Ahrefs vs Semrush
For a single small site on a tight budget, Ahrefs costs less to start: its Starter plan is $29 a month billed monthly (checked Oct 8, 2026), with one project and 50 tracked keywords. Semrush's SEO plan, $139.95 a month billed monthly (checked Oct 12, 2026), is the better fit once rank tracking matters: it tracks 500 keywords daily, where Ahrefs' Lite and higher plans update them weekly. At the full-suite level the two sit close (Ahrefs Lite $129 a month, Semrush SEO $139.95), so choose by how often you need your rankings refreshed.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 by Jean Luc.
Side by side
| Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $29/mo Billed monthly. Checked Oct 8, 2026. | From $139.95/mo Billed monthly. Checked Oct 12, 2026. |
| Cost for 100 tracked keywords | $129 a month Billed monthly. Lite plan. | $139.95 a month Billed monthly. SEO plan. |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Works with | Any website | Any website |
| Best for | In-house marketer, Small agency | In-house marketer, Small agency |
| Testing | Researched | Researched |
| Last verified | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 |
Plans
Ahrefs
- Lite: $129 a month billed monthly, or $107.50 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Standard: $249 a month billed monthly, or $207.50 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Advanced: $449 a month billed monthly, or $374.17 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Enterprise: $1,499 a month billed monthly, or $1,249.17 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Starter: $29 a month billed monthly
Semrush
- SEO: $139.95 a month billed monthly, or $117.33 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Starter: $199 a month billed monthly, or $165.17 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Pro+: $299 a month billed monthly, or $248.17 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Advanced: $549 a month billed monthly, or $455.67 a month billed yearly, plus extra charges
- Free: $0
Which to choose
Pick Ahrefs if
- you run one site and want the lowest paid entry: Starter is $29 a month billed monthly.
- you own the site and can verify it: Ahrefs Free gives website owners limited Site Explorer and Site Audit access at no cost.
Pick Semrush if
- you check rankings often: Semrush updates them daily on every paid plan, while Ahrefs' Lite and higher plans update them weekly.
- you want to try the full product first: Semrush has a 7-day trial (a card is needed), and Ahrefs offers no trial.
More on these tools
Sources
- Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/pricing (Oct 7, 2026)
- Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/blog/starter-plan/ (Oct 7, 2026)
- Semrush: https://www.semrush.com/prices/ (Oct 6, 2026)
- Semrush: https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/ (Oct 7, 2026)
- Semrush: https://www.semrush.com/company/legal/refund-policy/ (Oct 7, 2026)
- Semrush: https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/ (Oct 12, 2026)
- Semrush: https://www.semrush.com/company/legal/refund-policy/ (Oct 12, 2026)