Ahrefs vs SpyFu

by Gralio Feb 19, 2025

Ahrefs and SpyFu are both valuable tools for online marketing, but cater to different needs and budgets. Ahrefs is better suited for businesses and SEO professionals requiring in-depth analysis and a wide range of features, while SpyFu offers a more affordable solution focused on competitor intelligence.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 1881 reviews and 60 websites, saving 10 hours, 57 minutes of reading.

Ahrefs

Website LinkedIn Twitter

SpyFu

Website LinkedIn Twitter

About

Ahrefs is a suite of online tools designed to improve a website's search engine ranking and visibility. It provides data and insights on competitors, keywords, backlinks, and website content. Businesses use Ahrefs to research competitor strategies, discover relevant keywords, find link-building opportunities, audit their website for SEO issues, and track their ranking progress against competitors. Ahrefs is known for its large database and focus on data accuracy for marketing professionals.

SpyFu is a search marketing tool that helps you understand your competitors' online strategies. It shows you the keywords they use for SEO and advertising, their ad campaigns, and even their estimated budget. You can use this information to improve your own website ranking, find new customers, and make sure you're ahead of the competition.

Summary

Main difference

Ahrefs stands out with its comprehensive SEO toolkit, offering a larger database and more advanced features for in-depth analysis. SpyFu focuses on competitor analysis, providing insights into keyword strategies and ad campaigns at a more budget-friendly price.

Relative strengths of Ahrefs (compared to SpyFu)

More comprehensive SEO toolkit with features like backlink analysis and site audit.
Larger database for more extensive keyword and competitor research.
Stronger focus on data accuracy for reliable insights.

Relative weaknesses of Ahrefs (compared to SpyFu)

Significantly more expensive than SpyFu, especially for smaller businesses.
Customer support has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting slow response times.
Less intuitive user interface compared to SpyFu, which can be overwhelming for beginners.

Who is using Ahrefs and SpyFu?

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Gaetano Di Nardi

Growth Advisor for B2B SaaS Companies

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Jake Ward

SEO expert; 150K LinkedIn followers

Andrew Charlton

SEO Consultant, Founder of SEO tool companies

Show all 13 stacks

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Who should use Ahrefs VS. SpyFu

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO toolsuite for businesses seeking to boost their online visibility. Users praise its comprehensive keyword research and backlink analysis features, as well as the helpful site audit tool. However, many find the pricing high and customer support lacking. Ideal for marketers, SEO professionals, and business owners.

SpyFu is a competitive analysis tool that reveals your competitors' keywords, ad copy, and budget estimates. This data empowers businesses to refine their SEO and PPC campaigns. Users praise SpyFu's comprehensive reports and user-friendly interface. However, some have raised concerns about data accuracy and billing issues. Perfect for marketers seeking actionable insights to outmaneuver the competition.

Best fit for small, medium, and large businesses.
Ideal for E-commerce, Marketing & Advertising, and Software companies.

Best for small, medium, and large businesses seeking competitor insights.
Ideal for marketing & advertising, with benefits for various sectors like e-commerce and finance.

Ahrefs and SpyFu features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Competitor Playbooks

Not supported

Ahrefs does not directly support creating competitor playbooks.

Partially supported

SpyFu helps create competitor playbooks by analyzing SEO and PPC strategies, but not product offerings or pricing.
Website traffic analytics

Partially supported

Ahrefs provides partial website traffic analytics, lacking some features like demographics and display ad analysis.

Not supported

SpyFu offers insights into competitor PPC campaigns and SEO, but not detailed website traffic analytics.
Competitor Analysis

Partially supported

Ahrefs provides insights into competitor keywords and content strategies, but not technologies or customer base.

Partially supported

SpyFu analyzes competitors' keywords, ad copy, and spending, but not technologies or customer demographics.
Competitor insights

Supported

Ahrefs allows you to analyze competitor SEO performance and strategies through features like competitor identification, detailed SEO metrics analysis, website structure and content analysis, technical SEO analysis, and long-term monitoring.

Supported

SpyFu supports competitor SEO analysis, including keyword and content strategies.
Paid Keyword Analysis

Supported

Ahrefs supports Paid Keyword Analysis, allowing users to see what paid keywords competitors are using.

Supported

SpyFu supports paid keyword analysis, including competitor insights and AdWords advisor.
Ahrefs integration

Supported

Ahrefs integrates with other SEO tools and its own components.

Not supported

SpyFu does not integrate with Ahrefs.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

-0.96

Strongly negative sentiment

+0.4

Rather positive sentiment
Customer Service

-0.86

Strongly negative sentiment

+0.43

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.44

Rather positive sentiment

+0.54

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.24

Neutral sentiment

+0.14

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0

Neutral sentiment

+1

Strongly positive sentiment
Scalability

-0.6

Rather negative sentiment

No data

Ahrefs and SpyFu Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly negative

-0.96

We couldn't find a pricing page for Ahrefs.

SpyFu offers tiered subscription pricing with two main plans: Basic and Professional. Both plans provide unlimited access to US and international data. A 30-day money-back guarantee is available. There is a limited time offer that requires signing up for a RivalFlowAI free trial to claim a lifetime discount on SpyFu membership.

Plans

User sentiment

Rather positive

+0.4

See full Pricing page

Ahrefs and SpyFu review insights

1713 reviews analysed from and

Users love

In-depth backlink analysis is consistently praised by users.
Keyword research tools offer comprehensive data, including search volume and difficulty.
Site audit tool is very helpful in identifying and fixing technical SEO issues.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is a valuable free resource.

Provides comprehensive reports and insights into competitor strategies.
Offers a cost-effective suite of SEO and PPC research tools.
User-friendly interface with helpful tutorials and customer support.
Effective in uncovering competitors' keywords and ad copy, valuable for planning campaigns.

Users dislike

The pricing is very high and not very transparent.
The "Lite" plan is too limited, many key features are not included.
Users are reporting being moved off legacy plans to more expensive plans with no warning.
Customer support is slow and sometimes unhelpful.

The data accuracy is questionable and some UK features are not fully rolled out.
The estimated monthly ad spend is often inaccurate.
The platform is difficult to navigate, especially on mobile.
Billing issues and unauthorized charges have been reported by some users.

Ahrefs and SpyFu Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(550)
Capterra

4.7/5

(520)
TrustPilot

1.8/5

(81)
Glassdoor

4.9/5

(11)

G2

4.6/5

(512)
Capterra

4.5/5

(143)
TrustPilot

1.6/5

(87)

Company health

Employee growth

No data

9% increase in the last year

Web traffic

11% increase in the last quarter

20% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data

How accurate is SpyFu's competitor ad spend data compared to Ahrefs?

SpyFu's ad spend data accuracy is considered questionable by some users, with reports of inaccurate estimated monthly ad spend. Ahrefs, on the other hand, is known for its large database and focus on data accuracy, although its pricing is a common complaint. While both tools offer competitor analysis features, Ahrefs might be a better choice for those prioritizing data accuracy, while SpyFu could be suitable for those on a tighter budget but willing to accept potential discrepancies in ad spend estimations.

Which product offers more comprehensive technical SEO audit capabilities?

Ahrefs offers more comprehensive technical SEO audit capabilities. Ahrefs' Site Audit tool is specifically praised by users for identifying and fixing technical SEO issues, while SpyFu's focus is primarily on competitor analysis for SEO and advertising, with less emphasis on technical website auditing.

What are the advantages of Ahrefs?

Ahrefs is known for its larger database and focus on data accuracy, particularly beneficial for in-depth backlink analysis and comprehensive keyword research. Users consistently praise its site audit tool for identifying technical SEO issues and appreciate the value of the free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. While expensive, Ahrefs offers a broader range of SEO tools beyond competitor analysis, making it suitable for businesses prioritizing overall SEO improvement and content strategy.

What are the disadvantages of Ahrefs?

Ahrefs' main disadvantages are its high cost and lack of pricing transparency, which are frequent complaints from users. Customer support is also considered slow and unhelpful at times. The limited functionality of the "Lite" plan and reports of users being forced to upgrade to more expensive plans without warning contribute to negative user sentiment regarding pricing.

Alternatives to Ahrefs and SpyFu

Semrush

Semrush is an online visibility and marketing platform that helps businesses improve their online presence. It offers a wide range of tools for SEO, content marketing, competitor analysis, social media management, and paid advertising. With a massive database, Semrush provides insights into keywords, backlinks, website traffic, and competitor strategies, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions to enhance their online visibility and achieve marketing goals. Many Fortune 500 companies utilize Semrush's comprehensive suite of digital marketing tools.

Similarweb

Similarweb is like a giant spyglass for the internet. It helps you understand what people are doing online, so you can make smarter decisions for your own website and marketing. Want to know who your competitors are online? Similarweb shows you. Want to see which websites are sending traffic to your competitors (so you can try to get them to send traffic to you)? Similarweb shows you that too. You can even see what keywords people are using to find your competitors, and which online ads are working best for them. Basically, if you want to know how your website stacks up against the competition and find new opportunities to grow online, Similarweb gives you the information to do it.

SE Ranking

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO software suite designed to help businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a wide range of tools, including keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, backlink monitoring, and rank tracking. SE Ranking is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of features, making it suitable for both SEO beginners and experienced professionals. It aims to provide actionable insights and data-driven recommendations to optimize website content, improve visibility, and attract more organic traffic.

Serpstat

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO toolkit designed to give businesses a competitive edge online. It helps you track your website's performance in search engines, analyze competitors, research valuable keywords, and develop an effective content strategy. Serpstat offers tools to audit your website, identify technical issues, and track your progress over time. Its features include competitor analysis, keyword research, content creation and analysis, and search engine results page (SERP) tracking. Serpstat is used by businesses of all sizes who want to improve their online visibility and attract more customers.

Dragon Metrics

Dragon Metrics is a global SEO software platform designed to help businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including rank tracking, competitor analysis, reporting, and technical SEO auditing. Dragon Metrics is known for its in-depth data, user-friendly interface, and global coverage, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to boost their online visibility. It promises simplified reporting, clear insights, and ultimately, better rankings.

Moz Pro

Moz Pro is a suite of SEO tools designed to improve your website's visibility on search engines. It offers features such as keyword research, competitor analysis, site auditing, and rank tracking, all within a single platform. Moz Pro aims to help businesses of all sizes understand their website's SEO performance, identify areas for improvement, and track their progress over time. It is known for its user-friendly interface and educational resources.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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