What is the difference between Ahrefs and SE Ranking?
Ahrefs and SE Ranking compete in the all-in-one SEO suites category. Ahrefs starts at $29/mo (Starter); SE Ranking starts at $129/mo (Core). Across the 6 features compared, Ahrefs documents 5 as available and SE Ranking documents 4. At almost identical prices — USD 129 in both cases — the entry-plan limits look nothing alike.
Verdict
At almost identical prices — USD 129 in both cases — the entry-plan limits look nothing alike. SE Ranking Core gives 2,000 daily keywords, 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages per month and 100 daily GEO prompts. Ahrefs Lite gives 750 keywords, 5 projects, 5 AI prompts and 100,000 crawl credits. On documented volume per dollar SE Ranking wins comfortably; the trade-off is that Ahrefs keeps a permanent free plan while SE Ranking does not state one on its subscription page.
- Choose Ahrefs if
- You work daily with link data and crawl credits, and want a free plan to fall back on.
- Choose SE Ranking if
- You run many projects and want broad GEO tracking without moving up a tier.
Entry price and free tier
| Attribute | Ahrefs | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $29/mo (Starter) | $129/mo (Core) |
| Free tier | Yes, permanent | Free trial |
| Vendor | Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. | SE Ranking |
Features compared
| Feature | Ahrefs | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword rank tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Site audit | Yes | Yes |
| AI prompt tracking | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Partial | Partial |
| Permanent free plan | Yes | Not verified |
| Public pricing | Yes | Yes |
Limits compared
| Limit | Ahrefs | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords tracked | 750 | 2,000 |
| Projects | 5 | 10 |
| AI prompts tracked | 5 | 100 |
| Seats included | 1 | 1 |
Tool profiles
Other all-in-one SEO suites comparisons
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Ahrefs and SE Ranking?
- At almost identical prices — USD 129 in both cases — the entry-plan limits look nothing alike. SE Ranking Core gives 2,000 daily keywords, 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages per month and 100 daily GEO prompts. Ahrefs Lite gives 750 keywords, 5 projects, 5 AI prompts and 100,000 crawl credits. On documented volume per dollar SE Ranking wins comfortably; the trade-off is that Ahrefs keeps a permanent free plan while SE Ranking does not state one on its subscription page.
- Choose Ahrefs if
- You work daily with link data and crawl credits, and want a free plan to fall back on.
- Choose SE Ranking if
- You run many projects and want broad GEO tracking without moving up a tier.
Sources
Every data point on this page comes from a public vendor page: