Ahrefs

Choose the data for the job

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools offers free Site Audit and Site Explorer access for verified websites. Paid plans add broader research and monitoring; verifying a site is not a promise of unlimited competitor research. Check what the actual reports, history and exports expose for the domains you need.

Use Site Explorer for domain and backlink research, Keywords Explorer to investigate queries, Site Audit to crawl a site and Rank Tracker to follow selected search results. Each answers a different question; a crawl finding is a hypothesis to inspect, not proof a change will improve traffic.

Separate credits, crawls, projects and seats

The current pricing page displays Lite at $129, Standard at $249 and Advanced at $449 per month; the Starter help page identifies Lite as $129. The display offers annual billing as well. Confirm the actual currency, billing term, tax and checkout for your region. Lite lists five unverified and unlimited verified projects, one included user and up to two extra users at $40 per month each.

Lite lists 1,000 credits per user, 750 tracked keywords and 100,000 crawl credits. Standard lists 2,000 tracked keywords, 500,000 crawl credits and unlimited research credits subject to fair use; its additional users are listed at $60 per month each. Ahrefs’ billing guide describes usage-based billing for extra users on credit-based plans, so confirm Lite user rates for actual activity. Ahrefs distinguishes current and legacy plans. Unlimited research credits do not erase export, history, crawl or tracking limits.

Ahrefs explains that accessing reports or requesting new data in core research tools consumes credits, while Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Brand Radar have separate limits. For example, Keywords Explorer can process up to 10,000 keywords in one search for one credit; filters and other actions can also matter. Inspect the usage meter and export-row allowance for a real workload. Rank Tracker counts one keyword per location and project; its documented default refresh is weekly. Confirm device settings and any additional frequency charges.

Ahrefs pricing lists six months of historical data on Lite, two years on Standard and five years on Advanced. Check the specific report, dates and export access you need; historical research data is distinct from your own tracked keyword observations.

Read estimates as estimates

Ahrefs describes organic traffic as an estimated monthly figure, combining estimated keyword volume and click-through rate by ranking position; the underlying positions do not all update simultaneously. It is not a site analytics count. Compare trends with owned analytics and Search Console where available, and inspect market and date coverage.

Domain Rating describes backlink strength at domain level. It is Ahrefs’ own measure, not a Google score: Ahrefs says there is no evidence search engines use it as a ranking factor. A higher score is not a guarantee that a particular page will rank.

Budget AI visibility separately

Lite, Standard and Advanced include 150, 300 and 600 custom prompt checks per month respectively. Ahrefs defines a check as one prompt execution for one model and one location. Ten prompts across two models and one location checked once use 20 checks; daily runs multiply that. Additional custom-check packages start at $50 per month for 2,500 checks, with overage terms.

Brand Radar also sells access to its AI visibility index; do not assume that a small included custom-check allowance provides access to the entire index. Prompt samples, supported engines and model availability change; sampled mentions and citations are not all buyer searches or revenue attribution.

Test before committing

For an authorized site, compare a known set of queries, a competitor domain and a crawl on the relevant locale and device. Record missing rows, history, refresh cadence, export limits and the credits consumed. Ask how settings and historical observations can be retained if you leave; a keyword list alone is not a history migration.

Compare Semrush on the same tasks and SE Ranking for a monitoring and client-reporting workload. The side-by-side guide uses a shared planning scenario.

Common questions

Is Ahrefs traffic measured visits?

No. Ahrefs describes organic traffic as a modeled monthly estimate, not a connected analytics count.

Are audits paid with research credits?

Ahrefs says Site Audit uses separate limits from research credits; check crawl capacity and plan terms.

Does Lite include unlimited AI monitoring?

No. Ahrefs lists 150 custom prompt checks a month on Lite, with separate paid capacity.

Sources and scope

We read the linked vendor pricing and documentation on November 5, 2026. Prices, features and data coverage can change, and account, location and billing terms matter.

This is documentation research: we have not used these products, run a hands-on test or verified the quality of their datasets. Use a representative trial and confirm the current quote.

Inclusion and corrections are free; sponsorship does not determine our conclusions. Editorial order is independent of paid placements.

Sponsorship never changes this page. How we research.