Ahrefs vs Moz Pro
SEO Tools pricing comparison · 2026 · Updated April 2026
Ahrefs pricing ranges from $0–$449/month, while Moz Pro ranges from $39–$239/month. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.
Sources & confidence
Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.
Plans at a glance
Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.
What users say
Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.
Ahrefs and Moz Pro are both full-featured SEO platforms with keyword research, backlink analysis, site auditing, and rank tracking. They've been competing for the same audience for over a decade, but Ahrefs has pulled ahead in data quality — particularly its backlink index, which is widely considered the most comprehensive in the industry alongside Semrush's.
Ahrefs starts at $29/month for Starter (limited) or $129/month for Lite (full access). Moz Pro starts at $49/month for Standard, reaching $299/month for Premium. Moz's Domain Authority (DA) metric remains widely used as a ranking proxy, which keeps it relevant even as Ahrefs' raw data quality surpasses it in most categories.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | Ahrefs | Moz Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free /user/month | $39 /month |
| Lite | $129 /user/month | $79 /month |
| Standard | $249 /user/month | $143 /month |
| Advanced | $449 /user/month | $239 /month |
| Enterprise | Custom | — |
Market Intelligence
Ahrefs
- Median annual cost
- $1,199
- Based on
- 171 deals
Moz Pro
- Median annual cost
- $1,794
- Based on
- 110 deals
Continue researching
Our Verdict
Choose Ahrefs if: backlink analysis is critical to your workflow, you want the most accurate keyword difficulty scores, or you need comprehensive competitor research. Ahrefs' Content Explorer and backlink index are industry benchmarks. The $129/month Lite plan is the sweet spot for most SEO professionals.
Choose Moz Pro if: you rely on Domain Authority as a client-facing metric, prefer a cleaner interface for less technical users, want built-in local SEO tools (Moz Local), or are on a tighter budget with the $49/month Standard plan. Moz's managed link prospecting and spam score are also useful for link building.
Bottom line: Ahrefs has better data; Moz Pro has brand recognition and the DA metric that clients understand. Most SEO professionals who can afford one tool choose Ahrefs. Agencies presenting metrics to non-technical clients often keep Moz for DA reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Ahrefs' backlink data better than Moz's?
Yes, broadly. Ahrefs' Link Index is updated every 15 minutes and crawls over 10 billion pages daily, making it one of the largest and freshest backlink databases available. Moz's link index is solid but generally considered less comprehensive and fresher updates in the industry.
02 What is Moz Domain Authority (DA) and does it matter?
Domain Authority is Moz's proprietary 1–100 score predicting how well a site will rank. It's not used by Google directly, but it's widely adopted by SEOs and clients as a proxy metric. Ahrefs' equivalent is Domain Rating (DR). Both are useful for benchmarking — neither is an official ranking signal.
03 Which has better keyword research?
Both are strong. Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer provides more granular data including traffic potential (total clicks vs searches) and parent topic clustering. Moz's keyword research has improved but Ahrefs is generally preferred for deep keyword analysis.
04 Can I use both Ahrefs and Moz Pro?
Many SEO professionals use Semrush or Ahrefs as their primary tool and supplement with Moz for DA scoring. Using both full platforms is expensive ($178–$429+/month combined) and largely redundant. Most teams pick one.
05 Which is better for site auditing?
Ahrefs' Site Audit is faster and provides more actionable recommendations. Moz Pro's site crawl is thorough but the interface for prioritizing issues is less intuitive. For technical SEO audits, Ahrefs has an edge; for beginners, Moz's crawl report is cleaner to interpret.