Ahrefs vs. Ubersuggest: Which is Better for Keyword Research?

Step into the captivating world of keyword research, where two SEO titans clash in an epic battle for supremacy: Ahrefs and Ubersuggest. These two powerful tools stand at the forefront, offering distinct features and functionalities, along with the capabilities of a top free keyword research tool, to help businesses conquer the digital landscape.

Ahrefs boasts a vast database of billions of keywords, offering in-depth competitor analysis and precise reports. On the other hand, Ubersuggest, created by an esteemed SEO expert, provides an intuitive interface and caters to marketers of all levels.

Let’s explore the strengths and weaknesses of both tools, helping you make an informed decision to elevate your online presence.

The Verdict

When it comes to keyword research, both Ahrefs and Ubersuggest are powerful tools that offer valuable insights to marketers and website owners. However, the verdict on which tool is better depends on specific needs, preferences, and budget constraints.

Ahrefs stands out as a robust and comprehensive SEO tool that excels in backlink analysis, including the capability of how to spy competitor backlinks. While its primary focus is not keyword research, it does offer accurate keyword data and a wealth of features for in-depth analysis. With a vast database of billions of keywords, Ahrefs provides valuable keyword metrics, competitor surveys, and well-rounded SEO functionalities.

On the other hand, Ubersuggest, created by an esteemed SEO guru, is a more budget-friendly option that emphasizes user-friendly design and simplicity. While it may not have the extensive database of Ahrefs, Ubersuggest still offers essential keyword data, search volume, CPC, and keyword difficulty analysis. 

What Is Ahrefs and What Does It Do

Ahrefs, named after the HTML code for specifying hyperlinks, is a powerful SEO tool renowned for its link analysis capabilities. 

While it has gained immense popularity for its prowess in backlink research, it also offers a comprehensive suite of five main tools and over a dozen free tertiary tools for users.

Though Ahrefs is widely recognized as a top research tool, its primary focus remains on analyzing and understanding backlinks rather than keywords.

Nevertheless, it does handle keyword research exceptionally well, providing valuable insights and data for marketers and businesses to enhance their SEO strategies.

Main Features Ahrefs Offer

Site Explorer

Ahrefs is a highly advanced and comprehensive analysis tool that provides in-depth insights for any website without requiring the installation of code on the site being analyzed. Unlike Google Analytics, which relies on site-specific code implementation, Ahrefs leverages its vast index of publicly available data to perform its analyses.

With Ahrefs, users gain access to a wealth of critical website metrics, including the number of backlinks, linking domains, keywords, and traffic statistics, along with an estimated value for the site’s traffic. This invaluable data empowers marketers and website owners to understand their site’s online presence and competitive positioning.

Moreover, Ahrefs facilitates an in-depth examination of a website’s link profile. Users can identify broken links, lost links, and new incoming links, enabling them to build a strong link-building strategy and rectify potential issues impacting their site’s SEO performance.

Beyond backlink analysis, Ahrefs extends its capabilities to keyword research. Users can analyze keywords, anchor text usage, referrers, and a wealth of additional keyword-related data. This empowers marketers to identify high-traffic and relevant keywords, thus refining their content and SEO strategies to attract their target audience effectively.

Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs, a formidable contender in the realm of SEO tools, stands as the primary competitor to Ubersuggest and is widely regarded as one of the best keyword research tools on the market. 

With Ahrefs’ keyword analysis capabilities, users can access essential statistics such as search volume, clicks, CPC (Cost-Per-Click), and volume by country, providing valuable information to craft effective SEO and marketing strategies. Additionally, these metrics serve as key performance indicators (KPIs to measure the marketing success), allowing businesses to gauge the effectiveness of their efforts in the market.

Beyond the basics, Ahrefs goes above and beyond with its keyword recommendation engine, empowering users to discover related keywords that might have been overlooked, thus widening their keyword portfolio and tapping into new search opportunities.

The search suggestions tool further aids marketers by providing keyword ideas and popular search queries related to their primary keyword, allowing for well-rounded content creation and optimization.

Site Audit

Site Audit, an SEO tool designed to delve into a website’s public SEO data, performs a comprehensive analysis to provide valuable insights for website owners and marketers. 

With a focus on uncovering potential areas of improvement, Site Auditor offers a range of essential checks and metrics.

The tool conducts audits on crawled URLs, assessing their overall health and identifying potential issues that may impact search engine visibility. 

By analyzing content type and depth, Site Auditor helps website owners understand the structure and quality of their content, ensuring it aligns with SEO best practices.

Site speed is a critical factor in user experience and search engine rankings. Site Auditor evaluates the site’s speed, highlighting areas that may require optimization for improved performance.

Additionally, the tool scrutinizes URL issues, helping users identify and resolve potential problems that could hinder the site’s SEO performance.

Rank Tracker

Rank Tracker, a crucial feature offered by Ahrefs and many other SEO tools, serves as a vital asset for website owners and marketers. 

With this tool, users can input specific keywords and their corresponding content, allowing it to continuously monitor search engine results to determine the content’s ranking positions.

Regarded as one of the standout features in Ahrefs’ arsenal, the Rank Tracker provides invaluable insights into a website’s performance in search engine results. By tracking keyword rankings over time, users can assess the effectiveness of their SEO efforts, identify areas of improvement, and adapt their strategies accordingly.

The significance of rank tracking extends beyond Ahrefs, with various other SEO tools also incorporating similar capabilities. 

As a popular and widely sought-after tool, rank trackers often play a key role in the decision-making process when choosing an SEO platform.

Content Explorer

Content Explorer, a valuable content analysis tool offered by Ahrefs, empowers users to dive into the world of content marketing with comprehensive keyword-based searches. 

By entering a keyword, users gain access to a wealth of content results, each meticulously analyzed for various key metrics.

The tool evaluates each content piece for factors such as traffic, domain rating, social shares, and other crucial indicators of content performance. 

This data allows marketers to identify top-performing content in their niche, understand what resonates with their target audience, and gather valuable insights to inform their own content creation and marketing strategies.

While it may not be the most exhaustive content exploration tool on the market, Content Explorer offers substantial value as part of the overall Ahrefs package.

Competing tools like SEMRush and BuzzSumo also excel in this domain, but Ahrefs’ Content Explorer stands as a reliable and effective asset, bolstering the platform’s diverse range of SEO and marketing tools.

Ahrefs Pricing

Ahrefs offers a range of paid plans, starting at $99 per month for the Lite plan and escalating to $199 for the Standard plan, $399 for the Advanced plan, and $999 for the Agency plan. Each plan grants access to all five of the essential features: Site Auditor, Keyword Explorer, Rank Tracker, Content Explorer, and the powerful backlink analysis tool.

The primary differentiator between the plans lies in the volume of resources provided. For instance, the Lite plan includes one user account and the ability to track up to 750 keywords. As the plans progress to the Standard, Advanced, and Agency tiers, the number of user accounts, tracked keywords, and domain exploration limits increase significantly.

Ahrefs offers a range of tools that provide valuable insights and assistance to users in various aspects of SEO and digital marketing, including staying updated on the latest digital marketing trends. Some of these tools include –

• Backlink Checker
• Website Authority Checker
• Broken Link Checker
• Amazon Keyword Tool
• Keyword Generator
• YouTube Keyword Tool
• SERP Checker
• Bing Keyword Tool
• WordPress Plugin
• SEO Toolbar
• Keyword Difficulty Checker
• Keyword Rank Checker
• Domain Comparison
• Website Checker
• Link Intersect
• Batch Analysis
• Content Gap
• SEO Checker
• Email Alerts
• Word Counter

Most of the tools mentioned are limited free versions or previews of features available within the main Ahrefs platform. These free tools are designed to offer a glimpse of the comprehensive data and insights available in the paid Ahrefs plans.

For instance, the free version of the Keyword Generator allows users to input one keyword and receive up to 100 keyword suggestions along with volume data for all of them and keyword difficulty for some. 

While it provides valuable insights, the data set is limited compared to the in-depth analysis available in the paid Ahrefs plans.

What Is Ubersuggest And What Does It Do?

Ubersuggest, originally acquired by Neil Patel in 2017, is a freemium keyword research tool that has evolved significantly under his guidance. Neil Patel’s vision was to transform Ubersuggest into a high-quality tool accessible to users at no cost, allowing them to benefit from its features without restrictions.

Over time, Neil Patel invested in the tool, adding more and more features to enhance its functionality and value. As a result, Ubersuggest became a robust SEO and keyword research platform that gained popularity among marketers and website owners.

As the tool’s user base grew, so did the costs associated with server traffic, usage, development, and API licenses from various third-party data sources, leading to substantial financial investments on a monthly basis.

Despite these expenses, Neil Patel remained committed to offering full access to the software for free, making Ubersuggest an invaluable resource for individuals and businesses seeking to improve their SEO efforts without incurring additional costs.

Main Features Ubersuggest Offer

Keyword Content and Reports:

• Ubersuggest allows some research for free, but creating projects for continuous work requires a paid account.
• The cheapest paid accounts offer fewer projects and reports per project.
• Ubersuggest provides historical data and content ideas, with keyword suggestion limits starting at 20,000 and row export limits.

Rank Tracking:

• Ubersuggest’s rank tracking is good but more limited compared to Ahrefs.
• Paid plans limit the number of tracked keywords and locations, with higher-tier plans offering unlimited tracking.

Site Auditing:

• Ubersuggest’s site auditor offers more depth and detail than Ahrefs’ site audit.
• All paid plans allow weekly site crawls, with the cheapest plan limiting pages per report to 1,000 and the best plan allowing up to 10,000 pages.

Keyword Research:

• Keyword research is Ubersuggest’s core offering and is robust.
• Users can access research data and recommendations, historical data, and content ideas.
• Keyword suggestion limits start at 20,000, and report exports have row limitations.

Competitive Analysis:

• Ubersuggest provides competitive analysis with historical data on top pages and top keywords.
• Limitations exist on the number of pages and keywords reported.

• Ubersuggest’s backlink analysis covers three years of link history, including new and lost links.
• While not as robust as Ahrefs’ backlink analysis, Ahrefs remains a best-in-class tool for link analysis.

UberSuggest Pricing Options

Neil Patel’s pricing strategy for Ubersuggest is indeed designed to provide a compelling value proposition for users, making it an enticing choice for individuals, businesses, and agencies seeking powerful SEO tools without breaking the bank. Let’s take a closer look at the pricing tiers and the occasional “lifetime” offer:

Individual Plan ($12 per month):

• The Individual plan is the entry-level offering, priced at $12 per month, catering to individual users and small businesses with basic SEO needs.
• Despite being the cheapest plan, it still grants access to fundamental SEO features, including keyword research, rank tracking, site auditing, competitive analysis, and backlink analysis.

Business Plan ($20 per month):

• The Business plan, priced at $50 per month, targets growing businesses and marketers who require more comprehensive SEO tools and functionalities.
• It builds upon the features of the Individual plan and may offer additional benefits, such as increased keyword tracking limits and more advanced reporting options.

Agency Plan ($40 per month):

• The Agency plan, priced at $40 per month, is tailored to agencies, SEO professionals, and larger businesses with extensive SEO needs.
• This plan may include even more generous keyword tracking limits, advanced reporting features, and other tools to manage multiple projects and clients efficiently.

“Lifetime” Version:

• One of the standout offerings in Ubersuggest’s pricing strategy is the occasional “lifetime” version of the plans.
• With the “lifetime” offer, users can pay a one-time fee that is equivalent to 10 times the monthly cost, granting them lifetime access to Ubersuggest’s features.
• Opting for the “lifetime” membership can be a cost-effective choice for users who intend to use Ubersuggest for an extended period, as it often amounts to less than the overall cost of a year’s worth of monthly subscriptions.

Comparing Tools – Ahrefs vs. Ubersuggest

Let’s compare Ahrefs and Ubersuggest across various aspects to understand how they stack up against each other:

Keyword Suggestions:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs offers an extensive keyword database with billions of keywords for comprehensive keyword research.
• The tool provides valuable insights into search volume, keyword difficulty, and related keywords to assist in keyword selection.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest also offers a robust keyword research feature, providing keyword suggestions and recommendations.
• Users can access historical data and content ideas to optimize their keyword strategies.

Keyword Analysis:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs’ keyword analysis features include in-depth metrics on search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty, and more.
• Users can analyze keyword trends and discover new opportunities for content optimization.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest’s keyword analysis provides insights into keyword performance, helping users identify top-performing keywords and areas for improvement.

Link Tracking:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs is renowned for its powerful backlink analysis capabilities, offering comprehensive data on backlinks and referring domains.
• Users can monitor new and lost backlinks and analyze competitors’ link profiles.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest’s backlink analysis covers three years of link history, providing information on new and lost links.

Competitive Analysis:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs excels in competitive analysis, allowing users to explore competitors’ keywords, backlinks, top pages, and more.
• It offers in-depth insights to help users develop effective SEO and marketing strategies.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest also provides competitive analysis, enabling users to analyze competitors’ historical data, top pages, and top keywords.

Rank Tracking:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs’ rank tracking capabilities offer precise and comprehensive keyword ranking monitoring.
• Users can track keyword performance and identify trends over time.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest offers rank tracking, though it may be more limited compared to Ahrefs.
• Paid plans limit the number of keywords and locations that can be tracked per project.

Site Auditing:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs provides seo audit capabilities to identify technical SEO issues and improve website performance.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest’s site auditor offers more depth and detail compared to Ahrefs, providing valuable insights into website health and performance.

Free Access:

Ahrefs:

• Ahrefs does not offer a free plan. Users need to subscribe to a paid plan to access the full range of features.

Ubersuggest:

• Ubersuggest takes the lead here, but it’s worth noting that there is a requirement to sign up with a Google account to access even the free version.

Conclusion 

In the end, the winner of this clash depends on your individual requirements, objectives, and resources. Both Ahrefs and Ubersuggest have proven their mettle in the ever-evolving landscape of keyword research, and either can lead you down the path to SEO success.

So, whether you choose the thoroughbred power of Ahrefs or the accessibility of Ubersuggest, rest assured that your keyword research arsenal will be well-equipped to conquer the challenges of the digital realm. 

Embrace the tools that best align with your goals, and let your journey toward keyword supremacy begin.