Ahrefs vs. HubSpot Marketing Hub

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Ahrefs
Score 9.0 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
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
HubSpot's Marketing Hub is an all-in-one inbound marketing engine that includes tools for email marketing, landing page creation, social media marketing, content management, reporting & analytics, search engine optimization (SEO), and more.
$15
per month per seat
Pricing
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
Editions & Modules
Lite
$99.00
per month
Standard
$179.00
per month
Advanced
$399.00
per month
Agency
$999.00
per month
Marketing Hub Starter
$15
per month per seat
Marketing Hub Professional
$890
per month Includes 3 Core Seats (Additional Core Seats start at $50)
Marketing Hub Enterprise
Starts at $3,600
per month Includes 5 Core Seats (Additional Core Seats start at $75)
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
Considered Both Products
Ahrefs
Chose Ahrefs
Ahrefs is focused on identifying backlink profile. It is the tool in the industry.
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Chose HubSpot Marketing Hub
I haven't used a tool quite like HubSpot before and have to recuse myself here.
Features
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
8.1
72 Ratings
6% above category average
HubSpot Marketing Hub
-
Ratings
Keyword analysis9.769 Ratings00 Ratings
Backlink management9.170 Ratings00 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking8.868 Ratings00 Ratings
Page grader6.762 Ratings00 Ratings
Competitive analysis9.270 Ratings00 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics7.365 Ratings00 Ratings
Site recommendations6.861 Ratings00 Ratings
Task management7.033 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
6.7
63 Ratings
12% below category average
HubSpot Marketing Hub
-
Ratings
Local SEO7.151 Ratings00 Ratings
Social SEO6.048 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile SEO6.047 Ratings00 Ratings
Global SEO7.757 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
7.7
60 Ratings
9% below category average
HubSpot Marketing Hub
-
Ratings
Multi-domain support7.157 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools8.429 Ratings00 Ratings
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
8.0
383 Ratings
5% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings8.2346 Ratings
Dynamic content00 Ratings7.9346 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings8.1321 Ratings
Landing pages00 Ratings8.3374 Ratings
A/B testing00 Ratings6.7298 Ratings
Mobile optimization00 Ratings7.9369 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings7.9377 Ratings
List management00 Ratings8.8378 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings8.5290 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
8.2
374 Ratings
5% above category average
Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings8.0369 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings7.8336 Ratings
Data quality management00 Ratings8.1344 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings9.0313 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
7.1
334 Ratings
4% below category average
Calendaring00 Ratings7.3318 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings7.0262 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
7.3
358 Ratings
1% below category average
Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings7.0354 Ratings
Social profile integration00 Ratings7.6343 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
8.1
383 Ratings
10% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.3380 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.1376 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.0338 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
-
Ratings
HubSpot Marketing Hub
7.6
355 Ratings
2% above category average
API00 Ratings7.9263 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings7.8294 Ratings
Customizability00 Ratings8.2316 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings7.5235 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM00 Ratings7.4103 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings7.093 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
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Nozzle
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Score 10.0 out of 10
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.2 out of 10
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Conductor
Conductor
Score 9.2 out of 10
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PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(77 ratings)
8.0
(668 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(5 ratings)
6.0
(372 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(5 ratings)
8.0
(119 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(25 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(17 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(14 ratings)
8.4
(88 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(8 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(26 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(48 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(5 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(7 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
AhrefsHubSpot Marketing Hub
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
HubSpot
As I said previously, I was not a fan at the beginning because, like everyone, I don't take change so well. Once I started following leads through HubSpot Marketing Hub, I integrated it with my email and created templates for what I needed, I started to see the positives immediately. My time working was better spent as I eliminated time put in routine tasks. I was able to track all communication in HubSpot Marketing Hub, we created systems in the office assigning tasks to one another and, through HubSpot Marketing Hub, our leads were able to book meetings in my calendar automatically. To be honest, if you are in sales and marketing, I cannot think of scenarios where HubSpot Marketing Hub cannot help. All I would like to say is, when using templates, pay attention to where you send them - you may need some personalization. I would encourage the management of HubSpot Marketing Hub to create short tutorials for beginners like me who need to configure and start using various features: setting up deals, templates, and dashboards.
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
HubSpot
  • All-in-one software - the main thing HubSpot does well is the breadth of functionality.
  • Easy of use - personally, I find it more intuitive than Marketo, which is the other MAP that I know well.
  • Ads - I like that we can drill down on ads by channel, ad group, campaign, and even create and see performance data at each level.
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
HubSpot
  • While Hubspot has added some collaborative tools, I think this could improve. I'd like to see more options to comment on emails and ways of being able to share out changes as well as approval channels.
  • The ability to update ads via the calendar is pretty cumbersome. There's no good way to bulk edit or update. You have go into each one individually.
  • Real time edits would be nice. If you have multiple people working on the same thing, you'll get kicked out and your changes might not be saved.
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
Read full review
HubSpot
Our business relies on the HubSpot platform to manage our marketing, sales and CRM processes. HubSpot marketing automation helps us define our activities and streamlines them in a cohesive and efficient way. Without HubSpot, we will have to revert to the 'old way' of doing everything with a variety of disparate systems.
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
HubSpot
While there are some frustrating things that pop up unexpectedly ("wait... I can't do X?"), I have found HubSpot to be easy to use and extremely helpful to my daily work. The documentation is really good, and when it's not helpful, the support staff have been amazing.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
They have had issues with system availability over the course of days. Sometimes the system is unusable, other times updates simply take a long time to show up. It's better now but, from a reliaibility standpoint, HubSpot is not Salesforce.com yet. Still great software though.
Read full review
Performance
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
With all the new features in HubSpot, the system can get a tad slow sometimes... That said, most of the time it is lightning fast and I have no problems. Because most of the integrations are API, they silently work in the background. I have not had trouble with lag due to HubSpot integration
Read full review
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.
Read full review
HubSpot
During the few times I've needed it, HS support has been accessible, helpful and efficient. Often rolling up their sleeves to make changes for you as opposed to leaving you with a list of instructions to decipher on your own.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
I did the 2-day classroom at HubSpot's corporate office in Cambridge. First off, it was amazing to see their corporate office in general. They have such a cool office environment. But it was also great to have the ability to learn in a workshop format with other HubSpot users and meet my Account Manager/ Inbound Marketing Consultant in person.
Read full review
Online Training
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
I went through Inbound Marketing University in 2006. Great training and helped my transition from traditional (outbound) marketing to inbound marketing that I've been able to apply to a number of businesses from wastewater and water reuse, to professional services and SaaS. Share information of value to build awareness and trust. Answer customers' questions in a transparent way to generate more qualified leads. Understand the difference between a marketing qualified lead and a sales qualified lead and put together a lead nurturing program. Your sales and marketing efforts will see significant ROI.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
My biggest piece of advice for those who are implementing Hubspot is that you need to devote the time up front and learn how to use the product. Once you learn how to use Hubspot, it will be much more effective as well as much easier to use in the long run
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
HubSpot
Other competing software such as Zoho and Boomtown may have more bells and whistles, but it is too cumbersome and has many parts that only advanced users can operate. With HubSpot, each function is within reach of the average agent. It doesn't overpromise and then makes you feel incompetent when you can't use it all...
Read full review
Scalability
Ahrefs
No answers on this topic
HubSpot
HubSpot is addressing this more and more. Currently you can assign tasks to designated sales teams, which grow as you grow. They've added free baseline products for those just getting started. These and more contribute to the scalability of HubSpot - so I gave it an 8 and am hoping for more in the future!
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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
HubSpot
  • HubSpot has helped us increased our lead generation.
  • HubSpot has allowed us to continue to grow our customer base without having to spend a ton of marketing dollars on advertising.
  • HubSpot has allowed our company to standardize our process and bring the company onto one platform for sales and marketing.
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

HubSpot Marketing Hub Screenshots

Screenshot of Marketing Automation with HubSpot. Here, marketers can define workflows for highly targeted and personalized nurturing campaigns that send leads and prospects the right targeted content at the right point in their decision-making process.Screenshot of HubSpot Analytics. These help track engagement with the entire funnel through real-time reporting on website performance, traffic and marketing effectiveness.Screenshot of HubSpot Social Media. HubSpot’s social media publishing helps improve scheduling and publishing social media content.Screenshot of HubSpot Blogging and SEO. HubSpot provides an integrated set of tools for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which makes getting found online a natural part of the inbound marketing mix. More than a simple CMS, HubSpot provides an integrated authoring view with SEO-oriented suggestions as blog posts are written.Screenshot of Marketing Automation with HubSpot. Here, marketers can define workflows for highly targeted and personalized nurturing campaigns that send leads and prospects the right targeted content at the right point in their decision-making process.Screenshot of HubSpot Contacts. Integrating with most common CRMs, HubSpot provides a view of view contacts, and allows for customized and personalized email communications.