Ahrefs vs SE Ranking

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 27.6 for SE Ranking, and ranks ahead in 74% of the answers that name both.

Choose Ahrefs if…

You want the brand AI engines rank higher (56 vs 27.6)
You want a free plan to start
You need ISO 27001 coverage
Strong backlink analysis and index

Choose SE Ranking if…

AI answers describe it more positively (66% vs 49% positive)
You prefer a larger, established vendor (201–500 employees)
Strong value for agencies and mid-market teams
Full-stack suite with rank tracking, audits and competitor analysis

AI visibility side by side

Latest weekly run · Nov 2

Metric	Ahrefs	SE Ranking
Visibility score	56%	27.6%
Change vs last week	New	New
Rank in SEO Tools	#2	#4
Share of voice	12%	7.3%
Mentions this run	61	37
Positive in AI answers	49%	66%

The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days

Ahrefs 0pp · SE Ranking 0pp over 0 weekly runs.

Engine by engine

Ahrefs leads on 3 of 3 engines

ChatGPT

67.2%

27.2%

AI Mode

62%

30.6%

Perplexity

38.9%

25%

AhrefsSE Ranking

Head to head in AI answers

35 engine answers name both brands

26Ahrefs ranked higher

9SE Ranking ranked higher

Prompt	Engine	Ahrefs	SE Ranking
How do I choose an SEO tool for a mid-market team?	AI Mode	#6	#8
How do I choose an SEO tool for a mid-market team?	Perplexity	#4	#5
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	ChatGPT	#3	#6
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	Perplexity	#3	#5
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	ChatGPT	#2	#7
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	AI Mode	#3	#4
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	Perplexity	#4	#8
Best SEO tool for startups	ChatGPT	#1	#4
Best SEO tool for startups	AI Mode	#6	#4
Best SEO tool for startups	Perplexity	#1	#4
Which SEO tool has the best reviews?	ChatGPT	#3	#1
Which SEO tool has the best reviews?	AI Mode	#5	#1

Features, pricing & fit

Dimension	Ahrefs	SE Ranking
Pricing model	Flat tiers	Flat tiers
Entry price	Free; paid from $29 / mo	$129 / mo
Free plan	Yes	No · 14-day trial
Deployment	SaaS	Cloud-based
Compliance	ISO 27001	—
Support	Customer support five days a week, Academy courses and certification, Webinars and AMAs, YouTube tutorials	Help Center and Academy resources, Chat and email support, Customer Success support on higher-tier plans, Personalized onboarding on Growth plan
Founded	2010	—
Headquarters	Singapore	—
Employees	51–200	201–500
Funding	Bootstrapped	Growth/VC (lead: Digital Future)
Best for	Freelance SEOs, marketing consultants, and lean in-house marketing teams, from small businesses to Fortune 500 teams.	Agencies and in-house SEO teams