11 Best Ahrefs Alternatives in 2024 – Level Up Your SEO

Ahrefs is a well-known and powerful tool for SEO experts, marketers, and business owners who want to dominate search engine results. However, its pricing and certain features may not be ideal for everyone, especially small businesses or beginners. 

Luckily, there are several excellent alternatives available that offer similar features, sometimes at a lower price point or with unique capabilities that Ahrefs doesn’t offer.

At Nova Growth, we’ll explore the 11 best Ahrefs alternatives in 2024 to help you level up your SEO game. 

The Top 11 Ahrefs Alternatives

Ahrefs is a top-tier SEO tool, but there are many alternatives that can suit different budgets, needs, and expertise levels. 

Reddit users, industry experts, and our own team have reviewed various tools that offer similar or better functionality for specific SEO tasks. 

1. Semrush: The best all around
2. SEO.com: Best for DIY SEO
3. Ubersuggest: The greatest free substitute
4. Moz Pro: The Best SEO Toolbox
5. Mangools: Best for SEO support
6. SE Ranking: Best for rank tracking
7. SEO Minion: Best free SEO tool
8. Majestic: The best place to get data
9. Screaming Frog: Best for SEO analysis
10. SEOptimer: Best for backlink analysis
11. Serpstat: Best for SEO content

Here’s a curated list of the top 11 Ahrefs substitutes, each standing out for its unique features, from all-around solutions like Semrush to free tools like SEO Minion. 

Dive into each one to find the best fit for your SEO journey.

1: Semrush: The Best All-Around 

When it comes to replacing Ahrefs, Semrush is often hailed as the best alternative by many experts, Redditors, and SEO professionals. 

It offers a comprehensive set of tools that cover every aspect of SEO, from keyword research and competitor analysis to backlink tracking and rank monitoring. 

Here’s why Semrush stands out:

Key Features:

1. Keyword Research: SEMrush’s keyword tool allows users to uncover highly competitive keywords, track keyword rankings, and get insights into long-tail keywords.
2. Competitor Analysis: One of the best features of Semrush is its ability to analyze competitors’ websites. With Semrush, you can spy on your competitors’ traffic, keywords, and backlinks.
3. Backlink Audit: Semrush provides a detailed backlink audit, allowing users to view toxic links, analyze anchor texts, and assess the overall backlink health of their site.
4. On-Page SEO Recommendations: With the Site Audit tool, users get a deep dive into potential on-page SEO improvements such as missing meta descriptions, broken links, and slow page speeds.

Why It’s the Best All-Around Tool?

SEMrush’s user-friendly interface and its ability to cover all facets of SEO make it the go-to solution for professionals. It’s especially valuable for agencies that need an all-in-one platform to manage multiple clients. 

Moreover, it offers integrations with Google Analytics, Search Console, and more, enhancing the insights you can glean from your data.

Who Should Use Semrush?

Semrush is perfect for SEO professionals and agencies who need an advanced tool with a robust set of features. If you’re looking to monitor multiple websites, perform in-depth SEO analysis, or track progress across different SEO strategies, Semrush is your best bet.

2: SEO.com – Best for DIY SEO 

If you’re looking for a user-friendly platform that caters to DIY enthusiasts, SEO.com is an excellent alternative to Ahrefs. This tool makes it easier for beginners to handle SEO tasks without the complexity of some other platforms.

Key Features:

1. DIY-Friendly Dashboard: The interface is easy to navigate, with all the SEO tools you need neatly organized.
2. Customizable SEO Campaigns: SEO.com allows users to create custom campaigns based on their specific goals, whether it’s driving more traffic, increasing visibility, or boosting conversions.
3. Real-Time Tracking: Keep track of your SEO performance with real-time updates on keyword rankings, backlinks, and traffic.

Why It’s Great for DIY SEO?

What makes SEO.com stand out is its simple interface. Even if you’re not an SEO expert, the platform guides you step by step through creating an effective SEO strategy.

Who Should Use SEO.com?

This platform is best suited for small business owners or individuals looking to do their own SEO without hiring an agency. It’s user-friendly and affordable, making it a great option for those new to SEO.

3: Ubersuggest: The Greatest Free Substitute 

When cost is a significant concern, Ubersuggest steps in as the top free alternative to Ahrefs. Created by Neil Patel, Ubersuggest provides key features like keyword research, traffic analysis, and backlink data at no cost.

Key Features:

1. Free Keyword Suggestions: Ubersuggest offers keyword suggestions, search volume, and competition data for free, making it accessible to those on a tight budget.
2. Traffic Analyzer: Get insights into your website’s traffic trends, top-performing pages, and user demographics.
3. Backlink Analysis: Ubersuggest provides a decent backlink analysis tool, helping users discover potential link-building opportunities.

Why It’s the Best Free Option?

For a free tool, Ubersuggest offers impressive features that can rival paid alternatives. It’s perfect for startups, bloggers, and freelancers who want to improve their SEO without paying for premium services.

Who Should Use Ubersuggest?

If you’re just getting started with SEO and need a tool that won’t break the bank, Ubersuggest is a great choice. It’s ideal for freelancers, small businesses, and bloggers who want to boost their SEO without investing in premium tools.

4: Moz Pro: The Best SEO Toolbox 

Moz Pro is another excellent alternative to Ahrefs, known for its high-quality SEO tools and in-depth data. Trusted by SEO professionals worldwide, Moz Pro excels at providing valuable insights for link-building, site audits, and keyword research.

Key Features:

1. Link Explorer: Moz Pro’s Link Explorer helps users analyze their backlink profile, discover new linking opportunities, and identify toxic links.
2. Keyword Explorer: With Moz’s Keyword Explorer, you can find keyword suggestions, analyze keyword difficulty, and prioritize keyword opportunities.
3. Site Crawl: The Site Crawl feature helps users identify technical issues on their website, such as broken links, duplicate content, and slow page speeds.

Why It’s the Best SEO Toolbox?

Moz Pro combines high-quality data with actionable insights, making it the go-to SEO toolbox for agencies and in-house teams alike.

Who Should Use Moz Pro?

Moz Pro is designed for SEO professionals, agencies, and businesses that need advanced tools for their SEO strategy. It’s particularly useful for those focused on building high-quality backlinks and conducting detailed keyword research.

5: Mangools – Best for SEO Support 

Mangools is known for its excellent customer support and easy-to-use tools, making it a great alternative for those looking to move away from Ahrefs.

Key Features:

1. KWFinder: Mangools’ KWFinder is one of the best keyword research tools for beginners. It offers easy-to-understand metrics, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis.
2. SERPChecker: This feature allows users to analyze the SERP landscape, providing insights into competitors and their ranking potential.
3. LinkMiner: Mangools’ LinkMiner helps users analyze backlinks and discover new link-building opportunities.

Why It’s the Best for SEO Support

Mangools is well-regarded for its customer service, offering tutorials and guides for users who need help navigating the platform. Their friendly and responsive support team is a big draw for beginners.

Who Should Use Mangools?

Mangools is ideal for small businesses, freelancers, and beginners who need a reliable SEO tool with a supportive team. If you value customer service and ease of use, this is a great choice.

6: SE Ranking – Best for Rank Tracking 

When rank tracking is your primary concern, SE Ranking stands out as one of the top alternatives to Ahrefs. It is a cloud-based platform that provides comprehensive tracking tools designed for monitoring search engine rankings over time, making it particularly useful for agencies and in-house SEO teams.

Key Features:

1. Accurate Rank Tracking: SE Ranking provides daily rank updates for both desktop and mobile searches, allowing users to track keyword rankings across multiple search engines and locations.
2. Competitor Analysis: In addition to tracking your own rankings, SE Ranking also offers competitive analysis tools, allowing users to monitor their competitors’ SEO performance and compare keyword rankings.
3. On-Page SEO Audit: The platform provides an in-depth site audit feature, helping users identify SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, and slow-loading pages.
4. Marketing Plan: SE Ranking offers a customizable marketing plan feature, which includes detailed steps for building a strong SEO strategy.

Why It’s the Best for Rank Tracking?

SE Ranking is well-known for its precise and consistent rank-tracking feature, with the added benefit of providing a full suite of SEO tools. The competitive pricing makes it an attractive choice for both small businesses and larger teams.

Who Should Use SE Ranking?

SE Ranking is best suited for SEO professionals and agencies looking for a powerful yet affordable platform with top-tier rank-tracking features. It’s particularly beneficial for those managing large SEO campaigns where keyword ranking is critical.

7: SEO Minion – Best Free SEO Tool 

SEO Minion is a free browser extension that offers essential SEO features, making it a great alternative for those looking for an easy-to-use, no-cost tool. While it doesn’t have the in-depth features of paid tools, it’s still a handy solution for basic SEO tasks.

Key Features:

1. On-Page SEO Analysis: SEO Minion allows users to check on-page SEO elements such as meta tags, headers, and alt text. It also highlights potential improvements.
2. Broken Link Checker: The tool helps identify broken links, which can negatively impact both user experience and SEO rankings.
3. SERP Preview: This feature allows users to see how their pages will appear in search results, including meta titles and descriptions.
4. Hreflang Checker: For websites with multiple language versions, SEO Minion offers an Hreflang checker to ensure correct implementation of language-specific tags.

Why It’s the Best Free SEO Tool?

While SEO Minion lacks the depth and breadth of other paid tools, it provides essential SEO analysis at no cost, making it ideal for beginners or those managing smaller projects.

Who Should Use SEO Minion?

SEO Minion is perfect for small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers looking for a free tool to manage basic SEO tasks. It’s also a great addition to any SEO professional’s toolkit when they need a quick, on-the-go analysis.

8: Majestic: The Best Place to Get Data 

For SEO specialists focused on link-building and in-depth backlink analysis, majestic offers one of the largest and most trusted backlink databases. This tool is particularly well-suited for advanced users who require detailed insights into link profiles.

Key Features:

1. Backlink Database: Majestic’s backlink database is one of the largest in the industry, offering users access to vast amounts of link data, including historical data.
2. Trust Flow and Citation Flow: Majestic introduced these metrics to measure the quality and quantity of backlinks, helping users assess the trustworthiness of their website’s links.
3. Site Explorer: The Site Explorer feature provides users with in-depth information about any domain, including backlink history, referring domains, and anchor text distribution.
4. Link Context: This feature allows users to see where backlinks are located on a page, such as in the main content, sidebar, or footer.

Why It’s the Best Place to Get Data?

Majestic is particularly known for its focus on backlinks and link-building strategies. Its Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics provide unique insights not available from other SEO tools, making it a favorite among link-building experts.

Who Should Use Majestic?

Majestic is best for advanced SEO professionals and link-building specialists who require detailed backlink analysis. If your SEO strategy revolves around building a strong link profile, Majestic is the perfect tool for you.

9: Screaming Frog – Best for SEO Analysis 

When it comes to website crawling and in-depth technical SEO analysis, Screaming Frog is the go-to tool. It’s widely regarded for its ability to audit websites, uncover SEO issues, and provide actionable insights into a site’s overall performance.

Key Features:

1. Site Crawling: Screaming Frog can crawl websites of any size, providing a comprehensive analysis of URLs, titles, meta descriptions, headings, and more.
2. Broken Link Detection: The tool helps identify broken links, redirects, and server errors, which are essential for maintaining a healthy website.
3. Duplicate Content Detection: Screaming Frog helps identify duplicate content issues, which can negatively impact search engine rankings.
4. XML Sitemap Generation: Users can easily create and export XML sitemaps to ensure search engines can crawl and index their website effectively.

Why It’s the Best for SEO Analysis?

Screaming Frog excels at providing detailed technical SEO audits, offering insights into site structure, crawlability, and performance. It’s an invaluable tool for identifying on-page SEO issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Who Should Use Screaming Frog?

Screaming Frog is perfect for SEO professionals and technical SEO specialists who need a deep dive into their website’s structure and health. It’s particularly valuable for those managing large websites or those focused on resolving technical SEO issues.

10: SEOptimer – Best for Backlink Analysis 

SEOptimer is a web-based SEO audit tool that excels at providing insights into backlinks and other essential SEO metrics. It’s user-friendly, making it accessible to beginners, while still offering powerful features for more experienced users.

Key Features:

1. Backlink Analysis: SEOptimer provides detailed backlink data, helping users track and evaluate their backlink profiles.
2. SEO Audit Reports: The platform generates comprehensive SEO audit reports, highlighting areas for improvement in on-page SEO, page speed, and technical SEO.
3. White Label Reports: SEOptimer allows users to create customizable, white-label SEO reports, making it a great choice for agencies looking to provide reports to clients.
4. On-Page SEO Checks: The tool checks for on-page SEO issues like missing tags, slow loading speeds, and broken links.

Why It’s the Best for Backlink Analysis?

SEOptimer’s backlink analysis tool offers insightful data about a website’s link profile, making it a solid choice for users focused on improving their off-page SEO.

Who Should Use SEOptimer?

SEOptimer is ideal for small businesses, freelancers, and agencies that need a simple yet effective tool for backlink analysis and SEO audits. It’s particularly useful for those offering SEO services to clients.

11: Serpstat – Best for SEO Content 

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO platform that offers a wide range of tools, but it particularly excels in SEO content analysis and optimization. It’s designed to help users create content that ranks well in search engines by providing insights into keyword usage, page structure, and competitor content strategies.

Key Features:

1. Content Analysis: Serpstat offers tools that analyze the structure, readability, and keyword density of your content, ensuring it’s optimized for search engines.
2. Competitor Research: The platform allows users to analyze competitor content strategies, identifying gaps and opportunities for creating better-performing content.
3. Keyword Research: Serpstat’s keyword research tool provides data on keyword volume, difficulty, and search intent, helping users create content that targets the right audience.
4. Site Audit: Serpstat’s site audit tool helps identify technical SEO issues that could hinder your content from ranking well.

Why It’s the Best for SEO Content?

Serpstat combines keyword research, content analysis, and competitor research to provide a full picture of how your content can improve in search rankings. It’s an essential tool for content marketers looking to refine their SEO strategies.

Who Should Use Serpstat?

Serpstat is perfect for content marketers, bloggers, and SEO professionals who need to focus on creating and optimizing content for search engines. It’s also a great tool for small agencies offering content marketing services.

Many features and tools that address various facets of SEO are offered by these Ahrefs substitutes. There is a tool for every kind of SEO need, ranging from Majestic’s backlink research skills to Screaming Frog’s technical SEO capabilities. \

No matter your role as a content marketer, SEO specialist, or firm with numerous clients, these tools provide effective and reasonably priced ways to enhance the search engine performance of your website.

Conclusion 

Ahrefs is a powerhouse in the SEO world, but it isn’t the only option. Depending on your needs, goals, and budget, there are plenty of viable substitutes that offer similar features. SEMrush is a fantastic all-around alternative for SEO and PPC marketers, while Moz Pro is great for beginners. 

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, Ubersuggest and Serpstat are excellent choices, providing essential SEO tools at a lower cost. Meanwhile, specialized tools like Majestic SEO or Screaming Frog are perfect for focused tasks like backlink analysis or technical audits.

Ultimately, the best Ahrefs alternative depends on what you’re looking to achieve with your SEO efforts. If you need an all-in-one solution that rivals Ahrefs, SEMrush and Serpstat are solid options. 

However, if you’re more interested in content ideation or technical audits, tools like Seo.com or Screaming Frog can complement other platforms in your SEO toolkit.

As Redditors, experts, and our staff agree, the landscape of SEO tools is rich and varied—there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but with a little exploration, you can find the tool that works best for your unique needs. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1: What are the best alternatives to Ahrefs for comprehensive SEO analysis?

Several SEO tools provide similar or complementary features to Ahrefs. Some of the best alternatives include:

1. Semrush: Known for its powerful keyword research, competition analysis, and detailed analytics across PPC, social media, and SEO.
2. Moz Pro: A user-friendly platform for site auditing, rank tracking, and keyword analysis, particularly strong in backlink research and domain authority scoring.
3. Ubersuggest: A budget-friendly tool offering keyword suggestions, content ideas, and backlink tracking. It’s great for users on a tighter budget.
4. Mangools: This suite includes keyword research, SERP analysis, rank tracking, and backlink analysis, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.
5. SE Ranking: Offers competitive pricing and comes with robust features such as rank tracking, backlink monitoring, and website audits.
6. Majestic: Specializes in backlink analysis and is ideal for in-depth link intelligence with metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow.
7. Screaming Frog: A website crawler that excels in technical SEO audits, detecting broken links, duplicate content, and redirects. Each tool offers unique strengths in areas like keyword research, backlink analysis, or site audits, and the best choice depends on your specific SEO goals.

2: How does Semrush compare to Ahrefs in terms of keyword research and competitor analysis?

Semrush and Ahrefs are both industry-leading tools for keyword research and competitor analysis, but they differ in focus:

1. Keyword Research: Semrush is particularly strong in keyword volume analysis, keyword difficulty, and providing ideas for PPC ads and content marketing campaigns. It offers detailed keyword metrics and insights into competitive domains. Ahrefs, on the other hand, is highly regarded for its extensive keyword database, which includes click metrics (how many users click through SERPs) that help users understand true keyword potential.
2. Competitor Analysis: Semrush excels in competitive research across multiple channels, offering insights into competitors’ paid advertising strategies, organic traffic trends, and social media performance. Ahrefs is more focused on backlink competitor analysis, with a comprehensive index of backlinks. Overall, Semrush is more versatile for multi-channel marketing strategies, while Ahrefs is more backlink-focused and excels in pure organic SEO.

3: What makes Ubersuggest a good budget-friendly alternative to Ahrefs?

Ubersuggest stands out for its affordability and ease of use, making it a suitable option for small businesses, freelancers, and beginners in SEO. 

Some of its key features include:

• Keyword Suggestions: Ubersuggest offers keyword suggestions with search volume, SEO difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC) estimates, helping users identify profitable keywords.
• Content Ideas: It provides insights into top-performing content based on keyword relevance and user engagement, making content marketing easier for users with limited budgets.
• Backlink Analysis: While less extensive than Ahrefs, Ubersuggest provides basic backlink tracking and competitor backlink comparisons. Its free and paid plans make it a solid choice for users who need basic SEO tools without breaking the bank.

4: Is Moz Pro as effective as Ahrefs for backlink analysis?

Moz Pro offers robust tools for backlink analysis, but there are some differences compared to Ahrefs:

• Backlink Index: Ahrefs is known for its large and frequently updated backlink index, making it more comprehensive for backlink tracking and research. Ahrefs also offers detailed metrics such as Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR), which help users gauge the quality of backlink profiles.
• Moz Link Explorer: Moz Pro’s backlink tool (Link Explorer) provides detailed backlink insights, including anchor text analysis, domain authority, and spam score. Its domain authority (DA) metric is widely used in the SEO community to evaluate the strength of a website’s backlink profile. While Ahrefs might have a larger index, Moz Pro is still highly effective for backlink analysis, especially when paired with other features like site audits and keyword tracking.

5: What features make Mangools a strong Ahrefs alternative for small businesses?

Mangools is a cost-effective and user-friendly SEO tool suite, ideal for small businesses and beginners.

Its features include:

1. KWFinder: A popular keyword research tool known for its intuitive interface, KWFinder provides keyword difficulty analysis, search volume, and competitor insights, all of which are easy to understand.
2. SERPChecker and SERPWatcher: These tools help users analyze search engine result pages (SERPs) and track keyword rankings over time.
3. LinkMiner: For backlink analysis, Mangools offers LinkMiner, which focuses on finding backlink opportunities and assessing competitors’ link profiles. Mangools combines powerful features in an affordable package, making it a good choice for small businesses looking for solid SEO tools without the complexity or high cost of Ahrefs.

6: How does Screaming Frog differ from Ahrefs in technical SEO auditing?

Screaming Frog is a specialized tool for technical SEO audits and is known for its website crawling capabilities. 

Compared to Ahrefs:

1. Site Crawling: Screaming Frog is primarily a website crawler that can detect issues like broken links, duplicate content, redirect chains, and improper use of meta tags. It excels in technical SEO, helping users optimize their site architecture and on-page elements.
2. Ahrefs Site Audit: While Ahrefs also offers site audit functionality, it is more focused on comprehensive SEO metrics, including backlinks, organic traffic, and keyword rankings, rather than deep technical SEO issues. Screaming Frog is better suited for users who need a dedicated tool for in-depth technical audits, while Ahrefs offers a broader range of SEO data but is less specialized in site crawling.

7: What is Majestic’s biggest strength as an Ahrefs alternative?

Majestic is renowned for its backlink intelligence, making it an ideal alternative to Ahrefs for users focused on link-building strategies. 

Its key features include:

• Trust Flow and Citation Flow: Majestic offers these two proprietary metrics to evaluate the quality (Trust Flow) and quantity (Citation Flow) of backlinks, helping users identify high-value links.
• Link Context: Majestic provides insights into the context of backlinks, such as where links are placed on a webpage and their importance in the overall site structure.
• Historical Data: Majestic offers extensive historical backlink data, making it easier to track link-building campaigns over time. Majestic’s focus on backlinks, combined with its proprietary metrics, makes it a strong contender for businesses and agencies that prioritize link-building and backlink audits.

Each of these Ahrefs alternatives brings something unique to the table, making them suitable for different SEO needs based on budget, feature set, and focus areas.