Ahrefs
Majestic
| Feature | Ahrefs | Majestic |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $129/mo | Free / from $49.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | seo-professionals, agencies, content-marketers, enterprise | link-builders, seo-professionals, agencies, enterprise-seo |
| Founded | 2010 | 2004 |
| Backlink Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Keyword Research | ✓ | ✗ |
| Site Audit | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rank Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Content Explorer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Competitor Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Site Explorer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trust Flow | ✗ | ✓ |
| Citation Flow | ✗ | ✓ |
| Backlink History | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bulk Backlink Checker | ✗ | ✓ |
| Topical Trust Flow | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Ahrefs Pros
- Largest backlink database in the industry
- Excellent keyword difficulty scoring
- Content Explorer for content research
- Site Audit finds technical SEO issues
✗ Ahrefs Cons
- Very expensive — no free tier
- Learning curve for beginners
- Credits system for some features
✓ Majestic Pros
- Largest backlink database available
- Unique Trust Flow metric
- Historical index going back years
- Powerful bulk analysis
✗ Majestic Cons
- Focused only on links (no keyword research)
- Steep learning curve
- Expensive API access
The Verdict
Ahrefs is built for seo professionals and agencies, with a focus on backlink-analysis and keyword-research. Majestic targets link builders and seo professionals and leads with site-explorer and trust-flow.
On pricing, Majestic is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $49.99/mo compared to $129/mo for Ahrefs. That $79.00999999999999/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Majestic has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Ahrefs requires a paid subscription from day one.
Ahrefs edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Ahrefs offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Majestic takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for seo professionals, agencies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Ahrefs has a slight overall edge — but if largest backlink database available matters most to you, Majestic may still be the right call.