- Sep 11, 2025
- 802
- 255
Ahrefs and Semrush are great but way too expensive for many projects. What free tools are you using as reliable alternatives for keyword research, backlink checking, and overall SEO analysis? Any hidden gems you recommend?
Best Free Alternatives to Ahrefs & Semrush?
- Thread starter Ghost Root
- Start date
- Jul 8, 2010
- 3,994
- 821
It depends on what you want to do.
zanephamahege
Newbie
- Feb 10, 2025
- 39
- 17
For solid free SEO tools, I usually mix a few: Keyword Planner, Google Trends and AnswerThePublic/AlsoAsked for keyword ideas. For backlinks, Ahrefs’ free checker and the free version of SEO SpyGlass get the job done. For overall site audits and on page checks, Google Search Console and SEO Minion work great. As for hidden gems, Exploding Topics is awesome for spotting rising trends, and KeywordInsights offers handy free clustering.
- Aug 4, 2015
- 6,027
- 806
No free tool fully replaces ahrefs or semrush.
You can still use a simple free setup that covers most seo tasks.
Bing webmaster tools is the best free option for backlink checks.
Ahrefs webmaster tools works well for your own verified sites.
Google keyword planner is reliable for keyword data.
Keyword surfer shows volumes directly in google search.
SpyFu’s free version gives quick competitor insights.
Screaming frog’s free version handles solid technical audits.
You can still use a simple free setup that covers most seo tasks.
Bing webmaster tools is the best free option for backlink checks.
Ahrefs webmaster tools works well for your own verified sites.
Google keyword planner is reliable for keyword data.
Keyword surfer shows volumes directly in google search.
SpyFu’s free version gives quick competitor insights.
Screaming frog’s free version handles solid technical audits.
Yeah they cost too much, I mostly use Ubersuggest + Google Search Console, free and do the job well enough
"Manish Choudhary "
BANNED
- Mar 5, 2025
- 20
- 3
Google Search Console is underrated; gives you a lot of real insights straight from Google.
- Jul 30, 2019
- 4,304
- 349
Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and Moz Link Explorer are free alternatives for keyword research, backlink checks, and SEO analysis.
benmark2001
BANNED
- May 9, 2025
- 13
- 2
For beginners looking for powerful, free alternatives to paid behemoths like Ahrefs and Semrush, focus on utilizing multiple specialized tools.
The best combo is usually Google Search Console (for free, accurate rank and impression data) paired with Ubersuggest (for basic keyword difficulty and generation). Complement these with Google's Keyword Planner (for accurate search volumes). This combination allows you to perform highly effective competitor analysis and keyword research without the high subscription cost, covering the core functions you need initially.
Are you prioritizing competitor backlink analysis or niche keyword discovery right now?
The best combo is usually Google Search Console (for free, accurate rank and impression data) paired with Ubersuggest (for basic keyword difficulty and generation). Complement these with Google's Keyword Planner (for accurate search volumes). This combination allows you to perform highly effective competitor analysis and keyword research without the high subscription cost, covering the core functions you need initially.
Are you prioritizing competitor backlink analysis or niche keyword discovery right now?
Elahiie
Newbie
- Nov 17, 2025
- 9
- 0
I usually mix a few free tools to cover everything Google Keyword Planner for ideas, Search Console for real data, and tools like Ubersuggest or SEOquake when I need quick checks. It’s not perfect, but combining them gives a pretty solid picture without the big price tag.
- Aug 4, 2015
- 7,030
- 885
Ahrefs and Semrush are amazing but too costly for small projects. I usually rely on free tools like Google Search Console, Google Trends, Ubersuggest (limited), and Moz’s free backlink checker. Tools like Keyword Surfer, AlsoAsked, and AnswerThePublic also help find keyword ideas. They don’t give everything like the paid tools, but combining a few free ones still gives enough data to plan keywords, track links, and improve SEO without spending much.
tzssulzbwq2922
Newbie
- Nov 27, 2025
- 40
- 5
What do you use to analyze competitors?
chucklechameleon
Newbie
- Sep 1, 2023
- 40
- 12
Using Ubersuggest, OpenLinkprofiler and Bing Webmaster tools is free and works really well
- Dec 19, 2007
- 3,305
- 410
Use Google Keyword Planner, Keyword Surfer, AlsoAsked, and AnswerThePublic for free keyword research, and Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, OpenLinkProfiler, and SEO SpyGlass for backlink analysis.
Pro Linkerz
Previously banned member
- Nov 20, 2019
- 372
- 141
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Search Console, and Bing Webmaster Tools cover a lot of keyword and performance data for free. For backlinks, you can pair GSC with tools like Neil Patel's Ubersuggest (free tier) or OpenLinkProfiler. Not perfect replacements for Ahrefs/Semrush, but good enough for most smaller projects.
- Aug 4, 2015
- 4,567
- 679
For free SEO alternatives, use Ubersuggest for keyword research, OpenLinkProfiler for backlinks, and MozBar for quick on-page/authority checks. Combining these with Google Keyword Planner covers most SEO needs without expensive tools.