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📅 November 11, 2025 ⏱️ 9 min read ✍️ Mattia Spinelli

Best Ahrefs Alternative: Top 5 Tools for 2025

What's the best Ahrefs alternative? It depends on what you need most: simplicity, budget, backlink data, or all-in-one features.

Ahrefs is excellent—but at $129/month, it's too expensive for most solo founders. The good news? There are 5 alternatives that give you 80% of the functionality at 40-70% of the cost.

I've tested every major Ahrefs competitor. Here are the 5 best alternatives, ranked by value.

Top 5 Best Ahrefs Alternatives (Ranked)

🥇 #1: Keywords.chat – Best for Indie Hackers

Price: $59/month
Best for: Solo founders who want simplicity
Savings: $840/year vs Ahrefs

A chat-based SEO tool with zero learning curve. Just ask questions like "what keywords should I target for project management software?" and get instant answers.

What you get:

Why it's #1: Easiest tool to use. No training required. Perfect for non-technical founders.

Pros: Simple, affordable, all-in-one
Cons: Smaller backlink database than Ahrefs

🥈 #2: Ubersuggest – Best Budget Option

Price: $29/month
Best for: Tight budgets
Savings: $1,200/year vs Ahrefs

Neil Patel's Ubersuggest is the cheapest full-featured alternative. At $29/month, it's perfect for bootstrapped founders.

What you get:

Why it's #2: Best value for money. All core features at lowest price.

Pros: Extremely affordable, simple
Cons: Less data than premium tools

🥉 #3: Mangools – Best for Beautiful UX

Price: $49/month
Best for: Users who value clean design
Savings: $960/year vs Ahrefs

5 gorgeous SEO tools in one platform. If you care about user experience, Mangools has the best interface in the industry.

What you get:

Why it's #3: Best-looking SEO tool. Great keyword difficulty scores.

Pros: Beautiful UI, affordable, accurate data
Cons: Smaller backlink database

#4: SE Ranking – Best for Agencies

Price: $65/month
Best for: White-label reporting
Savings: $768/year vs Ahrefs

Full-featured platform with white-label reports. Popular with agencies who manage client sites.

What you get:

Why it's #4: Best for agencies. White-label reports included.

Pros: Feature-rich, white-label option
Cons: Interface less polished than Ahrefs

#5: Moz Pro – Best for Domain Authority

Price: $99/month
Best for: Users who rely on DA/PA
Savings: $360/year vs Ahrefs

Moz invented Domain Authority—a metric used by millions of SEO professionals. If you need DA/PA scores, Moz is your only option.

What you get:

Why it's #5: Only tool with official DA/PA metrics.

Pros: Trusted DA/PA metrics, solid data
Cons: More expensive, slower updates than Ahrefs

Quick Comparison Table

Rank Tool Price Best For Savings/Year
🥇 Keywords.chat $59/mo Indie hackers $840
🥈 Ubersuggest $29/mo Budget users $1,200
🥉 Mangools $49/mo UX lovers $960
#4 SE Ranking $65/mo Agencies $768
#5 Moz Pro $99/mo DA/PA users $360
— Ahrefs $129/mo Best data —

How to Choose the Right One

Pick based on your top priority:

💡 Pro Tip: All these tools offer free trials. Test your top 2 picks for a week each with real projects. The "best" tool is the one you'll actually use every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Ahrefs alternative is closest to the original?

SE Ranking ($65/mo) or Moz Pro ($99/mo) are the closest in terms of features. Both offer comprehensive keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking, and site audits—just like Ahrefs.

What's the cheapest Ahrefs alternative with good data?

Ubersuggest at $29/month is the cheapest, but Mangools at $49/month has better data quality. If you can afford an extra $20/month, Mangools is worth it.

Is Keywords.chat really better than Ahrefs for indie hackers?

For ease of use, yes. Keywords.chat has a chat interface with zero learning curve. But Ahrefs has more backlink data and advanced features. If you're a pro SEO doing link building all day, stick with Ahrefs. If you're a founder who just wants to rank faster, Keywords.chat is simpler.

Do these alternatives have worse data than Ahrefs?

They have smaller databases but the data is still accurate. For most small businesses and indie projects, the difference is negligible. You're still getting reliable search volumes, keyword suggestions, and backlink data—just from a smaller sample size.

Can I switch from Ahrefs to an alternative without losing my data?

Yes! Export your tracked keywords and rankings from Ahrefs (CSV format), then import them into your new tool. Most alternatives support CSV imports for rank tracking projects.

Try the #1 Ahrefs Alternative for Indie Hackers

Keywords.chat delivers all essential SEO tools through a simple chat interface. No dashboards, no training—just ask questions and get answers. Save $840/year vs Ahrefs.

Start 7-Day Free Trial →

Final Thoughts

The "best" Ahrefs alternative depends entirely on your needs:

All five are excellent choices that will save you $360-1,200/year compared to Ahrefs. Start with a free trial, test it for a week, and see which one fits your workflow best.