Free Alternatives to Ahrefs

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Free replacement verdicts

Ahrefs logo

Free Alternatives to Ahrefs

Zero-cost replacements grouped by fit, tradeoffs, pricing friction, and platform access. Use this list to test Ahrefs before paying for another subscription.

Switching from Ahrefs doesn't have to cost a thing. We've curated 20 free-tier alternatives that cover similar workflows, from APIs & Data Feeds to App & Website Traffic and beyond. Each pick below is framed by fit, caveats, and access friction so you can trial replacements without opening your wallet.

Disclosure: outbound links may include affiliate or sponsor links

Which Alternative Should You Use?

Semrush logo

Semrush

Closest replacement

Best for: Investors and operators using SEO, paid search, web traffic, and AI visibility as alternative data for digital businesses.

  • Semrush best matches the base workflow on market monitoring, financial data API, and AI agent data access.
  • Semrush also has a free plan, so you can try it without paying. Free-plan limits: Signup required. Credit card required. Free account and paid-plan trials are limited.

Watch for: Marketing platform, not investing software: Semrush does not provide portfolio tracking, valuation models, broker execution, or official company fundamentals.

Similarweb logo

Similarweb

Quality-checked pick

Best for: Investors and operators researching digital businesses through website traffic, app usage, keyword demand, and competitive benchmarks.

  • Similarweb best matches the base workflow on market monitoring, financial data API, and research reports.
  • Similarweb also has a free plan, so you can try it without paying. Free-plan limits: Free website/app snapshots are limited.

Watch for: Modeled data, not reported financials: Traffic, app, keyword, and company estimates are proxy signals and need validation against filings, disclosures, and other datasets.

TickerTrends logo

TickerTrends

Strong runner-up

Best for: Investors, analysts, and funds using alternative data such as search, web traffic, app usage, social, news, reviews, and transcripts to forecast company KPIs before earnings.

  • TickerTrends best matches the base workflow on market monitoring, financial data API, and AI agent data access.
  • TickerTrends also has a free plan, so you can try it without paying. Free-plan limits: Signup required. TickerTrends Core is $998 per year after a seven-day trial and carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch for: Alternative data is noisy: Search, social, traffic, and app signals are proxies for business performance. Users need modeling discipline, validation, and company-specific KPI context.

Sensor Tower logo

Sensor Tower

Strong runner-up

Best for: Investors and operators researching app, web, ad, gaming, and audience trends as alternative data.

  • Sensor Tower best matches the base workflow on market monitoring, financial data API, and research reports.
  • Sensor Tower also has a free plan, so you can try it without paying. Free-plan limits: Public reports and selected tools are free.

Watch for: Sales-led enterprise pricing: Sensor Tower states that pricing is customized. There is no public self-serve price table for the commercial platform.

Detailed Alternatives

I want to

Free tiers first, then the lowest starting price.

1
Bank of Japan (BOJ) logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Analysts and developers who need official Japanese monetary-policy releases, schedules, and BOJ time series.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Macro Data
  • Calendar
  • Alerts
  • Data Visualizations

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access and AI research workspace.
  • Free-plan limits: BOJ Time-Series Data Search and API are public and free, with JSON and CSV access. Email notifications are optional for newly uploaded website information.
  • Official data source, not an investor app: The BOJ provides statistics, releases, calendars, charts, and APIs, but no screener, portfolio analytics, broker connection, or investment recommendations.
Cost
Free, no signup

Free onlyno paid tier

$29/mo less than Ahrefs

2

Bottom line: Analysts, builders, and investors needing free official macroeconomic time series, release calendars, charts, Excel access, and API access from the St. Louis Fed.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Macro Data
  • Data Visualizations
  • Calendar
  • Alerts

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on research reports, AI research workspace, and filings and transcript research.
  • Free-plan limits: FRED account features page describes the account as free. Free account enables dashboards, saved graphs/maps, data lists, email updates, and API access. API documentation says all web service requests require an API key.
  • API key required: All FRED web service requests require an API key, and requesting or viewing keys requires a free FRED account.
Cost
Free, no signup

Free onlyno paid tier

$29/mo less than Ahrefs

3

Bottom line: Analysts researching consumer-finance companies, banks, lenders, credit bureaus, fintechs, and product/service complaint trends from an official U.S. regulatory source.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Data Visualizations
  • Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • Official Sources

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on research reports, AI research workspace, and portfolio tracking.
  • Free-plan limits: The full published dataset is available as a compressed CSV file. Filtered CSV exports are limited to 100,000 complaints. CFPB retired filtered JSON exports in July 2026. The REST API returns JSON search results and supports CSV export.
  • Complaints are not verified outcomes: Complaint records reflect consumer submissions and company response metadata, not adjudicated wrongdoing or investment conclusions.
Cost
Free, no signup

Free onlyno paid tier

$29/mo less than Ahrefs

4
Social Blade logo
Social BladePartial replacement
4
Social Blade logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Investors and operators tracking creator and channel growth as context for consumer attention or media businesses.

Keep

  • App & Website Traffic
  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

No additional capabilities listed.

Lose

No missing capabilities listed.

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access, AI research workspace, and charting and technical analysis.
  • Free-plan limits: Creator profile statistics are available without a paid plan. A free account adds favorites and a personal dashboard. Premium removes ads and expands favorites, top lists, report cards, and historical table access. Business API packages start at 100 credits for $50. Volume discounts reduce the per-credit price.
  • Estimated public social metrics: Social Blade uses public profile statistics and estimates such as earnings. It does not sell private or personal platform data.
Cost
Free, no signup

$5/moto go paid, billed yearly

$24/mo less than Ahrefs

5
Perplexity Finance logo
Perplexity FinancePartial replacement
5
Perplexity Finance logo
Partial replacement

Perplexity Finance

Analyst pickTested by us

Bottom line: Users looking for cited AI answers over finance pages, filings, news, charts, watchlists, screeners, ownership data, and earnings documents.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Screeners
  • Watchlist
  • Data Visualizations
  • News

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic
  • Other coverage

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on research reports.
  • Free-plan limits: Free consumer plan includes 3 Pro searches per day. Pro is listed locally at $20/month and Max at $200/month for consumer access. Agent API finance_search is billed at $0.005 per invocation, or $5 per 1,000 invocations, with model tokens billed separately.
  • AI answer quality still needs review: Perplexity cites sources, but investment conclusions, calculations, and data joins should be verified before use.
Cost
Free, no signup

$20/moto go paid

$9/mo less than Ahrefs

6
Trading Economics logo
Trading EconomicsPartial replacement
6
Trading Economics logo
Partial replacement

Trading Economics

Tested by us

Bottom line: Developers and analysts needing macro indicators, economic calendar data, markets data, forecasts, financials, Excel/Sheets integrations, and API/WebSocket delivery.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Macro Data
  • Calendar
  • Alerts
  • News

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on research reports, AI research workspace, and charting and technical analysis.
  • Free-plan limits: API pricing page lists Standard at $199/month or $149/month equivalent billed yearly. API pricing page lists Professional at $399/month or $299/month equivalent billed yearly. Paid one-week trials are nonrefundable, auto-renew unless canceled, and allow 100 requests or 100,000 data points.
  • Real API use is paid: Guest credentials are limited/sample access. API plans offer monthly, quarterly, and yearly billing.
Cost
Free, no signup

$29.99/moto go paid

$0.99/mo more than Ahrefs

7
FlightAware logo
FlightAwarePartial replacement
7
FlightAware logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Investors and operators using flight activity, delays, route data, or aviation operations as logistics and travel-demand signals.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Data Visualizations
  • Alerts
  • Satellite / Geospatial

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access and AI research workspace.
  • Free-plan limits: Free web and mobile flight tracking are available. Premium subscriptions add alerts and historical lookback. AeroAPI is usage-priced; Firehose and enterprise products require licensing or sales engagement.
  • Aviation data, not finance data: FlightAware provides flight tracking and aviation APIs, not company fundamentals, prices, valuation models, or portfolio tools.
Cost
Free, no signup

$100/moto go paid

$71/mo more than Ahrefs

8
Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) logo
Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)Partial replacement
8

Bottom line: Analysts researching country, product, industry, export, import, and economic-complexity patterns through rich global trade visualizations.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Data Visualizations
  • Shipping & Trade
  • Education
  • Blogs

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access, AI research workspace, and portfolio tracking.
  • Free-plan limits: Subscription page lists Free, Pro, and Premium tiers. Pro unlocks latest trade data, export potential, data explorers, trend explorers, and API access. Premium adds Company Explorer, company profiles, and bulk downloads.
  • Not security-level research: OEC explains trade and economic complexity, but it does not provide stock prices, company financials, portfolio tracking, or brokerage tools.
Cost
Free, no signup

$299/moto go paid

$270/mo more than Ahrefs

9
Similarweb logo
SimilarwebQuality-checked pick
9
Similarweb logo
Quality-checked pick

Similarweb

Tested by us

Bottom line: Investors and operators researching digital businesses through website traffic, app usage, keyword demand, and competitive benchmarks.

Keep

  • App & Website Traffic
  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Sheets / Excel Add-ins
  • Data Visualizations

Lose

No missing capabilities listed.

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access and portfolio tracking.
  • Free-plan limits: Free website/app snapshots are limited. Self-service packages and trials are referenced for individuals, entrepreneurs, and small teams, but current package pages do not expose public prices. Business, enterprise, API, and module-heavy workflows require sales/custom pricing.
  • Modeled data, not reported financials: Traffic, app, keyword, and company estimates are proxy signals and need validation against filings, disclosures, and other datasets.
Cost
Free, no signup

Free • Contact for pricing

10
Sensor Tower logo
Sensor TowerDrop-in replacement
10
Sensor Tower logo
Drop-in replacement

Bottom line: Investors and operators researching app, web, ad, gaming, and audience trends as alternative data.

Keep

  • App & Website Traffic
  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

No additional capabilities listed.

Lose

No missing capabilities listed.

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access.
  • Free-plan limits: Public reports and selected tools are free. Commercial access requires demo/sales engagement. Pricing is customized by customer, module, geography, and access needs.
  • Sales-led enterprise pricing: Sensor Tower states that pricing is customized. There is no public self-serve price table for the commercial platform.
Cost
Free, no signup

Free • Contact for pricing

11
Visualping logo
VisualpingPartial replacement
11
Visualping logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Investors and compliance teams that need alerts when regulator, IR, pricing, terms, competitor, or news pages change.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Alerts
  • Webhooks
  • Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • Blogs

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on research reports, AI research workspace, and fundamental research.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Free plan is available for limited website monitoring. Business 20K is $140 monthly or $1,200 annually for 20,000 checks, 200 pages, 5 users, and team integrations.
  • Not market data: Visualping monitors website changes. Users still need to verify page content and normalize data for investment analysis.
Cost
Free with signup

$10/moto go paid, billed yearly

$19/mo less than Ahrefs

12
MacroMicro logo
MacroMicroPartial replacement
12
MacroMicro logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Macro-driven investors looking for global economic charts, cycle indicators, ETF tools, 13F/COT views, earnings summaries, and lightweight backtesting in a single visual workspace.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Data Visualizations
  • ETF Screeners
  • ETF Comparison
  • Which ETF includes this Stock?

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic
  • Other coverage

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access and research reports.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Monthly individual plans are $20 for PRO, $25 for Prime, and $30 for Max AI as of September 24, 2026. API Essential offers a 7-day trial and 5,000 calls or downloads monthly on its annual plan; its public price is unavailable.
  • Downloads and API are expensive: Data downloads and API access are separate enterprise products with undisclosed current public prices.
Cost
Free with signup

$20/moto go paid

$9/mo less than Ahrefs

13
Fiscal.ai logo
Fiscal.aiPartial replacement
13
Fiscal.ai logo
Partial replacement

Fiscal.ai

Analyst pickTested by us

Bottom line: Investors who want AI-assisted company research backed by financials, estimates, transcripts, filings, and dashboards.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Stock Ideas
  • Screeners
  • Stock Comparison
  • Data Visualizations

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic
  • Other coverage

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on market monitoring and research reports.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Free terminal access has dashboard, history, event, and AI prompt limits. Free API access covers 100 companies, 50 requests per minute, and 250 requests per day.
  • Free access is limited: The free API is limited to 100 companies, 50 requests per minute, and 250 requests per day. Deeper history, exports, and some datasets require paid plans.
Cost
Free with signup

$39/moto go paid

$10/mo more than Ahrefs

14
GuruFocus logo
GuruFocusPartial replacement
14
GuruFocus logo
Partial replacement

GuruFocus

Analyst pickTested by us

Bottom line: Value investors looking for long historical fundamentals, GF Score, GF Value, and guru/institutional holdings.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Stock Ideas
  • Screeners
  • ETF Screeners
  • Top Analysts

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on market monitoring, AI agent data access, and research reports.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. A free account has limited access. Free members have limited portfolio capacity.
  • Paid access is region and tier dependent: Annual paid memberships, region add-ons, API plans, and pay-as-you-go API credits.
Cost
Free with signup

$45.75/moto go paid, billed yearly

$16.75/mo more than Ahrefs

15
TickerTrends logo
TickerTrendsDrop-in replacement
15
TickerTrends logo
Drop-in replacement

Bottom line: Investors, analysts, and funds using alternative data such as search, web traffic, app usage, social, news, reviews, and transcripts to forecast company KPIs before earnings.

Keep

  • App & Website Traffic
  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Stock Ideas
  • Screeners
  • Stock Comparison
  • Data Visualizations

Lose

No missing capabilities listed.

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI research workspace.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. TickerTrends Core is $998 per year after a seven-day trial and carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. KPI Tracking Suite is custom priced with a trial available by request.
  • Alternative data is noisy: Search, social, traffic, and app signals are proxies for business performance. Users need modeling discipline, validation, and company-specific KPI context.
Cost
Free with signup

$83.17/moto go paid, billed yearly

$54.17/mo more than Ahrefs

16
Changeflow (Trackly) logo
Changeflow (Trackly)Partial replacement
16
Changeflow (Trackly) logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Compliance, regulatory, and investment research teams monitoring filings, agency pages, policies, competitor pages, PDFs, RSS feeds, and API endpoints.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Alerts
  • News
  • Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • Insider Data

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on financial data API.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Every plan has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. Professional is listed at $99/month billed annually; Business is listed at $249/month billed annually.
  • API requires Business or Enterprise: Professional does not include API access. API and webhooks are included on Business and Enterprise plans.
Cost
Free with signup

$99/moto go paid, billed yearly

$70/mo more than Ahrefs

17
Semrush logo
SemrushClosest replacement
17
Semrush logo
Closest replacement

Bottom line: Investors and operators using SEO, paid search, web traffic, and AI visibility as alternative data for digital businesses.

Keep

  • App & Website Traffic
  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Sheets / Excel Add-ins
  • Blogs

Lose

No missing capabilities listed.

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on charting and technical analysis.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Credit card required. Free account and paid-plan trials are limited.
  • Marketing platform, not investing software: Semrush does not provide portfolio tracking, valuation models, broker execution, or official company fundamentals.
Cost
Free, card required

$139/moto go paid

$110/mo more than Ahrefs

18
Listen Notes logo
Listen NotesPartial replacement
18
Listen Notes logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Investors and builders who treat podcast mentions, executive interviews, industry podcasts, and expert conversations as alternative research inputs.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Alerts
  • Education
  • Other

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI research workspace and charting and technical analysis.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Free API access includes 150 requests each month and requires no credit card. Pro costs $0 in a billing cycle with no successful requests and $200 once the account makes at least one successful request.
  • Podcast data is indirect: Podcast mentions are useful context but are not verified financial statements, market prices, or regulated disclosures.
Cost
Free with signup

$200/moto go paid

$171/mo more than Ahrefs

19
MarineTraffic logo
MarineTrafficPartial replacement
19
MarineTraffic logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Investors and operators using vessel movements, port calls, congestion, and AIS history as shipping, commodity, trade, or supply-chain alternative data.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Data Visualizations
  • Shipping & Trade
  • Alerts

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI agent data access and AI research workspace.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. A free account is available, and Basic, Essential, and Enterprise are the named online plans; current public prices are inaccessible. The purchase flow offers a 7-day trial, requires a single-user license, and states that payments are non-refundable.
  • API is account-specific: MarineTraffic API services use API keys but are not included automatically with an online plan. Access depends on the account's contract.
Cost
Free with signup

Free • Contact for pricing

20
OpenCorporates logo
OpenCorporatesPartial replacement
20
OpenCorporates logo
Partial replacement

Bottom line: Researchers, investigators, and data teams that need legal-entity records linked to official sources.

Keep

  • APIs & Data Feeds

Gain

  • Regulatory Filings Monitoring
  • Other

Lose

  • App & Website Traffic

Watch out

  • Avoid as a full replacement if you rely on AI research workspace and charting and technical analysis.
  • Free-plan limits: Signup required. Website access requires signup for selected company attributes. Essentials is GBP 225 monthly or GBP 2,250 annually; Starter is GBP 660 monthly or GBP 6,600 annually; Basic is GBP 1,200 monthly or GBP 12,000 annually.
  • Commercial use is paid: Website access is free for personal or public-benefit use. Commercial API access and bulk data require paid plans.
Cost
Free with signup

Free • Contact for pricing

What This Shortlist Tells You

Semrush is the closest drop-in replacement with overlapping coverage in App & Website Traffic and APIs & Data Feeds while adding Sheets / Excel Add-ins and Blogs coverage and Traffic Analytics examines website visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks. and Rich API suite: Standard API for SEO Toolkit Business users, Trends API, Listing Management API for Semrush Local users, and Map Rank Tracker API. Current versions support API key and OAuth 2.0 flows depending on endpoint family. features (workflow overlap ~100%).

Every pick keeps a free tier; start with Semrush, TickerTrends, and Similarweb to road-test Ahrefs workflows without paying up front.

Need mobile access? Semrush, Perplexity Finance, and FlightAware bring phone-ready workflows that Ahrefs lacks.

Round out your stack with new coverage areas like Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Blogs, Stock Ideas, and Screeners.

Coverage Snapshot

Where alternatives already align

Most shared categories across the top matches.

Free Access & Pricing

Free to start

All 20

All 20 have a standing free tier, not a trial.

Paid plans from

$5/mo

Social Blade is the cheapest paid upgrade. Ahrefs starts at $29/mo.

Mobile app

8 of 20

8 add a mobile app that Ahrefs lacks.

API access

20 of 20

20 expose an API or data feed, usually on a paid plan.

Hands-on tested

5 of 20

5 tested hands-on. 3 are analyst picks.

Coverage overlap

63%

Average share of Ahrefs categories each alternative covers.

Free Alternatives FAQ

What are the best free alternatives to Ahrefs?

Semrush, TickerTrends, and Similarweb cover the most Ahrefs workflows without a paid plan, in that order.

Do these picks stay permanently free?

Yes. Every tool listed has a standing free tier, not a trial. Expect caps on exports, seats, or history once you use it heavily.

Which Ahrefs workflows stay covered on the free plan?

The free plans cover App & Website Traffic and APIs & Data Feeds. Core Ahrefs workflows in those areas do not need a paid upgrade.

What extra coverage do the free alternatives add?

The free alternatives add Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Blogs, Stock Ideas, Screeners, Stock Comparison, Data Visualizations, Quant, Backtesting, News Sentiment, Market Sentiment, Alerts, Reddit, Financials, Scores, Improved Filings, Transcripts, Earnings Calls Sentiment, Analyst Forecasts, Employee/Consumer Reviews, AI Research, AI Chat, Custom Dashboards, Education, Newsletters, News, Regulatory Filings Monitoring, Insider Data, Institutional Ownership, Webhooks, Watchlist, Calendar, US Government Trades, Options, Satellite / Geospatial, Other, Shipping & Trade, Macro Data, Credit Ratings & Outlooks, Dividends, IPO, Splits, Official Sources, Portfolio, ETF Analysis, Fund Analysis, Valuation Models, Analyst Ratings & Price Targets, ETF Screeners, Top Analysts, ETF Comparison, Correlation, Corporate Actions & Special Situations, Yield Curves, Flags, Short Interest, Broker Connectors, Videos, Forums, Stock Handbook, and Which ETF includes this Stock?, which Ahrefs does not cover.

Where might I still rely on Ahrefs?

App & Website Traffic stay with Ahrefs. Keep it for those tasks, or budget for a paid plan elsewhere if they matter.

Feedback

Missing an alternative, or is a listing out of date? Tell me and I will look.

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.