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Ahrefs vs Semrush.

Compare entry plans and the restrictions that matter to adult businesses.

THE ATN TAKE · EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT

Policy fit comes first. Ahrefs explicitly lists adult content as prohibited; an exception for the intended workflow has not been verified. Semrush’s affiliate program prohibits promotion on adult websites, while customer-use eligibility is a separate unresolved question. The price comparison below is not an endorsement of either service for ATN. [3] [6] [4]

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SEO research suitesOfficial sources · Sep 30, 2026
Ahrefs compared with Semrush
THE DETAILSFind your fit.AhrefsView profileSemrushView profile
Main roleSite and keyword research, technical site audits and rank tracking. [1]Keyword and competitor research, site audits and position tracking; additional AI-search plans are offered. [2]
Free entryFree account for verified sites; its help table lists 5,000 crawl credits per verified project per month. [1]US$0 plan: one demo project and 10 reports per day across core tools; no credit card required. [2]
Paid entry · monthly billingStarter: US$29/month in the USD help table. Monthly renewal only; Lite is listed at US$129/month. [1]SEO: US$139/month on monthly billing. The US$117.33/month display is an annual-billing equivalent, not a monthly-payment offer. [2]
Included limits to noticeStarter: 200 monthly credits, 50 tracked keywords and no report exports. Additional users and credits cannot be purchased on Starter. [1]SEO: five monitored websites and 500 daily tracked keywords. Other tool allowances and add-ons must be checked against the selected plan. [2]
Adult-business eligibilityIts Content Policy explicitly prohibits adult content. ATN has not verified an exception for the intended workflow. [3]Terms cover internal business use within plan limits. Explicit adult-business permission was not established; confirm your intended use. [4]
Affiliate statusOfficial June 2023 statement says the public program was discontinued. No replacement program was verified. [5]The public program prohibits affiliate promotion on adult websites. This restriction is separate from customer-use eligibility. [6]
Decision pointATN assessmentResolve the content-policy restriction first; a cheaper entry plan is not useful if the work is ineligible. [3] [1]Check service eligibility and required allowances before paying; do not budget for affiliate income from promotion on an adult site. [4] [2] [6]

Published entry plans have different scopes and allowances. Prices are dated snapshots; confirm currency, billing term, taxes and add-ons. Customer-use policies and affiliate-promotion rules are separate. This comparison does not establish permission for an adult-business workflow or prove research accuracy.

Sources behind this comparison 6 official pages
  1. Ahrefs — Starter plan — USD prices and usage limits (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026
  2. Semrush — Current SEO & AI Search plans — USD pricing and limits (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026
  3. Ahrefs — Ahrefs Content Policy (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026
  4. Semrush — Semrush Terms of Service — use and subscription rules (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026
  5. Ahrefs — Official affiliate-program statement (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026
  6. Semrush — Official affiliate program — rates, attribution and restrictions (opens in a new tab)Checked Sep 30, 2026

How to choose

These entry plans are not equivalent

Ahrefs Starter is listed at US$29 per month with 200 monthly credits and no exports. Semrush SEO is US$139 on monthly billing and includes different website and keyword allowances. A lower starting price does not establish better value for a particular task. [1] [2]

Try the permitted free scope first

Ahrefs’ free account focuses on verified sites; Semrush’s free plan includes a demo project and limited daily reports. Paid access can wait until a specific limit blocks necessary work, and only after eligibility is resolved. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Separate buying a tool from promoting it

Ahrefs’ official statement says its public affiliate program was discontinued. Semrush’s adult-site promotion restriction prevents treating it as an eligible affiliate offer here. Neither program status is evidence of how well the tools perform. [5] [6]

Research based · No hands-on testing or numeric scores · Direct links, no affiliate tracking. Our editorial standards

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