SE Ranking vs Ahrefs
Ranjeeth Kumar
Last updated on
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The short answer
SE Ranking and Ahrefs both cover the SEO core: rank tracking, backlink analysis, site audits, and keyword research. The honest split is depth versus value. Ahrefs holds a materially larger backlink and keyword index and a globally recognized client roster, historically the tool agencies reach for when data depth and crawl freshness matter most. SE Ranking covers close to the same feature set at a lower entry price, bundles a genuine no-card 14-day free trial, and includes more tracked keywords and seats per dollar at the entry tier. One is the deeper, pricier data engine; the other is the budget-friendlier all-in-one with fewer strings attached at signup.
If you want to test before you buy with a genuine 14-day, no-credit-card trial, need more tracked keywords and seats per dollar at the entry tier, and value built-in white-label reporting and a native Looker Studio connector, SE Ranking’s Core plan (~$103.20/mo annual) is the sharper pick.
If your core need is backlink and link-prospecting depth, you want the tool with the larger, more frequently cited data index, and you value a track record with globally recognized brands over a lower price floor, Ahrefs’ Lite plan ($108/mo annual) is the stronger starting point. Budget for Standard ($207 to $249/mo) once you need Content Explorer.
At a glance
| SE Ranking | Ahrefs | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded / Vendor | SE Ranking (seranking.com); 2012 per Crunchbase, company states 2013 (unresolved) | Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. (ahrefs.com); 2010 to 2011 per secondary sources |
| Category | All-in-one SEO suite with built-in AI/GEO visibility tracking | SEO toolset, backlink-first, historically the data-depth benchmark |
| Starting price | $103.20/mo (Core, annual); 14-day free trial, no card | ~$108/mo (Lite, annual); $29/mo Starter to test |
| Public rating | 4.8/5 G2 (~2,396 reviews, verify live); 4.7/5 Capterra (297) | 4.5/5 G2 (692 reviews, verify live); 4.7/5 Capterra (585) |
| Best for | Budget-conscious teams wanting an all-in-one tool with a real trial | Agencies prioritizing backlink data depth and brand-name proof points |
Vendor profile
SE Ranking
SE Ranking was founded in 2012 according to Crunchbase, though the company’s own About page states 2013 and separately claims to have been “trusted since 2013.” That discrepancy is unresolved here and reported as is. The company is privately held, with legal registration split across London, UK and Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and operational hubs in Kyiv, Wroclaw, and Warsaw; there is no single headquarters city. SE Ranking reports roughly 150 to 250 employees, founded by Valery Kurilov. The product covers rank tracking down to postcode-level granularity, on-page and site audits, backlink checking and monitoring, competitor research, keyword research, AI/GEO visibility (prompt) tracking, and a content/SEO writing assistant, all with white-label reporting from the entry tier. SE Ranking’s homepage claims it is “trusted by 40,000+ agencies,” an aggregate vendor claim rather than named case studies; publicly cited customer logos include Yamaha and WiseRIT.
- Vendor
- SE Ranking (seranking.com)
- Founded
- 2012 per Crunchbase; company states 2013 (unresolved)
- HQ
- Multi-jurisdictional: London, UK & Wilmington, DE (legal); Kyiv, Wroclaw, Warsaw (operational hubs)
- Platform
- Web app (SaaS); privately held
- Pricing model
- Tiered annual or monthly; add-ons (AI Search, Agency Pack)
- Starting price
- $103.20/mo (Core, billed annually); 14-day free trial, no card required
- Public rating
- 4.8/5 G2 (~2,396 reviews, verify live); 4.7/5 Capterra (297 reviews, confirmed live)
Ahrefs
Ahrefs was founded in 2010 to 2011 according to secondary press sources; the company’s own About page does not state a founding year, so treat the date as secondary-sourced. It is operated by Ahrefs Pte. Ltd., headquartered in Singapore, with 147 teammates across 27 locations, founded by Dmitry Gerasimenko. The product began as a backlink-first tool and is still the most commonly cited platform for backlink data depth, with a vendor-reported index of roughly 35 trillion external backlinks and 28.7 billion-plus keywords (treat absolute index numbers as vendor-published, not third-party audited). Paid tiers cover keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, and content research, plus Brand Radar for AI-visibility tracking as a separate paid add-on. Ahrefs’ homepage logo wall features globally recognized brands (eBay, IBM, LinkedIn, Shopify, HubSpot, Accenture, and others); these are companies whose marketers reportedly use Ahrefs, not vendor case-study subjects, and a “44% of Fortune 500” usage claim is vendor-stated and not independently verified. Named case-study clients on Ahrefs’ own reviews page skew smaller/agency scale: Suso Digital, Foundation Marketing, Jolly SEO, and Moving Traffic Media.
- Vendor
- Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. (ahrefs.com)
- Founded
- 2010 to 2011 (secondary press; not stated on Ahrefs’ own About page)
- HQ
- Singapore
- Platform
- Web app (SaaS)
- Pricing model
- Tiered annual or monthly; per-seat add-ons ($40 to $80/mo, verify live)
- Starting price
- ~$108/mo (Lite, annual); $29/mo Starter to test
- Public rating
- 4.5/5 G2 (692 reviews, verify live); 4.7/5 Capterra (585 reviews, confirmed live)
Pricing: what you'll actually pay
SE Ranking’s pricing was verified live on 2026-07-24 via seranking.com/subscription.html; Ahrefs’ pricing was verified live the same day via ahrefs.com/pricing. Extra-seat pricing and SE Ranking’s Agency Pack figure are sourced from aggregated third-party pages and flagged for a live re-check before purchase. Ahrefs’ Standard/Advanced annual figures below are estimated from its stated “up to 17% off” annual discount and should be confirmed live.
| SE Ranking | Ahrefs | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (annual) | $103.20/mo (Core) | ~$108/mo (Lite); $29/mo Starter (monthly only, to test) |
| Starting price (monthly) | $129/mo (Core) | $29/mo (Starter); $129/mo (Lite) |
| Typical operating range | $103.20 to $223.20/mo (Core to Growth, annual) | ~$207 to $373/mo (Standard to Advanced, annual estimate, verify live) |
| Full-capability tier | Growth, $223.20/mo annual, $279/mo monthly (Enterprise custom) | Advanced, ~$373/mo annual estimate, $449/mo monthly (Enterprise from $1,499/mo) |
| Keywords tracked at entry | 2,000 (Core) | 750 (Lite) |
| Seats included at entry | 1 (Core); 3 seats + guest links on Growth | 1; extra seats $40 to $80/mo per tier (verify live) |
| Free trial | 14-day, no credit card, all plans | None on paid plans (Starter $29/mo lowest-risk test) |
| Free plan | None found (14-day trial substitutes) | Ahrefs Free (limited, owned sites only) |
| Add-ons | AI Search add-on ~$71.20/mo annual; Agency Pack ~$59 to $69/mo (verify live) | Brand Radar (AI visibility) from ~$199/mo (verify live) |
| Pricing model | Tiered; credit-metered API/audit limits by plan | Tiered; credit-metered crawl system, frequently cited in reviews as a pain point at scale |
Capability comparison
Both platforms cover the SEO core: rank tracking, backlink analysis, site audits, keyword research, and competitor research. The real gaps are backlink index depth, how AI visibility is delivered and priced, seat and collaboration economics, and native reporting connectors. SE Ranking wins on entry-tier value, seats, and built-in reporting; Ahrefs wins on data depth and GSC retention.
| Service | SE Ranking | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Rank tracking | ✓ (SERP position by keyword/location, down to postcode) | ✓ (limits scale by tier: 750 to 5,000+ keywords) |
| Backlink analysis / index depth | Partial (Backlink Checker & Monitor; ~2.7 to 3T backlink index, vendor-published) | ✓ (historically the category benchmark; ~35T backlinks reported) |
| Keyword research | ✓ | ✓ (28.7B+ keywords reported) |
| Technical site audit | ✓ (Website/On-Page Audit; up to 2M pages/mo on Growth) | ✓ (Site Audit; credit-metered crawls) |
| Competitor research | ✓ | ✓ (Site Explorer) |
| Content research / writing assistant | ✓ (built-in SEO writing assistant from entry tier) | Partial (Content Explorer, Standard tier and above) |
| AI/GEO visibility tracking | ✓ (built in; AI Search add-on ~$71/mo for expanded prompts) | ✓ (Brand Radar; positioned as more mature/dedicated, add-on from ~$199/mo) |
| White-label reporting | ✓ (included from entry tier) | Partial (reporting exists; no dedicated white-label branding confirmed) |
| PPC / advertising research | ✕ | Partial (paid keyword/ad data inside Site Explorer; not a PPC suite) |
| Multi-seat / collaboration built in | ✓ (3 seats + guest links bundled into Growth, $223.20/mo) | Partial (extra seats $40 to $80/mo per tier, verify live) |
| Native BI / Looker Studio connector | ✓ (native Data Studio connector) | Partial (no equivalent native BI-dashboard connector confirmed) |
| Native GSC / GA integration | ✓ (GA4, GSC, Google Ads) | ✓ (GSC retention extends beyond Google’s own 16-month cap; GA native) |
| Native Slack integration | Partial (via Zapier, Make.com, n8n; not confirmed native) | ✕ (open feature request on Ahrefs’ own Canny board; third-party workarounds only) |
| API access | ✓ (25K to 100K API credits by tier, plus MCP) | ✓ (available on all paid plans) |
| Free trial | ✓ (14-day, no credit card, all plans) | ✕ (no free trial on paid plans; $29/mo Starter to test) |
Decision matrix - who fits which side
| Criterion | SE Ranking | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine no-card free trial matters | ✓ | ✕ |
| Backlink data depth and crawl freshness is the priority | ✕ | ✓ |
| Budget-conscious keyword tracking (more keywords per dollar) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Multi-seat collaboration built into base tiers | ✓ | ✕ |
| Global brand-name client roster as social proof | ✕ | ✓ |
| Native Looker Studio / BI reporting out of the box | ✓ | ~ |
| Deepest verified Capterra review pool | ✕ | ✓ |
| AI/GEO visibility already bundled at entry price | ✓ | ~ |
| Longest confirmed historical-data retention | ~ | ✓ |
| Postcode-level granular rank tracking | ✓ | ~ |
Check = clear edge. Tilde = capable but not the stronger pick. Cross = outside the model.
Strengths & tradeoffs
Both platforms cover the SEO core competently. The real differences are index depth, seat and add-on economics, native reporting, and how each vendor prices AI visibility, and each side wins rows the other does not.
| Axis | SE Ranking | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Backlink index depth | ~2.7 to 3 trillion backlinks reported (vendor-published, unverified) | ~35 trillion backlinks and 28.7B+ keywords reported (vendor-published) |
| Free trial | Genuine 14-day, no credit card required, on all plans | None on paid plans; lowest-risk test is the $29/mo Starter tier |
| Entry price | $103.20/mo annual (Core): 2,000 tracked keywords | ~$108/mo annual (Lite): 750 tracked keywords |
| Seats & collaboration | Growth tier bundles 3 seats plus guest links at $223.20/mo | Extra seats cost $40 to $80/mo on top of plan price (verify live) |
| Reporting / BI integration | Native Looker Studio / Data Studio connector | No equivalent native BI-dashboard connector confirmed |
| AI/GEO visibility | Bundled at entry tier; AI Search add-on ~$71/mo for expanded prompts | Brand Radar positioned as a more mature, dedicated AI-visibility product, from ~$199/mo (directional signal, not confirmed feature parity) |
| Brand recognition | Public references skew SMB/agency scale (Yamaha, WiseRIT); “40,000+ agencies” is an aggregate vendor claim | Homepage logo wall features globally recognized brands (eBay, IBM, LinkedIn, Shopify, HubSpot); “44% of Fortune 500” is a vendor-stated, unverified claim |
| Capterra review volume | 297 reviews at 4.7/5 (confirmed live) | 585 reviews at 4.7/5 (confirmed live), roughly double the sample |
| Historical data retention | Growth tier includes historical data (duration unspecified) | 6 months (Lite) up to 5 years (Advanced) |
| GSC integration depth | Native GSC connection (GA4, Google Ads too) | GSC integration extends retention beyond Google’s own 16-month native cap |
| Vendor structure / HQ clarity | Multi-jurisdictional legal registration (UK/Delaware); founding-year discrepancy (2012 vs 2013) | Singapore HQ clearly stated; founding year sourced from secondary press only |
Ratings & track record
| Metric | SE Ranking | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.8 / 5 (verify live) | 4.5 / 5 (verify live) |
| G2 reviews | ~2,396 (verify live) | 692 (verify live) |
| Capterra rating | 4.7 / 5 (297 reviews, confirmed live) | 4.7 / 5 (585 reviews, confirmed live) |
| TrustRadius | 9.4 / 10 (39 reviews, low-N, non-statistical) | 9.2 / 10 (via vendor’s own reviews page, verify live) |
| Founded | 2012 per Crunchbase / company states 2013 | 2010 to 2011 (secondary press sources) |
| Notable signal | Budget-friendly all-in-one with a genuine free trial and bundled AI/GEO tracking | Category benchmark for backlink data depth and brand-name client recognition |
Both tools show strong ratings, but the samples differ in size and reliability. SE Ranking’s G2 score edges higher (4.8 versus 4.5), though both G2 figures were sourced via search-result snippets because G2 blocks automated fetches, so confirm counts live before relying on them. The two tie at 4.7/5 on Capterra, but Ahrefs’ figure rests on nearly double the review volume (585 versus 297, both confirmed live 2026-07-24), giving it more statistical depth at that rating level. SE Ranking’s TrustRadius score (9.4/10) is based on just 39 reviews, a low-N sample flagged as non-statistical rather than a reliable signal. Backlink and keyword index sizes for both tools are vendor- or aggregator-sourced marketing figures, presented as directional rather than audited. The honest read is that both are capable platforms, and the choice tracks whether you need backlink depth and brand-name proof points or entry-tier value and a lower-risk trial, not which tool is “better.”
Both tools’ data is sourced from publicly available information as of July 2026. SE Ranking’s founding year is reported with a discrepancy (2012 per Crunchbase versus 2013 per the company’s own About page) and left unresolved. G2 ratings for both tools were sourced via search-result metadata because G2 pages return errors to automated fetches; confirm counts live. This comparison is independent; we take no affiliate or referral fees from either vendor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SE Ranking and Ahrefs?
Is SE Ranking cheaper than Ahrefs?
Which has more backlink data, SE Ranking or Ahrefs?
Does SE Ranking offer a free trial like Ahrefs?
Which tool is better for AI/GEO visibility tracking?
Which tool has better ratings, SE Ranking or Ahrefs?
Sources and references
- SE Ranking homepage (accessed July 2026)
- SE Ranking pricing (accessed July 2026)
- SE Ranking About Us (accessed July 2026)
- SE Ranking: Ahrefs alternative page (backlink index stats) (accessed July 2026)
- G2: SE Ranking reviews (accessed July 2026)
- Capterra: SE Ranking reviews (accessed July 2026)
- TrustRadius: SE Ranking reviews (accessed July 2026)
- Crunchbase: SE Ranking (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs homepage (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs pricing (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs About (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs reviews page (accessed July 2026)
- G2: Ahrefs reviews (accessed July 2026)
- Capterra: Ahrefs reviews (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs integrations board (Canny) (accessed July 2026)
- Ahrefs backlink/keyword index statistics (sqmagazine.co.uk) (accessed July 2026)
Want an outside opinion before you commit?
This comparison is independent — we don't take referral fees from either agency. If you'd like a second read from a B2B SaaS specialist on which fits your stage, PipeRocket is happy to give you an honest one. No obligation.
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