Ahrefs vs. BrightEdge

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Ahrefs
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Ahrefs is an SEO tool providers. Ahrefs Site Explorer provides a suite of tools including a component for backlink & on-page SEO analysis, online brand mentions tracking, and domain comparison tool for competitor analysis, etc. They refer to themselves as “the largest index of live backlinks.”
$99
per month
BrightEdge
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
BrightEdge is an enterprise-level SEO (Search Engine Optimization) platform from the company of the same name in San Mateo, California. It includes customizable dashboards, reporting, forecasting, SEO recommendations, backlink management and competitive analysis. It covers local, global, mobile, social and content centric SEO. Presently BrightEdge's platform supports the marketing efforts of many well-brands, like Nike, Microsoft, and Netflix.
$0
per month
Pricing
AhrefsBrightEdge
Editions & Modules
Lite
$99.00
per month
Standard
$179.00
per month
Advanced
$399.00
per month
Agency
$999.00
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AhrefsBrightEdge
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AhrefsBrightEdge
Considered Both Products
Ahrefs
Chose Ahrefs
I think when it comes to keyword tracking, Ahrefs is not as good BrightEdge, but Ahrefs Site Explorer trumps BrightEdge when it comes to anything backlink related. I would use Ahrefs Site Explorer for backlink analysis, identifying 404 error pages, examining anchor texts, and …
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs is the best tool I've used for link building reporting; however, other tools are better suited for things like keyword position tracking, keyword research, etc.
BrightEdge
Chose BrightEdge
Better keyword tracking and reporting, however Ahrefs is easier to set up and faster in some cases. Ahrefs keyword search volume is better and more accurate. Competitive analysis is similar, Ahrefs simply does not have the charting capabilities that BrightEdge has and the …
Chose BrightEdge
Customer service is top notch, better UI in the platform.
Chose BrightEdge
Overall the best tool I’ve used. Missing parts that I like from other tools like search intent category, content writing AI, etc. but as an experienced SEO I really love it.
Chose BrightEdge
Love the interface more, it’s more updated. A lot of cool features that are more easily accessible within BrightEdge. The customer success manager has been better than with seoClarity as well. We get meeting agendas, quick email responses, productive calls, and help with the …
Chose BrightEdge
I see a lot of similarities with the other two products. Personally, I think a big aspect of using BrightEdge is familiarity with the platform. Just like any of these SEO tools, the value from these comes with how efficient users can be with the interface. BrightEdge has a …
Chose BrightEdge
seoClarity was one platform that we would have transitioned to if they would have been able to provide a solution like BrightEdge Instant. Out of all the platforms we have evaluated, the one thing that keeps us coming back to BrightEdge is the robust amount of relevant keywords …
Chose BrightEdge
While relatively expensive, Brightedge really does offer the best quality product but just as importantly (if not more so) the level of client/agency support. We have biweekly training with the entire team to continually stay up to date on Brightedge's offerings and strategies. …
Chose BrightEdge
All SEO tools offer something a little different but BrightEdge comes pretty close to having everything I need. I can track links, review technical issues, and assign them to my staff. Reporting is top-notch too. I chose them because of my familiarity with them on the …
Chose BrightEdge
I personally didn't get to work with Conductor a great deal, but I know many of my colleagues who used Conductor extensively didn't like quite as much.
Features
AhrefsBrightEdge
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
7.9
72 Ratings
2% above category average
BrightEdge
7.3
48 Ratings
6% below category average
Keyword analysis9.669 Ratings7.548 Ratings
Backlink management9.070 Ratings7.041 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking8.868 Ratings8.045 Ratings
Page grader6.262 Ratings5.040 Ratings
Competitive analysis9.170 Ratings7.948 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics7.065 Ratings8.045 Ratings
Site recommendations6.261 Ratings6.048 Ratings
Task management7.033 Ratings8.941 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
6.8
63 Ratings
11% below category average
BrightEdge
9.0
46 Ratings
17% above category average
Local SEO7.151 Ratings9.037 Ratings
Social SEO6.148 Ratings9.031 Ratings
Mobile SEO6.047 Ratings9.042 Ratings
Global SEO8.057 Ratings9.035 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
7.9
60 Ratings
6% below category average
BrightEdge
8.7
46 Ratings
3% above category average
Multi-domain support7.457 Ratings9.036 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools8.429 Ratings8.545 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AhrefsBrightEdge
Small Businesses
Nozzle
Nozzle
Score 10.0 out of 10
Nozzle
Nozzle
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.2 out of 10
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Conductor
Conductor
Score 9.2 out of 10
Conductor
Conductor
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AhrefsBrightEdge
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(77 ratings)
8.5
(80 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(5 ratings)
10.0
(35 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(5 ratings)
8.4
(12 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(14 ratings)
9.0
(14 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
AhrefsBrightEdge
Likelihood to Recommend
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a must have in the SEO toolbox. It is one of the leading tools in the industry for serious SEO research. It can do almost everything you need on the non-technical side of SEO. In my opinion, it is not great if you need a detailed technical tool that identifies errors and helps with fix suggestions. In that instance, I think there are better tools on the market. But - for content and keyword related tasks, I think it's must have.
Read full review
BrightEdge
BrightEdge is great for large companies and large SEO teams since it's pricey but worth it if you have a large team or organization using it. For small businesses, I would use a different tool like Semrush because of the price and the variety of tools it offers.
Read full review
Pros
Ahrefs
  • I have been using this platform in my organization to develop several SEO tools to help to grow our website much.
  • It has all the main features which include competitor research, keyword research, website audit, content research, and rank tracking.
  • I have been using all these functions in the organization for several purposes. It provides complete information and complete performance details of the SEO.
  • It provides us the detailed keyword research with volume, CPC, and other information.
Read full review
BrightEdge
  • Instant - Keyword research tool is by far our team's favorite item on the platform
  • DataCube - We are able to uncover competitive gaps and hone in on specific sets of pages using filters containing our business product assortment attribute.
  • Professional services have been attentive when asking for changes
Read full review
Cons
Ahrefs
  • Can't export graphs: some graphs within the tool would be useful as an export. Unfortunately, exporting them is not an option.
  • No "blanket" reporting options: though Ahrefs is excellent for gathering and exporting intel/data, there are no blanket SEO reports provided. Exporting data is great, but simple report exporting would make it better.
Read full review
BrightEdge
  • The storybuilder feature isn't anything outstanding. I feel like I can get the same type of data and format from Google Data Studio.
  • I feel like the Hyperlocal feature is still very junior compared to other features. It provides you good insights, but you have to set all the data fields before you can get a picture as well as it doesn't really give you an idea of how you can improve.
  • The mobile SEO solution is a good concept, but it needs some tweaks to be better, especially when building out a mobile story builder. Some of the data isn't simple to read and the mobile keywords functions don't also account for voice searches.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Ahrefs
Their index is too vast to ignore when looking at a complete backlink profile. We find links in Ahrefs that do not appear in any other link detection tool. For this reason, it's a must for our agency to use for the foreseeable future. Plus, it's very affordable considering the data you get
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BrightEdge
I would renew, as I don't feel there is a product out there that would have the impact on our SEO efforts as effectively as BrightEdge. It provides the information I need and integrates with other tools like Google Webmaster Tools, to truly have the depth of information that makes their suggestions for SEO changes so valued.
Read full review
Usability
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is very easy to use - you can jump right in and understand most of the assets. Overall, the dashboard snapshots give a very good picture of inbound link activity. For deeper analysis of historical trends, the system can become cumbersome, making it hard to do full work without exporting and reformatting the data.
Read full review
BrightEdge
Because it depends on the feature, it's either easier or not to use. Some of them, not being particularly friendly, I no longer use, and I focus on the ones where insights are easy to understand and data seems well-elaborated.
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Support Rating
Ahrefs
Ahrefs has always been responsive when there's been a technical issue with the site. There are usually very little problems, but if there are, they announce it on their social media accounts which keeps its customers informed. Email support is prompt and the customer service people are very helpful, knowledgable and friendly.
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BrightEdge
This is a area where the BrightEdge team really shines. Their commitment to training and product support is unmatched not only for SEO platforms, but life in general. I often find myself wishing my internet provide and similar would go to BrightEdge for training on support and attitude. I would rank them an 11 if I could.
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Implementation Rating
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
BrightEdge
For the most part it was seamless. The load time of clients was a little long, but otherwise was quite easy.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Ahrefs
Majestic and Ahrefs are really close in terms of tool. Ahrefs does offer competitive comparison and they do have a more up to date data base. Majestic however has a more comprehensive historical view of sites which is also extremely valuable. Majestic also offers a link velocity chart that is missing on Ahrefs. Ahrefs makes up for this with their links gained/lost calendar which Majestic is missing.
Read full review
BrightEdge
While relatively expensive, Brightedge really does offer the best quality product but just as importantly (if not more so) the level of client/agency support. We have biweekly training with the entire team to continually stay up to date on Brightedge's offerings and strategies. They also offer the ability to do ad hoc reporting using some of their tools that can help us win new business and recommend Brightedge to additional clients, expanding our business as well.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Ahrefs
  • Ahrefs Site Explorer has helped with any comprehensive backlink analysis and backlink profile management we've had.
  • Ahrefs Site Explorer has helped tremendously in getting manual penalties lifted for certain sites.
  • Aherfs Site Explorer has been helpful in identifying 404 error pages.
Read full review
BrightEdge
  • We have only started with BE a few months ago and so I don't have any hard numbers from an ROI perspective, but i can say that what we spent on BE is a fraction of what we were spending with agencies and we are actually getting results by doing this ourselves. From that perspective we have seen a cost savings.
  • With focused SEO campaigns and projects we have been able to move the needle on our SEO rankings for specific products and services. This is going to have a great impact for us in 2019 as we have some specific product goals and campaigns for 2019 that we have been working to build up over the last couple months of 2018.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Ahrefs Screenshots

Screenshot of Analyze backlinks and keywords of any website to find opportunities for your organic traffic growthScreenshot of Check your website for 100+ pre-defined SEO issuesScreenshot of Get relevant keyword ideas supported by accurate SEO metricsScreenshot of Find the most shared and linked-to content on any topicScreenshot of Track your and your competitors' search rankings