Grow your ecommerce store · Tools & reviews · 2 min read
How Much Does Ahrefs Cost?
Short answer
Ahrefs' pricing page lists a Starter plan at $29 a month, Lite at $129, Standard at $249, Advanced at $449 and Enterprise at $1,499, with annual billing offering a discount. Extra users cost more on each plan. Ahrefs also offers a free plan for site owners with limited Site Explorer and Site Audit access.
Ahrefs is one of the best-known SEO platforms, used for keyword research, backlink analysis, site audits and rank tracking. It's also not cheap. Here's what each plan costs and what you actually get, based on Ahrefs' pricing page at the time of writing.
Ahrefs plans at a glance
| Plan | Monthly price | Tracked keywords | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 | Limited | For researching search demand and competitors |
| Lite | $129 | 750 | 1 user included, usage credits per user |
| Standard | $249 | 2,000 | Unlimited credits per user, more history and tools |
| Advanced | $449 | 5,000 | Larger crawl and tracking limits |
| Enterprise | $1,499 | Custom | Annual commitment, sold through sales |
Ahrefs says annual billing saves up to about 17%. The plans also include AI prompt-check allowances for tracking how brands appear in AI search, which scale with each tier.
Extra users
Each plan includes one user. Additional users cost extra per month, and the price rises with the plan tier (Ahrefs lists $40 per extra user on Lite up to $100 on Enterprise). For agencies or teams, this can matter more than the base price.
Add-ons
Some features are sold separately, such as Brand Radar for monitoring AI search visibility, which Ahrefs lists as a standalone product starting at $199 a month. Pay-as-you-go usage beyond plan limits is only charged if you turn it on.
Free options
- Ahrefs Free: Verified site owners get limited Site Explorer and Site Audit data for their own sites. Great for finding broken links, technical issues and which keywords you rank for.
- Free SEO tools: Keyword generator, backlink checker, SERP checker and others with limited results.
Cancelled paid subscriptions drop to the free plan, so your account doesn't disappear.
Which plan does an online store need?
Just starting, small budget: Use Google Search Console plus Ahrefs' free plan. Add Starter for occasional keyword and competitor checks.
Store with a blog and steady SEO work: Lite covers keyword research, competitor analysis and a reasonable number of tracked keywords. The usage credit limit is the main constraint, so it suits one person doing focused research.
Content-heavy brand or SEO freelancer: Standard removes the per-user credit cap, adds more historical data and content tools, and tracks more keywords.
Agency or large catalog: Advanced or Enterprise for bigger crawls, more projects and team features.
Getting value from Ahrefs
Paying for a tool doesn't improve rankings by itself. A good monthly routine:
- Audit your site for technical issues and fix the top problems.
- Find keywords your customers search before buying, especially comparison and "best X for Y" terms.
- Check competitors: which pages bring them traffic, and which links point to them.
- Track rankings for the 50-200 terms that drive revenue.
- Refresh old content that's slipping.
Our Shopify SEO tips and guide on how to check your Google ranking pair well with this.
Alternatives at lower prices
Semrush is the main all-in-one competitor, with similar pricing. Cheaper or more focused options include keyword-only tools, rank trackers and blog-specific tools. If you mainly write blog content, see our review of RankIQ for a narrower, lower-cost approach.
Bottom line
Ahrefs' entry price is lower than it used to be thanks to the Starter plan, but serious use starts at Lite and becomes comfortable at Standard. Decide based on how central organic search is to your growth. If search drives a meaningful share of your sales, the data is worth it. If not, the free tools will carry you further than you'd expect.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ahrefs have a free trial?
Ahrefs doesn't typically offer a traditional free trial. Instead it has a free plan for verified site owners and a set of free SEO tools on its website.
Which Ahrefs plan is best for a small online store?
Many small stores start with Lite or Starter. Choose Standard if you need more tracked keywords, content tools and history, or if more than light use is planned.
Is Ahrefs worth it compared with free tools?
If SEO is a major traffic channel, the competitor and keyword data usually pays for itself. If you only need your own site's data, Google Search Console and Ahrefs' free plan may be enough.
Sources and further reading
Platform features, prices and policies change. Check the official help pages linked above before you act on a detail that matters to your store.