The essentials
- Free account: Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) gives access to Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics, only on sites you prove you own.
- Limits: 5,000 crawl credits per project per month, 1,000 backlinks and keywords visible at a time, no competitor analysis.
- Open tools: 17 free tools, including the Backlink Checker (top 20 links) and the SERP Checker (top 10).
- Paid: Starter at €27 per month, Lite at €119 (5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 1 user), checked on 16/10/2026.
“Ahrefs for free” covers two separate things: a free account that analyses your own sites in depth, and a set of open tools that give a limited overview of any site. Neither lets you monitor a competitor over time or track rankings: that is precisely what the subscription sells. This article sets out what is offered in October 2026, based on Ahrefs’ official pages, what remains paid, and the free alternatives. To compare Ahrefs with its direct competitor, see Semrush or Ahrefs: the comparison in figures.
The free account on your verified sites
The offer formerly called Ahrefs Webmaster Tools now appears on the pricing page as “Ahrefs Free”. It works on a simple principle: you prove that the site belongs to you, and Ahrefs opens up its data on that site. Verification is done through Google Search Console (connecting your Google account, with automatic verification if the site is already verified there), an HTML file uploaded to the root, a TXT record in the DNS or a meta tag on the home page.
| Free module | What it does | Stated limit (checked on 16/10/2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Site Audit | Analyses more than 170 technical and on-page issues, tracks a health score over time | 5,000 crawl credits per project per month (one HTML page with status 200 uses one credit) |
| Site Explorer | Pages and keywords that bring organic traffic, sites linking to you | Up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords visible at a time |
| Web Analytics | Audience measurement without personal data by default (sources, pages, countries, browsers) | Up to 1 million events per project |
| AI Content Helper | AI-assisted writing aid | 1 free document per month |
| Social Media Manager | Post scheduling (in beta) | Unlimited channels and posts |
| Verified sites | Number of sites you can connect | Unlimited |
For an SME site of a few hundred pages, 5,000 credits are enough for a full crawl every month. The free Site Explorer shows your inbound links and the keywords you rank for; it is a good complement to Search Console, which only gives a sample of links. The analysis method is described in auditing the links to your site.
Free SEO tools open to everyone
Without an account or verification, Ahrefs offers 17 free tools split into four families. The page states that they are “limited compared to a paid Ahrefs account”.
| Family | Tools | Known limit |
|---|---|---|
| AI visibility | AI Visibility Checker, AI Mode Tracker, AI Overviews Tracker | Not specified |
| Keywords | Keyword Generator, Keyword Difficulty Checker, tools for YouTube, Amazon and Bing | Not specified |
| : these aren't outbound links as far as GA4 is concerned. Create triggers in | Backlink Checker, Broken Link Checker, Website Authority Checker | Backlink Checker: top 20 links of a site or page |
| Results and rankings | Website Traffic Checker, SERP Checker, Keyword Rank Checker | SERP Checker: top 10 for a query |
| Miscellaneous | XML sitemap generator, Website Change Monitor, SEO toolbar, AI writing tools | Not specified |
These tools are for one-off checks: estimating the authority of a partner site, glancing at a competitor’s 20 best links, checking a SERP. They do not replace regular monitoring.
What requires a subscription
Three uses remain paid: full analysis of a site you do not own (competitor, prospect, unverified agency client), rank tracking on a list of keywords, and history. The tiers checked on 16/10/2026 on the official pricing page, in euros:
| Tier | Listed price | Main limits |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Free | 0 € | Verified sites only |
| Starter | €27 per month | Presented for keyword research and competitor analysis; limits not detailed on the page |
| Lite | €119 per month | 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords, 1 user, 100,000 crawl credits, 6 months of history, 5 AI prompts |
| Standard | €229 per month | 20 projects, 2,000 keywords, 2 years of history |
| Advanced | €419 per month | 50 projects, 5,000 keywords, 5 years of history |
| Enterprise | €1,394 per month | Annual commitment |
The page states “up to 17% savings on annual billing” without specifying whether the amounts shown are monthly or annual. Each additional user costs €37.40 per month on Lite, and brand monitoring in AI (Brand Radar AI) is added from €179 per month. Ahrefs does not offer a classic free trial of the full offer: the €27 Starter serves as the entry point. The details of the differences with Semrush are in Semrush pricing in 2026.
Free alternatives
| Need | Free tool | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Rankings, clicks and queries for your site | Google Search Console | Your site only, real data but a sample of links |
| Search volumes | Google Keyword Planner | Volume ranges without an active campaign |
| Technical audit | Screaming Frog | 500 URLs in the free version |
| Competitive data | Semrush Free | 1 demo project, 10 reports per day; see Semrush for free |
| French-language keywords and sites | Haloscan Free | 50 keyword searches and 25 site analyses per month |
| Rank tracking | Monitorank | 10 keywords free for life |
Combined, the Ahrefs Free account, Search Console and Screaming Frog cover the essentials of auditing your own site. What no free solution provides on a lasting basis is competitive monitoring and rank tracking on several dozen keywords. Other options are compared in the alternatives to Semrush.
When an all-in-one tool is a better fit
Ahrefs is a suite for SEO specialists, and its strength remains its link index: its stated history exceeds 35 trillion backlinks. A consultant or agency doing link building finds there what no other tool provides. An SME manager who wants to know whether their marketing pays off has a different need: bringing together SEO, traffic, Google Ads campaigns, social media, the Google listing and visibility in AI, then knowing what to do.
| Need | Ahrefs Lite | GreenRed Pilotage |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €119 per month | €69 excl. VAT per month (€57.50 excl. VAT on annual billing), 14-day trial with no card |
| SEO rank tracking | 750 keywords | Included |
| Backlinks | Comprehensive index and history | Backlinks for your site and your competitors, without Ahrefs’ comprehensive index or history |
| Site health | Crawl, 100,000 credits | Crawl, speed, RGAA and WCAG accessibility |
| Visibility in AI | 5 prompts, Brand Radar AI from €179 extra | 10 tracked questions on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Mistral |
| Google Ads, social media, Google listing, GA4 or Matomo | No | Yes, in the same dashboard |
| Action plan | SEO recommendations | Prioritised plan of more than 50 checks, editorial calendar, Maïa AI assistant |
Ahrefs will always go further on links and keyword data; GreenRed covers far more channels for a lower price. The choice depends on the question you ask each week. The full comparison is in GreenRed against Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz and HubSpot.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEO keyword tracking brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ahrefs free?
Partly. The Ahrefs Free account (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) is free and gives access to Site Audit, Site Explorer and Web Analytics on sites you prove you own. Open tools (Backlink Checker, SERP Checker, Keyword Generator) also exist, with truncated results. Competitor analysis and rank tracking are paid.
How do you get Ahrefs Webmaster Tools?
Create a free account then verify your site, either by connecting Google Search Console, or by uploading an HTML file to the root, adding a TXT record in the DNS or a meta tag on the home page. The number of verified sites is unlimited.
Does Ahrefs offer a free trial?
There is no classic trial of the full offer in October 2026. The paid entry point is the Starter plan at €27 per month; the Lite plan, which includes 5 projects and 750 tracked keywords, costs €119 per month (checked on 16/10/2026).
What are the limits of the free Backlink Checker?
It shows the 20 best backlinks of a site or page. For your own verified site, the Site Explorer in the free account shows up to 1,000 backlinks at a time. A competitor’s full index and link history require a subscription.
What free alternative to Ahrefs is there?
Google Search Console for your real rankings and clicks, Google Keyword Planner for volumes, Screaming Frog (500 URLs) for auditing, Semrush Free (10 reports per day) or Haloscan Free for an overview of competitors. None provides competitive monitoring on a lasting basis.