Ahrefs vs Semrush: Why I Give Preference to Semrush

Ahrefs and Semrush are efficient SEO tools designed to bring your website or individual web pages higher in search engine rankings.

Although our Fixthephoto team had been Ahrefs users for 7+ years, the company's peculiar pricing strategy prompted us to explore an alternative service – Semrush.

Below, I'd like to highlight which Semrush functions can replace Ahrefs, particularly for those, like us, who switched to Semrush from Ahrefs.

*Ahrefs Problems Reviews on Twitter

On October 15, 2023, Dmytro Gerasymenko, the CEO of Ahrefs, took to Twitter to announce that Ahrefs is gearing up to discontinue renewing approximately 15% of legacy subscriptions, which are the ones consuming the most data.

They claim their goal is to enhance service for their users.

However, some customers weren't pleased with the announcement, and felt betrayed, especially those who have been long-time clients.

Below, I'll tell you about the difference between Semrush and Ahrefs, detail why the first option is more beneficial, as well as touch upon the pricing of both services.

Ahrefs comes in handy for collecting data on backlinks, as well as assessing key website metrics and the quality of links.

The Site Explorer features a specialized section, where users can keep tabs on organic traffic trends and monitor the keywords that competitors rank for.

Besides, Ahrefs allows you to identify the websites that establish links within a particular industry.

Semrush is a popular SEO instrument that proves invaluable for tasks such as keyword research, competitor analysis, and optimizing Google Ads.

Trusted by major companies and services like Booking.com, Quora, HP, and eBay, Semrush excels in determining patterns and trends within your specific niche.

This is possible thanks to its cutting-edge SEO capabilities.

What’s better Semrush or Ahrefs?

Regarding the user interface, in Ahrefs, you’ll see a dashboard with a comprehensive view of vital metrics and tools.

It is possible to customize the dashboard, preserving the data and tools you need on a regular basis, and tucking away the rest.

Ahrefs has separate sections like Site Explorer, Content Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, and additional options.

Navigating between these sections is easy, so users can effortlessly switch and access specific instruments.

Users can make and manipulate projects quickly even if they consist of numerous websites or specific domains.

This is incredibly helpful if you want to monitor and gauge the performance of your online assets uninterruptedly.

Being among the best SEO software, Ahrefs presents data through charts, graphs, and visual elements.

I really appreciate such an approach, as it allows comprehend intricate SEO metrics with no issues.

In addition to customization options, the service pleases users with flexibility in adjusting crawl speed, notifications, and data export.

Moreover, within the Ahrefs platform, you can harness educational resources and guides, including tutorials and tooltips.

With them, you can master the service quicker and get the most out of your every SEO endeavor. 

Semrush brags about a user-friendly and neat interface, ensuring effortless navigation for both novices and seasoned users.

When on the dashboard, you can clearly understand the efficacy of the website's performance and see the core metrics.

On the left side, there's a navigation bar with quick access to Dashboard, Competitive Research, Keyword Research, Link Building, On-Page & Tech SEO, and other sections.

Jumping from one section to the other is a no-brainer task.

Similar to Ahrefs, Semrush offers charts, graphs, and visual aids for users to grasp intricate information with ease.

For instance, keyword rankings, traffic trends, and competitive insights are presented in a comprehensible visual form.

Another selling point is purpose-made toolkits for SEO, Advertising, and Content Marketing.

With them, you can get a better understanding of related tools and features, and find those for your current task in a jiffy.

Ahrefs and Semrush both offer fantastic tools for discovering promising keywords and gauging their level of difficulty for ranking.

Moreover, you will receive statistics such as global volume and cost-per-click (CPC).

However, Semrush provides users with 3 powerful tools for these tasks, while its competitor has only one instrument.

Ahrefs allows you to enter multiple keywords at once and analyze them together.

Semrush also has this feature in Keyword Overview.

Ahrefs has keywords for different search engines: Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu, Daum, Naver, and Seznam.

Also, by clicking on potential keywords, you’ll see keyword difficulty and search volume, as well as keyword suggestions associated with the initial search.

Using it, you can discern other keyword options that you may have never considered.

Regarding Semrush, the main keyword research feature is called "Keyword Magic Tool".

It contains over 20 billion keywords for Google.

You can enter any keyword you want to analyze and there will appear an extensive list of suggested keywords.

Keyword Magic Tool also allows you to:

• View performance metrics by keywords
• Search based on broad and exact keyword matches
• See data such as search volume, trends, keyword difficulty and cost per click
• View Google's top 100 results for any keyword
• Identify SERP features and questions associated with each keyword (NEW feature)

Ahrefs takes pride in having one of the most extensive and regularly updated backlink databases in this sphere.

You can receive in-depth information about referring domains, pages, and anchor text.

Moreover, users get metrics like Domain Rating (DR), URL Rating (UR), referring domains, referring pages, and anchor text distribution for each backlink.

Such information is indispensable for understanding whether a backlink is quality or not.

By utilizing Ahrefs website backlink checker, you can monitor the expansion of your backlink portfolios over time.

Besides, you will get historical insights into backlink alterations.

Ahrefs stands out with a thorough analysis of competitors' backlinks.

This plays a crucial role if you strive to explore your competitors’ backlink portfolios, strategies, and top backlinks.

Ahrefs' Link Intersect tool helps find websites that link to specific competitors but not to the user's site.

With this instrument, you can develop a plan of how to bolster your link-building possibilities.

A bragging point of Ahrefs is its Backlink Audit tool, which promptly identifies and disavows harmful backlinks that may adversely affect SEO.

Semrush also has a detailed backlink database with info about referring domains, various types of backlinks, anchor text, etc.

This database spans a broad spectrum of websites and industries.

You can learn data like Authority Score and Trust Score and decide how good and trustworthy your backlinks are.

Moreover, you can evaluate the historical data for backlink analysis and keep an eye on how your backlink situation has changed over time – whether it's getting better or not.

This is very helpful for meticulous strategy evaluation.

Much like Ahrefs, Semrush's Backlink Audit tool is there to assist users in spotting and handling harmful backlinks that may mess with their website's SEO.

Semrush gives you insights and suggestions for how you can create new links.

This is possible thanks to a thorough analysis of competitors and your current backlink profiles.

Ahrefs lets you discover your competition by examining the keywords and domains that rank for similar search terms.

You will find out about both organic and paid competitors.

In addition, you can receive a professional evaluation of your competitors' backlinks and even study the details of their backlink profiles.

The service lets users check out their competitors' backlinks, anchor text, and referring domains.

I like how Ahrefs gives a detailed analysis of competitor keywords, letting users find out the specific keywords that their rivals are ranking for.

This makes it easy to spot any gaps or opportunities in terms of using keywords.

Moreover, the service offers an estimate of the traffic for competitor websites, derived from their ranking keywords and positions.

Thus, you can have a clearer idea of the potential organic traffic that competitors may be receiving.

When using the "Domain Overview" feature in Semrush, you can virtually “get” into the competitors' websites, see their organic search traffic, top-ranking keywords, and backlink profiles.

Through Semrush's "Gap Analysis," you can directly assess your website's performance against competitors, revealing specific areas for enhancement and opportunities to surpass them.

Simply put, you can examine what your competitors are doing with their content to find the best-performing pages and identify where there may be gaps.

Semrush gives valuable insights into the strategies behind creating content.

Besides, it estimates the traffic for domains belonging to competitors.

Thus, users can get a sense of the likely organic traffic and keyword rankings of their rivals.

Trend data for competitor traffic is also provided.

Ahrefs gives you the lowdown on how search engines see and categorize your website.

Its Site Audit tool digs deep into websites, finding glitches in technical SEO, suggesting on-page improvements, and highlighting ways to enhance performance.

It's your trusty sidekick for spotting anything awry, like blocked pages or issues in the way your site is crawled and indexed.

With Ahrefs in play, you can scrutinize the smallest pieces of your web content, including title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and image details.

After that, you’ll understand what requires tweaking to boost optimization.

The platform takes a good look at how friendly and fast your site is on mobile, making sure it's also set for users on the go.

Setting up routine site audits is like giving your website a health check.

Ahrefs sorts issues by how serious they are, helping users figure out which fixes should take the front seat.

To make it even easier, Ahrefs lets you schedule regular site check-ups, so you can keep tabs on how your website is doing and catch any issues early on.

Semrush provides in-depth website audits, touching upon site speed, mobile friendliness, security, and more.

With Semrush, you can gain valuable insights into crawl depth, URL structure, and site architecture.

These findings are like a roadmap for improving the way search engines move through your website.

It's a great tool to fine-tune your site for better navigation and performance in search results.

With Semrush, you can study on-page elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and image attributes, and understand whether you should improve something.

A standout feature of Semrush is its integration with Google Search Console. Thus, you can get extra details and insights for your site audit.

Plus, with Semrush, it is possible to personalize and brand your site audit results.

This feature is especially beneficial for businesses and agencies aiming to provide clients with customized, branded findings.

Ahrefs' Rank Tracker is easier to master, mainly because it's just one page without a lot of extra features.

Use Rank Tracker by entering the domain you are interested in testing and some keywords.

Rank Tracker checks how well your rankings are performing for these keywords. Ahrefs also offers:

• Easy-to-understand results for such metrics as visibility, traffic, average position and keyword difficulty
• Possibility to go to the KD area to find out whether it is worth targeting a keyword or whether it is better to skip it.

Furthermore, Ahrefs shares data on SERP (Search Engine Results Page) features.

Therefore, you can figure out which features show up for the keywords you're keeping track of.

Also, you can monitor how your keywords are ranking specifically in mobile search results, making sure you're visible not only on desktop but also on mobile devices.

Semrush gives you the scoop on ranking distribution data, revealing how keywords are spread across different spots, like the top 5, top 20, and beyond.

The most popular features of the Position Tracking Tool from Semrush are:

• Daily data updates and mobile ratings available to all subscribers by default
• Possibility to track multiple SERP features, including local package tracking
• Intuitive reports that allow you to change tracked pages and keywords
• The Cannibalization Report (NEW feature) to identify pages on your site that may be competing with each other.

You can get in touch with Ahrefs customer support through live chat and email exclusively only, as there is no phone option.

The support team is available nearly round the clock, ensuring you receive a speedy response.

It's worth noting that live chat support is accessible only on weekdays, 24 hours a day.

There are also blog posts, tutorial videos, and educational resources that you can use to get started with Ahrefs. You can check them out first before contacting support managers.

Semrush has your back with customer support available through email, phone, and live chat.

Feel free to reach out any day of the week, but remember to contact them during regular working hours.

It's a good idea to sync up with their time zone when getting in touch.

If the support team is online, you will get a reply within three to five minutes.

Semrush also provides a wealth of resources, including tutorials, blog posts, and a whole lot more to help you make the most of their offerings.

Ahrefs is packed with many useful features and data visualization tools.

The most popular features are Content Explorer, Ahrefs Rank, Batch Analysis, Alerts, Domain Comparison, Apps, Ahrefs API, Link Intersect, SEO Toolbar, and the WordPress plugin.

Ahrefs has its own educational hub known as the Ahrefs Academy.

This is the go-to place where you can grasp the ins and outs of using Ahrefs effectively, tap into beginner-friendly SEO courses, and more.

Semrush has a suite of tools for local SEO, including position tracking, listing management, an on-page SEO checker, and site audit.

For instance, it has an advertising dashboard, which helps users handle and keep tabs on their ad campaigns.

The dashboard contains all the tools at hand. Plus, allows generating PPC reports with several clicks.

The service is particularly helpful for social media campaigns.

The social media dashboard stores such tools as a social media poster, social media ads, social media analytics, and social media tracker.

Semrush also has tools designed to support your content marketing efforts.

For example, you can use Topic Research, SEO Writing Assistant, SEO Content Template, Post Tracking, Brand Monitoring, and Content Audit.

As I said, we have been using Ahrefs SEO tool for over 7 years, and have been subscribers to the Legacy Standard Plan from Ahrefs since January 2022.

The first sign of possible problems was a total transition from Overview to Overview2.

The thing is that the Aherfs Legacy Standard Plan package has set limits for each of the reports in Aherfs. The main report that we used in our work was Site Explorer and the “Rows per month” limit was 6,000,000/month. Before switching to the new Overview2 report, this limit was enough to work in large volumes, not as an amateur!

The problem was that since December 2022, the developers implemented the Overview2 report without thoroughly testing it, leading to the issue of overcharging credits for line-by-line queries. 

Due to the fact that we used our Ahrefs account for professional purposes as an SEO tool, such abrupt changes had a negative impact on our work.

We began reaching out to Ahrefs support. It should be noted that a few times, the staff accommodated us by allocating extra credits, as the main limit was depleted in less than half a month.

On average, we review between 150 to 250 websites per day. It's easy to calculate that the "Rows per month" limit of 6,000,000 per month would not be enough for even a couple of weeks.

This became a point of no return. Every month, we communicated with support, yet received a single response - "You need to switch to the new plan."

At the beginning of November of this year, we saw a message in our account stating that the old Legacy Standard plan, given the current usage level, could no longer be sustained. There was only one option - to switch to one of the three existing plans.

“Action required by 11 December 2024: Your legacy plan support is ending.”

We contacted support and received a staggering response, and another shock: the previous limits for line-by-line query views are no longer in effect, and new ones have been introduced, which involve the cancellation of weekly limits and limits on rows per month.

If we review, for example, the new Standard plan, by default, as a subscription owner, you can use 600 credits per month (as a power user).

When opening any report in Site Explorer, it consumes 1 credit, whether it's a report in the Backlink Profile, Organic Search, Pages, Outgoing Links, Paid Search, or Legacy Report section.

For instance, when studying one website in Site Explorer, clicking on the "Backlinks" and "Organic keywords" reports consumes 2 credits.

Moreover, you will use 1 extra credit each time you:

• Use filters
• Set dates
• Open the SERP viewer or historical data chart
• Sort a report.

If you need to use more than 600 credits, you can enable the pay-as-you-go credits option and configure additional credits at a price of $35 for 500 credits.

Based on Ahrefs' new rules, the cost of a website that uses an average of up to 3,000 credits per month is the following:

We can conclude that the company is almost doubling the subscription fee without providing unique new tools. They justify it by stating that it will allow them to free up additional resources to work on improving the current functionality, as well as developing new reports and tools that will become available to users on the most popular plans.

After examining Semrush prices and features, we settled on the Pro plan at $129.95 per month. It includes all the essential SEO tools and differs from the Guru plan only in the lack of Looker Studio integration, a content marketing toolkit, and historical data features.

The Guru plan comes with more advanced features, so it is a perfect fit for small to medium-sized businesses. If you're part of a larger enterprise or an agency, you can opt for the Business plan with extra functionalities and higher limits. In addition, Semrush provides a custom plan for those with unique demands.

When using Semrush, you can choose Business ($499.95/mo) and Custom (by request) plans.

After dealing with Ahrefs, I can confidently say that Semrush's pricing is exceptionally clear, relying on the number of projects and keywords tracked. This approach enables users to expand seamlessly as their business grows. They can select the plan that aligns best with their specific needs and budget.

These two tools stand out as top options in the industry, providing a plethora of features to assist businesses in enhancing their online presence and reaching their marketing objectives.

As for Ahrefs, it's a fantastic tool tailored for SEO experts and digital marketers. Its standout features, such as thorough backlink analysis, site audits, and tools for keeping tabs on the competition, really set it apart in the industry.

Plus, it was Ahrefs' overall pricing policy that made us switch to Semrush. Doubling the subscription fee without providing unique new tools is not the best approach to keeping loyal clients.

Talking about Semrush, it comes with a user-friendly and neat interface, catering to both newcomers and seasoned marketers.

The modular design is another advantage, as users can smoothly move around different tools, tweak their dashboards, and get hold of the data they need in a quick way.

Semrush is one of the best research tools for bulk URL analysis.

It's a solid choice for businesses with physical locations, offering powerful tools for boosting their local SEO game.

With Semrush, you can dig into local keyword research, keep an eye on your local rankings, and handle online citations with efficiency.