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 30.7% of all global AI SEO tool searches, placing Ahrefs second out of eight tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI SEO tools, Ahrefs appeared in three of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Ahrefs is the second most searched of 8 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SemrushShare of searches 68.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. AhrefsShare of searches 30.7%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. FraseShare of searches 0.25%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. ClearscopeShare of searches 0.21%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. MarketMuseShare of searches 0.17%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

+3 more

Ahrefs website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Ahrefs and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top AI SEO tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

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

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Surfer1st
  2. Semrush2nd
  3. Clearscope3rd
  4. Frase4th
  5. Ahrefs5th
  6. MarketMuse6th
  7. Screaming Frog7th
  8. WriterZen–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Semrush5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Surfer5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Frase4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Clearscope4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ahrefs3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Screaming Frog2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • MarketMuse1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • WriterZen0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI SEO 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 SEO tools compete with Ahrefs?

Ahrefs against AI SEO tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Semrush, Ahrefs. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSemrushAhrefsFraseClearscopeMarketMuseWriterZenScreaming FrogSurfer
Oct 202563.9%35%0.16%0.45%0.36%0.12%<0.01%<0.01%
Nov 202568.4%30.6%0.17%0.39%0.32%0.16%<0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202572.3%26.4%0.17%0.41%0.42%0.2%<0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202663.8%34.9%0.22%0.44%0.53%0.15%<0.01%<0.01%
Feb 202664%35%0.22%0.37%0.3%0.12%<0.01%<0.01%
Mar 202668.4%30.6%0.17%0.39%0.32%0.11%<0.01%<0.01%
Apr 202668.5%30.6%0.19%0.32%0.26%0.13%<0.01%<0.01%
May 202664%35%0.37%0.3%0.24%0.12%<0.01%<0.01%
Jun 202668.4%30.6%0.33%0.31%0.2%0.13%<0.01%<0.01%
Jul 202668.5%30.6%0.35%0.26%0.17%0.1%<0.01%<0.01%
Aug 202668.5%30.6%0.28%0.26%0.17%0.1%<0.01%<0.01%
Sep 202668.6%30.7%0.25%0.21%0.17%0.09%<0.01%<0.01%

  1. 1.Semrush

    68.6%

    Held 1st. 673K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  2. 2.Ahrefs

    30.7%

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

  3. 3.Frase

    0.25%

    Held 3rd. 2.5K estimated branded searches, -10.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Clearscope

    0.21%

    Held 4th. 2.1K estimated branded searches, -19% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.MarketMuse

    0.17%

    Held 5th. 1.7K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.WriterZen

    0.09%

    Held 6th. 880 estimated branded searches, -12% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Screaming Frog

    <0.01%

    Held 7th. 40 estimated branded searches, +33.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Surfer

    <0.01%

    Held 8th. 10 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 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 SEO tools worldwide decreased from 35% to 30.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide peaked at 35% in February 2026 and was lowest at 26.4% in December 2025.

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

6 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Screaming Frog worldwide rose 100% over 12 measured months, from 20 to 40 in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Frase worldwide rose 19.1% over 12 measured months, from 2.1K to 2.5K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Clearscope worldwide fell 63.8% over 12 measured months, from 5.8K to 2.1K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for MarketMuse worldwide fell 63.8% over 12 measured months, from 4.7K to 1.7K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Surfer worldwide fell 50% over 12 measured months, from 20 to 10 in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for WriterZen worldwide fell 45% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 880 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
SEO rank tracking platforms2nd of 929.5%Show ranking
Backlink analysis tools2nd of 530.8%Show ranking
AI search visibility tools2nd of 1027.2%Show ranking
AI SEO tools2nd of 830.7%Shown above
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Ahrefs your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free