Moz vs Ahrefs: Pro Marketer’s 2025 Review

07/29/25
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TL;DR Summary of Moz vs Ahrefs: Which SEO Tool is Best for Agencies?

Ahrefs offers a comprehensive SEO toolset favored by advanced professionals and agencies, excelling in keyword, backlink, and competitor research. Moz is a more budget-friendly option with strong local SEO features and user-friendly educational resources. While Ahrefs leads in data depth, domain analysis, and rank tracking, Moz provides valuable tools for local SEO and white-label reporting. Agencies should consider their specific needs, possibly combining tools or opting for alternatives like Semrush for the best overall coverage.

Optimixed’s Overview: Comprehensive Comparison of Moz and Ahrefs for SEO Agencies

Key Differences Between Moz and Ahrefs

Ahrefs is recognized for its advanced, detailed SEO capabilities, supporting agencies with extensive content marketing, backlink analysis, and competitor insights. Moz, conversely, targets beginners to intermediate users and small teams, emphasizing local SEO and budget pricing.

  • Pricing: Ahrefs starts at $129/month; Moz starts at $49/month.
  • Usage Scale: Ahrefs has over 25 million monthly visits, substantially higher than Moz’s 1.7 million.
  • API Availability: Both platforms offer APIs for integration.

Strengths and Limitations for Agencies

  • Ahrefs Strengths: AI-powered content tools, client dashboards, automated reports, and multi-domain tracking. However, it lacks white-label report options and comprehensive local SEO tools.
  • Moz Strengths: Strong local SEO features such as map rank tracking, Google Business Profile optimization, and white-label reporting. Limitations include less robust keyword and backlink research and a more basic on-page grader.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Domain Analysis

Ahrefs offers a versatile and detailed domain overview including domain rating, backlinks, referring domains, and Google algorithm change annotations. Moz provides basic metrics with unique but less actionable metrics like Brand Authority and Page Authority.

Keyword Research

Ahrefs excels with filters for branded/non-branded, local/non-local keywords, search intent icons, and detailed SERP feature tracking. Moz offers AI-powered keyword suggestions but with fewer filters and no SERP feature tracking.

Backlink Analysis

Ahrefs delivers comprehensive backlink profiling, filtering by link type and domain traffic, plus a backlink gap tool. Moz’s backlink tools are more limited in filtering and data depth.

Rank Tracking

Ahrefs provides extensive rank tracking with filters for device, location, and tags, requiring Google Search Console integration. Moz offers simpler tracking with fewer filters but includes competitor comparison.

Site Audits

Ahrefs provides instant, visual site audits with detailed issue breakdowns and larger crawl allowances. Moz’s audits are slower with limited crawl capacity and occasional reliability issues.

Local SEO

Moz outshines Ahrefs with tools for business listings, Google Business Profile management, review tracking, and a map grid rank tracker. Ahrefs lacks core local SEO functionalities, requiring agencies to use additional tools for this purpose.

Final Recommendations

For agencies prioritizing comprehensive SEO analysis and content marketing, Ahrefs is the superior choice despite its higher cost and limited local SEO features. Agencies focused on local SEO and budget constraints will find Moz valuable but may need supplementary tools for backlink and keyword research. Alternatively, Semrush offers a competitive solution combining many strengths of both platforms, especially for local SEO and SERP feature tracking.

Testing both platforms via free trials and evaluating agency-specific workflows is crucial to making the best investment that drives client success and agency growth.