Ahrefs enters 2026 with published plans from $29/mo (Starter) up to $1,499/mo (Enterprise), with the core Lite plan at $129/mo covering 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 crawl credits and AI-prompt tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude. If you'd rather have a managed service than a dashboard, AI SEO Consultants offers a free AI SEO Visibility Report plus month-to-month done-for-you AI and local SEO. On the evidence in hand, Ahrefs is the stronger-documented pick for teams that want a self-serve SEO and AI-visibility platform.
Bottom line: Ahrefs has clearly documented 2026 plans, limits and AI-visibility tooling, making it the safer documented choice for a self-serve SEO platform. Readers should weigh both vendors' current sites before committing.
TL;DR
- Ahrefs publishes five paid tiers: Starter $29/mo, Lite $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo and Enterprise $1,499/mo (annual commitment).
- The Lite plan includes 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 monthly crawl credits, 6 months of historical data and 1 user (up to 2 extras at $40/mo each).
- AI-prompt tracking starts at the Lite tier, covering ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude; Lite includes 150 prompt checks per month.
- Brand Radar AI, Ahrefs' standalone AI-visibility research tool, starts at $199/mo, with custom prompt packages at $50, $100 or $250/mo plus per-check overage.
- Add-ons stack: Report Builder $99/mo, Content Kit from $99/mo, Project Boost Pro $20/project/mo and Project Boost Max $200/project/mo.
- Ahrefs states it generally does not issue refunds, so the free-forever plan is the low-risk way to test core tools first.
- Annual billing on Ahrefs plans can save up to 17% (or 2 free months on annual plans per Ahrefs' own blog).
Head-to-head
| Dimension | Ahrefs | Moz Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Starter $29/mo; Lite $129/mo; Standard $249/mo; Advanced $449/mo; Enterprise $1,499/mo (annual commitment)winner | — |
| Ease of use | Credit-based usage on Starter; straightforward tier ladder, but add-on billing adds complexitywinner | — |
| Features | Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker, Web Analytics, Brand Radar, Social Media Managerwinner | — |
| Support | Dedicated account manager and 24/7 support only at Enterprise | — |
| Integrations | API + MCP on Lite and above; Looker Studio on Advanced; API data in ChatGPT/Claude via MCPwinner | — |
| Setup | Free-forever plan with unlimited verified projects; paid plans add unverified project slots (5/20/50)winner | — |
| AI visibility tracking | Custom AI prompt tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude from Lite (150 checks/mo); Brand Radar AI from $199/mo across 475M+ promptswinner | — |
| Data depth | Proprietary index, second-most active crawler, 10+ years of data; historical data 6 months (Lite) to unlimited (Enterprise)winner | — |
Scores
Ahrefs
ahrefs.com ↗Ahrefs is an SEO and AI-visibility platform built on its own proprietary web index, which the company describes as powered by the world's second-most active crawler with more than 10 years of web-scale data. In 2026 it positions itself marketing platform, not just a backlink tool. Core tools include Site Explorer (traffic, keywords and backlink research for any site, including competitors), Keywords Explorer, Site Audit (checking 170+ on-page and technical SEO issues on the free plan), Rank Tracker across 190+ locations, Web Analytics, and Brand Radar for AI-search brand research. From the Lite plan upward, users can track custom AI prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude, and every paid tier above Starter includes API and MCP access so Ahrefs data can be pulled into ChatGPT, Claude and other AI assistants. Plans scale from a free-forever tier through Starter ($29/mo), Lite ($129/mo), Standard ($249/mo) and Advanced ($449/mo) to Enterprise ($1,499/mo with an annual commitment), with optional add-ons for reporting, content optimization and project boosts.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | 100 credits/mo, 1 unverified project, 50 Rank Tracker keywords, 10,000 crawl credits per verified project |
| Lite | $129/mo | 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 crawl credits, 6 months historical data, 1 user (+2 at $40/mo) |
| Standard | $249/mo | 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 500,000 crawl credits, 2 years historical data, 1 user (+5 at $60/mo) |
| Advanced | $449/mo | 50 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, 1.5M crawl credits, 5 years historical data, Looker Studio integration |
| Enterprise | $1499/mo | Annual commitment required, from 3 users, uncapped API access, SSO, unlimited historical data |
| Brand Radar AI (standalone) | $199/mo | Research across 475M+ organic prompts; custom prompt packages at $50/$100/$250/mo plus overage |
Pros
- Transparent published pricing from $29/mo to $1,499/mo with clearly stated limits per tier
- Proprietary web index described as the world's second-most active crawler with 10+ years of data
- AI-prompt tracking across five AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude) starting at the Lite tier
- Free-forever plan with real tool access, including backlink data and 5,000 crawl credits per verified project per month
- API and MCP access on all plans from Lite upward for AI-assistant integrations
- Annual billing saves up to 17% (or 2 free months per Ahrefs' blog)
Cons
- Only 1 user included on paid plans; extra users cost $40–$80/mo each within plan caps
- Add-ons (Report Builder, Content Kit, Project Boost, Brand Radar) can push the effective monthly bill well above the core plan price
- Ahrefs states it generally does not issue refunds
- Enterprise requires an annual commitment and a sales conversation
- Starter and Lite have tight ceilings (1–5 projects, 50–750 tracked keywords) for growing workloads
Moz Pro
Moz Pro is the second platform named in this comparison. Readers evaluating it against Ahrefs should compare it directly on the dimensions used here — published plan pricing and limits, depth of the underlying crawl/link index, AI-search visibility tracking, rank tracking, site auditing and reporting — using Moz's own current site, because the material reviewed for this page did not document those specifics for Moz Pro. As a general buying step, request Moz Pro's current plan limits, confirm which AI answer engines (if any) its visibility tracking covers, and test its site audit and rank tracker against the same checklist you apply to Ahrefs before committing to an annual term.
Pricing compared
AI visibility and answer-engine tracking
Which workload fits which plan
Which should you pick?
FAQs
How much does Ahrefs cost in 2026?
Ahrefs publishes five paid tiers: Starter at $29/mo, Lite at $129/mo, Standard at $249/mo, Advanced at $449/mo and Enterprise at $1,499/mo with an annual commitment. Annual billing can save up to 17%, and Ahrefs' blog notes 2 free months on annual plans. Budget for extras: additional users ($40–$80/mo each depending on tier), Report Builder ($99/mo), Content Kit (from $99/mo), Project Boost ($20–$200/project/mo) and Brand Radar AI (from $199/mo) if you need them.
Does Ahrefs track visibility in AI tools like ChatGPT?
Yes. From the Lite plan ($129/mo) upward, Ahrefs supports tracked AI prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude — Lite includes 150 prompt checks per month. Separately, Brand Radar AI lets you research any brand across 475M+ organic prompts from Ahrefs' database starting at $199/mo, and prompt-only packages run $50, $100 or $250/mo with per-check overage. Note that tracking visibility is measurement, not a guarantee of inclusion in any AI answer.
Is there a free version of Ahrefs?
Yes. Ahrefs' free-forever plan works on unlimited verified projects and includes Web Analytics (1M events), Site Explorer (1,000 keywords/backlinks/top pages at a time), Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits per verified project per month across 170+ issue types), Social Media Manager, AI Content Helper (1 document/month) and the SEO Toolbar. It's the practical low-risk way to evaluate the platform, since Ahrefs states it generally does not issue refunds on paid subscriptions.
How should I evaluate Moz Pro against Ahrefs?
Apply the same checklist to both: current published plan prices and limits (projects, tracked keywords, crawl credits), depth and freshness of the link index, whether AI-answer visibility tracking is included and which engines it covers, reporting and integrations, and contract terms. Ahrefs' figures in this comparison come from its own pricing page and blog; for Moz Pro, verify current plans directly on moz.com and, where possible, trial both against the same site before committing to an annual term.
What's the alternative to running an SEO tool myself?
A managed service. AI SEO Consultants (by AIQ Labs) starts with a free AI SEO Visibility Report and offers a month-to-month managed service covering AI SEO, GEO, AEO, AI visibility tracking, local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, SEO content and technical SEO for AI crawlers. It's built for trades, home services and professional firms that don't want to manage tools or dashboards, with clear reporting, no black-box claims, and client ownership of the website, content, data and domain. Results are directional — no vendor can guarantee rankings or AI citations.
Sources
- Plans & Pricing - Ahrefs
- Ahrefs Pricing: How to Choose the Right Ahrefs Plan (March 2026)
- Ahrefs Pricing: Plans, Seat Costs and SEO Add-Ons
- Ahrefs Pricing 2026: Costs, Add-Ons & Competitors
- SEO & AI Search Plans and Pricing | Semrush
- SEO & AI Search Plans and Pricing | Semrush
- Semrush Subscription plans & Toolkits
- Local Toolkit Plans and Pricing | Semrush