Semrush vs Ahrefs: Prices, Limits and Who Each One Fits
By Bike HawleyPrices checked October 23, 2026No test results yet
Semrush vs Ahrefs is close on sticker price: the cheapest full plans cost $139.95 and $129 a month. The bigger split is cadence and risk, because Semrush checks 500 keywords daily and refunds a first yearly plan within 7 days, while Ahrefs checks 750 weekly by default, sells no trial and generally refunds nothing. Prices are as of October 23, 2026, and we have not tested either tool yet.
Semrush vs Ahrefs Plans at a Glance
Here are Semrush vs Ahrefs plans at a glance, from the facts each vendor publishes.
| Fact | Semrush | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | SEO, $139.95 a month | Starter, $29 a month |
| Billed yearly | $117.33 a month | Not listed |
| Keywords tracked | 500 on SEO | 750 on Lite |
| Updates | Daily | Weekly |
| Cost per keyword | $0.280 a month | $0.172 a month |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial for new users; a card is required (Semrush runs a $1 authorization check) and the first payment is charged automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel | No free trial listed (Ahrefs says it never runs discounts); Ahrefs Free gives limited Site Explorer and Site Audit access for verified sites, with no credit card |
| Refunds | No refunds on month-to-month plans; a one-time 7-day money-back guarantee covers only initial annual (12-month or longer) subscriptions and initial add-ons bought by card on semrush.com | Ahrefs does not issue refunds in general; monthly subscribers can ask for one if they have not used the service, and Ahrefs may decline if it sees material activity |
| Pays us | $200 to $450 per first sale of the SEO Toolkit or Semrush One (by quarterly sales tier), plus $10 per free trial | Nothing (no open program) |
Semrush vs Ahrefs Prices, Tier by Tier
Semrush vs Ahrefs prices line up tier by tier like this, with monthly billing first and the yearly rate per month in parentheses.
| Tier | Semrush | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free: 10 tracked keywords | Starter $29: 200 credits, monthly only |
| Small | SEO $139.95 ($117.33): 5 sites, 500 keywords daily | Lite $129 ($107.50): 5 projects, 750 keywords weekly |
| Small with AI | Starter $199 ($165.17): adds 50 prompts a day | Lite includes 5 prompts a day |
| Team | Pro+ $299 ($248.17): 15 sites, 1,500 keywords | Standard $249 ($207.50): 20 projects, 2,000 keywords |
| Large | Advanced: custom, 5,000+ keywords | Advanced $449 ($374.17): 50 projects, 5,000 keywords |
| Enterprise | Custom | $1,499 a month, annual commitment |
Ahrefs costs less at every paid tier where both publish a price, and tracks more keywords at each of those tiers. Semrush tracks more AI prompts: 50 a day on Starter and 100 on Pro+, against 5, 10 and 20 a day on Ahrefs' Lite, Standard and Advanced. Both take up to 17% off for yearly billing; Semrush charges the year upfront, and Ahrefs moves you to annual billing through support.
Semrush vs Ahrefs Rank Tracking: Daily vs Weekly for the Price
Semrush vs Ahrefs rank tracking splits on cadence, with Semrush updating daily and Ahrefs weekly by default, and that changes the price math.
Per tracked keyword, Ahrefs Lite is cheaper: $0.172 a month against $0.28 on Semrush's SEO plan. Per position check, the order flips. Semrush's 500 daily keywords add up to about 15,200 checks a month and Ahrefs' 750 weekly keywords to about 3,250, so a Semrush check costs under a cent and an Ahrefs check about four cents. Which number matters depends on how fast you need to see a drop. Our rank tracker prices put both among nine trackers, and neither has been through our accuracy test yet (how we test).
Semrush Reports vs Ahrefs Credits: What Each Plan Pays For
Semrush reports and Ahrefs credits are how each plan meters research, and they run out in different ways.
Semrush counts reports: 3,000 a day on SEO and Starter and 5,000 on Pro+, each with up to 10,000 results (30,000 on Pro+). Ahrefs counts credits: 200 a month on Starter, 1,000 per user a month on Lite, and unlimited per user from Standard up, with rows per report capped at 2,500 on Lite and 30,000 on Standard. Limits and throttling are a recurring Ahrefs complaint on Trustpilot, where it scores 2.2 from 322 reviews; Semrush scores 1.6 from 1,418, mostly over billing (both read October 23, 2026). If you turn on Ahrefs' pay-as-you-go credits, overages bill automatically.
Who Should Buy Semrush and Who Should Buy Ahrefs
You should buy Semrush if you want daily rank tracking, PPC, local and content toolkits in one account, and a refund window on a first yearly plan.
Seats cost more there: three users on Pro+ come to at least $389 a month (extra users from $45), against $369 on Ahrefs Standard (extra users $60).
Buy Ahrefs if backlinks and competitor research are the job and weekly rank updates are enough. Standard gives 2 years of history and 2,000 keywords for $249, $50 under Pro+. Ahrefs has no affiliate program, so we earn nothing when you buy it. If neither fits the budget, our Semrush alternatives start at $23 a month, and the Ahrefs pricing guide covers its add-ons. Each tool has its own write-up: the Semrush review and the Ahrefs review.
Semrush vs Ahrefs Pricing Questions
These Semrush vs Ahrefs pricing questions are the ones buyers settle before paying.
Is Ahrefs cheaper than Semrush?
Ahrefs is cheaper than Semrush at every paid tier where both publish a price: Lite is $129 against $139.95, and Standard is $249 against $299 for Pro+.
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
Ahrefs has no free trial and never runs discounts. Ahrefs Free gives limited access for sites you verify.
Which tracks rankings daily, Semrush or Ahrefs?
Semrush tracks rankings daily on every plan, while Ahrefs Rank Tracker updates weekly by default.
Can I get a refund from Semrush or Ahrefs?
A refund from Semrush is possible only on a first annual plan or add-on within 7 days, and Ahrefs refunds only unused monthly plans, at its discretion.
Semrush vs Ahrefs Pricing Sources
These Semrush vs Ahrefs pricing sources were read on October 23, 2026.
- Semrush pricing page and refund policy, read October 23, 2026
- Ahrefs pricing page and FAQ, read October 23, 2026
- Ahrefs Starter plan terms, read October 23, 2026
- Trustpilot pages for Semrush and Ahrefs, read October 23, 2026