Ahrefs vs Semrush: the battle of two SEO suites
Now this is a real duel: two complete suites, similar pricing, two audiences that largely overlap. Almost every SEO pro has chosen one or the other, rarely both.
The difference lies less in the feature list, which are close, than in where each product came from. Ahrefs was born from a link crawler and remains the best on that terrain. Semrush was born from ad analysis and keeps an edge on everything touching paid competition.
Pricing checked on official websites in July 2026.
 Ahrefs |  Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ⭐ 4.6 / 5 | ⭐ 4.5 / 5 |
| Category | Marketing & SEO | Marketing & SEO |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| From | Starter from €27/month (competitor research only); Lite from €119/month; Standard €229/month; Advanced €419/month | SEO plan from $139/month ($117.33/month annual); Starter $199/month; Pro+ $299/month; Advanced $549/month |
| Ease of use | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| French interface | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
The detail, criterion by criterion
Real entry price
Lite at 119 €/month: 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 exploration credits.
SEO plan at $139/month, or $117.33/month annually: 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords.
Backlink index
The historical strength: the most complete and freshest index on the market, fed by an in-house crawler that continuously explores the web.
Correct index and well integrated, but still behind Ahrefs on freshness and depth.
Ad data
Limited. That's not Ahrefs' terrain.
The strength: keywords bought by competitors, ads running, estimated budgets, campaign history. Essential if you do paid search too.
Keyword research
Excellent, with a difficulty metric that's trusted and click estimates, not just volume, avoiding targets without real traffic.
Larger base, especially on European and French markets, with search intent shown. More data volume, slightly less finesse on difficulty.
Additional users
One user included regardless of plan. Credits are unlimited per user from the Standard plan up.
Additional users from $45/month each.
The next step
Standard at 229 €/month, Advanced at 419 €/month, Enterprise at 1,394 €/month with annual commitment.
Starter at $199/month, Pro+ at $299/month, Advanced at $549/month.
Choose Ahrefs if…
Your work revolves around content and links, you want the best backlink data and a keyword difficulty you can trust. Ahrefs is cleaner, faster to master, and its entry tier is slightly cheaper.
Choose Semrush if…
You steer SEO and ads together, you work the French market, you produce reports for clients. Semrush covers wider ground and its competitor ad data has no equivalent in Ahrefs.
Our verdict
No bad choice here, only a choice misaligned with your job.
Do paid search alongside SEO, or work French keywords: pick Semrush. Competitor ad data alone justifies the price gap.
Focused on content and link building: pick Ahrefs. The link index is still the best, and 119 € versus $139 on entry plays in its favour.
In both cases, pay monthly before committing to yearly. These two tools are used intensively the first three weeks then much less: verify your actual use before prepaying twelve months.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need both?
Only in an agency, when client billing absorbs the cost. For a business or freelancer, the functional overlap is too much to justify two subscriptions over 100 € per month.
Which is easiest to master?
Ahrefs, generally. Its interface exposes fewer modules, which cuts down distraction. Semrush covers so much ground that the first weeks can be confusing.
Can you test them free?
Semrush offers a limited free account and sometimes 7-day trials via partner deals. Ahrefs dropped its low-cost trial but offers Ahrefs Free plus free tools for sites you prove you own.
Which has the best French data?
Semrush, on French keyword search: its database is richer on European markets. On backlinks, language doesn't matter and Ahrefs keeps the edge.
We look at what you actually need and tell you which one to set up (or a third that fits better).
Ask us →