Freemium
SEO Tools

Ahrefs

Description

Make your business discoverable—in search, AI, and beyond
Ahrefs is famous for its unmatched backlink database. It also offers keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, and content gap analysis. It’s especially strong for link builders and SEOs who prioritize off-page strategies.

Key Applications

  • Comprehensive Backlink Analysis: Provides extensive exploration of any website's backlink profile, including new/lost links, anchor text, and referring domain quality, using one of the largest and freshest indexes.
  • Competitor SEO & Content Research: Uncovers competitors' top-performing organic content, paid keywords, and estimated traffic to identify strategic content gaps and opportunities.
  • Keyword Tracking & Rank Monitoring: Tracks keyword rankings for any domain or URL across numerous search engines and locations with high data accuracy.
  • Specific Workflow: An agency analyzes a new client's backlink profile to disavow toxic links, researches the top 3 competitors' ranking keywords to build a content plan, and sets up rank tracking to monitor progress.

Who It’s For

This platform is built for professional SEOs, digital marketing agencies, and in-house growth teams with the budget for a premium tool. It solves the problem of needing the most accurate, extensive, and up-to-date data for advanced technical audits, competitive intelligence, and complex link-building campaigns. The primary buyer persona is an SEO Director or Senior Digital Marketer who relies on deep, trustworthy data to drive strategy and justify investment.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Industry-leading backlink data Pricey with no free plan
User-friendly interface Limited PPC/social tools
Great competitor and keyword tools Daily credit limits can be restrictive
Pros Cons
Very beginner-friendly Limited backlink data compared to Ahrefs
Clean interface Less feature depth than Semrush
Helpful community and resources Can feel slower at scale

How It Compares

  • Versus SEMrush: Ahrefs wins on the depth and accuracy of its backlink index and a more intuitive interface for link-centric analysis, whereas SEMrush offers a broader all-in-one marketing suite including advertising and social media.
  • Versus Moz Pro: It differentiates with a significantly larger and fresher index, more robust rank tracking, and tools better suited for technical SEO, while Moz focuses on user-friendliness and link prospecting.
  • Versus Majestic: Its competitive advantage is a fresher index, a more modern and user-friendly interface, and a wider feature set that extends beyond backlinks to include robust keyword and content research tools.

Bullet Point Features

  • One of the world's largest backlink indexes
  • Site Explorer for deep domain analysis
  • Keywords Explorer with robust difficulty and volume metrics
  • Content Gap and Rank Tracker tools
  • Site Audit tool for technical SEO health checks

Disclosure

All product names, logos and brands are property of their respective owners. Use is for educational and informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement. Links are to third-party sites not affiliated with Barndoor AI. Please see our Terms & Conditions for additional information.

Reviews from Our Users

Ahrefs
8.07.2021
Ahrefs

"Overall, I like the core features, but the mobile UI still feels a bit clunky. Hope they fix this in future updates."

Ahrefs
Tom W.
Marketing Manager
trustplilot-img
06/10/2025
Ahrefs

"Their support team actually listens to feedback! I’ve seen new features added within weeks. That’s impressive.''

Ahrefs
Alex Carter
Freelancer
03/09/2025
Ahrefs

"Some advanced options take a bit of time to understand, but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredibly powerful."

Ahrefs
Ryan Blake
SaaS Consultant
Ahrefs
12/08/2025
Ahrefs

"I’ve tried several similar tools, but this one stands out for its clean interface and automation features. Totally worth the subscription."

Ahrefs
Sarah Mitchell
GrowthWave Agency