Brandwave

How popular isAhrefs?

In September 2026, people searched for Ahrefs by name about 352,000 times worldwide, a 30.4% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 27.2% of all global AI search visibility tool searches, placing Ahrefs second out of ten tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI search visibility tools, Ahrefs appeared in four of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Ahrefs is the second most searched of 10 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SemrushShare of searches 60.8%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. AhrefsShare of searches 27.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. SE RankingShare of searches 4.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. Peec AIShare of searches 2.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. ProfoundShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top AI search visibility tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ahrefs was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Ahrefs is the fifth most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Peec AI1st
  2. Otterly.AI2nd
  3. Semrush3rd
  4. Profound4th
  5. Ahrefs5th
  6. SE Ranking6th
  7. Searchable7th
  8. AirOps–
  9. AthenaHQ–
  10. Scrunch–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Semrush4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ahrefs4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Peec AI4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Otterly.AI4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Profound3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • SE Ranking2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Searchable1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • AirOps0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AthenaHQ0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Scrunch0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI search visibility tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which AI search visibility tools compete with Ahrefs?

Ahrefs against AI search visibility tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Semrush, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Peec AI, Profound. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSemrushAhrefsSE RankingPeec AIProfoundAirOpsSearchableOtterly.AIAthenaHQScrunch
Oct 202558.2%31.8%5.2%0.91%1.1%1.1%0.75%0.24%0.27%0.31%
Nov 202562.3%27.9%4.6%1.4%0.99%1.4%0.65%0.26%0.23%0.28%
Dec 202565.4%23.9%4.8%1.5%1.1%1.5%1%0.26%0.29%0.28%
Jan 202657.3%31.3%5.2%1.6%1.1%1.6%0.92%0.35%0.33%0.31%
Feb 202657.3%31.3%5.1%1.3%1.5%1.6%0.76%0.36%0.37%0.31%
Mar 202661.6%27.6%4.5%1.4%1.6%1.4%0.8%0.46%0.32%0.27%
Apr 202661.9%27.7%4.6%1.4%1.4%1.4%0.66%0.38%0.32%0.27%
May 202654.3%29.7%8.9%2.3%1.4%1.5%0.87%0.51%0.33%0.29%
Jun 202660.8%27.2%4.5%2.1%1.6%1.7%0.78%0.57%0.39%0.4%
Jul 202661%27.3%4.5%2.1%1.6%1.4%0.95%0.55%0.32%0.33%
Aug 202661.4%27.5%3.7%2.1%1.9%1.4%0.95%0.49%0.26%0.33%
Sep 202660.8%27.2%4.5%2.2%2%1.4%0.94%0.52%0.27%0.27%

  1. 1.Semrush

    60.8%

    Held 1st. 673K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  2. 2.Ahrefs

    27.2%

    Held 2nd. 301K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.SE Ranking

    4.5%

    Held 3rd. 49.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  4. 4.Peec AI

    2.2%

    Held 4th. 23.8K estimated branded searches, +2.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Profound

    2%

    Held 5th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +8.4% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.AirOps

    1.4%

    Held 6th. 15K estimated branded searches, -0.53% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Searchable

    0.94%

    Held 7th. 10.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Otterly.AI

    0.52%

    Held 8th. 5.7K estimated branded searches, +5.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.AthenaHQ

    0.27%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 3K estimated branded searches, +3.4% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Scrunch

    0.27%

    Moved from 9th to 10th. 3K estimated branded searches, -19.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Ahrefs and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Ahrefs

31 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Ahrefs changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Ahrefs worldwide fell from 505K to 352K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide decreased from 31.8% to 27.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide peaked at 31.8% in October 2025 and was lowest at 23.9% in December 2025.

How did search popularity change for AI search visibility tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, SE Ranking gained share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide, from 3.7% to 4.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Semrush lost share of searches among AI search visibility tools worldwide, from 61.4% to 60.8%.

  3. In September 2026, AthenaHQ rose from 10th to 9th among AI search visibility tools worldwide.

  4. In September 2026, Scrunch fell from 9th to 10th among AI search visibility tools worldwide.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Peec AI worldwide rose 85.6% over 12 measured months, from 12.8K to 23.8K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Otterly.AI worldwide rose 68.6% over 12 measured months, from 3.4K to 5.7K in September 2026.

How are Ahrefs’ branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ahrefs’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ahrefs
  • ahrefs backlink checker
  • ahrefs seo tools

Do you work for Ahrefs? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Ahrefs compete?

Ahrefs is ranked in seven competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Keyword research tools3rd of 718.2%Show ranking
SEO tools3rd of 1016.4%Show ranking
Web traffic intelligence platforms2nd of 525.7%Show ranking
Backlink analysis tools2nd of 725.9%Show ranking
SEO rank tracking platforms2nd of 929.5%Show ranking
AI search visibility tools2nd of 1027.2%Shown above
AI SEO tools2nd of 830.7%Show ranking
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