Ahrefs vs Moz
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: In-house SEO and content teams at mid-size to large companies that need reliable backlink, keyword, and rank data to guide ongoing organic strategy, Digital marketing agencies managing SEO for multiple clients who need competitive research, audits, and reporting in one platform
Read the full Ahrefs reviewBest for: In-house marketers who need one consolidated toolkit for keyword research, audits, rank tracking, and link analysis on a single site, SEO agencies that need scalable client reporting plus high-volume rank tracking through STAT
Read the full Moz reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Ahrefs vs Moz: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Moz if
- You prefer simple monthly or per-seat billing.
Ahrefs vs Moz: pros and cons
Ahrefs
Ahrefs pairs one of the industry's freshest crawl indexes with tools that cover the whole SEO workflow, from keyword research to audits, plus tracking for AI search visibility. It's powerful but pricey at the top tiers, and beginners face a learning curve. Overall, it's a top pick for teams that treat organic search as a core channel.
Pros
- Backed by one of the industry's largest and most frequently refreshed crawl indexes, so keyword and backlink data reflects current search conditions rather than stale snapshots
- Covers the full SEO workflow — research, auditing, rank tracking, and link analysis — in a single subscription instead of requiring several specialized tools
- Extends into AI search visibility, giving marketers insight into how their brand appears in AI-generated answers as discovery behavior shifts
Cons
- Pricing scales steeply — plans range from free up to $2024/month — which puts full feature access out of reach for solo marketers and very small businesses
- The depth of data and number of tools creates a real learning curve; beginners often need weeks of practice before using the platform efficiently
- Usage-based and per-seat billing elements mean costs can grow with team size and data consumption, complicating budgeting
Moz
Moz bundles keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and link analysis into one subscription, and its Domain Authority metric is still an industry touchstone. STAT adds rare high-volume rank tracking, but costs climb fast and backlink data trails some rivals. Overall, it's a solid pick for teams that value consolidated reporting.
Pros
- Covers the full SEO workflow — keyword research, technical auditing, rank tracking, on-page optimization, and link analysis — in one Moz Pro subscription rather than requiring multiple point tools
- Domain Authority and Brand Authority are widely recognized industry benchmarks, making client reporting and competitive comparisons easier to communicate
- STAT handles rank tracking at a scale (hundreds of thousands to millions of keywords) that most all-in-one platforms cannot match
Cons
- Higher-tier plans become expensive quickly, which can strain small businesses and solo consultants who only need a subset of features
- Some competitors offer fresher or larger backlink indexes, so link data may lag behind dedicated tools like Ahrefs or Semrush
- The product lineup is split across Moz Pro, STAT, and Moz Local, so buyers needing all three capabilities face multiple subscriptions and costs
Ahrefs and Moz in detail
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a cloud-based SEO and marketing intelligence platform. It crawls the web continuously to build indexes of backlinks, keywords, search rankings, and site structure, then surfaces that data through a suite of tools: Site Explorer for competitor and backlink research, Keywords Explorer for search demand analysis, Site Audit for technical health checks, Rank Tracker for monitoring positions, and content and brand monitoring capabilities that extend into AI-driven search visibility. It positions itself as an always-on data analyst for SEO, content, and brand teams.
Standout features
- Site Explorer and Backlink Intelligence
- Keywords Explorer and Search Demand Data
- Site Audit and Technical SEO
- Rank Tracker and Performance Monitoring
- AI Search and Brand Visibility
Use cases
- Competitive Research for Agencies
- Content Strategy and Topic Selection
- Technical SEO Audits
- Link Building Campaigns
Moz
Moz is a suite of SEO and digital marketing tools. Moz Pro bundles keyword research, rank tracking, site crawling and auditing, on-page optimization, and link analysis into a single subscription.
STAT is a high-volume rank tracker built for agencies and enterprises that monitor thousands or millions of keywords. Moz Local manages business listings, citations, and reputation across directories for multi-location brands.
Standout features
- Moz Pro: the all-in-one SEO toolkit
- STAT: enterprise-scale rank tracking
- Moz Local: listings and reputation management
- Proprietary metrics: Domain Authority and Brand Authority
Use cases
- Running ongoing SEO for a single business
- Managing SEO for an agency client portfolio
- Multi-location local SEO
- Link building and competitive research
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Ahrefs | Moz |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $20/mo Project Boost Pro | $99/mo Standard |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | FreeCheaper Ahrefs Free plan, billed monthly | $99/mo Standard plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $20/mo Project Boost Pro plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $99/mo Standard plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | $20/mo Project Boost Pro plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $99/mo Standard plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | $20/mo Project Boost Pro plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $99/mo Standard plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 8 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 16, 2026 | Checked Oct 15, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Sep 30, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Sep 30, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed monthly), Ahrefs costs $0/mo vs Moz at $99/mo.
- Only Ahrefs has a free plan.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.