Comparison · checked November 4, 2026
BacklinkScope vs Ahrefs
Ahrefs sells a monthly SEO suite. BacklinkScope sells a backlink report, a link-gap report, or an AI citation report, one credit at a time. This page compares the price of that report, the link-gap job, and AI citations. It does not declare a winner.
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Side by side
Pricing model, backlinks, link gap, AI citations, and who each product is for.
| Question | BacklinkScope | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time credits. Single report is $19 for 1 report credit. Report pack is $42 for 3 credits. Studio pack is $99 for 10 credits. A core report does not require a subscription. | Monthly subscription. On November 4, 2026, ahrefs.com/pricing listed Lite at $129/month, Standard at $249/month, and Advanced at $449/month. That page says annual billing saves up to 17%. |
| Backlinks | Backlink report: Which sites link to a domain, and the pages those links point to. One credit. | Site Explorer comes with the subscription. Those pricing cards list 6 months of historical data on Lite, 2 years on Standard, and 5 years on Advanced. |
| Link gap | Link-gap report: Sites that link to a competitor and do not link to you. One credit. The report is a list of linking sites. Keyword gaps are outside it. | Competitive Analysis is listed on the pricing page. Ahrefs' plan guide says Lite, the $129/month card, adds Competitor Analysis for keyword gaps and backlink gaps. |
| AI citations | AI citation report: Sites ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode cite for a prompt or topic. One credit. The engines named in that report are ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. | Brand Radar. The pricing cards include 150 AI prompt checks per month on Lite, 300 on Standard, and 600 on Advanced. The Brand Radar page lists an AI Visibility Index starting at $199/month, and it counts citations as well as mentions. |
| Who it's for | Indie makers, freelancers, and small agencies who need a backlink report, a link-gap report, or an AI citation report. Daily rank tracking and a keyword database are outside this product. | Ahrefs describes Lite for small businesses and personal projects, Standard for freelance SEOs and marketing consultants, and Advanced for lean in-house marketing teams. The subscription also includes rank tracking, site audits, and keyword research. |
Price per report
A BacklinkScope credit buys one report: a backlink report, a link-gap report, or an AI citation report. At the list prices on this site, that is $19 on the $19 single credit, $14 on the $42 pack of 3, and $9.90 on the $99 pack of 10. Those per-report figures are the pack price divided by the number of credits. They are one-time prices. They are not a monthly rate.
Ahrefs does not publish a one-time price for a single backlink report, link-gap report, or citation report. The public offer is a subscription. On November 4, 2026, the cards at https://ahrefs.com/pricing were Lite $129/month, Standard $249/month, and Advanced $449/month, with annual billing saving up to 17%. The Lite card includes 1,000 credits per user per month, 150 checks on AI prompts, 100,000 crawl credits, and API access. The plan guide treats site audits and rank tracking as part of the subscription below Lite as well, and it adds Competitor Analysis and tracked AI prompts at Lite. The Brand Radar page says prompt tracking is included from Lite upward.
Ahrefs' plan guide lists a Starter plan at $29/month with Site Explorer, and places Competitor Analysis and tracked AI prompts on Lite and above. That $29 figure is from the guide, not from the three cards above. The same guide lists Enterprise at $1,499/month and calls it custom pricing, while the pricing page presents Enterprise as a tailored plan. Confirm both pages before you buy. This comparison uses Lite ($129/month) as the published entry for link gap and AI prompt checks, because that is where the guide puts those tools.
Brand Radar is priced again on its own page. On November 4, 2026 the AI Visibility Index started at $199/month. The plan guide describes that product as starting at $199 per month per AI platform, or $50 per month for custom prompts. The Brand Radar page also shows a $50/month custom-prompt package. Included prompt checks on the pricing cards match the Brand Radar page: 150 on Lite, 300 on Standard, and 600 on Advanced. The Brand Radar page says five prompts on one platform equal 150 checks per month when they are checked daily.
A $19 BacklinkScope credit and a $129 Ahrefs month are different purchases. The credit returns one of the three reports. The Lite month is the suite on that card. The smaller bill is the narrower product.
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How to read this page
- The table compares a buying model. It does not rank index size, data freshness, or either product as number one.
- BacklinkScope sells three reports: a backlink report, a link-gap report, and an AI citation report. Rank tracking, site audits, keyword research, and a historical link index are Ahrefs product areas. They are not BacklinkScope reports.
- The link-gap report lists sites that link to a competitor and do not link to you. Ahrefs' plan guide describes Competitor Analysis as keyword gaps and backlink gaps. The BacklinkScope report covers the linking-site list.
- The AI citation report names sites cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. Ahrefs Brand Radar also tracks mentions, and its index adds AI Overviews, Gemini, and Copilot. Custom prompts there can include Claude. BacklinkScope does not sell that index or those extra engines.
- Ahrefs numbers are copied from the public pages in Sources, read on November 4, 2026. Prices change. Read those pages again before you buy Ahrefs.
- BacklinkScope list prices come from the pricing constants on this site. Card checkout is not connected, so requesting a pack records the pack and does not charge a card.
Frequently asked questions
Price, link gap, and AI citations. The answers match the table.
Is BacklinkScope a cheaper Ahrefs?
Does the link-gap report match Ahrefs?
Who covers AI citations?
Can I buy one Ahrefs report?
Who is each product for?
Sources
Public Ahrefs pages read on November 4, 2026. BacklinkScope prices come from the credit packs on this site.
1. Ahrefs plans and pricing
Read November 4, 2026
https://ahrefs.com/pricingRead for the Lite $129/month, Standard $249/month, and Advanced $449/month cards, the line that annual billing saves up to 17%, Lite's 1,000 credits per user, the 150 / 300 / 600 AI prompt checks, historical data of 6 months / 2 years / 5 years, and the included list that names Site Audit, Rank Tracker, Competitive Analysis, Brand Radar, and tracked AI prompts. Plan blurbs on that page describe Lite, Standard, and Advanced. Enterprise is presented there as a tailored plan.
2. How to choose the right Ahrefs plan in 2026
Read November 4, 2026
https://ahrefs.com/blog/ahrefs-pricing/Ahrefs' own plan guide. Read for the Starter plan at $29/month, Competitor Analysis on Lite for keyword gaps and backlink gaps, tracked AI prompts on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Claude from Lite upward, Brand Radar starting at $199/month per AI platform or $50/month for custom prompts, and Enterprise listed at $1,499/month as custom pricing. The guide's Starter credit counts disagree with each other inside the article, so they are not repeated here. Confirm the guide against the live pricing page.
3. Ahrefs Brand Radar
Read November 4, 2026
https://ahrefs.com/brand-radarRead for prompt tracking included on Lite and above, check allowances of 150 / 300 / 600, the note that five prompts on one platform equal 150 checks per month, the AI Visibility Index starting at $199/month, citations defined as how often AI links to your pages or domains, index coverage of AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot, Claude on custom prompts, and a $50/month custom-prompt price.
Need one report, or the suite?
Request a BacklinkScope credit for a backlink report, a link-gap report, or an AI citation report. Keep Ahrefs if the suite is the tool you open all month.
Card checkout is not connected on this site yet. Requesting a pack creates an account and records the pack you want. You are not charged.