BuzzSumo vs Ahrefs
Updated onCompare BuzzSumo and Ahrefs side-by-side. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and target market.
BuzzSumo
Content- and influencer-research platform that also provides a media/journalist database and PR insights for comms teams.
Starts at $199 / month
Has a free trial
vs
Ahrefs
Comprehensive SEO platform known for its large backlink index, site explorer, rank tracker and related tools.
Starts at $29 / month
Which should you choose?
BuzzSumo
You want content discovery and monitoring plus PR workflows like a built‑in media/journalist database, coverage reports, and Slack alerts in one tool (BuzzSumo).
Ahrefs
You need deep SEO: backlink analysis, keyword research, site audits and rank tracking with a lower entry price (Ahrefs).
Typical cost comparison
Scenario: 1 user on each product’s lowest paid tier, annualized cost
BuzzSumo
$2388 per year
Ahrefs
$348 per year
Ahrefs saves you $2,040 per year in this scenario.
Key differences
| Category | BuzzSumo | Ahrefs | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trial/Free Access | BuzzSumo offers a 30‑day free trial, while Ahrefs provides a free Webmaster Tools tier and a $29 Starter plan. | ||
| Content & PR Intelligence | BuzzSumo bundles content research with Media Database & Outreach, coverage reports, and Slack integration geared to PR teams. | ||
| Pricing | Ahrefs offers a $29/mo Starter and a $129/mo Lite plan, while BuzzSumo starts at $199/mo (annual billing), so Ahrefs has the lower entry cost. | ||
| Security & Compliance | Ahrefs Enterprise adds SSO, access management, audit log and API access; BuzzSumo lists APIs but not SSO on its pricing page. | ||
| SEO & Backlink Data | Ahrefs centers on search marketing (Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker) and touts the world’s second‑most active crawler with 10+ years of web‑scale data. |
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Auto Competitor Discovery
New competitors detected automatically as they emerge. Never get blindsided.
Website Tracking
Pricing, features, messaging, and page changes monitored daily
News & Social Monitoring
News mentions, Reddit posts, and competitor announcements
SEO & Ads Intelligence
Keyword rankings, backlinks, and Google Ads creatives
AI Signal Detection
Filters out noise, surfaces only what matters
Email & Slack Alerts
Daily digests delivered where your team already works