Brandwave

Ahrefs vs SE Ranking:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Ahrefs had more branded searches than SE Ranking among AI search visibility tools worldwide. Ahrefs had about 301,000 branded searches, while SE Ranking had 49,500. Ahrefs made up 27.2% of all AI search visibility tool searches we track, and SE Ranking accounted for 4.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI search visibility tools, Ahrefs appeared in four of the five answers and SE Ranking in two. Ahrefs was mentioned before SE Ranking in three out of four answers.

Among AI search visibility tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Ahrefs, about 6 searches for every 1 for SE Ranking

Ahrefs 301K searchesSE Ranking 49.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Ahrefs, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, SE Ranking in 2

Ahrefs in 4 of 5SE Ranking in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Ahrefs, named ahead of SE Ranking in 3 of 4 answers

Ahrefs first in 3SE Ranking first in 1

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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. SE Ranking was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Ahrefs was listed before SE Ranking in three out of four answers.

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.

Is Ahrefs or SE Ranking more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Ahrefs and SE Ranking by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten AI search visibility tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Ahrefs and SE Ranking among AI search visibility tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Ahrefs, SE Ranking. 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%

How has the Ahrefs and SE Ranking comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Ahrefs worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 301K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

Ahrefs

1 branded search term

  • ahrefs

SE Ranking

1 branded search term

  • se ranking

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among AI search visibility tools

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