Ahrefs vs. BrightEdge

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Ahrefs
Score 8.8 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 7.8 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.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
AhrefsBrightEdge
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
8.4
68 Ratings
8% above category average
BrightEdge
8.8
46 Ratings
13% above category average
Keyword analysis9.365 Ratings9.646 Ratings
Backlink management8.866 Ratings7.240 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking8.664 Ratings9.444 Ratings
Page grader8.159 Ratings8.239 Ratings
Competitive analysis8.566 Ratings9.246 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics8.761 Ratings9.543 Ratings
Site recommendations7.558 Ratings8.046 Ratings
Task management7.831 Ratings8.941 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
8.5
60 Ratings
11% above category average
BrightEdge
8.1
44 Ratings
6% above category average
Local SEO8.148 Ratings8.535 Ratings
Social SEO7.946 Ratings8.030 Ratings
Mobile SEO8.745 Ratings7.141 Ratings
Global SEO9.454 Ratings9.034 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
Ahrefs
8.5
57 Ratings
1% above category average
BrightEdge
8.9
44 Ratings
6% above category average
Multi-domain support8.754 Ratings9.035 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools8.429 Ratings8.743 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AhrefsBrightEdge
Small Businesses
Google PageSpeed Insights
Google PageSpeed Insights
Score 9.9 out of 10
Google PageSpeed Insights
Google PageSpeed Insights
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.3 out of 10
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Score 8.7 out of 10
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AhrefsBrightEdge
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(73 ratings)
8.6
(78 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(5 ratings)
10.0
(35 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(10 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
It gives the best report to us which helps us to find the opportunity to build backlinks. Another main feature that makes Ahrefs a safe and sound approach to SEO is that it provides information about duplicate content, URLs, redirects along with other errors that can be dangerous to the website.
Read full review
BrightEdge
BrightEdge has been a long-standing partner with us. I have had 10 years of experience with using their platform. It is a very large robust platform that allows us to find the information we need and quickly. Unfortunately with the company being so large, they are unable to make quick changes and customers suggested enhancements as quickly as other platforms.
Read full review
Pros
Ahrefs
  • Backlink data: Ahrefs continues to provide the best backlink data in the industry when compared to other tools. Other players are playing catching up, but as a first mover, Ahrefs is ahead of the game by far.
  • Keyword data: Ahrefs provides extremely valuable keyword data. Though I rank them second in this category, the data that they provide is comparable to the first ranked player.
  • Content Explorer: I don't think other industry tools (SEO specific) has a content explorer as useful as Ahrefs. Their content explorer works great for identifying top content and trends for multiple industries.
  • Rank Tracker: This rank tracker is better than the average tracker and Ahrefs provides a large limit for tracked keywords. Though they have moved away from daily updates, the rank tracker is great for bench marking progress.
Read full review
BrightEdge
  • Strong analytics
  • Integrates with other tools
  • Instant provides real time research, ranking and recommendations
  • The Client Success team is truly an extension of my team with experts in the industry to help support our team and growing the organic channel
  • Education and career growth opportunity—constantly providing ways to connect with others in the industry, user groups, events, and conferences
  • Onboard process is very thorough and customized
Read full review
Cons
Ahrefs
  • Anchor text alert notifications for a specific domain would be nice to have.
  • Would also be nice to set a specific client domain and then be able to pick 5 competitor sites to compare it to instead of entering in the client site and then 4 competitors to compare.
  • Adding emails to forward the exports to from running a report would be good too.
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
Read full review
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
Easy-to-use and intuitive design make using the BrightEdge platform a joy. Yes, I have familiarity with it and know where to go but there are definitely not a ton of extraneous bells and whistles or unnecessary tools which is part of the brilliance of their UX. Sometimes I get hung up on where keywords and keyword groups are under settings but it is typically because I am moving too quickly, and not because they've moved it.
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
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.
Read full review
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
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 exploring top content. However, I would utilze BrightEdge for keyword and ranking information
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
  • Identify the most effective keywords for content creation and optimizing existing content, which can help to increase organic traffic to your website.
  • Track backlinks, monitor the competition, and identify potential link building opportunities, which can help to improve your search engine rankings.
  • Analyze the top-performing pages on any website, which can help to optimize your own content and improve user experience.
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