# Ahrefs: how AI models rank it, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. Named in 77 judge labels across 7 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/vendors/ahrefs/

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO and content optimization platforms | 3% | 7 | 17% | 42 |
| Competitive intelligence tools | 0% | 16 | 26% | 19 |
| Content marketing platforms | 0% | 24 | 0% | 10 |
| Market intelligence platforms | 0% | 131 | 33% | 3 |
| Audience and consumer insights platforms | 0% | 97 | 0% | 1 |
| Ecommerce marketing | 0% | 66 | 0% | 1 |
| Web analytics | 0% | 38 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "Prioritize: Ahrefs, SE Ranking, KWFinder (low complaint records), Frase, Clearscope for content optimization." (Grok 4.1 Fast, SEO)
- "Unmatched backlink analysis and a highly regarded "Content Explorer"... the most accurate backlink index." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, SEO)
- "top picks like SEMrush (all-in-one), Surfer (content focus), Ahrefs (backlinks/research)" (Grok 4.1 Fast, SEO)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, Semrush or Ahrefs are the best starting points" (Mistral Small, SEO)

## And against it

- "Ahrefs now offers AI content surfaces... they raise quality, originality, and brand-voice risks if teams over-rely on them." (GPT-5.4 mini, SEO)
- "Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and SpyFu ... are not full competitive-intelligence platforms for sales enablement" (Perplexity Sonar, Competitive intel)
- "is expensive for multiple team members ($40-80 per month each) and lacks native keyword research capabilities" (Claude Haiku 4.5, SEO)
- "highly critical of pricing models used by platforms like Ahrefs, where standard tasks...consume "credits"" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, SEO)

## Movement since September 2026

Floor: 11 points of share, measured on the calibration repeat. A larger change is movement; a smaller one is noise.

- SEO and content optimization platforms: 4% to 3%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 7 of 78, unchanged.
- Competitive intelligence tools: 0% to 0%, ±0. New · not ranked in September 2026 · rank 16 of 86.
- Content marketing platforms: 0% to 0%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 20 → 24 of 135.
- Market intelligence platforms: 0% to 0%, ±0. New · not ranked in September 2026 · rank 131 of 172.
- Audience and consumer insights platforms: 0% to 0%, ±0. New · not ranked in September 2026 · rank 97 of 155.
- Ecommerce marketing: 0% to 0%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 76 → 66 of 115.
- Web analytics: 0% to 0%, ±0. New · not ranked in September 2026 · rank 38 of 91.

## The company

Ahrefs; https://ahrefs.com/; Singapore, Singapore; founded 2010. From Wikidata, fetched 2026-09-14.

## In its own words

What Ahrefs's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: AI Marketing Platform Powered by Big Data (https://ahrefs.com/)
- For: marketers (https://ahrefs.com/)
- Free plan or trial: Start for Free; Free during beta on Lite+ plans. (https://ahrefs.com/)
- Certifications: Ahrefs Certification, ISO27001 certified, ISO 27001 (2022), SOC 2
- Hosting: multiple availability zones and regions
- Customers named: Suso Digital, Moving Traffic Media, Foundation Marketing

## What it publishes

Every page ahrefs.com exposes, read 2026-09-29: 5657 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:

- blog: 30 pages, 17 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-25
- case study: 1 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- webinar or virtual event: 39 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- conference or event: 11 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- comparison: 5 pages, 4 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-03
- glossary or explainer: 444 pages, 6 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-03
- news or press: 2 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- Recent: 2026-09-25 blog: How to optimize for ai search https://ahrefs.com/blog/how-to-optimize-for-ai-search/
- Recent: 2026-09-16 blog: Ai overviews france impact https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overviews-france-impact/
- Recent: 2026-09-16 blog: Ai marketing trends https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-marketing-trends/
- Recent: 2026-09-03 comparison: 79163 why am i getting slightly different results in ahrefs vs the exported file for large sites https://help.ahrefs.com/en/articles/79163-why-am-i-getting-slightly-different-results-in-ahrefs-vs-the-exported-file-for-large-sites
- Recent: 2026-09-03 comparison: 79163 mengapa saya mendapatkan hasil yang sedikit berbeda di ahrefs vs file yang diekspor untuk situs besar https://help.ahrefs.com/id/articles/79163-mengapa-saya-mendapatkan-hasil-yang-sedikit-berbeda-di-ahrefs-vs-file-yang-diekspor-untuk-situs-besar
- Recent: 2026-09-03 glossary or explainer: 1012028 what is traffic value and paid traffic cost in site explorer https://help.ahrefs.com/en/articles/1012028-what-is-traffic-value-and-paid-traffic-cost-in-site-explorer

## Record

- Method: https://gtm-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://gtm-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, gtm-ai-index.com.