If you are an entrepreneur or marketer trying to stand out in search engine optimization, you need an excellent tool to keep up. Ahrefs and Moz Pro are known to be the leaders, but they have different features, pricing, and usability.
In this post, we're going to discover how Ahrefs and Moz compare when it comes to:
- Domain analysis
- Keyword research
- Rank tracking
- Site audit
- User Interface / Usability
- Value for money
- Customer support
What are Ahrefs and Moz?
Ahrefs and Moz Pro help you optimize your website for different search engines. They offer insightful information that you can use to discover what people are searching for in your niche. It also allows you to create new content, attracting organic search traffic. In addition, these SEO tools help identify link-building opportunities and revamp your website's technical aspects to make it rank higher.
Learn more about the key features of Ahrefs and Moz in the following section.
Domain analysis
One of the most valuable things you can do with Moz and Ahrefs is conduct fundamental domain analysis. With this, you will get a general overview of how a website performs from an SEO perspective.
A domain authority (DA) score (Moz) or domain rating (Ahrefs) indicates how well a website is likely to perform in search results. These scores are calculated based on the number/quality of links that point to a website.
The top keywords for which the website ranks are as follows:
- The total number of external links — 'backlinks' — points to the website, wherein the more of these, the better from an SEO point of view.
- Anchor text is commonly used in external links to the website.
- A list of competing domains.
Keyword Research
Keyword research helps you answer four critical questions:
- Search Volume: How many people search for a specific term (keyword) each month?
- Competition: How hard is ranking your website on SERP for that keyword?
- Competitors: Who currently ranks well for that keyword?
- Related Keywords: Are there other relevant keywords you should consider targeting?
Tools like Moz and Ahrefs can simplify this process by providing this data.
A key difference: Moz focuses on keyword research data for Google only, while Ahrefs offers data for nine search engines.
Rank Tracking
Ahrefs and Moz offer user-friendly rank-tracking tools to monitor your website's performance in search results over time.
Ahrefs Rank Tracker:
- Simple setup: Add your desired location, keywords, and competitor URLs. Ahrefs takes care of the rest.
- Clear visualization: Track ranking progress with charts and compare your performance against competitors.
- Automated reporting: Receive scheduled reports delivered straight to your inbox, keeping you updated without manual checks.
Moz STAT Search Analytics:
- Comprehensive tracking: Go beyond basic rank tracking with daily updates, including mobile and local SEO insights.
- Unlimited monitoring: Track rankings for an unlimited number of websites, ideal for agencies managing multiple clients.
- In-depth analysis: Gain valuable information to inform your SEO strategy, uncovering opportunities to outrank competitors.
Site Audit
Ahrefs offers a free site audit tool, but it requires verifying your website ownership through its domain verification process. This provides a comprehensive analysis, checking for performance issues, HTML tags, backlinks, social tags, content quality, and more.
On the other hand, Moz takes a different approach. They offer a free, downloadable site audit checklist. This checklist focuses on analyzing individual URLs. If you need to audit your entire website, Moz recommends running a website crawl using a separate tool (not included in their free offering).
In short, Ahrefs is great for a one-time, in-depth website analysis if you're comfortable verifying ownership. Meanwhile, Moz is ideal for quick checks on specific URLs, or users may prefer a DIY approach with a separate website crawler tool.
Interface and Usability
Ahrefs and Moz have a learning curve. They're like specialized tools with a lot of information to explore. But don't worry. Both are designed to be user-friendly. They function similarly, with menus on the left side guiding you to the SEO data you need, displayed clearly on the right. So, while there's some initial learning involved, you won't be drowning in complexity.
Pricing
Compared to many other business apps, Moz and Ahrefs are expensive.
That's understandable, though, because you're paying for functionality and access to a lot of data, including some reasonably serious competitive intelligence.
There are four Ahrefs pricing plans available:
Lite: $99 per month
Standard: $199 per month
Advanced: $399 per month
Enterprise: $999 per month.
Paying annually for Ahrefs gives you two months of service free (a 16.7% discount, effectively). There's no free trial of the whole product on offer. Alternatively, you can use the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free indefinitely.
There are five Moz Pro plans, including:
Standard: $99/month
Medium: $179/month
Large: $299/month
Premium: $599/month
Moz Enterprise: Negotiable
You'll get a 20% discount if you pay upfront for a year, plus a 30-day free trial of Moz is available. The trial period is generous compared with other similar SEO tools.
Customer Support
The support a client can avail from Ahrefs and Moz is pretty similar. You can contact the company either via email or live chat.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the SEO champion between Ahrefs vs Moz depends on your specific SEO goals and priorities.
Choose Ahrefs if:
- You need an in-depth backlink analysis and competitor research are crucial for your strategy.
- You value a larger keyword database and more granular metrics.
- You can handle a steeper learning curve for a potentially more powerful toolbox.
Choose Moz if:
- You prioritize site auditing, rank tracking, and a beginner-friendly interface.
- A broader range of features beyond just backlinks is important to you.
- You're on a tighter budget and seeking a good value for the price.
Consider trying free trials or demos of Ahrefs and Moz to get a feel for which one suits your workflow and needs better. Remember, the best SEO tool is the one you'll consistently use to make data-driven decisions and improve your website's search engine presence.
