Ahrefs vs SpyFu
Ahrefs
ahrefs.com
SpyFu
spyfu.comSide by side
| Figure | Ahrefs | SpyFu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $29/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 9 |
| Spec score · Competitor SEO Tools | 9.1 (#1) | 7.9 (#21) |
| Spec score · SEO tools | 9.2 (#7) | 8.6 (#21) |
| Spec score · SEO Analytics Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.8 (#22) |
| Spec score · AI SEO Software | 9.2 (#1) | 7.7 (#22) |
| Spec score · Search Engine Optimization Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.8 (#18) |
| Spec score · Backlink Analysis Tools | 9.2 (#1) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Spec score · SEO APIs | 9.2 (#1) | 7.7 (#16) |
| Spec score · Paid Search Intelligence Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.8 (#5) |
| API access | API access is included in paid plans, with uncapped access for Enterprise. | The API provides documented endpoints for stack customization and automated exports. |
| Backlink analysis | Yes | Yes |
| Competitor research | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2010 | 2006 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Ahrefs offers native Ahrefs integration, Looker Studio integration, and connections to AI chatbots. | Plans list ChatGPT and Google Search Console integrations. |
| Keyword research | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms and apps | The platform includes web marketing tools, AI assistants, APIs, and MCP access. | SpyFu offers a web service, ChatGPT integration, SpyFu GPT, and an API. |
| Rank tracking | Rank Tracker monitors search rankings and tracks keywords by plan. | Yes |
| Site audit | Yes | The AI-powered site audit scans for over 100 technical and on-page issues. |
| Paid from | 29 | 29 |
Plans
Ahrefs
- Ahrefs FreeFree
- Starter$29 a month
- Lite$129 a month
- Standard$249 a month
- Advanced$449 a month
- Enterprise$1,499 a month
- Basic prompt package$50 a month
- Growth prompt package$100 a month
- Brand Radar$199 a month
- Scale prompt package$250 a month
SpyFu
- Basic$39 a month
- Pro + AI$119 a month
- Team / Agency$249 a month
- Basic Annual Plan$29 a month
- Basic Monthly Plan$39 a month
- Pro + AI Monthly Plan$59 a month
- Pro + AI Annual Plan$89 a month
- Team / Agency Annual Plan$187 a month
- Team / Agency Monthly Plan$249 a month
In their own words
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a web and API platform for SEO research, including keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlink analysis and competitor research. It also provides content tools, AI assistants and MCP access. Content Explorer can find web mentions and link prospects, while AI Content Helper supports content improvement. The free plan provides site data and fixes with limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit. Paid plans start with Starter at $29 a month. Lite costs $129 a month and includes five projects, 750 tracked keywords, 100,000 monthly crawl credits and one user; its Site Audit allowance has a 25,000-page project maximum. Annual payment saves up to 17%. Enterprise costs $1,499 a month and requires an annual commitment; it includes SSO, two-factor authentication, ISO27001 certification, access management, audit logs and unlimited additional users. Ahrefs says its web index contains 170 trillion pages, tracks 41.9 billion keywords and filters 28.7 billion keywords; AhrefsBot crawls 8 billion pages daily. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in Singapore. Multilingual support is available five days a week.
SpyFu
SpyFu is a web and API service for SEO, paid-search and competitor research. Its listed tools cover keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, backlink analysis, competitor research and reporting. The service says its live SEO and PPC intelligence refreshes every 15 seconds, with more than 18 years of historical data and indexing across 152 million websites. Users can work through the web service, API, SpyFu GPT or ChatGPT integration, with Google Search Console also listed as an integration. Reports can be white-labeled, automated, exported as PDFs or shared through other exports. Google Ads competitor keyword downloads have no download limits. SpyFu offers a free access option, but states no free-tier limits. Paid plans include Basic at $39 a month billed monthly or $29 a month billed annually; Pro + AI is $119 a month after its first month, or $89 a month annually; Team / Agency is 249.00 USD monthly or 187.00 USD annually.