Ahrefs vs SpyFu: Choosing the Right SEO Tool for You

Introduction

Choosing the right SEO tool among all the popular options can be daunting. With every other competitor trying to stay on top of the search engine, it can be overwhelming to optimize your brand for success without a proper SEO tool that suits you. Both Ahrefs and Spyfu are two popular SEO platforms among SEO specialists. So let’s find out which ones are better for you in our detailed article on “Ahrefs vs Spyfu.”

What Are They?

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that specializes in backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitive analysis.

They are known to have the 3rd most active crawler in the world (yes, their crawler is bigger than Bing and Yahoo).

When it first launched in 2011, its primary focus was its backlink analysis, and over time, it became a more comprehensive toolset in the SEO field.

Now, it has its crawler and has indexed over 3.3 trillion external backlinks, 28 billion keywords, and 23.7 trillion internal backlinks. It is primarily popular for its backlink analysis, keyword research and competitor analysis.

SpyFu

SpyFu is a competitor analysis tool that specifically focuses on PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising insights.

It gives you keywords that are bought by websites in Google Ads. Just as its name suggests, Spyfu assists you in spying on your competitors’ ad campaigns, keywords, and backlinks.

It was founded in 2005 by Michael Roberts. It has a feature called Nacho that visually shows you opportunities for SEO and PPC in an easy-to-understand format.

Why is competitor analysis important in SEO?

Competitor analysis in SEO helps identify strategies that are working for others in your niche, which in turn allows you to improve your own rankings in the search results.

Tools like Ahrefs and SpyFu provide insights into competitors’ SEO strategies. For example, you can find untapped keywords that your competitors are ranking for with Ahrefs “Content Gap” tool. Find link-building opportunities from their “link intersect” tool.

Additionally, refine your ad campaigns by studying your competitor’s PPC campaigns with Spyfu. Trying to outrank your competitors without a proper competitor analysis tool is tough; trust me, I’ve been there.

Which one is better: Ahrefs or Spyfu?

Ahrefs has stronger backlink and keyword analysis tools, it is one of the most expensive SEO tools, which can be a drawback. On the other hand, Spyfu excels in competitor research on a budget but lacks accuracy when compared to Ahrefs.

Pros and Cons

Ahrefs

Pros:

• It excels in backlink analysis. It has one of the largest backlink index databases in the world.
• It provides you with accurate keyword data with a comprehensive set of metrics, such as search volume, KD, return rate, CPC, SERP overview, etc.
• They offer free SEO tools where you can do keyword research, check backlinks, do on-page SEO, and more.

Cons:

• It’s one of the most expensive tools.
• It lacks customer support.

SpyFu

Pros:

• It offers strong insights into a competitor’s ad campaigns.
• It wouldn’t have cost an arm and a leg.
• Its standout feature is that it shows unlimited data. Its historical data stands out among its competitors, such as SEMrush or Ahrefs.
• You can get unlimited search results for any premium plan.

Cons:

• It’s not for you if you’re looking specifically for a link-building tool.
• It offers less accurate data than Ahrefs.
• It is less intuitive than Ahrefs.
• Users sometimes complain that it doesn’t distinguish between Google and other search engines.

Now, let’s compare these two based on their key features:

Competitor Analysis

Ahrefs

Ahrefs excels in organic competitor analysis and provides detailed insights into your competitors’ backlink profiles, organic traffic, content gaps, internal linking, etc.

It’s excellent when it comes to organic SEO analysis.  Their keyword explorer is considered one of the best and shows a comprehensive set of metrics. Their competitor analysis features are great for analyzing competitors SEO strategy.

However, it lacks PPC competitor analysis; for example, it doesn’t have PPC-specific metrics like ad-copy analysis, unlike Spyfu.

SpyFu

Specializing in PPC insights, SpyFu offers a unique angle in terms of competitors’ ad campaigns. You can identify competitors’ ad spend, ad copy, and targeted keywords that trigger ads.

Another thing about spyfu is that it excels in providing historical data on competitors’ ad campaigns. You can view their past ad copies, keywords they targeted and which strategy worked for them and which didn’t. Then, you can reverse engineer your own strategy.

However, unlike Ahrefs, Spyfu lacks organic SEO competitor analysis.

Backlink Analysis

Ahrefs

Ahrefs has the biggest backlink crawler in the SEO industry. Its backlink crawler is known as an “Ahrefs bot” that scans the web.

They have one of the biggest backlink databases that gets updated frequently (every 15-30 minutes). You would never have to worry about getting outdated data on backlinks. You can get in-depth insights into your or your competitors’ backlink profiles, broken links, referring domains, anchor texts, internal backlinks, toxic links and many more.

What we most like about their backlink analysis tools is that they help in tracking new and lost backlinks.

You can set up “backlink alerts” that’ll notify you when new backlinks are discovered or when links have been lost. It also gives you the option to disavow toxic backlinks via Google Search Console.

Seriously, when it comes to link-building, Ahrefs has got you covered.

SpyFu

While SpyFu does offer backlink data, it’s not as detailed as Ahrefs.  It provides basic information on competitors’ backlinks, focusing more on identifying opportunities for improving PPC strategy rather than deep link analysis.

So, if you are specifically looking for a link-building or backlink analysis tool, there’s none other than Ahrefs.

Keyword Research

Ahrefs

Ahrefs excels in organic keyword research; it offers accurate search volume data, keyword difficulty, SERP overview, keyword suggestions, and content ideas for those keywords.

Their “traffic potential” metrics show how much traffic you can potentially receive if you rank for a certain keyword. It is considered one of the best tools for organic keyword research.

However, in PPC keyword research, Spyfu takes the cake!

SpyFu

SpyFu’s keyword research tool excels in finding keywords for paid campaigns. You can get historical data on keywords your competitors are bidding on for their ad campaigns as well as their estimated spending on that keyword. SpyFu excels in competitive keyword research for both SEO and PPC.

It provides a lot of value in terms of understanding the keywords that competitors are targeting in both organic search and paid search campaigns.

What we like the most about their PPC keyword research tool is that you can see your competitor’s historic ad copy.

Furthermore, they offer “Google Ads BUY” recommendations based on the keywords your competitors are bidding on, which brings them high ROI. If you’re focused on competitive intelligence and PPC strategy, SpyFu offers more targeted insights.

Overall, Ahrefs is highly advanced in organic keyword research, while Spyfu has robust features in PPC keywords.

Rank Tracking

Ahrefs

It has a “Rank Tracker”, which allows you to view your keyword rankings in different search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) and offers in-depth historical data.

It also gives you real-time information about your rankings and can track individual location rankings. The tool also connects with its other functions, such as backlink analysis and keyword research, allowing you to see the full picture of your SEO activities.

Ahrefs offers really detailed rank-tracking tools. It shows you historical data on the keywords that let you see the changes made in your rank position over time.

It also shows visual reporting of your position changes. Their rank tracking is mostly accurate because they update the rank tracking database every hour.  

SpyFu

SpyFu doesn’t offer as much detailed data on rank tracking as Ahrefs. Other than providing basic info on rank tracking, they offer detailed info on competitor insights on keywords where you can compare your SERP position side by side with your competitors. Their features are mostly focused on competitor tracking.

It’s useful if you’re interested in monitoring how your website compares to others in your space, as they give you an in-depth view of how your competitors are ranked and change keyword rankings.

It also lets you see past ranking history to understand trends and identify the keywords your competitors are ranking for.

However, SpyFu’s rank tracking doesn’t really perform as well as Ahrefs’s on the keywords, volume, or geographical targeting side. It’s not so much about small daily trends or tiny SERP descriptions as it is about “market positioning” and specializing in the bigger “competitive landscape.” 

It’s good for competitive intelligence, but for super-rich rank tracking and SEO monitoring, Ahrefs could be the one to get.

Site Audit

Ahrefs offers detailed site audit reports on your website’s technical as well as SEO issues. It can find out over 100 issues, such as broken links, duplicate content, slow loading speed and more. It’ll find out any issues that might be hampering your website’s health.

Spyfu, on the other hand, focuses on the website’s performance rather than technical aspects. It offers really basic reports in site audits that are more focused on your site’s performance on SERP against your competitors.

Pricing

Ahrefs

They offer four pricing tiers:

1. Lite: $108/month – Suitable for beginners, offering essential SEO tools. You can track up to 750 keywords.
2. Standard: $208/month – Includes enhanced features for growing businesses. You can track up to 2000 keywords.
3. Advanced: $374/month – Ideal for larger teams needing comprehensive data reports. You can track up to 5000 keywords.
4. Agency: $14,990/month – Tailored for agencies managing multiple clients. You can track up to 10,000 keywords.

SpyFu

SpyFu provides three pricing plans:

1. Basic: $33/month – offers essential data for individuals.
2. Professional: $58/month – Offers additional features like unlimited search results

When it comes to pricing, Spyfu is more affordable than Ahrefs. While Ahrefs offers some free tools, it gets expensive when you buy paid plans. Spyfu is much more affordable and offers unlimited access to data for all paid plans.

Comparison Table: Ahrefs or Spyfu

Read more: “Ahrefs vs majestic”

Can I use Ahrefs for free?

Yes, you can use Ahrefs for free, but with limited access. Their free tools include Site Explorer, Keyword Generator, Broken Link Checker, Keyword Rank Checker, SERP Checker, and many more.  

Can I use Spyfu for free?

Yes, you can use Spyfu for free. They offer limited free access with basic keyword research and some competitor data. You can see a basic competitor overview, keyword rankings, ad spend estimates, and more.

Conclusion

Both Ahrefs and SpyFu offer powerful features that cater to different aspects of SEO and digital marketing. Ahrefs is a go-to choice for those who prioritize backlink analysis and organic search insights, while SpyFu is ideal for marketers focusing on PPC and competitive analysis. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on your specific needs, budget, and marketing strategy.

For those looking to explore these tools further, take advantage of their free trials and demos to evaluate which platform aligns best with your goals.