Category by category
| Category | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Features | – | Stronger |
| Backlinks | Stronger | – |
| Keywords | Even | Even |
| Ease of use | Stronger | – |
| Starting price | from £23/mo | from £113.40/mo |
Category calls are editorial judgements, not lab test results. Swipe sideways if the table is cut off.
- Features
- Semrush bundles content marketing, PPC research and social tools alongside SEO; Ahrefs concentrates on SEO research
- Backlinks
- Ahrefs is built around backlink research and presents its live link index as a core strength. Our call favours it for link work, based on published features
- Keywords
- Both offer large keyword databases. Semrush surfaces more SERP feature and PPC context; Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer adds detailed difficulty and click metrics. Our call is a tie
- Pricing
- Cheapest paid plans: Ahrefs £23/mo, Semrush £113.40/mo. Ahrefs has the lower entry price. Plan limits are in the tables below.
- Ease of use
- In our view Ahrefs' interface is more focused. Semrush has many modules, so expect a longer learning period
Side by side
| Detail | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter, £23/mo | SEO, £113.40/mo |
| Paid plans | 4 | 3 |
| Cheapest plan with published limits | Lite, £99/mo | SEO, £113.40/mo |
| Sites or projects (that plan) | 5 non-verified, unlimited verified | 5 |
| Tracked keywords (that plan) | 750 | 500 |
| Users included (that plan) | 1 | not published |
| Audit or crawl allowance (that plan) | 100,000 crawl credits/month | not published |
| Other limits (that plan) | Up to 2 extra users at £32/mo each; 150 AI prompt checks/month; 6 months history | Basic keyword research and competitor analysis; AI search tracking |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | not published | 7 days, card needed |
| Money-back guarantee | No refunds in general; a monthly subscription may be refunded if the service has not been used | not published |
| Currency shown | GBP | GBP |
| Prices checked | 31 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
"Not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not show it on the check date; it is not assumed to be zero or unlimited. Swipe sideways to see both tools.
What Ahrefs and Semrush cost for the same workload
The cheapest plan on each tool whose published limits cover the workload, and what the first year costs at list price. Yearly billing is used where the vendor publishes it.
| Workload | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 userSolo blogger or one business site | Lite: £990 | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords, 1 userFreelancer with a few clients | Lite: £990 | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 15 sites, 1,500 tracked keywords, 2 usersSmall agency | Limits not published | Limits not published |
"Limits not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not list a limit needed to judge the plan. Try your own numbers in the plan finder.
Every Ahrefs and Semrush plan
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Starter | £23 | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Ahrefs Lite | £99 | £83 | 5 non-verified, unlimited verified | 750 | 1 |
| Ahrefs Standard | £199 | £166 | 20 non-verified, unlimited verified | 2,000 | 1 |
| Ahrefs Advanced | £359 | £299 | 50 non-verified, unlimited verified | 5,000 | 1 |
| Semrush SEO | £113.40 | £95.07 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Starter | £161.25 | £133.84 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Pro+ | £242.28 | £201.09 | 15 | 1,500 | not published |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published, before tax. Swipe sideways to see every column.
- Prices read from vendor site; some terms not published thereAhrefs: prices read from ahrefs.com on . Shown in GBP as the vendor displayed it; not converted.
- Prices read from vendor site; some terms not published thereSemrush: prices read from semrush.com on . Shown in GBP as the vendor displayed it; not converted.
Ahrefs Black Friday 2026
No Black Friday deal, per the vendor. Ahrefs says it does not run one-off discounts or seasonal specials, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (help.ahrefs.com)
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Semrush Black Friday 2026
Not announced yet. Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
No Black Friday offer from Semrush has been found on its own site for 2024 or 2025.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Which should you pick?
Pick Ahrefs if
Backlink analysis is your primary workflow, you prefer a more focused interface, or you rely on content gap analysis
Ahrefs plans and catchesPick Semrush if
You need an all-in-one platform covering SEO + PPC + social, or you want built-in content marketing tools
Semrush plans and catchesThe verdict
Ahrefs and Semrush are the two best-known all-in-one SEO suites, and the choice usually comes down to workflow. Our view: for most buyers Semrush edges it because its plans bundle more modules (PPC, content and social tools) in a comparable price tier. If your work centres on link research (checking backlinks, finding link prospects, running content gap analyses), Ahrefs is the more focused choice.