Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Ahrefs vs Google Analytics vs Microsoft Clarity
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: Every business with a website that wants to know how many people visit, where they come from and what turns them into customers.
Pick it if: Store owners and marketers who want to know why visitors aren't converting, without paying for it.
Overview
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Keyword research, backlink checks and site audits in one toolkit. | Google's free website analytics: who visits, where they came from and what they do. | Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Free |
| Starting price | $29/mo | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | – |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | – |
| Learns your brand or style | No | – | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 5/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Ahrefs Free Free Checking the health and backlinks of a site you own. | Google AnalyticsOur pick Free Almost every business. | FreeOur pick Free Every website and online store. |
Starter $29/mo Occasional keyword research on a tight budget. | Analytics 360 Custom Very large sites with huge traffic. | ||
LiteOur pick $129/mo A business doing its own SEO seriously. | |||
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. | Use the free version. Analytics 360 is only for very large companies that hit the free limits. Set data retention to 14 months in the admin settings when you set it up, since the default is shorter. | There's one plan and it's free. Microsoft says it's free forever with no traffic limits. Install the tracking code through Shopify, WordPress or Google Tag Manager and it starts recording within minutes. |
Key features
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Google Analytics | Microsoft Clarity |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Ahrefs, Google Analytics or Microsoft Clarity?
Ahrefs scores highest overall in our ratings (Ahrefs 4.4/5, Google Analytics 4.0/5 and Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5). Ahrefs is best for keyword research and competitor traffic estimates. Google Analytics is best for counting website visitors and where they came from and seeing which ads and channels lead to sales. Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions.
Which is cheaper, Ahrefs, Google Analytics or Microsoft Clarity?
Ahrefs: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo. Google Analytics: It's free to use. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use.
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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