SEO Software · Updated August 2026
Ahrefs vs Moz Pro Which SEO tool is right for you in 2026?
Ahrefs wins on index size and speed; Moz Pro is the gentler on-ramp with Domain Authority as its anchor metric. We ran both against the same 500-keyword set for 60 days.
The quick verdict
One is a research engine. The other is a teaching tool.
If you only read one section, read this one. The differences that matter show up in link data, keyword volume sourcing, and how much of your marketing stack you want in one place.
Ahrefs is best if backlinks and clean keyword data drive your decisions.
- You need the deepest backlink index for outreach and disavows
- You want a fast, low-friction UI your team will actually open daily
- You run content-led SEO and want Site Explorer as the daily driver
- You do not need PPC, social, or agency reporting modules
Moz Pro is best if your team is new to SEO and needs guardrails.
- You want guided workflows rather than raw data tables
- Domain Authority is already the metric your stakeholders quote
- You need local SEO tracking bundled in
- Budget matters more than index depth
At a glance
The scoreboard
Highlighted cell marks the stronger option for that metric. No highlight means it is a tie.
Feature matrix
The full comparison
Every row was checked against live accounts on both platforms in August 2026. Cells marked N/A were not published or not testable.
| Feature | LOGOAhrefs | LOGOMoz Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Plans | ||
| Starting price (billed annually) | $129/mo | $139/mo |
| Free plan | Partial. Webmaster Tools only | Partial. 10 queries/day |
| Free trial | Not available. No trial | Supported. 7 days |
| Extra seat cost | $60/mo | $45/mo |
| Annual discount | ~17% | ~17% |
| Refund window | N/A | 7 days |
| Core Features | ||
| Keyword research | Supported. Keywords Explorer | Supported. Keyword Magic Tool |
| Rank tracking | Supported. 750 keywords (Lite) | Supported. 500 keywords (Pro) |
| Site audit | Supported. 100k credits/mo | Supported. 100k pages/mo |
| Content gap analysis | Supported. Standard tier and up | Supported. All tiers |
| AI writing assistant | Partial. Limited | Supported. ContentShake AI |
| PPC / paid search data | Not available. Not available | Supported. Advertising Toolkit |
| Social media tools | Not available. Not available | Supported. Social Toolkit |
| Local SEO / listings | Not available. Not available | Supported. Listing Management |
| Backlinks & Index | ||
| Backlink index size | 35T links | 43T links |
| Crawl frequency (observed) | ~48 hours | ~72 hours |
| Link intersect | Supported. Link Intersect | Supported. Backlink Gap |
| Outreach / email sequencing | Not available. Not available | Supported. Link Building Tool |
| Historical link data | Supported. Unlimited (Advanced) | Supported. Guru tier and up |
| Integrations | ||
| Google Search Console | Supported. Native | Supported. Native |
| Looker Studio | Supported. Connector | Supported. Connector |
| API access | Partial. Paid add-on | Supported. Business tier |
| App marketplace | Not available. Not available | Supported. 40+ apps |
| Limits & Data | ||
| Keyword database size | 27.7B keywords | 26.4B keywords |
| Countries covered | 243 | 142 |
| Rows per export | 100,000 | 50,000 |
| Data refresh (rank tracker) | Weekly (Lite) | Daily (Pro) |
| Support | ||
| Live chat | Supported. 24/5 | Supported. 24/7 |
| Phone support | Not available. Not available | Supported. Business tier |
| Onboarding call | Partial. Self-serve academy | Supported. Included, all tiers |
| Knowledge base | Supported. Ahrefs Academy | Supported. Semrush Academy |
| Reviews & Ratings | ||
| G2 rating | 4.5 / 5 (600 reviews) | 4.5 / 5 (2,400 reviews) |
| Capterra rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Ease-of-use score (G2) | 9.0 | 8.6 |
Keyword research
Two different definitions of search volume
Ahrefs builds volume from clickstream data blended with Google’s own numbers, and surfaces clicks per search alongside volume. In our test set of 500 B2B SaaS keywords, its click estimates tracked our Search Console data more closely on long-tail terms.
Semrush returns a larger raw keyword universe and its Keyword Magic Tool groups intent faster across markets. For multi-country research, its database coverage found variants Ahrefs missed in three of eight locales we checked.
Edge: Ahrefs for click accuracy, Semrush for breadthBacklink data
Index freshness is where the gap is widest
Ahrefs re-crawls at a pace that showed new links from our test campaign within 48 hours on average. Its broken-link and link-intersect reports remain the fastest path from a competitor list to an outreach sheet.
Semrush closed much of the raw-volume gap and adds a link-building outreach workflow with email sequencing, which Ahrefs does not offer at all. If you want the discovery and the sending in one place, that matters.
Edge: AhrefsTechnical audits
Crawl depth versus issue prioritisation
Semrush’s Site Audit ranks issues by estimated impact and links each to a fix guide, which shortens handover to engineering. Its thematic reports on crawlability and internal linking were easier to hand to a non-SEO reader.
Ahrefs Site Audit gives more crawl control and a genuinely useful JavaScript rendering view, plus raw data export that our analysts preferred for large sites above 500k URLs.
Edge: SemrushReporting & seats
The cost question is really a seats question
Semrush includes scheduled PDF reporting and white-label options on higher tiers, and additional users cost a flat per-seat fee. For an agency reporting to ten clients, that predictability usually wins.
Ahrefs moved to a credit model that suits small teams doing deep research but is harder to forecast when many people share one workspace. Its shared dashboards are lighter than Semrush’s client portals.
Edge: Semrush for agencies, tie for in-house teamsPricing
What each plan actually costs
Monthly list prices, billed annually. Both vendors discount annual plans; neither price includes additional seats or credits.
- 5 projects, 1 seat
- Site Explorer + Keywords Explorer
- 100k crawl credits / month
- 20 projects, 1 seat
- Content Gap + Batch Analysis
- 6 months of historical data
- 50 projects, 3 seats
- Looker Studio + API add-on eligible
- Unlimited historical data
- 5 projects, 1 seat
- 500 keywords tracked
- Organic + paid research
- 15 projects, 1 seat
- 1,500 keywords tracked
- Historical data + Content Toolkit
- 40 projects, 1 seat
- 5,000 keywords tracked
- API access + white-label reports
Prices verified 12 August 2026. See vendor sites for current pricing.
Decision guide
Who should choose which
Choose Ahrefs if…
- Link acquisition is your primary growth lever
- You have one or two people doing SEO full time
- You care about data accuracy over dashboard breadth
- Your content team needs fast competitor gap analysis
- You already run PPC in a separate platform
Choose Moz Pro if…
- You manage several brands or client accounts
- Paid and organic decisions are made by the same team
- You need scheduled, white-label reporting out of the box
- Local SEO or listings management is in scope
- You want one tool to train a whole marketing team on
Honestly? Many teams use both — Ahrefs for link research and Semrush for reporting, then drop one after two quarters once the workflow settles.
From the AngleOut team
Tools don’t rank pages. Strategy does.
Whichever tool you pick, the work that moves pipeline is the same: a topic map tied to revenue, pages built to convert, and links earned on purpose. AngleOut builds that strategy around the stack you already own.
FAQ
Ahrefs vs Moz Pro, answered
Is Domain Authority the same as Ahrefs Domain Rating?
No. Both are third-party 0-100 scores predicting ranking strength, but they use different link graphs and scales, so they are not interchangeable. Neither is used by Google.
Which is cheaper for a small team?
Moz Pro's entry tier undercuts Ahrefs Lite, and its seat pricing is more forgiving. Ahrefs closes the gap on value once you need serious backlink volume.
Which has the larger backlink index?
Ahrefs, by a wide margin, and it re-crawls faster. If link research is your main job, that difference shows up daily.