Compare Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Keywords Everywhere

What is Ahrefs and how does it compare to other SEO tools?

Ahrefs is an SEO platform best known for maintaining the world's largest index of live backlinks, with over 14 trillion indexed. While competitors like Semrush and Keywords Everywhere position themselves as comprehensive marketing suites, Ahrefs stays laser focused on SEO, offering keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and competitor analysis. Users tend to choose Ahrefs for its superior backlink indexing capabilities. Ahrefs competes directly with tools like Semrush, Keywords Everywhere and Moz, but its proprietary web crawler is second only to Google, giving it an edge in data freshness and accuracy for backlink intelligence.

Why do SEO professionals like Ahrefs

SEO professionals frequently cite Ahrefs' deep and accurate data on backlinks as their major strength, which help shape effective link building strategies. Its keyword research tools and clear competitor insights make it easier to identify opportunities for content optimization and traffic growth, and the platform's interface is widely regarded as intuitive compared with some rivals. Users also appreciate features like Site Explorer and detailed ranking reports that streamline analysis and campaign planning.

What are the biggest complaints about Ahrefs from real users?

The most common complaints center on Ahrefs high pricing and restrictive feature limitations - the $129/month Lite plan caps users at 500 reports monthly and 2,500 rows per report, while similarly priced competitors offer significantly higher limits style. Users also report slow data updates, with some noting it can take three months for the platform to reflect changes like removed backlinks. The interface's complexity presents another barrier - multiple reviewers note that training new employees to use the platform's full capabilities takes excessive time, making it challenging for teams without dedicated SEO expertise.

Sources: Capterra, Trust Pilot & G2

What is Semrush and how does it compare to other SEO tools?

Semrush is an all-in-one digital marketing platform specializing in SEO, keyword research, and competitive analysis. While competitors like Ahrefs, Keywords Everywhere and Moz offer similar SEO capabilities, Semrush distinguishes itself by bundling SEO tools with PPC advertising analysis, content marketing features, and social media management in a single platform. The platform maintains the highest organic traffic among SEO tools, attracting over 53 million monthly visits, and serves approximately 116,000 paying subscribers including 35% of Fortune 500 companies.

Why do SEO professionals like Semrush

SEO professionals value Semrush primarily for its comprehensive competitor intelligence and extensive keyword database. The platform provides detailed insights into competitors' paid and organic strategies, backlink profiles, and top performing content, while offering one of the largest keyword databases available for research. Users particularly appreciate the position tracking tool, which allows them to monitor rankings for important keywords, compare performance against competitors, and see which keywords appear in SERP features. The platform's ability to consolidate multiple marketing functions - from site audits to link building to PPC analysis - into one dashboard saves professionals from juggling multiple tools.

What are the biggest complaints about Semrush from real users?

The most frequent complaints center on pricing complexity, steep learning curves, and data accuracy concerns. Users criticize Semrush's high subscription costs, particularly noting that all plans include only one user account and that key features are locked behind expensive tiers or require additional paid add-ons. Multiple reviewers report frustration with the platform's overwhelming interface that requires extensive training to navigate effectively, with some describing it as needing "a degree in Semrush" to fully utilize its features.

Sources: Capterra, Trust Pilot & G2

Why do SEO professionals like Keywords Everywhere

SEO professionals value Keywords Everywhere primarily for its speed and efficiency, as it quickly provides essential data like monthly search volume, related terms, and competitor insights without switching between tools. The extension provides real time data directly on Google, YouTube, Amazon and other sites, saving time and allowing for quick decision making while users browse. The tool's low cost annual pricing is frequently described as affordable for bloggers, small businesses and creators.

What are the biggest complaints about Keywords Everywhere

The most common complaint is that credits expire after 12 months, meaning any unused credits are lost. The tool only works within Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers, limiting workflow flexibility for users who work across mobile devices.