An Ahrefs alternative that does not run out of credits
Ahrefs is respected for its backlink data. Its paid plans start at $129 a month for Lite, with 1,000 credits per user, which can run out in a busy month. If you mainly need research and tracking for your own sites, you can pay for what you use.
Ahrefs prices checked on 3 November 2026 against its own pricing page. Plans change, so confirm before you buy.
- Ahrefs Lite is $129 a month, with 750 tracked keywords and 6 months of history. Auditmatic starts at $5 a month, with published lookup prices.
- Ahrefs includes API and MCP access from Lite. Auditmatic includes agent access from its $5 plan, plus a free audit and a free fix prompt.
- Choose Ahrefs if backlink depth and long history decide your work. Choose Auditmatic if an agent does the work and you want a small bill.
Ahrefs and Auditmatic, side by side.
| Ahrefs | Auditmatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest full plan | $129 a month (Lite) | $5 a month |
| Agent (MCP) access | From Lite, $129 | Every paid plan |
| Usage limit | 1,000 credits per user on Lite | Lookups at published prices |
| Free audit, no signup | Free plan, signup needed | Yes, 200+ checks |
| One prompt to fix findings | Not listed | Yes, free with an account |
| AI visibility tracking | Brand Radar add-on from $199 | Included on every paid plan |
What Ahrefs costs.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 a month | Entry plan with a trial link on the page |
| Lite | $129 a month | 1,000 credits per user, 750 tracked keywords, 5 projects, 6 months of history, API and MCP |
| Standard | $249 a month | Unlimited credits per user, 2,000 keywords, 20 projects, 2 years of history |
| Advanced | $449 a month | Unlimited credits, 5,000 keywords, 50 projects, 5 years of history |
| Enterprise | $1,499 a month | Yearly commitment, uncapped API access |
Extra users on Lite are $40 each, up to 2. Brand Radar, Ahrefs's AI visibility add-on, starts at $199 a month. Ahrefs says paying yearly saves up to 17%. Lite alone comes to $1,548 a year when paid monthly, before any extra users or add-ons.
What the same work costs on Auditmatic.
A plan includes lookups worth its price or more, and each lookup is priced from the cost of the data it pulls. Here are three monthly workloads, priced with the real unit prices.
| Workload | Lookups used | Auditmatic plan |
|---|---|---|
| One site, light research40 keyword searches, 10 backlink checks, 0 AI answers (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI), 25 keywords tracked weekly | $3.07 a month | Starter, $5 a monthincludes $5 of lookups |
| A growing site100 keyword searches, 30 backlink checks, 200 AI answers (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI), 100 keywords tracked weekly | $8.89 a month | Pro, $9 a monthincludes $10 of lookups |
| Several sites400 keyword searches, 100 backlink checks, 500 AI answers (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI), 200 keywords tracked weekly | $31.18 a month | Agency, $29 a monthincludes $35 of lookups |
Ahrefs's plans include limits these workloads do not use, so the comparison is on price for the same jobs, not on every feature. See the full pricing page to estimate your own month.
Where each one is stronger.
Ahrefs is stronger at
- History: 6 months on Lite, up to 5 years on Advanced.
- Far more tracked keywords and projects as you move up.
- Backlink and keyword data from Ahrefs's own crawler and database.
- Report Builder, extra users and a large add-on catalogue.
Auditmatic is stronger at
- The price: $5 to start against $129, with every lookup at a published price.
- AI visibility is included, not a $199 add-on.
- A free audit and a free fix prompt for your agent.
- Lookup prices are published, you can estimate a month before paying, and you top up from $5.
What Auditmatic does not have
- Auditmatic's backlink data is licensed, not from its own crawler.
- No multi-year history. Tracking starts when you set it up.
- No Report Builder or white-label reports yet.
Choose Ahrefs if backlink research is your core job, or you need years of history and many projects.
Questions, answered.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Ahrefs?
For a few sites, yes. Auditmatic starts at $5 a month and includes $5 of data lookups. Ahrefs's Lite plan is $129 a month with a credit limit.
Does Ahrefs work with AI agents?
Yes. Ahrefs lists API and MCP access from its Lite plan. Auditmatic includes agent access on every paid plan, including the $5 one.
Does Auditmatic have a free option?
The audit and the fix prompt are free. Data tools start at $5 a month.
Is the backlink data as good?
Ahrefs runs its own crawler and has a large, long-running index, so for deep backlink research it has the edge. Auditmatic uses licensed data from DataForSEO, which is enough for most site owners.
See what your agent can fix.
Audit your site free, with no account. Plans start at $5 a month.