Ahrefs Alternatives in 2026: 9 Backlink and SEO Tools Compared

Ahrefs is best known for its backlink data, so the reasons to look elsewhere tend to be cost and caps. Three things on its pricing page push people to compare:

• Seats and credits. Lite is $129 a month with one user. Extra users are $40 a month on Lite and $60 on Standard. Lite also limits each user to 1,000 credits a month.
• A tight entry plan. Starter is $29 a month, but Ahrefs’ help center says it has 200 credits, 250 rows per report, one month of history, 50 Rank Tracker keywords and no extra users or credit top-ups.
• Billing terms. Ahrefs says it never runs discounts, that annual billing saves up to 17% and that you contact support to switch to it, and that it doesn’t issue refunds in general.

Before you switch, check whether Ahrefs Free (for sites you can verify) or the $29 Starter plan covers what you actually use. If backlinks are the reason you’re there, the nine alternatives below are ordered by how well they cover that job.

What backlink size claims do and don’t tell you

Vendors count different things: links, URLs crawled, or historical records. Ahrefs says it holds 35 trillion backlink history records and 493.9 billion pages in its index, and that its live backlink index updates every 15 to 30 minutes. Treat every number below as a vendor claim. A better check is to run the same few domains through each tool’s free checker or trial and compare the referring domains you care about.

The alternatives

1. Semrush: the closest full replacement

The SEO plan is $139 a month ($117.33 billed annually) for 5 websites and 500 keywords tracked daily, so it costs $10 more than Ahrefs Lite at monthly rates. Semrush says its backlink index holds more than 43 trillion backlinks and 390 million referring domains, refreshed at least hourly. The paid Backlink Analytics tool shows full data for any domain, with filters and exports. Historical SEO data starts on Pro+ at $299 a month. For a wider comparison, see our Semrush alternatives guide.

2. Majestic: backlink research on its own

Majestic Lite is $49.99 a month ($41.67 when billed annually at $499.99 a year), excluding VAT. It includes Site Explorer, the Fresh Index, Trust Flow and Topical Trust Flow, a Bulk Backlink Checker and 1 million analysis units. Pro ($99.99, or $83.33 annually) adds the Historic Index, raw data exports, Compare Sites, backlink history and email alerts.

Its page shows a Fresh Index of 185.3 billion URLs crawled between 9 June and 8 October 2026. The Historic Index covers June 2006 to March 2024 and was last updated in May 2024. The plan lists show no site audit or keyword database.

3. SE Ranking: a backlink checker in a cheaper suite

Core is $129 a month ($103.20 annually) and lists unlimited keyword, competitor and backlink research, 2,000 keywords tracked daily and one manager seat. SE Ranking says it indexes 2.9 trillion backlinks across 428 million domains. Its backlink checker page lists anchor texts, new and lost referring domains, broken backlinks and a toxicity score. There’s a 14-day free trial with no card.

4. Moz Pro: Domain Authority and link research

Moz says Link Explorer’s index covers over 40 trillion links, and its Domain Authority metric is widely quoted in link building. Standard is $99 a month ($79 billed yearly) with one user, 5,000 backlink queries a month and up to 10,000 results per query. Medium ($179, or $143 yearly) raises that to 20,000 queries and 40,000 results. Standard also caps keyword queries at 150 a month.

5. Serpstat: backlink analysis in a budget suite

Individual is $69 a month ($50 billed annually). It includes backlink analysis alongside keyword research, rank tracking and site audit, with 2,000 results per backlink report and 100 daily searches. Team ($129, or $100 annually) raises reports to 10,000 results and adds the Backlinks API. Individual also includes 5 projects and 50,000 export rows a month, and there’s a free trial. The pages read didn’t state an index size.

6. Mangools: LinkMiner for simple backlink checks

Mangools Basic is $61 a month, or $37.70 billed annually, and includes LinkMiner, its backlink tool, with up to 100,000 backlinks a month. Premium ($81 monthly, $52.70 annually) raises that to 500,000, and Agency ($141 monthly) to 1.2 million. Basic has no extra seats. Basic’s pricing page also lists 100 keyword research requests per 24 hours and weekly rank updates. It’s the simplest interface in this list, with fewer filters than Ahrefs.

7. SpyFu: competitor keywords first, backlinks second

SpyFu’s pricing table lists backlink searches next to competitor keywords and ad history. Basic is $39 a month ($29 annually), capped at 10,000 rows per search. Pro + AI removes the cap and costs $59 for the first month, then $119 ($89 annually). Basic is limited to one user and one live site-tracking project, while Pro + AI gives 10 projects and 10+ years of historical data. Choose it for competitor keyword and ad research, not as a primary backlink index.

8. Ubersuggest: occasional checks, small budget

Ubersuggest lists its own range as US$29 to US$99 a month, with lifetime plans offered, but the plan cards read from a Taiwan connection showed $12 to $40, so prices appear to vary by country. The lowest plan shows 2,000 backlink rows, 3 years of link history and 30 days of new and lost links. It has no API access plans.

9. Sitechecker: audits and monitoring, not backlinks

Sitechecker doesn’t list a backlink index. It replaces the Site Audit and Rank Tracker side. Basic is $99 a month ($83 annually) for 3 websites, 500 keywords and 50 AI prompts. All plans include unlimited users and recrawls, a rank tracker with SERP history and GSC and GA4 insights. Pair it with Majestic if you split the job. Sitechecker offers a 48-hour money-back guarantee.

Quick comparison

How to choose

1. Decide whether backlinks are the whole job. If so, Majestic Lite at $49.99 a month costs less than most of the suites here at monthly rates. If you also need rank tracking and audits, SE Ranking or Semrush covers more in one bill.
2. Compare report limits. Rows per report matter more than index size when you export. Serpstat Individual gives 2,000, Moz Standard 10,000 per query, and Majestic Lite 1 million analysis units a month.
3. Check freshness yourself. Majestic’s Historic Index was last updated in May 2024, and vendors measure size differently. Test the same domains in two tools.
4. Price in seats. Ahrefs charges $40 to $80 a month per extra user. Sitechecker includes unlimited users, and SE Ranking Core has one manager seat.
5. Looking at AI visibility too? Ahrefs sells Brand Radar as an add-on, and others bundle prompt tracking. See best AI visibility tools for dedicated options.