6 Best Ahrefs Alternatives in 2026 (Ranked by Price and Value)

Ahrefs is one of the most respected names in SEO – but it’s also one of the most expensive, with plans running from $129 to $1,499 a month once you get past the entry-level tier. If you’re specifically here to build backlinks rather than run a full SEO department, there’s a good chance you’re paying for a lot of tooling you’ll never touch.

Whether you’re a solo blogger, a freelance SEO, or a small team that just needs solid backlink data and outreach tools without the enterprise price tag, here are the alternatives actually worth considering – starting with the one we think offers the best value for anyone focused specifically on link building.

Quick Comparison

Tool	Starting price	Best for	Free trial
LinkWise	£6.99/mo	Backlink outreach & prospecting on a budget	3 free searches
Ahrefs	£21/mo (Starter)	Comprehensive SEO suite, best-in-class backlink data	No
Semrush	£103/mo	All-in-one SEO + AI visibility tracking	7 days
Moz Pro	£58/mo	Beginner-friendly SEO fundamentals	Limited
SE Ranking	£76/mo	Full SEO toolkit at a lower price than Ahrefs	14 days
Serpstat	£51/mo	Budget-friendly full SEO suite	Limited
Majestic	£37/mo	Specialized backlink data only	Limited

1. LinkWise – best value for Off-Page SEO

Starting price: £6.99/month

LinkWise operates differently from Ahrefs. It doesn’t do keyword research, rank tracking, or site audits. Linkwise specialises in Off-Page SEO. It finds relevant backlink and guest post opportunities, competitor analysis and broken link opportunities as well as one click outreach- keeping everything all together in the outreach hub.

What’s included:

• Backlink and guest post opportunity finder, judged for genuine topical relevance rather than just domain rank
• Competitor gap analysis — find sites that already link to your competitors
• Broken link finder — locate dead links you can offer to replace
• Built-in outreach hub with saved contacts, status tracking, and follow-up reminders
• One-click email drafting (Gmail, Outlook, or your default mail app)

Pricing:

• Light: £6.99/month — 50 searches
• Pro: £12.99/month — 100 searches, plus competitor analysis and broken link finder
• Grow: £19.99/month — 200 searches, same Pro features

Every plan starts with 3 free searches, no card required.

Best for: Bloggers, solo SEOs, and small sites who specifically want to build backlinks without paying for or learning to navigate a full enterprise SEO suite.

The limitations: if you also need keyword research, rank tracking, or technical site audits, you’ll want to pair this with a free tool (or eventually a fuller suite) for those specific jobs. LinkWise is deliberately focused on doing one part of SEO, Off-Page SEO – really well, rather than everything at once.

2. Semrush – the closest full-suite alternative

Starting price: £103/month

Semrush is Ahrefs’ most direct competitor – a full SEO suite covering keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and backlink analysis, recently expanded to include AI search visibility tracking as well. Its keyword database is significantly larger than Ahrefs’, which matters if keyword research is central to your work.

Pricing works out similar to Ahrefs at comparable tiers, and the plan structure has changed a few times recently, so it’s worth checking current details directly before committing.

Best for: Teams who want one platform covering the entire SEO workflow, not just link building, and don’t mind a comparable price to Ahrefs for it.

3. Moz Pro – the gentler learning curve

Starting price: around £58/month

Moz is often recommended to people newer to SEO, thanks to a more approachable interface and its own well-known authority metrics (Domain Authority, Page Authority). Its backlink index is considerably smaller than Ahrefs’ or Semrush’s, which shows up most in how comprehensive your competitor’s backlink profile appears.

Watch for add-on costs here too — extra user seats and additional tracked sites both carry their own per-item charges that can add up.

Best for: SEO beginners who want an easier interface and don’t need the largest possible backlink index.

4. SE Ranking – a cheaper full suite

Starting price: around £76/month

SE Ranking covers most of what Ahrefs does — keyword tracking, site audits, backlink monitoring, competitor research — at a noticeably lower price point; with a 14-day free trial (Ahrefs offers none). White-label reporting is included even on lower tiers, useful if you’re doing client work.

Best for: Agencies or freelancers who want most of Ahrefs’ functionality without the Ahrefs price tag, and are comfortable with a smaller backlink database in exchange.

5. Serpstat – budget-friendly, broad feature set

Starting price: £51/month

Serpstat packages keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits, and rank tracking together at one of the lower price points among full-suite tools, with generally generous project limits for the price.

Best for: Budget-conscious users who want broad SEO coverage in one tool, rather than specialized depth in any one area.

Majestic — for backlink data purists

Starting price: £37/month

Majestic does one thing – backlink analysis and has done it for a long time with its own Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics as an alternative lens to Ahrefs’ Domain Rating. It doesn’t attempt keyword research or site audits at all.

Best for: Users who specifically want deep backlink data and are comfortable working without the outreach or relationship-tracking side of the process – for that, you’d still want to pair it with a separate CRM.

Which Ahrefs alternative should you choose?

There isn’t one Ahrefs alternative that’s best for everyone. The right choice depends on which parts of Ahrefs you actually use.

If you need keyword research, rank tracking, technical audits and backlink analysis in one platform, Semrush or SE Ranking are the closest options on this list. Moz Pro is another good choice if you want a more approachable all-round SEO platform, while Majestic makes more sense if backlink data itself is your main priority.

LinkWise is a different proposition. It isn’t designed to replace everything Ahrefs does. If you need a full SEO suite, it probably isn’t the right choice on its own. But if your main reason for paying for an SEO tool is to find backlink and guest post opportunities, research competitor links and manage outreach, its narrower focus makes it a considerably cheaper option.

Before subscribing to any of them, think about the features you’ll actually use rather than which platform has the longest feature list. For some websites, paying more for a comprehensive SEO suite will be worthwhile. For others, a smaller combination of specialised and free tools may do everything they need.

Pricing for third-party tools was accurate at time of writing but changes frequently — always confirm current rates on each vendor’s own pricing page before subscribing.