Ahrefs Alternatives: 12 Budget-Friendly SEO Tools for 2024

If you’re immersed in the world of SEO, the name Ahrefs probably rings a bell. This powerful tool has become a go-to for countless SEO experts, boasting an extensive range of features from keyword research and backlink analysis to rank tracking and site auditing.

Yet, its premium pricing has led many to seek out more budget-friendly Ahrefs alternatives that offer comparable capabilities without the steep price tag. In this article, we will explore 12 of the best Ahrefs alternatives for 2024, each presenting unique features and pricing plans tailored to meet a variety of needs and budgets.

Whether you are a small business owner, an SEO agency, or a content marketer, you’ll find an alternative here that can assist you in optimizing your website and boosting your search engine rankings without breaking the bank.

The quest for affordable SEO tools

In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization, the need for effective and affordable SEO tools has become more pressing than ever. For many website owners, especially those running small businesses or operating on tight budgets, the cost of premium SEO tools like Ahrefs can be prohibitive.

However, the good news is that there are numerous budget-friendly alternatives available that can provide similar functionalities without the hefty price tag.

When searching for affordable SEO tools, it’s important to consider several key factors. First, you need to identify the specific SEO tasks you want to perform. Are you looking for tools that excel in keyword research, backlink analysis, or rank tracking? Different tools specialize in different areas, so understanding your needs will help you choose the right tool for your strategy.

Another important aspect is the user interface and ease of use. For beginners in SEO, a user-friendly interface can be a significant advantage. Tools like Mangools and Ubersuggest are known for their simplicity and ease of navigation, making them ideal for those new to SEO.

Pricing plans are also a critical consideration. Many affordable SEO tools offer flexible pricing models, including monthly and annual subscriptions, as well as free versions or trials. For instance, SEO PowerSuite offers a free version with basic features, while its professional and enterprise plans provide more advanced functionalities.

In addition to the cost, the comprehensiveness of the tool is vital. All-in-one SEO suites like Semrush and Moz offer a wide range of features, from domain analysis to social media management. However, these tools can be more expensive. On the other hand, specialized tools like Majestic, which focuses on backlink analysis, can be more affordable and still highly effective for specific needs.

Finally, the support and community around the tool should not be overlooked. Tools with active communities and robust customer support can be invaluable, especially for those who are new to SEO or need ongoing assistance.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can find an affordable SEO tool that meets your needs, enhances your website’s performance, and fits within your budget.

SEMrush: The All-in-One Suite

Overview

SEMrush stands as a leading SEO tool, widely recognized for its comprehensive capabilities. This all-encompassing suite serves a diverse range of digital marketing needs, from SEO and PPC to social media management and content marketing. With its robust analytics and extensive feature set, SEMrush has earned the trust of professionals and agencies aiming to boost their online presence and achieve tangible business outcomes.

Key Features

SEMrush is packed with features that are essential for any effective SEO strategy.

Here are some of its standout functionalities:

Competitive Research: SEMrush’s competitor research tools provide in-depth analysis of a domain’s organic and paid search performance. The Domain Overview offers a comprehensive snapshot of a domain’s online visibility and evolution. Traffic Analytics reveals where competitors are gaining their traffic from, highlighting both paid and organic sources.

Keyword Research: Boasting the market’s largest keyword research database, the Keyword Magic Tool by SEMrush allows for the exploration of billions of keywords and their combinations. It offers filters for search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive density to support informed decision-making.

Backlink Analysis: The Backlink Gap tool enables you to compare your backlink profile with competitors’ and uncover new backlink opportunities. It’s vital for understanding who links to you and the quality of these links, which is integral to your SEO efforts.

Site Audit: Acting as your personal SEO consultant, the Site Audit feature scrutinizes your website for issues like broken links, meta tags, and loading speed, offering actionable advice for enhancing your site’s performance and health.

Position Tracking: This tool provides daily updates on keyword rankings across various search engines and locations, offering valuable insights into your keyword performance. It also enables tracking across different devices and regions.

Pricing and Plans

SEMrush offers a range of pricing plans to suit various needs and budgets. Here’s a quick look at their offerings:

Pro Plan: Perfect for small businesses and solo practitioners, this plan includes keyword research, competitor analysis, and site audits. It supports 5 projects, tracks up to 500 keywords, and offers technical optimization insights for up to 100,000 pages. The Pro plan is priced at $119.95 per month.

Guru Plan: A step above the Pro, the Guru plan includes all Pro features plus extras like content marketing tools, historical data, and tracking for up to 1,500 keywords. It supports 15 projects and technical optimization for up to 300,000 pages, costing $229.95 per month.

Business Plan: Designed for larger businesses and agencies, this plan features API access, higher project and keyword tracking limits, and more detailed technical audits. The Business plan is available for $449.95 per month.

SEMrush also offers a free trial for the Pro and Guru plans, giving you the opportunity to explore its features before making a commitment.

Ubersuggest: User-Friendly for Beginners

Overview

Ubersuggest, developed by Neil Patel, stands out as a highly accessible and user-friendly SEO tool, especially advantageous for beginners navigating the SEO landscape. This tool simplifies keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, and more, positioning itself as an outstanding alternative to more complex and pricey SEO tools like Ahrefs. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive features enable new users to effortlessly navigate and implement effective SEO strategies without the need for extensive prior knowledge.

Key Features

Ubersuggest boasts a suite of features that render it a potent tool for both SEO novices and professionals.

Highlighted functionalities include:

Keyword Research: A standout feature of Ubersuggest is its keyword research tool, offering users hundreds of keyword suggestions, encompassing head terms, long-tail phrases, and queries such as questions and comparisons. It displays critical metrics like search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and average CPC for each keyword, aiding in the identification of high-potential keywords and the formulation of a solid keyword strategy.

Competitor Analysis: This tool enables you to decode your competitors’ SEO strategies by offering insights into their top-performing pages, organic keywords, and backlink profiles. The Domain Overview feature presents a comprehensive view of a competitor’s domain, including traffic estimates, keyword data, and backlink information.

Site Audit: The Site Audit feature of Ubersuggest conducts an in-depth SEO audit of your website, pinpointing issues like broken links, meta tags, and loading speed. It provides an On-page SEO score for each page along with recommendations for enhancements, making it invaluable for identifying and rectifying SEO errors to boost your website’s performance.

Backlink Data: With the Backlink Overview and Backlink Opportunities tools, you can analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles and uncover potential backlink opportunities. You’ll see the exact content that others are linking to, allowing you to approach those sites for backlinks and thus improve your own link profile.

Rank Tracking: Ubersuggest enables daily tracking of your keyword rankings on both desktop and mobile devices. Monitor your rankings across various geographic locations and receive updates on your rankings’ progression over time. This feature is integrated with Google Search Console, ensuring accurate and comprehensive data.

Pricing and Plans

Ubersuggest’s pricing model is uniquely affordable. Key details include:

Free Version: Ubersuggest offers a free version with limited features, adequate for basic SEO tasks. This version encompasses keyword research, competitor analysis, and site audits, serving as an excellent entry point for beginners.

Lifetime Plan: For those requiring more advanced features, Ubersuggest proposes a lifetime plan that is considerably more economical than many other SEO tools. This plan grants full access to all features, including unlimited keyword research, detailed competitor analysis, and extensive site audits. The lifetime plan, requiring just a one-time payment, presents a cost-effective solution for long-term usage.

In sum, the blend of a user-friendly interface, extensive features, and affordable pricing establishes Ubersuggest as a prime choice for anyone seeking an alternative to Ahrefs.

Moz Pro: The Established Contender

Overview

Moz Pro, founded in 2004, stands as a well-established and reputable name in the SEO tools industry. This comprehensive suite of SEO tools is crafted to assist website owners and SEO professionals in amplifying their online presence through a diverse array of features. Over the years, Moz Pro has expanded to encompass a broad range of functionalities that address various SEO aspects, positioning it as a formidable alternative to Ahrefs.

Thanks to its extensive resources, user-friendly interface, and robust analytics, Moz Pro enjoys popularity among both novices and experienced professionals.

Key Features

Moz Pro is equipped with several key features that render it an essential component of any SEO strategy. Here are some of its most significant functionalities:

Keyword Explorer: The Keyword Explorer by Moz is a potent tool for keyword research, offering over 500 million keyword suggestions. It provides detailed metrics such as search volume, organic click-through rate (CTR), and ranking difficulty, along with a “Priority Score” to pinpoint the most promising keywords for your strategy.

Link Explorer: As the successor to the old Open Site Explorer, Link Explorer grants access to an expansive index of 35.5 trillion links. This feature enables you to scrutinize your site’s link profile, unearth potential backlink opportunities, and evaluate the quality and robustness of your existing backlinks. It also aids in identifying and disavowing harmful links.

Site Crawl and Audits: Moz Pro’s Site Crawl conducts a comprehensive SEO audit of your website, spotting issues like broken links, duplicate content, and slow-loading pages. Issues are categorized into “Critical” and “Warnings,” simplifying the process of prioritization and rectification.

Rank Tracker: The Rank Tracker tool keeps tabs on your keyword rankings across various search engines and locations, offering insights into your search visibility, tracking ranking fluctuations over time, and providing detailed reports on keyword performance.

Audience Analysis and Competitor Tracking: Moz Pro facilitates an understanding of your website’s traffic and audience. It also features competitor tracking capabilities, allowing you to monitor competitors’ search rankings, domain authority, and other SEO metrics, helping you maintain a competitive edge.

Pricing and Plans

Moz Pro presents several pricing plans to suit diverse needs and budgets. Here’s a brief overview of their plans:

Standard Plan: Starting at $99 per month, the Standard plan is ideal for small businesses and individuals, encompassing features like keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and backlink analysis, with limits on the number of projects and keywords you can monitor.

Medium Plan: At $179 per month, the Medium plan expands the limits on projects, keywords, and other features, catering to the needs of growing businesses.

Large Plan: Priced at $299 per month, the Large plan provides an extensive array of features and higher limits, tailored for larger businesses and SEO agencies.

Premium Plan: The Premium plan, costing $599 per month, is the most comprehensive option, offering advanced features, increased limits, and additional support, designed for large-scale SEO endeavors.

Moz Pro also offers a free trial and a selection of free SEO tools, including Domain Analysis, Keyword Explorer, and Link Explorer, which serve as a starting point for basic SEO tasks.

SERPStat: Versatile yet Affordable

Overview

SERPStat is an all-in-one SEO tool that has evolved significantly since its inception as a simple keyword research tool in 2013. Over the years, it has expanded its capabilities to include a wide range of features that cater to various aspects of SEO, PPC, and content marketing.

SERPStat is designed to help users optimize their online presence by providing detailed insights into keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, and rank tracking. Its versatility and affordability make it a compelling alternative to more expensive SEO tools like Ahrefs.

Key Features

SERPStat offers a robust set of features that make it a valuable tool for any SEO strategy.

Here are some of its key functionalities:

Keyword Research: SERPStat’s keyword research tool is highly detailed and accesses a vast database of over 6 billion keywords and 4.54 billion search suggestions. It provides metrics such as monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost per click (CPC), allowing you to identify and target the most promising keywords for your content. The tool also includes a Keyword Niche Finder, which helps you discover related keywords and understand your audience’s search behavior.

Website Analysis: SERPStat’s website analysis feature includes both domain and URL analysis.

You can get a comprehensive overview of your website’s estimated search traffic, organic keywords, paid keywords, and search visibility. This tool also allows you to compare your domain with competitors, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Site Audit: The site audit feature conducts thorough technical and on-page SEO audits, quickly identifying errors that could be affecting your website’s performance. The issues are categorized into priority groups, and the tool provides a Serpstat Domain Optimization (SDO) score out of 100 to gauge your website’s overall technical health.

You can also schedule automatic audits and send white-labeled reports to clients.

Backlink Analysis: SERPStat’s backlink analysis tool provides insights into a domain’s backlink profile, including the number of nofollow and dofollow backlinks, referring domains, and external links. This feature helps you understand your link profile and identify potential backlink opportunities.

Rank Tracking: The rank tracking feature updates keyword rankings daily and allows you to monitor your competitors’ keyword rankings and SERP changes. You can set up automatic updates and schedule white-labeled ranking reports to be sent to clients, keeping them informed about the campaign’s progress.

Competitor Analysis: SERPStat enables you to analyze your competitors’ ranking keywords, traffic sources, and top-ranking pages.

You can compare your website with up to five competitors at once, highlighting areas where you need to improve and providing insights into why your competitors are outranking you.

Pricing and Plans

SERPStat offers several pricing plans that are designed to be affordable and flexible, making it accessible to a wide range of users. Here’s an overview of their plans:

Individual Plan: Priced at $50 per month (or $59 if billed monthly), this plan is ideal for individuals and freelancers. It includes 100 daily searches, 2,000 results per report for website and backlink analysis, and 50,000 export rows per month.

This plan allows you to manage up to 5 projects.

Team Plan: This plan, priced at $100 per month (or $119 if billed monthly), is suitable for small in-house teams. It includes AI tools, batch analysis, branded reports, team management, and more.

The Team Plan offers 500 daily searches, 10,000 results per report for website and backlink analysis, and 250,000 export rows per month.

Agency Plan: Designed for big marketing agencies and large in-house teams, this plan costs $410 per month (or $479 if billed monthly). It includes extensive features such as more projects, credits, team members, and white-label features.

The Agency Plan offers up to 5,000 daily searches, 100,000 results per report for website analysis, 10,000 results for backlink analysis, and 2.5 million export rows per month.

SERPStat also offers annual subscriptions with significant discounts, which can save you up to $828 per year depending on the plan. Additionally, there is a free plan available for limited daily searches, allowing you to test the tool before committing to a paid subscription.

Mangools: Easy-to-Use SEO Tools

Overview

Mangools is an SEO platform that has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of tools, making it an excellent alternative to more complex and expensive SEO solutions like Ahrefs.

Originally launched as KWFinder in 2014, Mangools has expanded its offerings to include a suite of five primary SEO tools. This platform is particularly well-suited for small businesses, beginners, and professionals on a budget, as it provides essential SEO functionalities without the steep learning curve associated with more advanced tools.

Key Features

Mangools is comprised of five core tools, each designed to address different aspects of SEO. Here are the key features of each tool:

KWFinder: This is the flagship tool of Mangools, focused on keyword research. KWFinder helps you find high-volume, low-competition keywords by providing metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and PPC competition.

It also generates lateral keywords, which are more diverse and useful than simple variations of the seed keyword. You can analyze competitors by entering their domain names and applying filters based on ranking positions.

SERPChecker: This tool provides a detailed analysis of the search engine results page (SERP) for any given keyword.

It includes metrics like keyword difficulty, page authority (PA), Majestic SEO Trust Flow, and Alexa ranking. SERPChecker also offers a “SERP Features Impact” feature, which assesses how crowded the first page of Google is with features like ads, video results, and other SERP elements that could affect organic click-through rates.

SERPWatcher: This rank tracking tool monitors your keyword rankings and provides updates on how your rankings are changing over time.

You can add keywords from a spreadsheet and track metrics such as current rank, rank change, average position, best position, total search volume, and estimated visits. This tool is particularly useful for tracking the impact of your SEO efforts on your website’s ranking.

LinkMiner: LinkMiner is designed for backlink analysis, allowing you to view and analyze the backlinks pointing to your website or your competitors’. It provides metrics like Link Power, which shows the importance of the backlink to the page’s SEO.

The tool also includes a “Website Preview” feature that highlights where the backlink is located on the linking page, helping you understand the context and usefulness of the link.

SiteProfiler: This tool offers a comprehensive analysis of a website’s SEO metrics, including Domain Authority, Trust Flow, and other key indicators. It helps you evaluate the overall health and performance of your website or that of your competitors, providing insights into areas that need improvement.

Pricing and Plans

Mangools offers several pricing plans that are designed to be affordable and flexible, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Here’s an overview of their plans:

Mangools Basic Plan: Priced at $29.90 per month (or $299.90 per year), this plan includes 100 keyword lookups per 24 hours, 200 SERP lookups per 24 hours, 20 backlink lookups per 24 hours, and 20 site lookups per 24 hours. It is suitable for small projects and beginners.

Mangools Premium Plan: This plan costs $49.90 per month (or $499.90 per year) and increases the limits to 500 keyword lookups, 500 SERP lookups, 100 backlink lookups, and 100 site lookups per 24 hours. It is ideal for growing businesses and more extensive SEO projects.

Mangools Agency Plan: Priced at $79.90 per month (or $799.90 per year), this plan offers even higher limits, including 1,200 keyword lookups, 1,200 SERP lookups, 300 backlink lookups, and 300 site lookups per 24 hours.

It is designed for larger businesses and SEO agencies.

Mangools also provides a 10-day free trial with no credit card required, allowing you to test the features before committing to a subscription.

SEO PowerSuite: Desktop-Based Power

Overview

SEO PowerSuite is a comprehensive and versatile SEO toolset that stands out for its desktop-based application, offering a unique alternative to cloud-based solutions. Launched in 2004, it has evolved to include four primary tools: Rank Tracker, Website Auditor, SEO SpyGlass, and LinkAssistant. This suite is designed to cater to all major aspects of SEO, from keyword research and site auditing to backlink analysis and link building, making it an indispensable asset for SEO professionals and website owners alike.

Key Features

SEO PowerSuite is packed with a range of features that make it a powerful tool for SEO management.

Here are some of its key functionalities:

Rank Tracker: This tool allows you to monitor your website’s rankings across multiple search engines, including Google, Bing, and others. It offers daily, weekly, or custom frequency tracking, competitor tracking, and localized rankings. With access to over 20 keyword suggestion tools, you can discover profitable keywords and track your rankings globally or locally.

Website Auditor: The Website Auditor performs a deep analysis of your website, identifying technical and on-page SEO issues that could harm your rankings.

It crawls your website, detects over 40 different types of issues, and provides suggestions for optimizing your website based on over 50 on-page SEO factors. This includes evaluating social media sharing buttons and improving internal linking and URL structure.

SEO SpyGlass: This backlink analysis tool assesses the quality of your website’s backlink profile and compares it to your competitors’.

It helps you identify potentially harmful backlinks and generates new backlink opportunities from various sources, including Google Analytics and Google Search Console. You can also use it to spy on your competitors’ link building strategies.

LinkAssistant: The LinkAssistant tool is designed for link building and outreach.

It helps you find link prospects, manage your link building campaigns, and reach out to potential link partners via email. This tool streamlines the process of acquiring high-quality backlinks to enhance your website’s link profile.

Automation and Customization: SEO PowerSuite allows you to automate many of your SEO tasks, such as rank tracking, site audits, and backlink analysis. You can schedule these tasks to run automatically at specified times, saving you significant time and effort.

The tool also offers a high degree of flexibility and customization, allowing you to focus on the search engines and locations that matter most to your business.

Pricing and Plans

SEO PowerSuite offers several pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. Here’s an overview of their plans:

Free Plan: The free plan is suitable for individual site owners and beginners. It provides access to all four main tools—Rank Tracker, Website Auditor, SEO SpyGlass, and LinkAssistant—with limited features.

You can track an unlimited number of keywords, audit up to 500 URLs, and analyze up to 1,100 backlinks. This plan also includes link prospecting and outreach for up to 1,000 prospects.

Professional Plan: Priced at $299 per year, the Professional plan is ideal for in-house SEO professionals and small to medium-sized businesses. It includes all the features of the free plan plus the ability to save projects, schedule SEO tasks, and use a dedicated query processing system for captcha-free checks.

Enterprise Plan: The Enterprise plan, costing $499 per year, is designed for SEO agencies and freelancers managing multiple clients.

It includes all the features of the Professional plan, along with additional capabilities such as saving reports in various formats, scheduling reports, and data export in different formats.

SEO PowerSuite’s pricing structure makes it a cost-effective alternative to many cloud-based SEO tools, offering robust capabilities at a fraction of the cost.

Majestic: Backlink Analysis Specialist

Overview

Majestic, often referred to as Majestic SEO, is a specialized tool that excels in backlink analysis, making it a go-to choice for those focusing heavily on link building and SEO. With the largest link database in the world, Majestic provides unparalleled insights into a website’s backlink profile, helping users understand the quality, quantity, and relevance of their backlinks. This tool is particularly useful for SEO professionals and website owners who need detailed link analysis to enhance their search engine rankings and online visibility.

Key Features

Majestic SEO is renowned for its robust set of features designed to analyze and optimize backlink profiles.

Here are some of its key functionalities:

Site Explorer: This is the core feature of Majestic SEO, offering a comprehensive overview of a website’s link profile. It provides critical metrics such as Trust Flow, Citation Flow, Topical Trust Flow, external backlinks, referring domains, and indexed URLs. This allows users to quickly assess the strengths and weaknesses of a site’s link profile.

Topics Report: Unlike other tools, Majestic determines a website’s topic based on its backlink sources rather than its content.

This unique approach provides valuable insights into how search engines might perceive a site’s authority and relevance in specific niches.

Referring Domains and Backlinks Reports: These reports offer detailed information about the domains linking to your site and the specific backlinks themselves. Majestic provides extensive sorting and filtering options, enabling in-depth analysis of your backlink profile.

You can sort results by Trust Flow, Citation Flow, and other metrics to identify high-quality and relevant backlinks.

Context Report: This feature provides a deep dive into each individual link in a site’s profile, including unique visualizations like Link Density charts. These charts show where links appear on a page, offering insights into the context and quality of the backlinks.

Bulk Backlink Checker: This tool allows you to analyze backlink data for multiple URLs at once, either by pasting URLs or uploading a file. This is particularly useful for comparing the backlink profiles of multiple sites or analyzing large datasets.

Chrome Extension and Integrations: Majestic offers a handy Chrome extension that provides instant access to key SEO data and link information directly from your browser.

Additionally, you can integrate Majestic Link Data into Google Sheets for enhanced analysis and collaboration.

Pricing and Plans

Majestic SEO offers several pricing plans to cater to different user needs and budgets. Here’s an overview of their plans:

Lite Plan: Priced at $49.99 per month, the Lite plan is ideal for small businesses and individuals. It includes 1 million analysis units per month, access to the Site Explorer, Referring Domains, and Backlinks reports, as well as limited access to other features like the Topics Report and Bulk Backlink Checker.

Pro Plan: The Pro plan costs $99.99 per month and is suitable for more advanced users. It increases the analysis units to 5 million per month and provides full access to all features, including the Context Report, Link Density charts, and advanced reporting capabilities.

Business Plan: Priced at $249.99 per month, the Business plan is designed for larger businesses and SEO agencies.

It includes 20 million analysis units per month, API access, and additional features like the ability to verify ownership of websites and import pre-verified sites from Google Search Console.

API Plan: For those who need extensive API access, Majestic offers a custom API plan that can be tailored to specific needs. This plan is particularly useful for large-scale SEO operations and integrations with other tools.

Majestic also offers a free account with limited access to its features, allowing users to get a taste of what the tool can do before committing to a paid subscription.

SEOpital: Competitive Intelligence Expert

Overview

SEOpital stands as a formidable digital marketing platform, renowned for its excellence in delivering competitive intelligence and advanced SEO tools. Its design caters to a broad spectrum of SEO needs, encompassing keyword analysis, backlink tracking, on-page optimization, and content creation efforts.

What distinguishes SEOpital is its innovative approach towards semantically optimized content, positioning it as an invaluable asset for businesses striving to enhance their search engine rankings and amplify website traffic.

Key Features

SEOpital is fortified with an array of features that establish it as an indispensable tool for digital marketers. Highlighted below are some of its pivotal functionalities:

Keyword Analysis: The keyword analysis tool by SEOpital empowers you to pinpoint high-potential keywords that can elevate your search engine rankings. It meticulously analyzes the top 10 Google search results for your target keyword, seamlessly integrating essential terms to bolster your content’s SEO.

Backlink Tracking: With the backlink tracking feature, you can keep tabs on your site’s backlinks, ensuring they originate from reputable sources. This is essential for maintaining a robust backlink profile, a cornerstone of effective SEO.

On-Page Optimization: SEOpital’s on-page optimization tools aid in refining your website’s pages to improve search rankings and attract more visitors, offering suggestions for enhancing meta tags, header tags, and other on-page elements.

Competitor Research: The competitor research feature allows you to delve into your competitors’ SEO strategies, backlink profiles, and top-ranking pages. These insights enable you to decipher what propels your competitors and how to surpass them.

Performance Reports and Traffic Analytics: SEOpital generates comprehensive reports on your SEO performance and traffic analytics, offering a deep dive into the efficacy of your SEO endeavors.

This encompasses data on visitor behavior, equipping you with the knowledge to refine your website’s performance.

AI-Powered Content Creation: A standout feature, SEOpital’s AI-powered content creation tool, crafts high-quality, semantically optimized content that resonates with search engine algorithms, ensuring your content is both compelling and strategically poised for superior rankings.

Content Optimization Tools: With tools like a sentence rephraser, style editor, engagement metrics, tone checker, and grammar check, SEOpital enhances your content’s appeal and SEO compatibility.

Pricing and Plans

SEOpital tailors several pricing plans to accommodate diverse needs and budgets, outlined as follows:

Basic Plan: At $50 per month, the Basic plan is designed for small businesses and individuals, providing access to core features like keyword analysis, backlink tracking, on-page optimization, and AI-powered content creation, albeit with limited credits for content generation and other advanced features.

Standard Plan: The Standard plan, available at $100 per month, caters to growing businesses, offering increased content generation credits and additional advanced features such as detailed performance reports and traffic analytics.

Expert Plan: For $150 per month, the Expert plan is suited for larger businesses and SEO professionals, encompassing all Standard plan features plus extra content generation credits, more comprehensive analytics, and superior support.

Elite Plan: The Elite plan, priced at $250 per month, is the most extensive offering, including all features of the Expert plan along with additional credits for content generation, advanced analytics, and priority support.

SEOpital also provides a free trial without the need for a credit card, allowing prospective users to explore its features before opting for a paid subscription.

SE Ranking: The Balanced Option

Overview

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform that has established itself as a balanced and comprehensive solution for digital marketers. Founded in 2013 by Valery Kurilov, SE Ranking has evolved to include a wide range of tools that cater to various aspects of SEO, from keyword research and competitor analysis to rank tracking and website audits.

This platform is designed to be user-friendly and powerful, making it accessible to both beginners and seasoned SEO professionals. With over 1 million users and a reputation for providing accurate and ample data, SE Ranking is a reliable choice for those seeking a robust yet affordable SEO toolset.

Key Features

SE Ranking is packed with several key features that make it an indispensable tool for any SEO strategy. Here are some of its most notable functionalities:

Keyword Rank Tracker: This tool allows you to track your keyword rankings in any location, search engine, and device with 100% accuracy. You can monitor how your competitors are ranking for your target keywords and analyze the top 100 search results for any keyword.

This feature also includes tracking Google rankings on mobile and desktop devices and checking which SERP features are present for the keywords you’re tracking.

Competitor Research: The Competitor Research tool enables you to analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies for both organic and paid search. You can view their website traffic dynamics, study their major competitors, and compare your keyword list to theirs.

This tool also allows you to research your PPC competition and see which ads work best for them.

Website Audit: SE Ranking’s Website Audit feature scans your website against over 130 SEO-related factors, identifying issues such as SSL problems, robots.txt problems, slow-loading pages, 404 errors, redirects, and duplicate content. The tool provides a detailed report with suggested fixes, prioritized based on urgency, to help you optimize your site quickly.

Backlink Checker and Monitor: The Backlink Checker tool allows you to analyze any site’s backlink profile, including referring domains, linking pages, and anchor texts.

The Backlink Monitor helps you focus on building your backlink profile by keeping an eye on the status of every backlink related to your site. You can quickly identify and disavow bad links and receive automated notifications via email if the status of any of your backlinks changes.

On-page SEO Checker and Page Changes Monitor: The On-page SEO Checker evaluates how well a web page is optimized for a certain query, providing a detailed report and a list of required fixes.

The Page Changes Monitor automatically notifies you if any important page on your website is altered, ensuring you stay on top of any changes made by colleagues or competitors.

Report Builder: SE Ranking’s Report Builder allows you to create detailed SEO progress reports that can be sent directly to your inbox. You can save time and resources with this advanced reporting tool, which includes ready-made templates and the ability to add multiple sections to the report, such as keyword rankings, website audit results, and visitor data from Google Analytics.

Pricing and Plans

SE Ranking offers flexible and affordable pricing plans designed to accommodate different user needs and budgets. Here’s an overview of their plans:

Essential Plan: Priced at $39 per month (or $31.20 if billed annually), the Essential plan is suitable for small businesses and individuals. It includes features like keyword rank tracking, competitor research, website audits, backlink checks, and on-page SEO analysis. This plan supports up to 250 keywords and 10,000 backlinks per month.

Pro Plan: The Pro plan costs $89 per month (or $71.20 if billed annually) and is ideal for growing businesses. It increases the limits to 1,000 keywords and 30,000 backlinks per month. This plan also includes additional features like white-label reporting and API access.

Business Plan: Priced at $189 per month (or $151.20 if billed annually), the Business plan is designed for larger businesses and SEO agencies. It supports up to 5,000 keywords and 75,000 backlinks per month. This plan includes all the features of the Pro plan plus additional support for multiple users, client seats, and more advanced reporting capabilities.

Enterprise Plan: For large-scale operations, SE Ranking offers a custom Enterprise plan that can be tailored to specific needs. This plan includes unlimited keywords, backlinks, and user seats, along with dedicated support and advanced features like lead generation tools and agency catalog listings.

SE Ranking also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, allowing users to test all the major tools and features before committing to a paid subscription.

Screaming Frog: The SEO Swiss Army Knife

Overview

Screaming Frog is a powerful and versatile SEO tool that has earned the reputation as the “Swiss Army Knife” of SEO tools. Developed by a UK-based technical SEO consulting agency, Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop program designed to crawl websites and gather critical data for SEO purposes. This tool mimics the behavior of search engine spiders like Googlebot, analyzing the HTML code of every page to identify various SEO issues and opportunities for improvement.

Key Features

Screaming Frog is packed with a multitude of features that make it an indispensable tool for any SEO strategy.

Here are some of its key functionalities:

Broken Link Detection: One of the standout features of Screaming Frog is its ability to quickly identify broken links (404 errors), server errors, and other link-related issues. This helps in maintaining a healthy link profile and improving user experience and search engine rankings.

Redirect Audits: The tool allows you to audit redirects, identifying temporary and permanent redirects, redirect chains, and loops. This is particularly useful during site migrations to ensure that link equity is preserved and that users are directed to the correct pages.

Duplicate Content Detection: Screaming Frog can detect duplicate content within or across domains, including exact duplicates and partially duplicated elements such as page titles, descriptions, and headings.

This helps in avoiding SEO penalties and improving the overall quality of your content.

XML Sitemap Generation: The tool can generate XML sitemaps, which are essential for helping search engines find and crawl all the pages on your website. This feature ensures that your site’s structure is well-understood by search engines, improving your site’s visibility and indexing.

Custom Data Extraction: Using CSS Path, XPath, or regex, Screaming Frog allows you to extract any data from the HTML of a web page. This is useful for competitive analysis, where you can scrape data such as social meta tags, additional headings, prices, or SKUs from competitors’ websites.

JavaScript Crawling: The tool can render web pages using headless Chromium, enabling it to discover content and links within JavaScript-heavy websites.

This feature is essential for modern web development, where JavaScript is increasingly used.

Integration with Google Tools: Screaming Frog integrates with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights, providing a comprehensive view of your website’s performance. This integration helps you understand your customers better, measure site traffic, and optimize page speed for improved user experience.

Scheduling and Comparison Features: The paid version of Screaming Frog allows you to schedule audits, which is useful for regular monitoring of your website’s technical SEO health.

The tool also offers a crawl comparison feature, enabling you to track changes in issues and opportunities over time.

Pricing and Plans

Screaming Frog offers two main pricing options to cater to different user needs and budgets. Here’s an overview of their plans:

Free Version: The free version of Screaming Frog allows you to crawl up to 500 URLs, making it a great starting point for small websites or those with limited budgets. This version includes basic features such as finding broken links, analyzing page titles and metadata, reviewing meta robots and directives, and discovering duplicate pages.

Paid Version: The paid version, priced at €239 per year (approximately $259 USD), removes the URL limit and includes advanced features such as scheduling audits, custom data extraction, and integration with Google tools.

The paid version also provides free technical support and multiple integrations, making it a valuable investment for serious SEO practitioners.

Google Search Console: The Free Must-Have

Overview

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free and indispensable tool provided by Google that assists website owners and SEO professionals in monitoring, maintaining, and troubleshooting their site’s presence in Google’s search engine result pages (SERPs). Originally known as Google Webmaster Tools, GSC offers a plethora of data and features essential for comprehending how Google perceives your site and optimizing your site’s performance in search results.

It is a vital tool for anyone committed to enhancing their website’s SEO and boosting organic traffic.

Key Features

GSC is filled with several key features that render it a fundamental part of any SEO strategy. Here are some of its most critical functionalities:

Search Analytics Report: The Search Analytics report within GSC provides comprehensive insights into your website’s search performance. It allows you to view metrics such as impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), and average position for your pages.

This report also enables you to filter data by queries, countries, devices, pages, and search type, offering a detailed understanding of your site’s performance across different contexts.

URL Inspection Tool: This tool helps you check the index status of individual pages on your website. You can discover whether a page is indexed by Google, the last crawl date, and any issues that might be preventing the page from appearing in search results. The URL Inspection Tool also facilitates requesting indexing for new or updated pages, potentially accelerating the process of getting your content indexed by Google.

Site Coverage Report: The Site Coverage report aids in understanding which pages on your website are being indexed by Google and identifies any indexing errors.

This report contrasts the number of pages you’ve submitted via an XML sitemap with the actual number of pages indexed by Google, pinpointing issues such as excluded pages, errors, or warnings.

Core Web Vitals (CWV): GSC offers insights into your site’s Core Web Vitals, metrics that gauge user experience. These include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Grasping these metrics enables you to optimize your site’s performance and enhance user experience, which can positively influence your search rankings.

Manual Actions and Security Issues: GSC alerts you to any manual actions Google has taken against your site, such as penalties for breaching Google’s guidelines. It also notifies you of security issues like malware or hacking, empowering you to promptly address these problems and recover your site’s health.

Submit Sitemaps and Individual URLs: Submitting your website’s sitemap to GSC aids Google in discovering and indexing all the pages on your site. Furthermore, you can submit individual URLs for crawling, especially useful after implementing significant updates to a page.

Data Highlighter: The Data Highlighter tool enables you to highlight structured data on your website, such as articles, events, local businesses, products, and more. This aids Google in understanding the context and relevance of your content, potentially improving your site’s visibility in search results and enhancing the appearance of your listings with rich snippets.

Fetch as Google: This feature allows you to see how Googlebot views your pages. You can opt to “Fetch” the page’s code or “Fetch and render” the page, which shows how Googlebot visually renders the content.

This is invaluable for ensuring that Google can crawl and index your pages correctly.

Pricing and Plans

FREE

Surfer SEO: Data-Driven SEO Recommendations

Overview

Surfer SEO stands as a formidable content optimization and analysis tool, crafted to elevate users’ content for better rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). Leveraging analysis of top-performing pages for specific keywords, Surfer SEO offers data-driven recommendations to enhance your content’s SEO. This cloud-based platform excels in demystifying content creation, optimizing your pages across numerous on-page SEO ranking factors.

Key Features

Armed with a suite of essential features, Surfer SEO is a vital ally for content optimization and SEO.

Highlighted functionalities include:

Content Editor: At the heart of Surfer SEO, the Content Editor empowers you to craft and refine your content with live optimization. Entering your target keyword initiates a comprehensive analysis of top-performing pages, offering suggestions on content length, on-page SEO factors, and structure.

The editor further boasts a “Content Score” widget, dynamically reflecting how your content measures up against the competition.

SERP Analyzer: The SERP Analyzer dissects the search engine results page for a chosen keyword, examining historical data on word count, keyword density, image usage, among other on-page factors of top-ranking pages. This tool is instrumental in decoding the success behind top-ranking pages and applying these insights to boost your content’s ranking potential.

Keyword Research Tool: While it may not rival some other keyword research tools in comprehensiveness, Surfer SEO’s keyword research feature is invaluable for uncovering related keywords and long-tail variants of your main topic.

It delivers insights on search volume and SERP similarity, helping you spot low-competition keywords and high-traffic opportunities.

Keyword Surfer: Available as a free Google Chrome extension, Keyword Surfer reveals search volume, cost per click, and estimated traffic right on Google’s search results page. It also sheds light on competitor pages’ word count and keyword usage, facilitating swift and effective data gathering.

Content Audit Tool: The Content Audit tool evaluates your existing pages against competitive keywords to pinpoint improvement areas.

It generates a comprehensive report detailing missing LSI keywords, SEO scores, word count, headings, images, and internal link suggestions, proving indispensable for enhancing existing content’s search engine rankings.

Domain Planner (Content Planner): This feature aids in planning your content strategy by recommending content clusters around your main topic.

It ensures your website possesses the requisite relevance and supporting pages to compete for keywords, simplifying the creation of a unified content strategy.

Pricing and Plans

Surfer SEO’s pricing schemes cater to a range of user requirements and budgets. Below is a summary of their offerings:

BASIC Plan: At $49 per month (or $39 if billed annually), the BASIC plan is perfect for smaller projects. It grants access to the Content Editor, SERP Analyzer, Keyword Research, and Content Audit tools, albeit with limited feature credits.

PRO Plan: Priced at $99 per month (or $79 if billed annually), the PRO plan is crafted for more seasoned users.

It extends the credits for each feature and introduces additional tools like the Domain Planner and AI Outline Generator, making it ideal for expanding businesses and SEO aficionados.

BUSINESS Plan: At $199 per month (or $159 if billed annually), the BUSINESS plan is designed for larger enterprises and agencies. It encompasses all PRO plan features with increased credit limits, enhanced support, and more sophisticated analytics.

ENTERPRISE Plan: For expansive operations, Surfer SEO customizes an ENTERPRISE plan to fit specific demands.

This plan offers unlimited credits, dedicated support, and advanced features not found in other packages.

Surfer SEO also provides a free trial and a complimentary Chrome extension, Keyword Surfer, enabling users to sample some features prior to opting for a paid subscription.

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization, having the right tools at your disposal is essential for success. This article has outlined 12 budget-friendly SEO tools that serve as excellent alternatives to Ahrefs, each offering unique features and pricing plans to suit various needs and budgets. Key points to remember include the importance of tools like SEMrush, Ubersuggest, and Moz Pro for comprehensive SEO suites; the specialized capabilities of Majestic for backlink analysis and Screaming Frog for technical SEO audits; and the user-friendly interfaces of Mangools and SE Ranking.

Additionally, tools like SEOptimal and Surfer SEO provide valuable insights into competitive intelligence and content optimization, while Google Search Console remains a free and essential tool for any SEO strategy. When choosing an SEO tool, consider your specific needs, whether it’s keyword research, backlink analysis, rank tracking, or site audits. Many of these tools offer free trials or affordable pricing plans, making it easier to find the perfect fit for your business.

Don’t hesitate to explore these options and integrate them into your SEO strategy. With the right tools, you can enhance your website’s performance, improve your search engine rankings, and drive more organic traffic to your site.

Take the first step today and start optimizing your online presence for better results.

FAQ

What are the key features that make Semrush a top alternative to Ahrefs?

The key features that make Semrush a top alternative to Ahrefs include:

• Comprehensive Keyword Research: Tools like Keyword Magic Tool, Keyword Overview, and PPC Keyword Tool for extensive keyword analysis.
• Site Audit: Detailed site health scores and actionable recommendations to fix SEO issues.
• Competitor Analysis: Features such as Organic Research, Competitor SEO Analysis, and Traffic Analytics to analyze competitors’ strategies.
• Position Tracking: Daily tracking of keyword rankings and performance metrics.
• Backlink Analytics: Tools for backlink audits, backlink gaps, and link building opportunities.
• Content Marketing Toolkit: AI-driven tools like SEO Writing Assistant, Topic Research, and Content Optimization.
• Local SEO and Listing Management: Tools to optimize local listings and manage business visibility.
• Social Media Management: Features for social media posting, analytics, and brand monitoring.
• Paid Advertising Tools: Analysis of competitors’ paid ads and tools for optimizing PPC campaigns.

How does SE Ranking compare to Ahrefs in terms of cost and features?

SE Ranking is significantly cheaper than Ahrefs, with its cheapest plan starting at $44/mo, compared to Ahrefs’ $129/mo. SE Ranking excels in keyword research, site audits, and PPC insights, while Ahrefs is better for backlink analysis and domain research.

SE Ranking also offers more affordable rank tracking for a larger number of keywords.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using Serpstat as an Ahrefs alternative?

Advantages:

• Affordable compared to Ahrefs, making it suitable for freelancers and small businesses.
• Comprehensive SEO analysis, including keyword research, rank tracking, content marketing, and backlink analysis.
• Features like keyword clustering, AI content tools, and local SEO tools.
• Suitable for big teams with fair pricing plans.

Disadvantages:

• Keyword data may not be as accurate as Ahrefs, particularly in terms of keyword difficulty and search volume.
• High cost for smaller websites despite overall affordability.
• Crowded and less user-friendly interface compared to Ahrefs.

Which Ahrefs alternative is best suited for beginners with little to no SEO experience?

The Mangools Suite is the best Ahrefs alternative for beginners with little to no SEO experience. It is affordable, easy to navigate, and offers good customer support and resources to help users understand and use the tool effectively.