About Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a long-established SEO platform built around one of the largest keyword databases in the industry, roughly 8 billion keywords, alongside backlink analysis, rank tracking, and site audits. In January 2026 Ahrefs launched a $29/month Starter plan, cutting its historic entry price by 70% after years of $99-plus pricing that had locked out bootstrapped and smaller ecommerce brands. Despite the price cut, Ahrefs remains fundamentally a traditional SEO tool built for Google's established ranking signals, with no native capability to monitor brand accuracy or citations inside AI answer engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity, a growing gap as AI-powered search captures a larger share of discovery traffic.

Key features

8 billion keyword index

One of the largest keyword databases in the SEO category

Backlink analysis

Deep, established backlink monitoring and competitor analysis

Site audits

Comprehensive technical SEO health checks

$29 Starter plan

New 2026 entry tier, 70% cheaper than historic pricing

Pros and cons

✓ Pros

Massive, industry-leading keyword database among the largest available

New $29/month Starter plan makes it far more accessible than before

Deep, mature backlink analysis and competitor research capability

Long track record and trust among SEO professionals

✗ Cons

No native tracking of brand visibility or citations in AI answer engines like ChatGPT or Perplexity

Built fundamentally for traditional Google ranking signals in an increasingly AI-first search landscape

Advanced plans remain expensive at nearly $4,800/year for larger sites

Attribution to actual revenue or growth can be difficult to prove, per some enterprise users

Best for

SEO professionals needing deep keyword and backlink researchBootstrapped brands now able to access the $29 Starter tierTeams prioritizing traditional Google search ranking over AI visibilityAgencies needing comprehensive technical SEO auditing

Why this score

AI-enhanced SEO platform with backlink and keyword intelligence at scale

G2 4.6/5 Ahrefs. AI-enhanced SEO + backlink intel.