KeywordTool.io vs Ahrefs Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| KeywordTool.io | Ahrefs | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $88/mo | $129/mo |
| Number of plans | 5 | 4 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Pricing model | flat-rate | hybrid |
Starter
- 50 requests/day
- Search volume data for 50,000 keywords/day
- 12 months historical data
- Web Interface, MCP and API
- All 15 platforms
- Cost per click & competition
- Device breakdown
Growth
Popular- 100 requests/day
- Search volume data for 100,000 keywords/day
- 24 months historical data
- Web Interface, MCP and API
- All 15 platforms
- Cost per click & competition
- Device breakdown
Scale
- 200 requests/day
- Search volume data for 200,000 keywords/day
- 48 months historical data
- Web Interface, MCP and API
- All 15 platforms
- Cost per click & competition
- Device breakdown
Agency
- 400 requests/day
- Search volume data for 400,000 keywords/day
- 48 months historical data
- Web Interface, MCP and API
- All 15 platforms
- Cost per click & competition
- Device breakdown
Enterprise & Custom
- Higher daily request and keyword-volume limits
- Custom API and MCP usage envelopes
- Accommodation for documentation requests and vendor onboarding needs
- International bank transfer payment support
- Any required documentation and internal compliance process support
Lite
- 5 projects
- 6 months of historical data
- 750 tracked keywords
- 5 tracked AI prompts
- 100,000 crawl credits
- API and MCP access
- 1,000 credits per user
- 1 user included
- Add 2 more users at $40/mo each
- Dashboard
- Site Explorer
- Keywords Explorer
- Brand Radar
- Tracked AI prompts
- Site Audit
- Always-on audit
- Rank Tracker
- Competitive Analysis
- SERP history
- Page Inspect
- Web Analytics
- API access
- MCP Server
- Report Builder
- Social Media Manager (Beta)
- GBP Monitor (Beta)
Standard
- 20 projects
- 2 years of historical data
- 2,000 tracked keywords
- 10 tracked AI prompts
- 500,000 crawl credits
- API and MCP access
- Unlimited credits per user
- 1 user included
- Add 5 more users at $60/mo each
- Portfolios
- Content Explorer
- Batch Analysis
- SERP comparison
- Brand Radar
- Web visibility
- Site structure
- Broken backlinks
- Broken links
- Outgoing links
- Calendar view
- Linking authors
- AI suggestions
- Keyword clusters
- Search intents
- Translations
- SERP updates
- Site structure
Advanced
- 50 projects
- 5 years of historical data
- 5,000 tracked keywords
- 20 tracked AI prompts
- 1,500,000 crawl credits
- API and MCP access
- Unlimited credits per user
- 1 user included
- Add 10 more users at $80/mo each
- Looker Studio integration
- Search type distribution
- Agency directory listing
- Segmentation (Soon)
- HTTP authentication
Enterprise
- Uncapped API access
- SSO & enterprise-grade security
- Access management & audit log
- Unlimited historical data
- Forecasting & trends
KeywordTool.io vs Ahrefs FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- KeywordTool.io starts lower at $88/mo, compared to $129/mo for Ahrefs.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Ahrefs has a free plan. KeywordTool.io doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. KeywordTool.io uses flat-rate pricing, while Ahrefs goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. KeywordTool.io: They're priced above entry-level tools like Ubersuggest but well below full-suite platforms like Semrush or Ahrefs — positioning as a specialized, mid-market keyword research tool rather than an all-in-one SEO suite. They're going after teams that don't need rank tracking or backlink data but need serious keyword volume. Ahrefs: Ahrefs sits firmly in premium territory compared to scrappier SEO tools, but it's priced below Semrush at the equivalent tiers, so it's playing the 'slightly cheaper premium' card rather than undercutting on cost. They're chasing serious SEO teams and agencies who already know the category, not budget-conscious beginners.
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