Ahrefs vs Clearscope

Two SEO tools side by side: what each does, what it costs and who it suits.

The verdict Side by side Plans and pricing Who each is for Other options

The verdict

On the data we hold, Ahrefs comes out ahead. Here is why, point by point.

What the data says

Ahrefs covers more of the features we compared: 5 of 5, against 1.
Only Ahrefs has a free plan to start on.
Only Ahrefs has an MCP server, so an AI employee can work in it directly.
In our SEO ranking, Ahrefs places 2 and Clearscope 11 of 15.

Side by side

Ahrefs and Clearscope compared
9 points compared	Ahrefs	Clearscope
Starts at	€27/mo	$129/mo
Free plan	Yes	No
API	Yes	Not known yet
MCP server	Yes	No
AI content optimiser	Yes	Yes
Backlink index	Yes	No
Keyword research database	Yes	No
Rank tracking	Yes	No
Technical site audit	Yes	No
Links	Visit	Visit

Plans and pricing

Ahrefs

Ahrefs FreeFree limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit for verified site owners.Free
StarterEntry plan to see what people search and spy on competitors, limited data.€27/mo
LiteIncludes 1 user, 5 projects, 750 tracked keywords and API and MCP access; extra users cost 37.4 per month.€119/mo
StandardIncludes 1 user and more projects and data than Lite; extra users cost 56.1 per month.€229/mo
AdvancedFor in-house teams, includes 1 user; extra users cost 74.8 per month.€419/mo
EnterpriseAnnual commitment required; uncapped API, SSO, audit log and unlimited historical data.€1,394/mo

Clearscope

Essentials$129 a month with 50 tracked queries, 50 pages, unlimited users.$129/mo
Business$399 a month with 300 tracked queries, 300 pages and a dedicated account manager.$399/mo

Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.

Who each is for

Choose Ahrefs if…

B2B founders, marketers and agencies who treat organic search and content as a real growth channel and need reliable backlink, keyword and competitor data.

Visit Read the review

Choose Clearscope if…

A content team that publishes SEO articles every week and wants every writer to work from the same brief and score, instead of guessing which topics to cover.

Visit Read the review

Other options worth a look

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Monitor how your brand appears inside AI search results across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI and Copilot.
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Track how your brand appears in AI search answers and measure your share of voice.
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Tracks how AI assistants describe your brand and recommends content changes to improve those answers.
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