Can I Use Ahrefs for Free? What to Expect and the Best Alternatives

You can use Ahrefs for free by signing up for the Ahrefs Free plan, which includes basic SEO tools for verified site owners.

Key Takeaways

Ahrefs offers a free plan (Ahrefs Free) with key SEO tools for verified site owners.
Free Ahrefs access is limited compared to paid versions; alternative tools may suit broader needs.
Rankwise provides citation tracking and expert-reviewed AI content, complementing SEO research tools.
Knowing when to invest in paid SEO tools depends on your site's goals and scale.
Comparing free and paid options helps small businesses maximize SEO ROI.

The free version is branded as Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) and offers essential features like site audits and backlink checks, but it doesn't provide full access to Ahrefs' paid toolset. For broader SEO needs or competitor research, consider alternative tools or upgrading to a paid plan.

How to Use Ahrefs for Free: Step-by-Step Guide

Setting up and using Ahrefs Free is straightforward. Here’s exactly how to unlock its no-cost SEO features for your own website:

Go to the Ahrefs Free sign-up page and create an account using your email address. No credit card is required, and there’s no expiry date for free access: “Free. Expiry date: None. Credit card required: No. Access: Limited, but permanent.” [source]
Verify your website ownership by connecting your domain. You can do this via Google Search Console, DNS record, or HTML file upload.
Access your Site Audit dashboard. Run your first crawl to identify SEO issues and technical problems.
Use the Site Explorer to analyze your site’s backlinks, referring domains, and anchor texts. As one user notes, you can “analyze backlinks” and “track organic keywords” directly with the free tools [source].
Track organic keyword rankings for your verified site. This helps you monitor performance and spot opportunities.
Explore limited keyword ideas in the Keyword Explorer. While full access is paid, free users can still look for new keywords within certain constraints.

Ahrefs Free keeps your access open indefinitely, so you can revisit these tools and reports anytime without worrying about losing data or facing a paywall.

What’s Included with Ahrefs Free (and What’s Not)

Ahrefs Free gives you permanent access to core SEO tools for your own verified sites, but restricts broader research and advanced analytics. Here’s what you get, and what you don’t:

Site Audit. You can crawl your verified site for technical SEO issues, with up to 5,000 crawl credits per project per month. This covers over 170 SEO issues and offers actionable advice for fixes. Some advanced issue types are only available on paid plans (source).
Backlink Data. Ahrefs Free shows all known backlinks for your site, including broken links and link type data (nofollow, UGC, sponsored). For competitor domains, you’re limited to the top 1,000 links (source).
Keyword and Traffic Metrics. View all known keywords driving traffic to your own domains, including SERP features and ranking stats. For non-verified sites, only the top 1,000 keywords are shown (source).
Project Limits. Ahrefs Free is only available for websites you verify ownership of. You cannot use advanced features like site comparison, content analysis, or full competitor research without a paid plan (source).
No Expiry or Credit Card. The free access is indefinite and doesn’t require payment details. As Ahrefs puts it, “You keep using it” (source).

Is Ahrefs Worth Paying For? When Free Isn’t Enough

Ahrefs Free gives you permanent, no-cost access to essential SEO data for your own verified sites, no credit card or expiry date required. For many small businesses, this is enough to monitor backlinks, track keywords, and catch SEO issues. As one user notes, you can “set up a free Ahrefs account, use it to improve your site’s SEO, and even look for new keywords for free” (Medium).

However, larger teams or agencies quickly hit the platform’s limits. Ahrefs Free restricts you to basic data for your own verified domains, with no access to full competitor research, advanced keyword tools, or large-scale site audits. The permanent free plan is ideal for owners managing one or two sites, but if you need to audit multiple domains, analyze competitors, or access deeper link data, the paid version becomes necessary (Ahrefs Free).

Best for: Small sites, solo founders, or those just starting with SEO
Limitations: No full access to competitive analysis or bulk reporting
Upgrading is essential when: You manage clients, multiple properties, or require advanced research and reporting features

Worked Example: Finding Backlink Opportunities with Ahrefs Free

Here’s how a small business founder can use Ahrefs Free to uncover actionable backlink prospects in under 15 minutes:

Sign up and connect your site: Register for a free Ahrefs account and verify ownership of your website using Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. This unlocks access to essential backlink data for your domain. As one user notes, "Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is a goldmine for site owners who want to get started without paying a dime" (source).
Open the Backlink Profile report: Navigate to the Backlink Profile tool for your verified site. Focus on the 'New' and 'Lost' backlinks tabs to spot recent changes and potential opportunities that competitors are leveraging.
Identify referring domains: Filter the list by DR (Domain Rating) to prioritize high-authority sites, then export the top 10–20 domains for outreach. Use the anchor text and context features to understand why those pages linked to your competitors.
Take action on link gaps: Compare your domain’s backlinks with a competitor by adding their URL in the 'Link Intersect' tool. This highlights websites linking to competitors but not to you, a fast way to find new prospects. "You can quickly see which domains are linking to your rivals but missing from your own profile" (source).
Plan personalized outreach: Create a shortlist of relevant domains and prepare tailored pitches, referencing the specific content or context where your competitor was mentioned.

Free Ahrefs Alternatives: How They Compare

Several free and subscription-based SEO tools offer unique features that address the limitations of Ahrefs Free, especially for small businesses using AI to optimize content and measure visibility. Here’s how some leading options, including Rankwise, compare across core capabilities:

Tool	Focus	Content Optimization	AI Visibility & Citations	Automation	Expert Review
Ahrefs Free	SEO audit and backlink checks for verified sites	Basic keyword/traffic data	Not designed for AI citation tracking	Manual reporting, no built-in automation	No expert review features
Rankwise tryrankwise.com	AI visibility and citation measurement for SEO teams	Automated content planning and optimization	Tracks AI citations and measures visibility in models	Automates publishing with technical fixes applied directly	Expert-reviewed content and remediation
Semrush	Comprehensive SEO and marketing suite	Keyword, competitor, and content tools	Traditional SERP visibility, not AI-specific	Workflow and reporting automations	Manual analysis and recommendations
Moz	SEO analytics and link research	Page optimization suggestions	Focus on search rankings, not AI-driven	Automated site audits	No built-in expert review
Surfer SEO	Content optimization with SERP analysis	AI-assisted content scoring and briefs	Does not measure AI model citations	Automated recommendations	No content review by experts

Rankwise stands out by measuring AI visibility and connecting every finding to an actionable site change: “Other tools tell you what is wrong. Rankwise turns every finding into the exact change: the JSON-LD, canonicals, robots rules, and llms.txt that AI crawlers actually read, as a before-and-after diff you can apply in minutes.”

FAQ: People Also Ask About Ahrefs Free

Can I use Ahrefs for free?

You can use Ahrefs for free through their Ahrefs Free plan, which is the updated name for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. This free account provides ongoing access to limited SEO features for verified websites, without requiring a credit card or an expiry date. “Access is limited, but permanent,” according to Ahrefs’ official site (source).

Is Ahrefs worth it?

For small business founders, the free version covers basic site audits, backlink checks, and keyword data. However, many advanced features, like full keyword research and content analysis, require a paid plan. One reviewer notes, “By the end, you’ll clearly understand how to leverage Ahrefs’ free tools,” but deep competitor analysis still needs upgrading (source).

Is there a free alternative to Ahrefs?

Yes, several SEO tools offer free versions for keyword research, backlink checks, and site audits. Ahrefs also maintains a collection of standalone free SEO tools, these are valuable but more limited than the main free account (source).

Who are Ahrefs' competitors?

Ahrefs competes with other all-in-one SEO platforms that offer site audits, keyword tracking, and backlink analysis. Features, pricing, and depth of data vary by provider. Always compare what’s included in the free tier before committing.

Free SEO Tool Options Compared

Option	What it is	Best suited to	Unique capability
Ahrefs Free	Limited version of Ahrefs for verified sites	Site owners seeking basic audits and backlink checks	Backlink analysis for owned domains
Rankwise	AI-powered platform for citation tracking and expert-reviewed content	Marketing teams aiming for AI visibility and citation wins	Citation measurement and AI content optimization