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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Ahrefs vs Moz

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Ahrefs

4.4

From $29/mo

Moz

3.9

From $49/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overallEasiest to use

Pick it if: Marketers and business owners who want to see what competitors rank for and find keywords worth chasing.

Moz3.9

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and in-house marketers who want a friendlier, cheaper SEO toolkit than Ahrefs or Semrush.

Overview

AttributeAhrefsMoz
In one lineKeyword research, backlink checks and site audits in one toolkit.A long-running SEO toolkit for keywords, links and rankings, known for Domain Authority.
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starting price$29/mo$49/mo
Free plan Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Overall rating4.4Winner3.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
3.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No
Mobile app No No
Desktop app No No
Browser extension Yes Yes
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes–
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes No
Understands images No–
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations No No
Learns your brand or style No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score8/ 175/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Plans

Ahrefs Free

Free

Checking the health and backlinks of a site you own.

Starter

$49/mo

A single small site.

Starter

$29/mo

Occasional keyword research on a tight budget.

StandardOur pick

$99/mo

Small businesses doing regular SEO.

LiteOur pick

$129/mo

A business doing its own SEO seriously.

Medium

$179/mo

In-house teams and freelancers with several sites.

Standard

$249/mo

Freelancers and small agencies.

Large

$299/mo

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 pickStart 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.Try the free MozBar and Domain Authority checks first. If you want rank tracking and site audits for one business, Standard is the sensible plan, and paying yearly saves about 20%. Plan limits change often, so compare them on Moz's pricing page before you buy.

Key features

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Standout features
  • Site Explorer
  • Keywords Explorer
  • Site Audit
  • Rank Tracker
  • Brand Radar
  • MCP server
  • Keyword Explorer
  • Link Explorer
  • Rank tracking
  • Site Crawl
  • AI visibility
  • MozBar and free tools

Pros and cons

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Pros
  • The most trusted backlink index in the industry
  • Cleaner and faster to learn than Semrush
  • Site Audit explains problems simply
  • Free plan covers your own site properly
  • Official MCP server for Claude on Lite and above
  • Friendlier and easier to learn than the big suites
  • Domain Authority is an industry-standard score
  • Useful free MozBar and checks
  • Excellent free SEO learning material
Cons
  • Lite at $129 a month is steep for a small business
  • The Starter plan's credits run out fast and it has no API or MCP access
  • No free trial for the paid plans
  • Extra users cost $40 to $80 a month each
  • Traffic figures are estimates and can be well off for small sites
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than Ahrefs or Semrush
  • The Starter plan's limits are tight
  • The API and its MCP server are a separate paid product
  • Fewer new features than rivals in recent years

Who each one is for

AttributeAhrefsMoz
Best for
  • Keyword research
  • Competitor traffic estimates
  • Backlink analysis
  • Technical site audits
  • Finding topics competitors cover that you don't
  • Checking Domain Authority and backlinks
  • Keyword research for beginners
  • Tracking Google rankings for a small site
  • Learning SEO with good guides
You'll find it used by
  • SEO specialists
  • Marketers
  • Agencies
  • Content teams
  • Small businesses
  • Freelancers
  • In-house marketers
  • Agencies

Questions people ask

Which is better, Ahrefs or Moz?

Ahrefs scores highest overall in our ratings (Ahrefs 4.4/5 and Moz 3.9/5). Ahrefs is best for keyword research and competitor traffic estimates. Moz is best for Checking Domain Authority and backlinks and keyword research for beginners.

Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or Moz?

Ahrefs: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo. Moz: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo.

Which is easier to use, Ahrefs or Moz?

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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