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SE Ranking vs Ahrefs: Tried Both, Here’s What We’d Pick
August 14, 2025
By
Irina Maltseva
As search engines and user behavior evolve, SEO professionals and marketers need tools that can adapt while maintaining accuracy in traditional features like backlink analysis and competitor research.
SE Ranking and Ahrefs are two big names in SEO, each known for helping businesses improve their search visibility. In fact, they both form the core of our toolkit at ONSAAS as we use them for various SEO projects as needed.
In this in-depth comparison, we examine how these tools stack up across core features, pricing, and usability, so you can decide which tool best supports your SEO goals.
SE Ranking is a comprehensive web-based SEO toolkit that agencies and marketing teams use to improve website visibility on search engines and also track search performance.
It is a top alternative to Semrush that combines a wide range of SEO tools into one intuitive interface and offers competitive pricing, making it especially appealing to beginners and small businesses.
We use SE Ranking primarily for its accurate rank tracker. We find that it handles rank tracking more efficiently compared to other tools. It's clear layout also lets us manage campaigns without the complexity often found in more advanced tools.
With 4.8 stars on G2, SE Ranking’s reviews largely appreciate its ease of use, detailed reporting, and affordability. It is often recommended as a well-rounded SEO solution that meets core needs without overwhelming new users.
Ahrefs is a premium SEO toolset widely used by SEO professionals, large businesses, and agencies to drive powerful strategies that grow organic search traffic.
It is best known for its robust competitor analysis tool and proprietary web crawler that delivers accurate keyword and website data. While Ahrefs offers a wide range of advanced tools, its pricing is higher than most alternatives.
What we like most about Ahrefs is its massive backlink database. It boasts the world's biggest index of live backlinks (over 14 trillion) and provides deep insights that make the data easily usable.
With 4.5 stars on G2, user reviews point out Ahrefs’ data accuracy, especially in the backlink tool, keyword research, and site explorer. Though many point out the high cost as a major drawback.
SE Ranking offers 3 pricing tiers charged based on how many keywords will be tracked.
Billed annually, SE Ranking pricing includes:
It offers a 14-day free trial with full access to most features, allowing you to evaluate the platform before committing.
Ahrefs follows a higher pricing model, reflecting its focus on enterprise clients and features.
Billed annually, Ahrefs pricing includes:
Ahrefs does not offer a free trial, but you can view a demo or sign up for the Starter plan at $29/month to take the platform for a spin.
SE Ranking’s keyword research tool offers data on search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and competition, pulled from a database of 5.3 billion keywords.
It shows organic and paid results, related and similar keywords, and SERP analysis. It also supports country-specific research and integrates with other platform features.
It is ideal for people who need practical keyword insights in a simple, intuitive layout.
Ahrefs’ keyword research tool pulls data from its database of over 28 billion filtered keywords. Its proprietary crawler, AhrefsBot, lets it deliver updated data with unmatched accuracy.
It provides metrics like search volume, ranking difficulty, clicks, traffic potential, and search trends.
With Ahrefs, you can access thousands of keyword ideas, figure out search intent with AI, cluster keywords, and build data-informed strategies.
Ahrefs wins. It provides detailed keyword metrics and overall more advanced features.
SE Ranking offers one of the best rank trackers on the market. It monitors keyword positions across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube. It provides daily, every-3-days, or weekly updates, with tracking for up to 15,000 keywords.
You can monitor rankings with high precision, and it supports flexible grouping for bulky projects with huge keyword lists.
With SE Ranking, you can compare rankings over time, evaluate their share of organic traffic, and monitor SERP features like snippets and ads.
Ahrefs delivers accurate rank tracking, supporting up to 5,000 keywords. It reports visibility metrics, average position, and traffic estimates for each tracked keyword.
It shows detailed ranking history and provides advanced filtering, giving you deep insights into how rankings evolve.
Ahrefs also offers Brand Radar, which lets you monitor how AI platforms, such as Google's AI Overviews, reference your brand.
SE Ranking wins.
It allows tracking for up to 3x more keywords than Ahrefs and provides all-time historical data at a lower price point.
SE Ranking’s backlink analysis tool provides data on referring domains, anchor texts, link types (dofollow/nofollow), and backlink growth trends.
It detects toxic links and supports backlink audits to help improve link profile quality. The backlink gap analyzer helps you compare their backlink profiles to your competitors.
You can also track new and lost backlinks and monitor competitors’ backlink strategies for comparison.
Ahrefs is widely recognized for its industry-leading backlink database.
It offers comprehensive data on referring pages, domain ratings, anchor text distribution, and historical backlink trends.
You can filter links by type, language, platform, and more. The tool also includes a link intersect feature that shows which sites link to competitors but not to you.
Ahrefs wins.
Its backlink database is unequalled, and it offers detailed link research capabilities.
SE Ranking’s website audit tool can crawl up to 2M pages per project. It scans for 100+ technical issues, including broken links, duplicate content, crawlability, and site speed.
It provides a health score, visual reports, and recommendations for fixing errors. It also highlights healthy pages and those that have errors.
You can schedule regular audits and track progress over time, making it a practical choice for ongoing site maintenance.
Ahrefs’ Site Audit tool offers an in-depth crawl that identifies over 170 issues related to SEO, performance, internal linking, hreflang, JavaScript, and mobile usability.
It visualizes site structure, categorizes issues by severity, and suggests fixes. All major SEO categories are covered, from slow pages to core web vitals and structured data.
It also supports custom rules and advanced filtering to help SEO professionals conduct detailed technical assessments efficiently.
Ahrefs wins.
It offers more advanced diagnostic capabilities.
SE Ranking allows you to analyze competitors' keyword rankings, new and lost keyword statistics, backlink profiles, and traffic estimates.
It highlights shared and unique keywords, reveals paid ad campaigns, and helps to find potential keyword opportunities.
You can also compare up to five competitors per project and get insights into their content strategies and spot keyword gaps.
Ahrefs excels in competitor research with the Site Explorer. It helps you to analyze any competitor website across 4 key areas: organic traffic, backlink profiles, paid ads, and website structure.
It reports data that reveals how competitors acquire traffic, build links, and rank for high-value terms.
There's also the Link Intersect tool, which can help discover link opportunities by finding sites linking to your competitors.
Ahrefs wins.
It offers more detailed competitor insights compared to SE Ranking.
SE Ranking recently started integrating AI into its platform. These AI-powered tools assist with writing and editing SEO-friendly content, summarizing audit reports, and offering optimization suggestions.
Its AI content writer and AI content editor are available to Pro subscribers and up, and limits can be expanded via the content marketing add-on.
SE Ranking also offers an AI overview tracker, which lets you monitor and optimize their websites for better visibility in AI overviews.
Ahrefs offers AI tools and features that automate keyword research, content writing/optimization, and technical SEO tasks.
It provides AI keyword suggestions, AI-powered search intents, and several AI writing tools - free and paid.
Ahrefs offers the Content Grader and Content Helper tools via the Content Kit add-on. They use AI to uncover insights from top-ranking pages and apply the insights to your content.
Ahrefs wins.
It offers more sophisticated AI solutions compared to SE Ranking.
SE Ranking offers extras such as social media management tools, local marketing tools, a marketing plan builder, and a lead generator.
These features help you expand beyond SEO into broader digital marketing, making it a versatile platform for small businesses and agencies looking for an all-in-one solution.
Further read: Your Guide to The Best SEO Software for Agencies [2025]
Ahrefs does not offer additional marketing features like social media management or lead generation, but delivers stronger data and analysis within its core SEO tools. We especially like using the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar extension for quick checks on domain health, backlinks, and key SEO metrics.
Its strength lies in comprehensive SEO research rather than multi-channel marketing support.
SE Ranking wins.
These additional marketing tools extend its value beyond traditional SEO.
SE Ranking offers a clean, intuitive interface that is easy to navigate for beginners and non-technical users.
Tools are clearly labeled, with guided steps and tooltips throughout the dashboard.
The platform prioritizes simplicity without sacrificing functionality, making it well-suited for freelancers, small business owners, and users new to SEO platforms.
Ahrefs has a more data-dense interface designed for professionals familiar with SEO tools. While it provides extensive filtering and customization options, the learning curve can be steep for first-time users.
However, once mastered, the layout enables deep exploration and detailed reporting, making it efficient for power users and large teams.
SE Ranking wins.
It boasts a beginner-friendly layout, accessible design, and lower learning curve.
SE Ranking offers an online help center and responsive live chat and email support, often praised for quick and helpful replies.
It also provides a knowledge base, video tutorials, webinars, and a blog covering SEO best practices.
New users on Pro and Business plans also benefit from customer success support, onboarding guidance, and training, making it easy to get started and troubleshoot common issues.
Ahrefs provides support primarily through live chat, email, and a detailed help center. It maintains a rich library of tutorials, case studies, and SEO guides.
The company focuses heavily on self-service education through its blog and YouTube channel, with in-depth content aimed at intermediate and advanced users.
SE Ranking wins.
It offers faster support options and more beginner-friendly onboarding resources.
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Beginner-friendly interface with a low learning curve
Competitive pricing and flexible plans
Comprehensive SEO tools
Additional marketing features like social media management and lead generation
Responsive customer support with live chat and onboarding resources
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Smaller backlink database compared to Ahrefs
Helpful AI features, but not very advanced
Less advanced technical SEO diagnostics
Industry-leading backlink database
Powerful competitor and keyword research tools
Deep technical SEO audits and advanced rank tracking
Extensive content research capabilities
Responsive customer support with live chat and onboarding resources
Higher pricing, with no free trial or free plan
Steeper learning curve, less beginner-friendly
Lacks additional marketing tools outside core SEO functions
The choice between SE Ranking and Ahrefs is quite simple:
Choose SE Ranking if you are a beginner, small business, or agency looking for an affordable SEO platform with easy-to-use tools and good support.
Opt for Ahrefs if you need advanced SEO data, large backlink databases, detailed competitor insights, and don’t mind the costs.
We actually use both tools in our workflow. SE Ranking for ongoing monitoring and content performance, and Ahrefs when we need to dig deep into competitive data and SEO strategy.
Ultimately, putting your specific needs, business goals, budget, and SEO prowess into consideration will help you pick the most suitable option.
Further read: SaaS SEO: A Complete Guide from My 10 Years of Experience
We use SE Ranking for ongoing monitoring, content performance, and its beginner-friendly tools - and you can try them too without spending a cent.
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Irina is a Founder at ONSAAS, Growth Lead at Aura, and a SaaS marketing consultant. She helps companies to grow their revenue with SEO and inbound marketing. In her spare time, Irina entertains her cat Persie and collects airline miles.
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