Ahrefs is a paid SEO software suite built around a large backlink index and keyword database. It’s used by SEOs, marketers, and site owners to research competitors, track keyword rankings, audit technical SEO issues, and find link-building opportunities.
Who It’s Best For
Ahrefs is best for SEO professionals, content marketers, and site owners who need deep competitor and backlink research alongside rank tracking and technical site audits.
How It Can Be Used
- Researching competitor backlinks and top-ranking content
- Tracking keyword rankings over time
- Running technical SEO site audits to find crawl and indexing issues
- Finding keyword opportunities for content planning
FAQ
What is Ahrefs used for?
Ahrefs is used for SEO research and monitoring, including backlink analysis, keyword research, rank tracking, and technical site audits.
Does Ahrefs have a free plan?
Ahrefs offers a limited free tier called Ahrefs Free covering basic Site Explorer and Site Audit access, plus a low-cost Starter plan at $29/month. Its main plans (Lite, Standard, Advanced, Enterprise) are paid subscriptions with no permanent full-featured free tier.
Who should use Ahrefs?
Ahrefs suits SEO professionals, agencies, and in-house marketing teams that need detailed backlink and competitor data, not casual or one-off users.
What are alternatives to Ahrefs?
Semrush is the closest directly comparable alternative profiled on this site, offering a similar range of SEO and competitive-research tools.
See more in our Web Tools hub.