | ~ Webmaster Tools (limited) | ~ 10 daily queries |
| API access | Enterprise only ($1,499/mo) | Business plan ($499.95/mo) |
| White-label reports | ✗ | ~ Guru+ only |
| Metric | Ahrefs Lite ($129) | Semrush Pro ($139.95) |
|---|---|---|
| Projects / domains | 5 | 5 |
| Tracked keywords | 750 | 500 |
| Pages crawled/month | 100K | 100K |
| Reports per day | 500 | 3,000 |
| Extra users | +$40/mo/user | +$45/mo/user |
| Historical data | 6 months (Lite) | Full history (all plans) |
Your primary focus is SEO — specifically backlink building, link prospecting, and organic search research. Ahrefs has the best backlink data in the industry and a cleaner, more focused UX. It's the tool SEO specialists prefer. The Lite plan is genuinely useful for solo SEOs and small teams.
You need a broader marketing toolkit — PPC research, content marketing, local SEO, or social tracking alongside SEO. Semrush is the choice for full-stack marketing teams and agencies. The Guru plan adds content marketing features that have no equivalent in Ahrefs. Also better if you need historical data from the start (not just 6 months like Ahrefs Lite).
Many serious SEO teams use Ahrefs for backlink analysis and Semrush for keyword/competitive research. Combined cost: $378.95/mo ($129 + $249.95). Expensive, but the data overlap is lower than you'd think. Agencies often justify both for client diversity.
| Plan | Monthly (billed monthly) | Annual cost | Annual (billed annually) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Lite | $129/mo | $1,548 | $108/mo = $1,296/yr (save $252) |
| Ahrefs Standard | $249/mo | $2,988 | $208/mo = $2,496/yr (save $492) |
| Semrush Pro | $139.95/mo | $1,679 | $117.33/mo = $1,408/yr (save $271) |
| Semrush Guru | $249.95/mo | $2,999 | $208.33/mo = $2,500/yr (save $499) |
Prices verified May 2026. All prices USD. Annual billing discounts vary. Database statistics from tools' published data. PricePulse monitors SEO tool pricing for changes.
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