Category by category
| Category | Mangools | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Features | – | Stronger |
| Backlinks | – | Stronger |
| Keywords | Even | Even |
| Ease of use | Stronger | – |
| Starting price | from $61/mo | from £23/mo |
Category calls are editorial judgements, not lab test results. Swipe sideways if the table is cut off.
- Features
- Ahrefs covers backlinks, content exploration and site audit at professional depth. Mangools has no site audit or content explorer
- Backlinks
- Ahrefs is built around backlink research and presents its live link index as a core strength. Mangools' LinkMiner suits basic checks. Our call favours Ahrefs on published features
- Keywords
- Both offer solid keyword research. Mangools' KWFinder is more beginner-friendly; Ahrefs supports more search engines and deeper metrics. Our call is a tie
- Pricing
- Cheapest paid plans: Mangools $61/mo, Ahrefs £23/mo. The vendors publish prices in different currencies, so neither is called cheaper here. Plan limits are in the tables below.
- Ease of use
- Mangools' interface is deliberately simple, and KWFinder needs little learning before it is useful
Side by side
| Detail | Mangools | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Basic, $61/mo | Starter, £23/mo |
| Paid plans | 3 | 4 |
| Cheapest plan with published limits | Basic, $61/mo | Lite, £99/mo |
| Sites or projects (that plan) | not published | 5 non-verified, unlimited verified |
| Tracked keywords (that plan) | 200 | 750 |
| Users included (that plan) | not published | 1 |
| Audit or crawl allowance (that plan) | not published | 100,000 crawl credits/month |
| Other limits (that plan) | 100 keyword research requests/24h; 100k backlinks/month; 20 site analyses/24h; no extra seats; weekly rank updates | Up to 2 extra users at £32/mo each; 150 AI prompt checks/month; 6 months history |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 48-hour money-back guarantee (full refund within 48 hours of payment; not for 2 consecutive subscriptions) | No refunds in general; a monthly subscription may be refunded if the service has not been used |
| Currency shown | USD | 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 Mangools and Ahrefs 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 | Mangools | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 userSolo blogger or one business site | Basic: $452.40 | Lite: £990 |
| 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords, 1 userFreelancer with a few clients | Limits not published | Lite: £990 |
| 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 Mangools and Ahrefs plan
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangools Basic | $61 | $37.70 | not published | 200 | not published |
| Mangools Premium | $81 | $52.70 | not published | 700 | not published |
| Mangools Agency | $141 | $97.70 | not published | 1,500 | not published |
| 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 |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published, before tax. Swipe sideways to see every column.
- Checked on vendor siteMangools: prices read from mangools.com on .
- 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.
Mangools Black Friday 2026
Coming, no terms yet. Mangools’ Black Friday page says a deal is coming, with an email sign-up and no terms yet. (mangools.com)
Last confirmed offer (2024): 35% lifetime discount on all plans. Source.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
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.
Which should you pick?
Pick Mangools if
You need backlink analysis, site audits, or content gap research alongside keyword research
Mangools plans and catchesPick Ahrefs if
Keyword research is most of your workflow and you want a simple, affordable tool for that job
Ahrefs plans and catchesThe verdict
Mangools and Ahrefs serve different users. Mangools is built around KWFinder, a simple keyword tool aimed at bloggers and small site builders who need affordable keyword data. Ahrefs is a full professional suite, and its strengths show most in link building and content gap analysis. A common path is to start on Mangools and add or switch to Ahrefs once link research becomes a regular part of the work.