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Cheaper alternatives to Ahrefs
Updated September 30, 2026 · Researched by the SaveStack team
On this page: Shortlist · Quick comparison · FAQ
The shortlist
KeySearch
Keyword research and SEO toolkit with a beginner-friendly interface; Starter includes 200 daily searches, 80 rank-tracker keywords, and 2,000 site audits/month.
- $240/year annual plan — $108 less than Ahrefs Starter
- First month free, no commitment
- Simple, beginner-friendly interface
- 200 daily search limit on Starter
- Smaller data scope than Ahrefs
- Fewer advanced competitive-analysis features
Screaming Frog SEO SpiderBest valueFree plan
Desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits covering redirects, metadata, hreflang, and sitemaps; free version crawls 500 URLs with no sign-up.
- Free version crawls 500 URLs with no sign-up
- Deep technical audit data (redirects, metadata, hreflang, sitemaps)
- Paid licence (about €245/yr) still cheaper than Ahrefs
- Free version capped at 500 URLs per crawl
- Desktop app only — no cloud dashboards
- No keyword research or backlink database
Google Search Console
Google's own free tool for monitoring search performance, indexing, and site issues, including URL inspection, sitemaps, and Core Web Vitals reports. No paid tier exists.
- Completely free with no paid tier
- Performance data straight from Google's index
- URL inspection, sitemaps, and Core Web Vitals reports
- Only covers websites you verify ownership of
- No keyword difficulty or competitor backlink data
- Limited historical data versus paid SEO suites
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | You save | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs (the expensive one) | $29/month (Starter) | — | — | Teams that need every bell and whistle |
| KeySearch | $24/month or $240/year (Starter) | — | Save $108/year | Bloggers and small businesses doing keyword research on a budget. |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Free version ($0, 500 URLs per crawl) | Yes | Save $348/year | SEOs who need free technical site audits and broken-link checks. |
| Google Search Console | Free ($0) | Yes | Save $348/year | Website owners who want Google's own search performance data for free. |
Pricing sources: each vendor's official pricing page, last checked September 30, 2026.
FAQ
Why switch away from Ahrefs? Price. If you only use 20% of the features, paying the full sticker price rarely makes sense. For Ahrefs specifically, switching to Screaming Frog SEO Spider saves $348/year versus Ahrefs's sticker price.
Are cheaper tools worse? Not necessarily. Most alternatives above cover the core workflow; the Cons lists tell you exactly what you'd give up (usually enterprise extras like SSO, advanced admin, or dedicated support).
Can I switch back later? Yes. Most of these have free plans or trials, so you can test before committing.
Prices checked September 30, 2026 and may have changed. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page.