ahrefs vs majestic
Ahrefs vs Majestic — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Ahrefs and Majestic represent two different approaches to backlink analysis. Ahrefs built an all-in-one SEO platform around its backlink index, while Majestic doubled down on becoming the definitive backlink intelligence tool. Both claim massive link databases, but they serve different types of SEO professionals.
The choice comes down to breadth versus specialization. Ahrefs gives you backlinks plus keyword research, rank tracking, and content tools in one subscription. Majestic offers deeper backlink analysis with proprietary metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow, plus the largest historical backlink database available.
Feature Comparison
Ahrefs covers more SEO ground with its Keywords Explorer, Site Explorer, Content Explorer, and Rank Tracker modules. Its backlink analysis includes referring domains, anchor text analysis, and link intersect features, but the real strength is having keyword research and competitive analysis in the same platform. Majestic focuses entirely on links. Its backlink index is larger than Ahrefs', and it provides unique metrics like Trust Flow (quality assessment) and Citation Flow (link volume assessment) that many SEOs rely on for link prospecting. Majestic also excels at historical backlink data, showing you link profiles going back years, and offers more granular filtering options for link analysis. For link building specifically, Majestic's tools are more sophisticated. The Clique Hunter finds linking opportunities by analyzing competitor link intersections, and the Link Context feature shows you exactly where links appear on pages. Ahrefs has similar features but they're less refined.
Pricing Comparison
Majestic starts at $50/month for the Lite plan, making it significantly cheaper than Ahrefs' $99/month entry point. However, Majestic's starter plan limits you to 1 million analyzed backlinks per month, while Ahrefs gives you the full toolset including keyword research and rank tracking. At the higher tiers, the value proposition shifts. Ahrefs' Standard plan at $199/month includes everything most agencies need. Majestic's Pro plan at $100/month offers 20 million backlinks analyzed monthly but still no keyword tools. For pure backlink analysis volume, Majestic wins on price-per-link analyzed.
Best For
Ahrefs is better when you need a complete SEO workflow. If you're doing keyword research, tracking rankings, analyzing content gaps, and monitoring backlinks, paying for one tool instead of multiple subscriptions makes sense. The interface is more intuitive, and having all your SEO data in one dashboard saves time. Majestic is better for dedicated link builders and agencies focused on backlink analysis. If you're prospecting links all day, need historical backlink data for penalty recovery, or want the most comprehensive link index available, Majestic's specialization pays off. The Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics are industry standards for link evaluation.
The Verdict
Choose Ahrefs unless backlink analysis is your primary focus. Most SEO professionals need keyword research as much as they need backlink data, and Ahrefs delivers both competently in one subscription. Majestic makes sense for link building specialists, penalty recovery consultants, or large agencies that can justify separate tools for different functions.