Ahrefs MCP: which plans include it, the limits per plan, and a pay-per-call alternative
Which Ahrefs plans include the MCP server and what each allows, and the calls that answer the same SEO questions with no plan.
$ Set up https://www.routergrowth.com/SKILL.md, then show the referring domains and the top ranking keywords of [competitor domain], and the keywords it holds that [your domain] does not.
On this page
We make RouterGrowth, the alternative described in the second half of this page, so read it as a vendor's view. Everything about Ahrefs was taken from Ahrefs' own pages on 11 October 2026 and is linked at the end. Products change; check the source before you decide.
Ahrefs MCP brings live Ahrefs data into ChatGPT, Claude and other assistants. This page covers what it does, which plan you need and what each plan allows, then what you can use when you do not have an Ahrefs plan.
What is Ahrefs MCP?
Ahrefs MCP, which Ahrefs also calls Ahrefs SEO MCP, is its hosted Model Context Protocol server. It lets an AI agent reach the Ahrefs API and answer with Ahrefs data: keyword research, competitor traffic, backlink profiles and content gaps. The connection address is https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp.
Ahrefs publishes setup guides for Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Copilot Studio, Lovable, n8n, Manus, Le Chat and OpenClaw. In ChatGPT you mention @Ahrefs in a chat.
When you connect, you approve a consent screen and the connection appears in your account as an API key with an MCP scope. Workspace admins can set a monthly unit limit on each key.
Which Ahrefs plans include MCP?
All paid plans. Ahrefs states that the server is available from Lite upwards, and that the plan decides how much data an agent can pull.
| Ahrefs plan | Monthly price | Rows per request | API units a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $129 | 100 | 200,000 |
| Standard | $249 | 250 | 800,000 |
| Advanced | $449 | 500 | 2 million |
| Enterprise | $1,499 | unlimited | 4 million, or custom |
What does an Ahrefs MCP request cost?
API units from your monthly allowance. Ahrefs states that a call made through MCP consumes units the same way a direct API call does, and you can follow usage under Limits and usage in your account settings. Enterprise customers can buy more units.
One rule is worth knowing before you build on it. Ahrefs' documentation says that using the MCP endpoint from custom scripts, bridges or standalone clients is unsupported and not permitted, and that the server is not a general-purpose programmatic API. For that, it points to the Ahrefs public API.
When is the official Ahrefs MCP the right choice?
- You already pay for Ahrefs. MCP is included on every paid plan, with an allowance.
- You need Ahrefs' own index. Its backlink data and its crawler are the reason people buy it, and no other source reproduces them.
- You work in an assistant, by hand. Asking for a backlink audit or a traffic comparison in a chat is exactly what the server is for.
- You want history. Traffic over time and link velocity come from years of Ahrefs data.
What is the alternative when you do not have an Ahrefs plan?
RouterGrowth is an MCP server and API that gives an agent SEO data as calls, paid one at a time from a prepaid balance. The data comes from DataForSEO. It is also open to scripts: the same calls run over REST and a command line.
| The Ahrefs report | The call |
|---|---|
| Backlinks and referring domains | seo.backlinks |
| Organic keywords of a domain | seo.ranked_keywords |
| Organic competitors | seo.competitors |
| Site overview | seo.domain_overview |
| Keyword volume and ideas | seo.keywords |
| The live results page for a keyword | seo.serp |
| An on-page check of one URL | seo.page_audit |
The SEO tools page lists every call with its price, competitor SEO analysis takes a rival domain apart in five calls, and Ahrefs alternatives compares seven tools on price.
What it does not do: it is not Ahrefs' link index, so backlink counts will differ, as they do between any two indexes. It has no rank tracker with history, no saved projects and no site-wide crawler: it audits one page at a time.
How do Ahrefs MCP and RouterGrowth compare?
| Ahrefs MCP | RouterGrowth | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need first | a paid Ahrefs plan, from Lite | a key, or an OAuth sign-in from the assistant |
| What you pay | API units from your plan | each call, from a prepaid balance |
| Data | Ahrefs' own index and history | DataForSEO |
| Limit per request | 100 to 500 rows by plan, unlimited on Enterprise | the limit you set on the call |
| Scripts and pipelines | not permitted on the MCP endpoint | supported over REST and a command line |
| Best for | Ahrefs customers working in a chat | agents, scripts and occasional SEO work |
Can you use both?
Yes. Both are MCP servers. A team on Ahrefs keeps it for link research and history, and adds a pay-per-call server for automated jobs, or for data Ahrefs does not sell, such as what AI assistants answer about a brand.
Sources
Ahrefs' own pages, read on 11 October 2026: Ahrefs SEO MCP, What is Ahrefs MCP, developer documentation, Ahrefs pricing.
What does each call cost?#
Prices below are the starting price per successful call. /v1/inspect returns the exact figure before the run and reserves it against your balance; failures and unbilled no-matches release the hold in full.
| Capability | What it returns | From | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| seo.backlinks | Backlinks and referring domains for a target domain. | $0.062 |  |
| seo.ranked_keywords | The keywords a domain ranks for on Google, with position, volume, CPC and estimated traffic per keyword. | $0.016 | |
| seo.competitors | Domains competing for the same Google keywords, with shared-keyword counts, average position and their organic footprint. | $0.016 | |
| seo.domain_overview | Organic and paid footprint of a domain: ranking keywords, estimated traffic and its value, top-3 and top-10 counts. | $0.016 | |
| seo.keywords | Search volume and keyword ideas for a seed keyword. | $0.016 | |
| seo.serp | Live Google or Bing results for a keyword and location, with SERP features and AI Overview presence. | $0.003 |  |
| seo.page_audit | Instant on-page audit of one URL: status, title, description, headings, links, timing, on-page score and the failing checks. | $0.001 | |
One prepaid balance covers every row. Capabilities marked coming soon are listed but not yet executable.
FAQ#
Is Ahrefs MCP free?
No. Ahrefs states it is available on paid plans starting from Lite, which is $129 a month.
Which Ahrefs plan do I need for MCP?
Any paid plan: Lite, Standard, Advanced or Enterprise. The plan sets the rows per request (100, 250, 500 or unlimited) and the monthly API units (200,000, 800,000, 2 million or 4 million).
Does Ahrefs MCP work with Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes. Ahrefs has setup guides for Claude, Claude Code and ChatGPT, among others. In ChatGPT you mention @Ahrefs.
Can I call Ahrefs MCP from my own script?
Ahrefs' documentation says no: using the MCP endpoint from custom scripts, bridges or standalone clients is unsupported and not permitted. Its public API is the supported route.
Is there an Ahrefs MCP alternative without a subscription?
RouterGrowth exposes backlinks, ranked keywords, competitors, keyword research, live results pages and page audits as pay-per-call tools over MCP, REST and a command line, with no plan.
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Sign up, get $1 of credit, and the first call in this guide costs a fraction of a cent. One key, one balance, price shown before every call.
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