Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Ahrefs vs Semrush vs DataForSEO
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
Ahrefs
4.4Pick it if: Marketers and business owners who want to see what competitors rank for and find keywords worth chasing.
Semrush
3.9Pick it if: Agencies and marketers who do both search ads and SEO and want one subscription for both.
DataForSEO
4.0Pick it if: Anyone using Claude Code or building their own tools who wants real SEO data without a big monthly plan.
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 | Semrush | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Keyword research, backlink checks and site audits, all in one toolkit. | Keyword, competitor and ad research with a bigger toolbox and a bigger bill. | Raw search, keyword and backlink data you pay for by the query, built for AI agents. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $139/mo | From $50 top-up |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 5.0 | 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 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | 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 | Yes | No |
| Understands images | No | No | No |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | – | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 3/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Ahrefs Free Free Checking the health and backlinks of a site you own. | Free Free A quick look before you commit. | Pay as you goOur pick From $50 top-up Anyone who wants real data in Claude Code without a subscription. |
Starter $29/mo Occasional keyword research on a tight budget. | SEO $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed yearly A business that wants classic SEO research without the AI extras. | ||
LiteOur pick $129/mo A business doing its own SEO seriously. | StarterOur pick $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed yearly Marketers who want SEO plus AI visibility and the Claude connection. | ||
Standard $249/mo Freelancers and small agencies. | Pro+ $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed yearly Agencies managing several clients. | ||
Advanced $449/mo Agencies and in-house teams with many sites. | Advanced Custom Large teams and enterprise accounts. | ||
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. | The free account is only good for a look around. If you want the Claude connection and AI visibility tracking, Starter is the one; the SEO plan is cheaper but leaves both out. Budget for extra users too, which start at $45 a month each. | 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. |
Key features
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush | DataForSEO |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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