Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Ahrefs vs DataForSEO vs Profound
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Marketers and business owners who want to see what competitors rank for and find keywords worth chasing.
Pick it if: Anyone using Claude Code or building their own tools who wants real SEO data without a big monthly plan.
Pick it if: Marketing teams at mid-sized and large brands, and agencies, who need detailed tracking of how AI assistants talk about them.
Ahrefs scores highest overall, but DataForSEO gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Keyword research, backlink checks and site audits in one toolkit. | Raw search, keyword and backlink data you pay for by the query, built for AI agents. | Shows how often ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants mention and recommend your brand. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $29/mo | From $50 top-up | See website |
| Free plan | Yes | No | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | No |
| Mobile app | No | No | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | – | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | No | No |
| Understands images | No | No | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 3/ 17 | 6/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Ahrefs Free Free Checking the health and backlinks of a site you own. | Pay as you goOur pick From $50 top-up Anyone who wants real data in Claude Code without a subscription. | Trial Free for 7 days Seeing what AI says about you before talking to sales. |
Starter $29/mo Occasional keyword research on a tight budget. | Agency Growth Custom Agencies managing several client brands. | ||
LiteOur pick $129/mo A business doing its own SEO seriously. | EnterpriseOur pick Custom Large brands. | ||
Standard $249/mo Freelancers and small agencies. | |||
Advanced $449/mo Agencies and in-house teams with many sites. | |||
Enterprise $1,499/mo billed yearly Large companies that need SSO and unlimited data. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Ahrefs Free to audit your own site. If you want to research competitors and keywords every week, go straight to Lite; the Starter plan's credits run out too quickly to be useful for more than the odd lookup. Each plan includes one user, and extra seats cost $40 to $80 a month. | There's only one way to pay. Use the $1 trial credit to test the MCP server, then top up $50 and set a daily limit of a dollar or two. Use the cheaper standard queue for bulk jobs and the live mode only when you need an answer now. | Run the free 7-day trial to see how AI assistants describe you. If you're a larger brand or agency with a real budget, talk to sales about Enterprise. Small businesses will get more for their money from Peec AI or SE Ranking. |
Key features
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Ahrefs | DataForSEO | Profound |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Ahrefs, DataForSEO or Profound?
Ahrefs scores highest overall in our ratings (Ahrefs 4.4/5, DataForSEO 4.0/5 and Profound 3.7/5). Ahrefs is best for keyword research and competitor traffic estimates. DataForSEO is best for SEO research from Claude Code and keyword volumes on demand. Profound is best for tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants and seeing which sources AI cites in your category.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs, DataForSEO or Profound?
Ahrefs: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo. DataForSEO: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $50 top-up. Profound: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.
Which is easier to use, Ahrefs, DataForSEO or Profound?
Ahrefs rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Marketers and business owners who want to see what competitors rank for and find keywords worth chasing.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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