Ahrefs vs Serpstat
Updated onCompare Ahrefs and Serpstat side-by-side. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and target market.
Ahrefs
Comprehensive SEO platform known for its large backlink index, site explorer, rank tracker and related tools.
Starts at $29 / month
vs
Serpstat
All‑in‑one SEO and PPC analytics platform offering keyword research, rank tracking, site audit and backlink analysis for agencies and teams.
Starts at $50 / per month / monthly
Which should you choose?
Ahrefs
you need the deepest SEO and backlink data, advanced content and brand‑visibility tools (such as Site Explorer, Content Explorer, Brand Radar, and Web Analytics), and can justify higher pricing for agency or enterprise-grade search marketing work.
Serpstat
you want an affordable all-in-one SEO and PPC suite with solid keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, and built-in APIs and reporting geared toward freelancers, SMBs, and cost-conscious agencies.
Typical cost comparison
Scenario: 1 SEO specialist at a small marketing agency in the U.S., needing full-featured SEO tooling with competitor research, rank tracking, and site audits, billed month-to-month.
Ahrefs
$249 per month
Serpstat
$100 per month
Serpstat saves you $149 per month in this scenario.
Key differences
| Category | Ahrefs | Serpstat | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use & Learning Curve | Both tools score around 4.4–4.5/5 for ease of use, with users praising Ahrefs’ polished interface but criticizing its credit system, and praising Serpstat’s clarity yet noting a somewhat dated UI and occasional friction. | ||
| API & Automation | Serpstat’s Team and higher plans bundle substantial Search Analytics, Backlinks, Rank Tracking, and Site Audit APIs, whereas comparable Ahrefs API access is reserved for its $1,499/month Enterprise tier, so programmatic workflows are far cheaper with Serpstat. | ||
| Feature Depth & Data Quality | Ahrefs operates one of the largest backlink and keyword indexes in the industry and layers on advanced tools like Site Explorer, Content Explorer, Brand Radar, and detailed technical audits, giving it an edge for deep competitive and link analysis. | ||
| PPC & Paid Search | Serpstat includes dedicated PPC research and ads-analytics modules (CPC, competition, and competitor ads/landing pages), while Ahrefs is primarily an organic SEO platform with more limited paid-search coverage. | ||
| Pricing | At professional tiers, Serpstat’s Individual/Team plans (roughly $50–$100/month) are notably cheaper than Ahrefs’ core Lite/Standard plans ($129–$249/month), making Serpstat more budget-friendly for similar day-to-day SEO use. |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Ahrefs | Serpstat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI content creation & optimization tools | Ahrefs provides AI Content Helper and AI Content Grader as part of its Content Kit, while Serpstat’s higher plans include AI tools for text analysis, clustering, and content generation. | ||
| Backlink index size & freshness | Ahrefs maintains tens of trillions of external backlinks and is often cited as having the largest SEO link index, while Serpstat tracks hundreds of billions of links—large but generally smaller in scope. | ||
| Brand monitoring in LLMs / AI search | Ahrefs Brand Radar tracks brand mentions in AI chatbots and AI search, and Serpstat’s LLM Brand Monitor shows how models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini talk about your brand over time. | ||
| Browser SEO toolbar / extension | Both have browser extensions—Ahrefs SEO Toolbar and Serpstat Website SEO Checker—that surface key SEO metrics directly in the browser. | ||
| Free tier / free trial | Ahrefs offers a free Webmaster Tools tier plus a low-cost Starter plan, whereas Serpstat provides a freemium account and a 7-day free trial for paid plans. | ||
| Keyword research (SEO) | Both provide robust keyword databases and difficulty metrics, with Ahrefs reporting over 110B keywords and Serpstat indexing billions across 230 Google regions. | ||
| Rank tracking (desktop & mobile, multi-region) | Each tool offers scheduled rank tracking across many countries with competitor comparison and historical trends for monitored keywords. | ||
| Site audit / technical SEO | Ahrefs’ Site Audit checks 170+ technical and on-page issues with health-score tracking, while Serpstat’s Website SEO Audit highlights prioritized issues and supports recurring scheduled crawls. | ||
| API access on mid-tier plans | Ahrefs reserves full API access for Enterprise customers, but Serpstat includes sizeable API quotas starting with the Team plan, enabling lower-cost automation and integration. | ||
| PPC & ads analytics | Ahrefs exposes some paid keywords via Site Explorer but focuses on organic SEO, whereas Serpstat offers dedicated PPC tools with CPC metrics, competition levels, and competitor ad/landing-page analysis. | ||
| Reporting & white-label capabilities | Ahrefs provides dashboards and a Report Builder but limited white-labeling, while Serpstat’s Agency plan adds branded and white-label reports aimed at agencies. | ||
| Local SEO & Google Business Profile management | Ahrefs includes GBP Monitor for managing Google Business Profiles at scale, while Serpstat focuses on local rank tracking by region or city but lacks a dedicated GBP management module. |
Review Consensus
Ahrefs
"User reviews depict Ahrefs as a premium, data-rich SEO platform that delivers excellent insights and features but at a higher and sometimes complex price point."
Based on 620 reviews
- ● Strong all-in-one SEO toolkit covering keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits for professional users.
- ● Market-leading backlink index and competitive analysis capabilities that many agencies rely on.
- ● Data and reports are considered accurate and refreshed frequently, supporting serious SEO decision-making.
- ● Pricing is high compared with many alternatives, especially for freelancers and small teams.
- ● Usage-based credits and quotas can feel confusing or restrictive, with some users surprised by extra charges.
- ● Limited PPC coverage and API availability on non-enterprise plans relative to competitors.
Data as of 12/19/2025
Based on 580 reviews
- ● Highly comprehensive SEO platform that centralizes backlinks, keywords, and technical health metrics in one place.
- ● Interface is generally described as user-friendly and powerful once the workflow is learned.
- ● Reliable for tracking website performance and SEO improvements over time across many projects.
- ● Cost and extra credit charges are common complaints, particularly for heavy or lower-budget users.
- ● Some reviewers feel recent pricing and credit changes are less customer-friendly than before.
- ● New users can face a learning curve in understanding quotas and the breadth of available reports.
Data as of 12/6/2025
Serpstat
"Reviews generally describe Serpstat as a capable, cost-effective all-in-one SEO/PPC tool that trades some UI polish and absolute data depth for strong value and broad functionality."
Based on 463 reviews
- ● Well-rounded SEO suite covering keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and site audits in a single platform.
- ● Pricing is widely viewed as very good value for money relative to the breadth of tools and limits.
- ● Strong for competitor analysis and market intelligence, especially for SMBs and agencies watching budgets.
- ● Interface and UX feel dated or disjointed to some reviewers, even though functionality is strong.
- ● Plan and credit-structure changes have occasionally frustrated existing customers.
- ● Data and daily query limits can be restrictive for very large sites or heavy daily usage without higher tiers.
Data as of 12/19/2025
Based on 170 reviews
- ● Praised for scheduled site audits and actionable issue prioritization that make fixing SEO problems straightforward.
- ● Delivers strong competitor keyword and backlink analysis with clear, exportable reports.
- ● Frequently highlighted as excellent value and a cost-effective alternative to more expensive SEO suites.
- ● Some negative feedback about support responsiveness and subscription/plan changes over time.
- ● Daily query and credit limits can frustrate power users crawling or analyzing large sites.
- ● Several reviewers note that the UI could be more modern and better integrated across modules.
Data as of 8/23/2025
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