No Ahrefs Free Trial? Discover Semrush Free Tools for Marketers

Are you a bootstrap entrepreneur or marketer looking for SEO tools on a budget?

Options are more limited than they used to be. Ahrefs had a free trial, but it’s no longer available.

If you need a free SEO tool, your best options are:

• The free version of Semrush, which never expires
• Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, a limited version of two Ahrefs tools.

In this article, I’ll clarify what you can get from Ahrefs or Semrush for free.

What Happened to Ahrefs’ Free Trial?

At its 2011 launch, Ahrefs faced intense competition against giants like Moz and Majestic.

To set his firm apart, Ahrefs founder Dmytro Gerasymenko provided limited access to the tool for free.

By the end of 2015, Ahrefs offered an unrestricted 14-day free trial. But this free trial offer is no longer available.

Why? In an interview, Ahrefs CMO Tim Suolo said the free trial “resulted in huge abuse of our service.”

Gerasiminko then developed the “$7 for 7 days” trial. This provided users with access to all Ahrefs tools.

However, the $7 trial has since been discontinued too.

Understandably, Ahrefs wants to provide its software only to paying customers. Capturing, storing, and transmitting data is expensive.

That’s why it launched Ahrefs Webmaster Tools.

Here’s what you need to know about what is “free”, and what you’ll need to pay for.

Limitations of the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is not a free trial of the entire platform.

It’s a limited platform geared towards beginners.

As Ahrefs says on its website:

“There’s no new functionality in Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. It just gives website owners free limited access to Site Explorer & Site Audit.”

Ahrefs Site Explorer and Site Audit are both helpful if you need a little more data than Google Search Console can provide.

You can use it with one website. You’ll have to verify ownership, so it has to be a website that you own or control.

And you can check:

• SEO health
• Backlinks
• Keyword metrics

But you can’t test-drive Ahrefs thoroughly before buying it.

Exploring Free Tools in Semrush

Semrush launched in 2008, a few years before Ahrefs. Since then, it has become one of the world’s premier marketing platforms.

Currently, Semrush paid plans feature 55+ tools for SEO, analytics, and digital marketing.

Semrush offers 2 types of free accounts:

• A permanent free account with daily usage limits
• A free trial that provides access to all the tools in the Guru plan for 7 days

You can create a Semrush account to try the full version on a trial basis. Check out our guide to Semrush pricing to see what you’d get if you decide to pay.

Semrush vs Ahrefs ‘Forever Free’ Accounts

Semrush has the advantage over Ahrefs when it comes to permanently free accounts.

To be clear, both options are limited. But the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is far more limited than the Semrush free account.

The free version of Ahrefs provides you with access to Ahrefs Site Explorer and Site Audit. Remember: you can only use it for domains you verify and own.

Compare that with the free version of Semrush, which provides access to 8 tools, including:

• Content optimization
• Website audits
• Keyword research tools
• Competitor analysis

Note that the Semrush free account is limited to 10 searches a day, and each tool can only be used 10 times. For example:

• You could do 1 search in 10 tools
• Or you could spend your 10 searches all in one tool

But it still gets you inside the software, where you can interact with it hands-on.

If what you see intrigues you, then sign up for the 7-day free trial.

Alternatively, the forever free account may meet your needs if you’re a solopreneur.

Let’s walk through a few examples of what you can do with the permanently free Semrush account.

Free Semrush Features for Marketers

The free Semrush account gives you limited access to 8 tools that’ll help you optimize content for search engines.

Free Keyword Research

In the free version of Semrush, you’ll get 10 daily searches on the Keyword Overview or Keyword Magic tool.

And you’ll have full access to metrics like Keyword Difficulty, Search Volume, and Intent.

However, each query you run will be limited to 10 rows of results.

To get the most out of your free queries, use the filters.

For the example below (keyword: “compression socks”), I filtered results for “Easy” keywords that signal buying intent.

This is a great way to get blog post ideas for promoting your products.

Track Search Engine Rankings for Free

Using the Position Tracking tool, you can track ranking positions for up to 10 keywords.

Imagine you’re a solopreneur who sells socks. You want to see how your competitor, ecosox.com, ranks for the types of socks you also carry.

You would add the domain ecosox.com to Position Tracking. Then, enter the keywords you intend to track.

The report shows us that ecosox.com is in the top 10 of Google for all these keywords, and 4 of the 5 are rated “Easy” to rank for.

Each keyword is labeled “C” (for “Commercial”) or “T” (for “Transactional”). That means when searchers use these phrases, they have buying intent.

You can then create blog content on those “Easy” keywords, capturing market share from your competitor.

Monitor Local Listings for Free

Getting your local business listed in top directories is important for ranking. With Semrush Local Listings Management, you can discover errors in your listings or get new ones.

Check the status of your business listings with the Listing Management tool. You’ll have access to 150+ directories around the world.

This tool can also include your business in navigation and voice search tools.

Free Tools to Create and Optimize Content

Use the SEO Writing Assistant to improve consistency of tone, SEO, originality, and readability.

I pasted an article into it to show you what the suggestions look like.

If you’re responsible for creating content, I highly recommend it.

The Semrush SEO Content Template allows you to automate the creation of content briefs.

This tool won’t replace your editor, but it will save you time by speeding up research tasks.

You can also generate content briefs.

The SEO Content Template is similar to Clearscope, but Semrush only pulls from the top 10 on Google. In my opinion, this yields far more useful data.

It prevents writers from chasing pointless “terms” pulled from blog comments or articles ranking on the 3rd page of SERP.

Get Free, Personalized Ideas to Improve On Page SEO

In the free version, add your domain to the On Page SEO Checker and get a list of recommendations.

These are conveniently categorized under Strategy Ideas, User Experience Ideas, and 5 other dimensions.

For instance, Backlink Ideas can be used for promoting your existing content via guest posting or getting included in top listicles.

Backlink Analysis

You can audit your backlink profile in Semrush for free.

It’s also great for analyzing competitors’ backlinks.

This is a great way to find link-building opportunities.

Discover Competitors’ Ad Strategies

Enter a seed keyword (like “hiking boots for women”) into the Semrush Advertising History tool, and you’ll get comprehensive ad data.

Click on a competitor domain to see estimated traffic and traffic cost.

Here’s a closeup from nike.com’s ad history.

How to Get Started with a Free Semrush Account

To recommend the best SEO software at work, hands-on experience with both Semrush and Ahrefs is essential.

Since there is no Ahrefs free trial, I recommend starting with Semrush.

To get a free Semrush account, go to the signup page.

Select “Continue with Google” to sign up with a Google account.

Or enter your email address and a password. Then click Create account.

Semrush will send a verification code to your email address.

Enter the code into the provided field.

Then Semrush will ask a few questions about your experience with SEO.

Then, you’ll see this screen below.

Choose either

• Get free trial: A 7-day free trial of the Pro or Guru plan (with unlimited usage and access)
• Skip free trial: Click this to get the permanently free account

Ahrefs' lack of a free trial shouldn’t stop you from exploring top SEO tools

Hands-on experience with Semrush will clarify what’s possible for your online store or agency.

Next, Try Ahrefs Free Trial Alternatives

Investing in tools is a smart move given how rapidly SEO is changing. It’s one of the few marketing disciplines effective for reaching your target audience at any funnel stage.

Semrush simplifies SEO so you can create impactful campaigns and grow your online visibility.

In my experience, this is one of the premier tools for creating SEO strategies that yield measurable results and unseat rivals.

If you’re still undecided, learn more about Ahrefs vs. Semrush in our detailed comparison.

You can also check out:

• Our free keyword research tool, built on a database of 26+ billion keywords
• More SEO tools that pros use to grow traffic from organic search - many with free trials
• Our list of Ahrefs alternatives, including some with the same features