The short answer
- If you only watch your own site, Ahrefs Free gives Ahrefs data on your own verified site, and Google Search Console adds queries and positions for free: a modeled first-year saving of $336 against Starter. the math
- Against the $29/mo Starter plan, self-hosting OpenSEO is modeled to cost $49 more in year one once your upkeep time counts, even though its data is billed per request. the math
- The bigger saving is often a tier: extra users cost $40 to $80 a month each on top of the plan, so check who actually logs in. ahrefs.com
- Keep Ahrefs if backlink research on other sites is the job: the free options cover your own site only. ahrefs.com
Who should switch, and who shouldn't
Switch if
- You check backlinks and site health for your own site only: Ahrefs Free covers your verified site at no cost. ahrefs.com
- You want queries, clicks and average position for your own site with CSV export: Search Console is free. support.google.com
- You're comfortable running Docker or Cloudflare and want backlinks, keywords, rank tracking and audits in one MIT-licensed UI with an MCP server for your agent. github.com
Stay if
- You research competitors' backlinks and keywords every week: that needs a paid index, whether Ahrefs', Moz's or DataForSEO's. recipe
- You need years of history: Standard keeps 2 years and Advanced 5, and history doesn't move to a new tool. ahrefs.com
- You're on Starter and use it: at its price, most alternatives cost more once setup time counts. the math
What Ahrefs costs today
List prices from the vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Starter | $29/mo | not shown | See what people search and spy on competitors (entry plan) |
| Ahrefs Lite | $129/mo | $107.50/mo | 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 crawl credits, 6 months history; 1 user + up to 2 more at $40/mo |
| Ahrefs Standard | $249/mo | $207.50/mo | 20 projects, 2,000 tracked keywords, 2 years history; 1 user + up to 5 more at $60/mo |
| Ahrefs Advanced | $449/mo | $374.17/mo | 50 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, 5 years history; 1 user + up to 10 more at $80/mo |
| Ahrefs Enterprise | $1,499/mo | $1,499/mo | Annual commitment required; 100 projects, from 10,000 tracked keywords; from 3 users, extra users $100/mo |
- Lite, Standard and Advanced include 1 user; extra users are an add-on priced per plan (see the table below). ahrefs.com
The alternatives, ranked
3 ways out, ranked by modeled saving in the first year after setup and upkeep (3 priced). Modeled, not measured: each figure links the math on the recipe page.
- The recipe models 1 user against Ahrefs Starter at $29/mo, the cheapest paid plan. On Lite or above the same paths save more. recipe
- No monthly fee
- Backlinks, keywords, rank tracking and audits in one UI
- MCP server for agents
- Backlink index is DataForSEO's, not Ahrefs'
- You fund a DataForSEO key ($50 minimum) github.com
What Ahrefs costs at 1, 5 and 20 users
Ahrefs prices plans per account with a set number of extra users. Moz Standard is 1 user. Search Console and OpenSEO have no per-user price.
| Option | List price | 1 user | 5 users | 20 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Lite today | $129/mobilled monthly | $129 | up to 3 users | up to 3 users |
| Ahrefs Standard today | $249/mobilled monthly | $249 | $489 | up to 6 users |
| Ahrefs Advanced today | $449/mobilled monthly | $449 | $769 | up to 11 users |
| Moz Pro Standard | $99/mobilled monthly | $99 | up to 1 user | up to 1 user |
| Google Search Consoleyour own verified site only | $0free | $0free | $0free | $0free |
| OpenSEO (self-hosted)you fund data per request | $0 licenseMIT | $0+ your server | $0+ your server | $0+ your server |
- OpenSEO bills data at the provider's rate per request, with a funded DataForSEO key ($50 minimum deposit). dataforseo.com
How to leave Ahrefs
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave Ahrefs
Export first
- Reports and tables: The Export button at the top right of any report; in Keywords Explorer, the 3-dot menu (CSV, Google Sheets (Keywords Explorer)). Exported rows count against your plan's monthly export-row limit, so export before the last billing day. help.ahrefs.com
Cancel
- Export the reports you want to keep first (see export).
- Account settings → Billing, then follow the cancellation prompts.
- Remove your card once you're on the free tier: cards can't be deleted while a subscription is active.
- Takes effect
- At the end of the billing cycle (the day before the next billing date). The account then changes to the free tier.
- Refunds
- Ahrefs' terms say it has no obligation to refund unless the law requires it. You can ask by email for a refund for non-use; Ahrefs decides.
- After you cancel
- No further charges unless you resubscribe.
Not covered by the paths above, per the recipe: Competitor analysis, Content explorer, AI brand visibility, API access. If you rely on one of these, keep the incumbent or check the path closely.
Open-source and forkable options
- OpenSEO (self-hosted): Ahrefs Lite users who mainly check backlinks and keywords for 1-2 sites. License: MIT · source code
Open source means no license fee, not free to run: the server, backups and upgrades are yours. Read the license before you fork or resell; several of these are open-core or source-available.
Replace with AI, or hand it to an agent skill
SEO research suite. We don't write a build spec for this one. Building this means crawling the web for backlinks or scraping search results, which search engines' terms and robots.txt prohibit (Google: Disallow: /search). Use a path that buys the data from a licensed API instead.
FAQ
Is there a free Ahrefs alternative?
For your own site, yes: Ahrefs Free gives Ahrefs data on your verified site, and Google Search Console gives queries, clicks and average position with CSV export. Neither shows competitors. ahrefs.com
Is OpenSEO really free?
The code is MIT-licensed and free to run, but the data isn't: you fund a DataForSEO key ($50 minimum deposit) and pay per request. github.com
How much do extra Ahrefs users cost?
Lite adds up to 2 users at $40 a month each, Standard up to 5 at $60, Advanced up to 10 at $80. ahrefs.com
Can I get a refund after cancelling Ahrefs?
Not by right: the terms say Ahrefs has no obligation to refund unless the law requires it. You can ask by email for non-use, and cancelling takes effect at the end of the subscription period. ahrefs.com
Keep reading
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find_alternatives({"vendor": "Ahrefs", "monthly_spend_usd": 129,
"features_used": ["Backlink analysis", "Site audit"]})