Ahrefs vs Moz at a Glance
“Winner” appears only where the vendors' own pages show a real difference. Index sizes are vendor claims we could not verify. Pricing checked October 2026, in U.S. dollars, monthly billing unless stated.
| Category | Ahrefs | Moz Pro | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | SEO specialists and analysts who need deep link, keyword and AI-visibility data with API access | Beginners, small businesses and agencies that want a guided suite and the Domain Authority metric | Depends |
| Starting price | $29/month Starter (limited); $129/month Lite | $49/month entry plan (one website); $99/month Standard | Depends (Ahrefs lowest, Moz lowest full plan) |
| Annual discount | Up to 17%; Ahrefs says it never runs discounts | 20% on the base plan when paid yearly | Moz |
| Free access | Ahrefs Free for verified websites; no trial | Free trial; free Community account with 10 Link Explorer queries a month | Depends |
| Backlink index (vendor claims) | 35T records of external backlink history, 494B pages, refreshed every 15–30 minutes | 40T to 45.5T links, stated differently on different Moz pages | Not comparable |
| Authority metric | Domain Rating and URL Rating | Domain Authority, Page Authority, Brand Authority | Depends |
| AI visibility on first full plan | 5 tracked prompts, daily | 150 tracked prompts, weekly, 4 AI models | Moz (more prompts) |
| API access | API and MCP on every core plan | Separate Moz API from $20 | Ahrefs |
| Support | Not published by plan | 24/7 support listed; same-day human support stated | Moz (published) |
| Overall | Stronger data and tooling | Cheaper full-plan entry and easier start | Depends |
What Is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is an SEO and AI-visibility platform built on its own proprietary web index, sold as a ladder of Lite, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise plans plus add-ons.
Its Ahrefs pricing page lists Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Rank Tracker, Site Audit, Brand Radar and API and MCP access on every core plan. Ahrefs describes its backlink index as “updated with fresh data every 15–30 minutes” and as the source of its Domain Rating and URL Rating metrics (Ahrefs, Our data). Our Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison covers the ownership and PR-tooling questions in more depth.
What Is Moz Pro?
Moz Pro is a subscription SEO suite from Moz, the company that created the Domain Authority metric, with Standard, Medium and Large plans plus a separate API and a local-listings product.
Moz Pro covers campaigns, keyword research, link research, site crawls and AI-visibility dashboards. Moz describes Domain Authority as “a search engine ranking score developed by Moz” on a 1 to 100 scale and says it is “not a direct ranking factor” for Google (Moz, Domain Authority). For what such scores are and are not worth, see what domain authority is worth.
Ahrefs vs Moz: Pricing
Moz is cheaper at every full-plan tier, and Ahrefs is cheaper only at its limited $29 Starter level. Ahrefs Lite costs $129 a month against $99 for Moz Standard; at the top, Ahrefs Advanced is $449 against $299 for Moz Large. The plans are not like for like, because Ahrefs counts credits and rows and Moz counts campaigns and queries. Pricing checked October 2026 on Ahrefs pricing and Moz Pro pricing.
| Item | Ahrefs | Moz Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starter $29/month (limited) | Entry plan $49/month for one website |
| Tier 1 | Lite $129/month | Standard $99/month ($79/month paid yearly, $950 for the first year) |
| Tier 2 | Standard $249/month | Medium $179/month ($143/month paid yearly, $1,719 first year) |
| Tier 3 | Advanced $449/month | Large $299/month ($239/month paid yearly, $2,868 first year) |
| Enterprise | $1,499/month, annual commitment | Not published; “Ask about Moz Enterprise” |
| Extra users | $40, $60 or $80/month by plan | $49/month per seat on any plan |
| Trial and discounts | No trial; “We never run discounts” | Free trial offered; trial length not stated on the page; 20% yearly discount |
| Cancellation | No contracts or setup fees; switch or cancel | Cancel or change plans at any time |
Moz's page also showed a promotional banner (“Last chance to save up to 40% - ends today!”) on the day we read it. We did not use promotional prices. Ahrefs notes that extra users and pay-as-you-go credits are charged automatically if you enable them, so the real monthly cost can exceed the plan price.
US dollars per month, monthly billing, list prices without promotions, October 10, 2026
Source: Ahrefs pricing page; Moz Pro pricing page.
Rows pair each vendor's first, second and third full plans; the plans meter different things (credits and rows vs campaigns and queries). Ahrefs Starter ($29) and Moz's entry plan ($49) are limited and left out.
Plan Limits That Decide the Real Price
Ahrefs gives more tracked keywords at each tier, while Moz gives far more tracked AI prompts at the first full tier. Ahrefs Lite tracks 750 keywords against 300 for Moz Standard, and 5 AI prompts against 150. Both meter usage, so check the unit before comparing: Moz counts monthly keyword and backlink queries, and Ahrefs counts rows and credits.
| Limit | Ahrefs (Lite / Standard / Advanced) | Moz Pro (Standard / Medium / Large) |
|---|---|---|
| Users included | 1 / 1 / 1 | 1 / 2 / 3 |
| Projects or campaigns | 5 / 20 / 50 unverified; unlimited verified | 3 / 10 / 25 campaigns |
| Tracked keywords | 750 / 2,000 / 5,000, updated weekly | 300 / 1,500 / 3,000; update frequency not stated on the page |
| Tracked AI prompts | 5 / 10 / 20 daily (150 / 300 / 600 checks a month) | 150 / 300 / 600, weekly, GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity |
| Backlink queries | Max rows per report 2,500 / 30,000 / 75,000 | 5,000 / 20,000 / 70,000 queries a month |
| Historical data | 6 months / 2 years / 5 years | Not stated |
| Crawl allowance | 100,000 / 500,000 / 1.5M crawl credits | 100,000 / 500,000 / 1.25M pages a week |
Number of tracked keywords included per plan, as listed October 10, 2026
Source: Ahrefs pricing page; Moz Pro pricing page.
Counts are plan allowances, not data quality; update frequency differs by vendor and plan (see the table above).
Backlink Data
Both vendors run their own link crawlers, and their size claims cannot be compared. Ahrefs reports 35 trillion records of “External backlinks history” and 494 billion pages in its index. Moz's own pages say “over 40 trillion links” for Link Explorer, “over 44 trillion” for its API in a menu, and “45.5 trillion links across 1 billion domains” in the API description. Different units and different dates make the totals unusable for choosing a winner.
What you can check is how each tool treats links Google ignores or discounts. Both report links marked nofollow or sponsored, so a high count is not evidence of search value (see what a nofollow link is). For the links Google itself has found to your own site, the free route is the Links report in Search Console. Ahrefs Free also works for sites you verify, and Moz's free Community account allows 10 Link Explorer queries a month.
Domain Rating vs Domain Authority
Each vendor scores sites with its own proprietary metric, and neither score is used by Google. Moz says so directly for Domain Authority: it is “not a direct ranking factor” and is a comparative metric. Ahrefs says its index is used to calculate Domain Rating and URL Rating; we could not read its help article defining the scale, so we do not describe the formula. If a client asks for DA in a report, Moz is the source of record; if they ask for DR, Ahrefs is. Our explainer on anchor text and the one on backlinks cover what the underlying links represent.
AI Visibility Tracking
Moz includes more tracked prompts in its Standard plan, and Ahrefs offers a broader paid prompt index. Moz Standard includes 150 tracked prompts across four AI models, weekly, with AI sentiment analysis and citations data listed as features; additional prompts cost $50 per 100. Ahrefs Lite includes 5 daily prompts, with custom prompt packages from $50 a month and Brand Radar AI from $199 a month, which Ahrefs says searches “470M+ organic prompts”.
Both are samples, not what every user sees. AI answers vary by account, place and time, and neither vendor can show that a brand will be mentioned. Before paying for either, run the manual checks in how to check what AI says about your company.
API and Integrations
Ahrefs includes API and MCP access on every core plan, with row limits of 100, 250 and 500 per request on Lite, Standard and Advanced. Moz sells the Moz API as a separate product starting at $20, with pricing that “grows with you”. If you need to pull link data into your own dashboards, Ahrefs bundles it; if you need occasional programmatic access at low cost, Moz's entry price is lower.
Where Ahrefs Wins
- Data detail: publishes crawl rate, refresh interval and index counts by type.
- API and MCP on every core plan, with no separate product.
- Keyword allowance: 750 tracked keywords at the first full tier against 300.
- Free tier for owners: Ahrefs Free for verified websites.
- History: up to 5 years of historical data on Advanced.
Where Moz Wins
- Full-plan price: $99 against $129 at the first tier, $299 against $449 at the third.
- Yearly discount and trial: 20% off yearly, plus a free trial.
- AI prompts at the first tier: 150 tracked prompts on Standard against 5 on Lite.
- Seats: 2 and 3 users included on Medium and Large.
- Published support: 24/7 support is listed in the plan table.
Who Should Choose Ahrefs?
Choose Ahrefs if: your work is link research, competitor analysis or building reports from API data, and you can start at $129 a month.
Avoid Ahrefs if: you need a trial before paying, published support terms or a lower full-plan price.
Best for: SEO specialists, analysts and agencies.
Starting price: $29/month Starter (limited); $129/month Lite (checked October 2026).
Primary strength: detailed data documentation and API on every plan.
Main limitation: no trial, weekly rank updates and 5 tracked AI prompts on Lite.
Verdict: the stronger choice when the job is data research.
Who Should Choose Moz Pro?
Choose Moz Pro if: you want a guided suite at the lowest full-plan price, clients ask for Domain Authority, or you want AI prompt tracking without a large add-on bill.
Avoid Moz Pro if: you need API access inside the plan or very large keyword and report limits.
Best for: small businesses, beginners and agencies reporting DA.
Starting price: $49/month entry plan for one website; $99/month Standard (checked October 2026).
Primary strength: low entry price, a trial and a 20% yearly discount.
Main limitation: its link index is described with three different totals, and the API is a separate product.
Verdict: the stronger choice when budget and ease of start matter most.
How to Choose Between Ahrefs and Moz
| If you need... | Choose |
|---|---|
| API or MCP access inside the subscription | Ahrefs |
| The lowest full-plan price | Moz Pro (Standard $99) |
| A free trial before committing | Moz Pro |
| A free account for your own site only | Ahrefs Free (or Google Search Console) |
| Domain Authority in client reports | Moz Pro |
| The most tracked keywords per dollar at the first tier | Ahrefs (750 against 300) |
| More tracked AI prompts on the cheapest plan | Moz Pro (150 against 5) |
| Only your own site's Google data | Neither: use Google Search Console |
Final Verdict: Ahrefs or Moz?
For link and competitor research in 2026, Ahrefs is the better tool: it documents its crawl, includes API and MCP on every core plan and gives more tracked keywords. Moz Pro is the better buy when budget decides: its full plans cost $30 to $150 a month less, it offers a trial and a yearly discount, and its Standard plan tracks 150 AI prompts. The choice depends on whether your constraint is data depth or monthly cost. If it is depth, Ahrefs. If it is cost, or a client requires Domain Authority, Moz. Neither can guarantee rankings or AI citations, and both report estimates, not search engines' own data. If your question is about the broader market, Semrush vs Ahrefs compares Ahrefs with the other major suite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Ahrefs and Moz cost in October 2026?
Ahrefs lists Lite at $129, Standard at $249 and Advanced at $449 a month, Enterprise at $1,499 a month, and a limited Starter plan at $29. Moz Pro lists Standard at $99, Medium at $179 and Large at $299 a month, with a $49 entry plan for one website. Pricing checked October 2026.
Does Moz or Ahrefs have a free trial?
Moz offers a free trial, though the pricing page we read did not state its length. Ahrefs does not offer a trial and says it never runs discounts; instead it offers Ahrefs Free, a limited free account for websites you verify.
Is Domain Authority the same as Domain Rating?
No. Domain Authority is Moz's 1 to 100 score, and Moz says it is not a direct Google ranking factor. Domain Rating is Ahrefs' own metric calculated from its backlink index. The scores use different data and cannot be converted or compared directly.
Which has the bigger backlink index, Ahrefs or Moz?
The vendors' figures cannot settle it. Ahrefs reports 35 trillion records of external backlink history and 494 billion pages. Moz cites 40, 44 and 45.5 trillion links on different pages. The counts use different definitions and neither vendor publishes a method.
Do Ahrefs and Moz include API access?
Ahrefs includes API and MCP access on every core plan from Lite, with row limits per request. Moz sells the Moz API as a separate product, starting at $20, apart from the Moz Pro subscription.
Can Ahrefs or Moz track AI search visibility?
Both sell AI visibility tracking. Moz Standard includes 150 tracked prompts across GPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity, weekly. Ahrefs Lite includes 5 daily prompts, with paid packages and Brand Radar AI for more. Both are samples, not every answer a user sees.
Can I use Ahrefs or Moz instead of Google Search Console?
No. Both estimate data for any site from their own crawlers. Google Search Console reports Google's own data for sites you verify, including the links Google has found. Use the free official tool for your own site and a paid tool for competitor research.
Which is better for a small business?
Moz Pro is usually easier to afford, with a $49 single-site plan, a $99 Standard plan, a trial and a 20% yearly discount. Ahrefs suits a small business only if it needs link and API data and can pay $129 a month, or if the limited $29 Starter plan covers the need.
How We Compared Ahrefs and Moz
Criteria: published pricing, plan limits, free access, backlink data claims, authority metrics, AI visibility tracking, API access and support. When: all pages were read on October 9, 2026. How: vendor pages were fetched with a standard HTTP client and read as served, without signing in.
Limitations: we did not buy or test either product, and we did not compare data accuracy, support quality or the usefulness of AI visibility estimates. Index sizes and prompt counts are vendor claims. Moz's page showed a promotional banner on the day we read it, so we recorded list prices. We could not read Ahrefs' help article defining Domain Rating, Moz's trial length or Moz's rank-update frequency, and we say so where it matters. Ahrefs' AI-surface coverage is recorded in our Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison, read October 8. Prices and features change; this describes the vendors' public pages as of October 9, 2026.
Sources
- vendor Ahrefs, Plans & Pricing. Plans, limits, add-ons, prompt packages, FAQ. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Ahrefs, Our data. Index sizes, crawl rate, refresh interval. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Ahrefs Free. Free account for verified sites. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Moz Pro Pricing. Plans, limits, FAQ, add-ons, promotional banner. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Moz, Domain Authority. Definition and statement that DA is not a ranking factor. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Moz Link Explorer. Free account query limit; index size claim. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Moz API. Starting price and link index description. Read October 9, 2026.