{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "ahrefs",
            "name": "Ahrefs",
            "kind": "web",
            "website": "https://ahrefs.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/ahrefs",
            "tagline": "SEO toolset for backlinks, keyword research and site audits",
            "summary": "Ahrefs is a subscription SEO platform built on its own web index. It covers backlink analysis, keyword research, rank tracking and site audits, and it has added tracking of brand visibility in AI answers.",
            "platforms": [
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free Ahrefs tool alongside paid subscription plans",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Large proprietary web index behind most tools",
                "Backlinks, keywords, rank tracking and audits in one suite",
                "Free Ahrefs option alongside the paid plans"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Full access requires a paid subscription",
                "Broad suite with a learning curve for newcomers"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Ahrefs runs its own crawler and keeps a proprietary index of web pages and links, and most of its tools read from that index. Site Explorer shows the backlinks and organic keywords of any domain, Keywords Explorer shows what people search for, and Rank Tracker follows positions for the keywords you choose. Site Audit crawls your own site and lists technical problems.\n\nAhrefs sells subscription plans that scale with the number of projects, reports and tracked keywords. A separate free offer, Ahrefs Free, sits alongside the paid plans. The company also runs a Learn Ahrefs help center and an Academy, which helps newer SEO staff use the suite."
        },
        {
            "slug": "semrush",
            "name": "Semrush",
            "kind": "web",
            "website": "https://www.semrush.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/semrush",
            "tagline": "SEO, competitor research and AI search visibility in one platform",
            "summary": "Semrush is a subscription marketing platform for SEO and related channels. It covers keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, site audits and backlink analysis, and it tracks how brands appear in AI search answers.",
            "platforms": [
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free plan for trying the platform; SEO plan from $139 a month",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Large traffic and keyword dataset",
                "Site audits, rank tracking and backlinks in one app",
                "Free plan for trying the platform"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Costs rise quickly as keyword counts grow",
                "Many modules take time to learn"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Semrush offers keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, technical site audits and backlink analysis in one web app. The company describes its data as a large traffic, visibility and market dataset. Newer plans track brand visibility in AI answers, with custom prompt monitoring and AI visibility reports for any domain.\n\nSemrush has a free plan for trying the platform, with one demo project and limited reports. Its SEO plan is priced at $139 a month when billed monthly, with a lower rate on annual billing. Higher tiers add more keywords, sites and tracked prompts. The company also sells social, advertising and PR tools, so it suits teams that run more than SEO."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "seo-tools",
            "name": "SEO tools",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/seo-tools",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "ahrefs",
                    "rank": 1,
                    "score": 94.5,
                    "verdict": "Its own web index drives the strongest backlink and keyword data in this list, with Site Audit and rank tracking in one suite. Full access needs a paid subscription, and the cost rises with projects.",
                    "best_for": "Backlink and keyword research for serious SEO teams",
                    "spec": {
                        "data_source": "Proprietary web index",
                        "site_audit": "Site Audit crawler",
                        "rank_tracking": "Rank Tracker"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "semrush",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 93.5,
                    "verdict": "Broad data and many tools, with a free plan for trying the platform. It covers more marketing channels than most SEO-only tools, but its SEO plans cost more and the interface takes time to learn.",
                    "best_for": "Marketing teams that want SEO and AI visibility in one tool",
                    "spec": {
                        "data_source": "Traffic and keyword dataset",
                        "site_audit": "Site Audit and site health",
                        "rank_tracking": "Position tracking with daily keyword quotas"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "ahrefs",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}