7 Best Free Ahrefs Alternatives
$99/month is steep when you use 20% of the features. Here are 7 genuinely useful free alternatives — tested in real client work, not a paid listicle.
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Why Look for a Free Ahrefs Alternative?
Ahrefs is the industry standard for SEO professionals — and the pricing reflects it. Plans start at $99/month for the Lite plan, $199 for Standard, and $399 for Advanced. For most solo consultants, startups, and small agencies, that's overkill.
The truth: if you only need backlinks, keyword research, or site audits (not all three in one place), free alternatives will cover 80-90% of what Ahrefs does. The key is knowing which tool to use for which job.
This guide covers the 7 genuinely useful free alternatives — tested on real client projects, not just reviewed from their marketing pages.
The 7 Best Free Ahrefs Alternatives
1. Google Search Console — Best for Real Performance Data
The only tool that shows data directly from Google. Impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, indexing status, Core Web Vitals — all for free, all official.
- Price: 100% free (forever)
- Covers from Ahrefs: Your real organic traffic, top keywords, technical issues
- Missing: Competitor data, bulk keyword research, SERP features
- Best for: Everyone (non-negotiable)
2. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) — Best for Your Own Backlinks
Ahrefs offers a free version for sites you own. You verify your domain (via GSC), and get access to real Ahrefs backlink data, site audit, and organic keywords — just limited to your own properties.
- Price: Free (verified sites only)
- Covers from Ahrefs: Backlink profile, site audit (10K pages/month), organic keywords
- Missing: Competitor analysis, content explorer, historical data
- Best for: Site owners wanting real Ahrefs-quality backlink data
3. Screaming Frog (Free) — Best for Technical SEO
The industry-standard site crawler. Free version crawls up to 500 URLs — more than enough for most small-to-medium sites. Finds broken links, duplicate content, missing schema, redirect chains.
- Price: Free (500 URLs), £199/year unlimited
- Covers from Ahrefs: Site audit, technical SEO checks
- Missing: Backlinks, keyword research (it's a crawler, not an SEO suite)
- Best for: Pre-launch audits, migration checks, technical diagnostics
Compare: Screaming Frog vs Semrush
4. ChatSEO — Best AI-Powered Alternative
A conversational SEO assistant that replaces many Ahrefs workflows with natural language. Ask for a backlink analysis, keyword research, site audit, or content brief — get results instantly, no dashboards to learn.
- Price: Free tier available, paid from $29/mo
- Covers from Ahrefs: Most research workflows, audits, keyword expansion
- Missing: Raw backlink database (doesn't crawl the web like Ahrefs)
- Best for: Non-technical marketers, fast-moving consultants, AI-first workflows
5. Ubersuggest (Free Tier) — Best for Quick Keyword Ideas
Neil Patel's tool offers 3 free searches per day, covering keyword research, basic site audit, traffic estimation, and top-page analysis. Enough for light research.
- Price: Free (3 searches/day), paid from $29/mo
- Covers from Ahrefs: Keyword ideas, basic domain overview, top pages
- Missing: Deep backlink data, historical trends, SERP features
- Best for: Content writers, bloggers, bootstrapped startups
Compare: Ahrefs vs Ubersuggest
6. Mangools (Free Trial) — Best User-Friendliness
Not fully free, but the 10-day free trial + simplest UI in the industry makes it a strong "try before you commit" option. Includes KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, SiteProfiler.
- Price: 10-day free trial, paid from $29/mo
- Covers from Ahrefs: Keyword research, SERP analysis, basic backlinks
- Missing: No permanent free tier
- Best for: Beginners who want the cleanest UI
Compare: Mangools vs Ahrefs
7. Moz Free Link Explorer + Bing Webmaster Tools — Best Free Backlink Combo
Moz Free Link Explorer shows up to 10 backlinks per query with Domain Authority scores. Bing Webmaster Tools provides backlink data for Bing's index — different coverage than Google but still valuable.
- Price: Both 100% free
- Covers from Ahrefs: Basic backlink analysis, Domain Authority, some SERP data
- Missing: Depth of data (Ahrefs has 30+ trillion links, Moz a fraction)
- Best for: Quick backlink checks, Bing-heavy niches
Feature Comparison: Free Ahrefs Alternatives
| Tool | Backlinks | Keywords | Site Audit | Competitor | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Own site only | Own ranked | ✓ | ✗ | Free |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | ✓ (own) | ✓ (own) | ✓ | ✗ | Free |
| Screaming Frog Free | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (500 URLs) | ✗ | Free |
| ChatSEO | AI analysis | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Free + $29/mo |
| Ubersuggest Free | Limited | 3/day | Limited | Limited | Free |
| Mangools | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | 10-day trial |
| Moz Free Link Explorer | ✓ (limited) | ✗ | ✗ | Basic | Free |
The Free SEO Stack That Replaces 80% of Ahrefs
For Solo Consultants & Freelancers
- Research: ChatSEO Free + Ubersuggest Free
- Technical: Screaming Frog Free + Google Search Console
- Backlinks: Ahrefs Webmaster Tools + Moz Free Link Explorer
- Monthly cost: $0
For Small Agencies
- Research: ChatSEO Paid ($29) + Mangools ($29)
- Technical: Screaming Frog Paid (£199/yr)
- Backlinks: Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (for client sites after verification)
- Monthly cost: ~$75
See our SEO tools for startups and best free SEO tools guides for more context.
When Is Ahrefs Actually Worth $99/mo?
I recommend paying for Ahrefs when:
- You're actively analyzing competitor backlink profiles weekly (AWT only covers your own)
- You do broken link building at scale (Ahrefs has the best link index)
- You work on very large sites (1M+ URLs) needing bulk crawling
- You need historical backlink data (who lost a link, when)
If none of the above apply, stick with the free stack. You'll save $1,200/year.
FAQ — Free Ahrefs Alternatives
Is there a completely free version of Ahrefs?
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) is the official free version — limited to sites you verify ownership of. For competitor analysis, there's no free Ahrefs, but ChatSEO + Ubersuggest + Moz cover most use cases.
Can I use Google Search Console instead of Ahrefs?
For your own site's performance data (queries, clicks, indexing), yes — GSC is actually better than Ahrefs because it's Google's own data. For competitor analysis or broad keyword research, no.
What's the best free alternative for backlink analysis?
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (real Ahrefs data, own sites only) + Moz Free Link Explorer (10 backlinks/query, any domain). For AI-powered analysis, ChatSEO.
How does Semrush compare to Ahrefs alternatives?
Semrush is the main paid alternative (not free). See our Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison or free Semrush alternatives.
Is Ubersuggest really a good free Ahrefs alternative?
For keyword research at small scale (3 daily searches), yes. For deep backlink analysis or site audits at scale, Ubersuggest's data is thinner than Ahrefs. It's great for content writers, not for SEO agencies.
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