SEMrush vs Ahrefs: Comparison Chart and Main Features [2022]

There’s no such thing as a perfect SEO strategy. You develop it through trial and error. The goal is to keep the error part at minimum. That’s why we need the perfect SEO tool, which would indicate profitable keywords and phrases, and tell us how each change affects the website’s performance.

Between 2018 and 2022, the SEO software market is predicted to grow by $538.58 million. That’s how important the tools are.

When looking for SEO software, you’ll most likely come across Ahrefs and SEMrush reviews, and you’ll think those are the only two options. There’s one very good Ahrefs and SEMrush alternative that we’ll mention.

But first, let’s focus on the comparison between the two well-known players in the SEO software industry. We’ll create a comparison chart according to a few important factors: pricing, features, interface, support, and more.

Comparison Table: SEMrush vs Ahrefs

When you’re trying to choose between two software options, you ask this question first: “how much does SEMrush cost?” When you get your answer, you wonder: “and how much does Ahrefs cost?” The price is important, but it’s not the only determining factor. It’s the value you should be interested in. This comparison table will help you make an informed decision:

Detailed Comparison of SEMrush vs Ahrefs

Both services are great, but none of them is perfect. We wouldn’t be getting questions on how to cancel Ahrefs subscription if the tool was perfect. When we compare both services by different factors, each of them has its strengths and weaknesses.

Rank tracking

In this category, Ahrefs is a better tool. It’s more convenient to use since it gives you four categories: Pages, Grossing, Metrics, and Competitors. This means that you can track keywords by the pages where they are used; see how they have improved throughout different periods of time; keep track of all the measured keyword performances, and compare your progress to competitors.

Backlink tracking

SEMrush is a superior tool regarding backlink tracking. It enables you to check the types of backlinks by form, frame, image, and text.

Site audit

Both Ahrefs and SEMrush have solid auditing features. That being said, SEMrush is easier to use. It gives you a report with a to-do list on errors to improve. Ahrefs gives you the info, but you need to figure out the action steps.

Keyword explorer

When people wonder “how accurate is SEMrush,” the keyword explorer feature is the first advantage that’s mentioned. The tool gives you an accurate percentage score for keyword difficulty. Ahrefs is different; it gives a score of up to 100.

That being said, Ahrefs gives you something extra: a number of backlinks that you’ll need to rank on the first results page for a particular keyword.

Competitors analysis

SEMrush wins in this category, too. It has a dedicated section for competitive research, which gives you five tools: Organic Search, Traffic Analytics, Backlink Gap, Domain Overview, and Keyword Gap.

SEMrush and Ahrefs Alternatives

Can we talk about SEMrush and Ahrefs competitors? SiteChecker.pro is a viable alternative that might give you better value for your money.

Let’s see how this tool compares by the same features:

Rank tracking

The keyword rank tracker checks how your pages rank by certain keywords. It also enables you to analyze the ranking of any competitive page.

Backlink tracking

The Backlink Checker on SiteChecker.pro is completely free. You enter the domain name, and you get a list of existing backlinks. You can use this tool for competitive research, too.

Site audit

The Website Health Checker tool will find broken links and redirects; test the speed of your site; audit the internal page rank; visualize your site’s structure; audit crucial meta tags; check external and internal links for each URL and more.

Keyword explorer

When you use the free Keyword Rank Checker for competitive research, you explore keywords at the same time. You see what keywords your competitors target, and you get info on position, volume, competition level, and cost per click.

Competitor analysis

All features of the tool are designed for competitor analysis. You can use any URL to check the page ranking, website health, backlinks, on-page SEO, and website traffic. That’s why SiteChecker.pro is labeled as one of the strongest SEMrush competitors regarding competition analytics.

Comparison Table: SEMrush vs Ahrefs vs SiteChecker.pro

Many users are wondering how to cancel SEMrush when they realize that SiteChecker offers similar features for a much more affordable price.

Here’s a similar comparison table to the one above, complemented with SiteChecker.pro as the third option:

Final Thoughts

Let’s answer the main question: what are better Ahrefs or SEMrush? SEMrush wins in most categories that we used in our comparison. Ahrefs is better only for keyword tracking and exploring.

That being said, SiteChecker.pro is the perfect alternative for those looking for free features and a more affordable pricing plan. It gives you similar functionality as the two other tools at a fraction of the price.