Ahrefs vs Google Keyword Planner
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Ahrefs is the stronger AI pick in SEO Tools: it has a visibility score of 56 versus 2.2 for Google Keyword Planner, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.
Choose Ahrefs if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (56 vs 2.2)
- AI answers describe it more positively (49% vs 0% positive)
- You need ISO 27001 coverage
- Strong backlink analysis and index
Choose Google Keyword Planner if…
- You need ISO/IEC 27001:2022 covering Google Ads coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (5,000+ employees)
- free keyword research tool
- keyword ideas and search-volume data
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 2
| Metric | Ahrefs | Google Keyword Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 56% | 2.2% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in SEO Tools | #2 | #26 |
| Share of voice | 12% | 0.5% |
| Mentions this run | 61 | 3 |
| Positive in AI answers | 49% | 0% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Ahrefs 0pp · Google Keyword Planner 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Ahrefs leads on 3 of 3 engines
Head to head in AI answers
1 engine answers name both brands
| Prompt | Engine | Ahrefs | Google Keyword Planner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is there a free SEO tool for small teams? | ChatGPT | #2 | #6 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Ahrefs | Google Keyword Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | — |
| Entry price | Free; paid from $29 / mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Deployment | SaaS | Web tool accessed inside the Google Ads interface, with no separate installation. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001 | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 covering Google Ads |
| Support | Customer support five days a week, Academy courses and certification, Webinars and AMAs, YouTube tutorials | — |
| Founded | 2010 | — |
| Headquarters | Singapore | 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, California |
| Employees | 51–200 | 5,000+ |
| Funding | Bootstrapped | — |
| Best for | Freelance SEOs, marketing consultants, and lean in-house marketing teams, from small businesses to Fortune 500 teams. | Advertisers and marketers who run Google Ads and want free keyword research and volume data. |
Plans side by side
Ahrefs
Google Keyword Planner
Pricing not available.
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Ahrefs
- Strong backlink analysis and index
- Strong competitor research
- Honest, transparent pricing
- Deep technical site audits
- Free Webmaster Tools tier for verified site owners
- High monthly cost, especially for smaller budgets
- Seat-based pricing needs careful evaluation against team size
Google Keyword Planner
- free keyword research tool
- keyword ideas and search-volume data
- requires a Google Ads account
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Ahrefs vs Google Keyword Planner”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/ahrefs-vs-google-keyword-planner, data of Nov 2, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.