Free Ahrefs Alternatives: 7 Best Free SEO Tools (2025)
Ahrefs costs $129/month. That's $1,548/year—more than most bootstrapped founders spend on their entire tech stack.
The good news? You don't need Ahrefs to do effective SEO. There are 7 powerful free tools that, when combined, give you 70-80% of Ahrefs' functionality for $0/month.
I've spent the past year testing every free SEO tool available. Some are garbage. But a few are genuinely good—good enough to build a six-figure SEO strategy on a $0 budget.
Here's the complete list of free Ahrefs alternatives that actually work.
The Truth About Free SEO Tools
Let's set realistic expectations:
⚠️ Reality Check: No single free tool replaces all of Ahrefs. You'll need to combine 3-5 tools and do more manual work. But if you're willing to invest time instead of money, you can get amazing results.
The free tools cover:
- ✅ Keyword research – Finding search volumes and keyword ideas
- ✅ Your own rankings – Tracking what you rank for
- ✅ Basic backlinks – Limited backlink checking
- ✅ Competitor research – Limited competitive analysis
- ❌ Comprehensive backlink database – Not available for free
- ❌ Historical data – Most free tools don't keep history
Top 7 Free Ahrefs Alternatives
1. Google Search Console – Best for Your Own Site (100% Free)
Price: FREE forever
What it replaces: Rank tracking for your own site
This is the #1 tool every website owner must use. Google Search Console shows you exactly what keywords you rank for and how much traffic each keyword drives.
Key Features:
- See every keyword you rank for
- Average position for each keyword
- Clicks and impressions
- Click-through rates (CTR)
- Technical SEO issues
- Index coverage reports
Who it's for: Everyone with a website. No exceptions.
Pros: Free, 100% accurate, official Google data
Cons: Only shows YOUR site data—no competitor research
2. Google Keyword Planner – Best for Search Volumes (Free)
Price: FREE (requires Google Ads account)
What it replaces: Keyword research and search volumes
Google's official keyword tool. The data comes directly from Google, so it's as accurate as it gets.
Key Features:
- Search volume data (directly from Google)
- Related keyword suggestions
- Competition levels (for ads)
- CPC estimates
- Historical trends
Who it's for: Anyone doing keyword research on a budget.
Pros: Free, official Google data, accurate
Cons: Shows broad ranges unless you run ads, no organic difficulty scores
3. Ubersuggest Free Plan – Best for Quick Checks (Free)
Price: FREE (3 searches per day)
What it replaces: Quick competitor/backlink checks
Neil Patel's Ubersuggest offers a generous free plan with 3 searches per day. Perfect for spot-checking competitors or analyzing specific keywords.
Key Features:
- 3 free searches per day
- Keyword difficulty scores
- Search volume and CPC
- Top-ranking pages
- Backlink overview
- Site audit basics
Who it's for: Casual users who don't need daily research.
Pros: Generous free tier, simple interface, good data
Cons: Only 3 searches/day (upgrade to $29/mo for unlimited)
4. Answer The Public – Best for Content Ideas (Free)
Price: FREE (3 searches per day)
What it replaces: Question-based keyword research
Enter a keyword and Answer The Public generates hundreds of questions people ask about that topic. Perfect for blog post ideas.
Key Features:
- Question keywords (how, what, why, when)
- Prepositions (for, with, to, without)
- Comparisons (vs, versus, or)
- Alphabetical keywords
- Related terms
Who it's for: Content creators and bloggers.
Pros: Excellent for content ideas, visual interface, free tier
Cons: No search volumes, only 3 searches/day
5. Google Trends – Best for Trend Analysis (Free)
Price: FREE forever
What it replaces: Trend validation and seasonality checks
See if a keyword is growing, declining, or seasonal. Essential for validating whether a keyword is worth targeting.
Key Features:
- Search interest over time
- Compare up to 5 keywords
- Geographic interest
- Related topics and queries
- Real-time trending searches
Who it's for: Anyone validating keyword trends before creating content.
Pros: Free, real-time data, great for trend validation
Cons: No exact search volumes (relative interest only)
6. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free) – Best for Technical SEO
Price: FREE (up to 500 URLs)
What it replaces: Site audits and technical SEO analysis
A desktop tool that crawls your website and finds technical SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta tags.
Key Features:
- Crawl up to 500 URLs for free
- Find broken links and redirects
- Check meta titles and descriptions
- Analyze page titles, headings, and word count
- Generate XML sitemaps
Who it's for: Technical SEO audits on small-to-medium sites.
Pros: Powerful, professional tool, free up to 500 pages
Cons: Desktop-only, steeper learning curve
7. Moz Link Explorer (Free) – Best for Backlink Basics
Price: FREE (10 queries per month)
What it replaces: Basic backlink checking
Moz's free plan gives you 10 link queries per month. Not much, but enough to check your own backlinks or analyze a few competitors.
Key Features:
- 10 free queries per month
- Domain Authority (DA) scores
- Top 50 backlinks per domain
- Linking domains overview
- Spam score
Who it's for: Occasional backlink checking.
Pros: Trusted DA metric, free tier available
Cons: Only 10 queries/month, limited to top 50 links
The Complete Free SEO Stack
Here's how to combine these free tools to replace Ahrefs:
| Need | Free Tool | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Your rankings | Google Search Console | Your site only |
| Search volumes | Google Keyword Planner | Broad ranges |
| Keyword difficulty | Ubersuggest Free (3/day) | 3 searches/day |
| Content ideas | Answer The Public (3/day) | 3 searches/day |
| Trend validation | Google Trends | No exact volumes |
| Technical SEO | Screaming Frog (500 URLs) | 500 page limit |
| Backlinks | Moz Link Explorer (10/mo) | 10 queries/month |
Total cost: $0/month vs Ahrefs' $129/month = Save $1,548/year
The Free vs Paid Trade-Off
Using free tools works—but there are trade-offs:
Pros of Free Tools:
- $0 investment—perfect for bootstrapped founders
- Most data comes directly from Google (accurate)
- Good enough for most small businesses
- You can learn SEO fundamentals without risk
Cons of Free Tools:
- Takes 3-5x longer than paid tools
- Daily search limits (Ubersuggest, Answer The Public, Moz)
- No historical data or tracking
- Limited backlink data
- More manual work (no automation)
💡 My Recommendation: Start with free tools to learn SEO basics. Once you're making $200-500/month from organic traffic, upgrade to a $29-59/month tool like Ubersuggest or Keywords.chat. Save Ahrefs ($129/mo) for when you're earning $1,000+/month.
When to Upgrade from Free Tools
Stick with free tools if you:
- Just started learning SEO
- Have zero budget
- Only manage 1-2 websites
- Don't need daily competitor research
- Can afford to spend extra time on manual work
Upgrade to paid tools ($29-59/mo) when you:
- Need unlimited keyword research
- Want automated rank tracking
- Manage multiple projects
- Are making $200+/month from SEO
- Value your time more than $29/month
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really do SEO with only free tools?
Yes. Many successful bloggers and indie hackers built six-figure sites using only Google Search Console + Google Keyword Planner + Google Trends. It takes more time and manual work, but it's completely doable.
What's the biggest limitation of free SEO tools?
Backlink data. Free tools give you very limited backlink information. If link building is your main strategy, you'll eventually need a paid tool like Ahrefs ($129/mo), Majestic ($49/mo), or Moz Pro ($99/mo).
Which free tool is most important?
Google Search Console—no question. It's the only tool that shows you EXACTLY what keywords you rank for and how much traffic you're getting. Every other tool is optional, but GSC is mandatory.
How do free tools compare to Ahrefs?
Free tools give you 70-80% of Ahrefs' functionality but take 3-5x longer to use. Ahrefs has better data, more features, and saves you time. But if you're on a $0 budget, free tools are more than enough to build a profitable SEO strategy.
Should I pay for Ubersuggest or stick with the free plan?
If you're doing SEO regularly (multiple times per week), Ubersuggest Pro at $29/month is worth it. You get unlimited searches, rank tracking, and better backlink data. But if you only research keywords occasionally, the free plan (3 searches/day) is fine.
Upgrade to a Simple Paid Tool
If you're ready to save time and automate your SEO workflow, Keywords.chat gives you all the essential tools in a simple chat interface for $59/mo. No dashboards, no complexity—just results.
Start 7-Day Free Trial →Final Thoughts
You don't need Ahrefs to succeed with SEO. The 7 free tools listed above give you everything you need to:
- Research profitable keywords
- Track your rankings
- Find content ideas
- Validate trends
- Fix technical issues
- Check basic backlink data
The catch? It takes more time. If you're bootstrapping and have more time than money, free tools are perfect. But once you're earning money from SEO, investing $29-59/month in a paid tool will save you hours every week.
Start free, prove the model, then upgrade when it makes financial sense. That's the smart way to do SEO on a budget.