# Ahrefs vs Semrush

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Semrush

| Attribute | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 52.4 (55% (medium)) | 57.5 (53% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A marketing platform built on a proprietary web index offering tools for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, competitor analysis, content optimization, and brand monitoring across search, AI, and social channels. It is indexed under SEO Tools.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"What is Ahrefs?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Ahrefs offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"Is Ahrefs free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Ahrefs. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"What platforms does Ahrefs support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Ahrefs, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"Can Ahrefs be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Ahrefs, including Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, Data Studio and IndexNow. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"What does Ahrefs integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and ISO 27001 for Ahrefs. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Ahrefs not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://trust.ahrefs.com","question":"What security certifications does Ahrefs have?","confidence":0.48},{"answer":"Ahrefs is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://ahrefs.com","question":"Where is Ahrefs available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"Software that helps marketers improve organic search rankings and AI discoverability through keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, technical site audits, and competitive intelligence. It is indexed under SEO Tools.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"What is Semrush?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Semrush offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $139.95 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"Is Semrush free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Semrush. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"What platforms does Semrush support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Semrush, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"Can Semrush be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 19 integrations for Semrush, including Google Ads, Google Shopping, Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, TikTok Organic and CallRail, plus 11 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"What does Semrush integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Semrush is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","question":"Where is Semrush available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Platform that combines artificial intelligence with a comprehensive web index to provide marketing reports, competitive analysis, automated workflows, and real-time monitoring capabilities for SEO and brand visibility. | Comprehensive SEO and visibility platform that helps businesses understand competitor strategies, track keyword performance, audit technical issues, and monitor how their brand appears in search results and AI-generated answers. |
| features.capabilities | `{"free_tier":true,"deployment":"cloud","public_api":true,"site_audit":true,"rank_tracking":true,"backlink_index":true,"locales_covered":"Not specified","competitor_intel":true,"keyword_research":true,"local_mobile_serp":true,"gsc_ga4_integration":true,"content_optimization":true,"pricing_transparency":"contact_sales"}` | `{"free_tier":true,"deployment":"cloud","public_api":true,"site_audit":true,"pricing_model":"flat","rank_tracking":true,"backlink_index":true,"locales_covered":"Global; Pro plan covers 30+ markets for advertising data; 142 regional keyword d","competitor_intel":true,"keyword_research":true,"local_mobile_serp":true,"gsc_ga4_integration":true,"content_optimization":true,"pricing_transparency":"contact_sales"}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 18 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Google Search Console"},{"name":"Google Analytics 4"},{"name":"Data Studio"},{"name":"IndexNow"},{"name":"Google Analytics","native":true,"direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google Business Profile","native":true,"direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Google Ads"},{"name":"Google Shopping"},{"name":"Meta Ads"},{"name":"Microsoft Ads"},{"name":"LinkedIn Ads"},{"name":"TikTok Ads"},{"name":"TikTok Organic"},{"name":"CallRail"},{"name":"HubSpot"},{"name":"Mailchimp"},{"name":"Matomo"},{"name":"ChatGPT"},{"name":"Google AI Overviews"},{"name":"Gemini"},{"name":"Perplexity"},{"name":"Facebook Ads","native":false,"category":"ads","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google Analytics","native":false,"category":"analytics","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google Search Console","native":false,"category":"seo","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"TikTok","native":false,"category":"social","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Looker Studio","native":false,"category":"analytics","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"LinkedIn","native":true,"category":"social","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Lovable","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Claude","native":true,"category":"ai","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Adobe","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://ahrefs.com","retrievedAt":"2026-09-23T14:33:22.233Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"SEO Toolkit Pro","features":["Keyword research","Competitor analysis","Rank tracking","Technical site audit","Backlink analysis"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":139.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Best for freelancers, small business owners and SEO beginners","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"keywords_to_track":"500","results_per_report":"10,000","seo_ideas_per_month":"500","websites_to_monitor":"5","scheduled_pdf_reports":"3","pages_to_crawl_per_month":"100,000","keyword_metric_updates_per_month":"250"}},{"free":false,"name":"SEO Toolkit Guru","features":["Everything in Pro","SEO Writing Assistant","Topic Research","Historical Data","Multi-targeting in Position Tracking","Looker Studio reporting integrations"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":249.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Best for growing agencies and teams ready to scale","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"keywords_to_track":"1,500","results_per_report":"30,000","seo_ideas_per_month":"800","websites_to_monitor":"15","pages_to_crawl_per_month":"300,000","keyword_metric_updates_per_month":"1,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"SEO Toolkit Business","features":["Everything in Guru","SEO Share of Voice tracking","API Access"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":499.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Best for established agencies and large businesses","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"keywords_to_track":"5,000","results_per_report":"50,000","seo_ideas_per_month":"2,000","websites_to_monitor":"40","pages_to_crawl_per_month":"1,000,000","keyword_metric_updates_per_month":"5,000"}}],"summary":"From $139.95/month. 7-day free trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.semrush.com/kb/1547-seo-toolkit-pricing-limits","retrievedAt":"2026-09-23T13:31:18.574Z","freeTrialDays":7,"startingPrice":{"amount":139.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | high |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":139.95,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (SEO Tools)

| Capability | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing transparency | Contact-sales | Contact-sales |
| Free tier / free tool | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | - | Flat |
| **Data** |  |  |
| Backlink index | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword research database | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Capability** |  |  |
| Rank tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Technical site audit / crawler | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content optimisation (SERP-driven) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Competitor / SERP intelligence | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Coverage** |  |  |
| Local / mobile SERP support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Countries / locales covered | Not specified | Global; Pro plan covers 30+ markets for advertising data; 142 regional keyword d |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| Public API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search Console / GA4 integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:16:12.017Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*