Ahrefs Site Audit vs Semrush Site Audit:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Semrush Site Audit had more branded searches than Ahrefs Site Audit among SEO website crawlers worldwide. Semrush Site Audit had about 2,900 branded searches, while Ahrefs Site Audit had 1,000. Semrush Site Audit made up 3.4% of all SEO website crawler searches we track, and Ahrefs Site Audit accounted for 1.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about SEO website crawlers, Ahrefs Site Audit and Semrush Site Audit each appeared in three of the five answers. Ahrefs Site Audit was mentioned before Semrush Site Audit in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Semrush Site Audit, about 3 searches for every 1 for Ahrefs Site Audit
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Ahrefs Site Audit, named ahead of Semrush Site Audit in 3 of 3 answers
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Top SEO website crawlers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ahrefs Site Audit and Semrush Site Audit were each mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Ahrefs Site Audit was listed before Semrush Site Audit in every answer that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Screaming Frog1st
Sitebulb2nd- Ahrefs Site Audit3rd
Lumar4th- Semrush Site Audit5th
Oncrawl6th
JetOctopus7th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Screaming Frog4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Sitebulb4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Semrush Site Audit3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Ahrefs Site Audit3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Lumar3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Oncrawl1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- JetOctopus1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about SEO website crawlers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which SEO website crawler should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best SEO website crawlers?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best SEO website crawler for a technical SEO audit?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“seo crawler tool”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“website crawl tool”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Ahrefs Site Audit or Semrush Site Audit more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Ahrefs Site Audit and Semrush Site Audit by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven SEO website crawlers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Semrush Site Audit, Ahrefs Site Audit. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Screaming Frog | Sitebulb | Semrush Site Audit | Oncrawl | Ahrefs Site Audit | JetOctopus | Lumar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 85.2% | 7.6% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.83% | 0.22% |
| Nov 2025 | 86.1% | 7.7% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 0.83% | 0.15% |
| Dec 2025 | 87.2% | 6.4% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1.2% | 0.69% | 0.08% |
| Jan 2026 | 87.1% | 6.4% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1% | 0.84% | 0.15% |
| Feb 2026 | 85.8% | 6.3% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.68% | 0.17% |
| Mar 2026 | 85.8% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 0.68% | 0.13% |
| Apr 2026 | 84.1% | 6.2% | 5% | 2.1% | 1.8% | 0.67% | 0.12% |
| May 2026 | 82.3% | 6.1% | 7.3% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 0.65% | 0.15% |
| Jun 2026 | 83.8% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 0.66% | 0.12% |
| Jul 2026 | 80.3% | 5.9% | 8.7% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 0.64% | 0.12% |
| Aug 2026 | 84.3% | 5% | 7.5% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.54% | 0.11% |
| Sep 2026 | 87.2% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 1.2% | 0.69% | 0.12% |
How has the Ahrefs Site Audit and Semrush Site Audit comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Semrush Site Audit was ahead of Ahrefs Site Audit in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs Site Audit’s share of searches among SEO website crawlers worldwide moved from 1.5% to 1.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Semrush Site Audit’s share of searches among SEO website crawlers worldwide moved from 1.8% to 3.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 2.9K.
How did search popularity change for SEO website crawlers worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Semrush Site Audit lost share of searches among SEO website crawlers worldwide, from 7.5% to 3.4%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Ahrefs Site Audit worldwide fell 23.1% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ahrefs Site Audit’s and Semrush Site Audit’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 Site Audit
1 branded search term
- ahrefs site audit
Semrush Site Audit
1 branded search term
- semrush site audit
Other head-to-heads among SEO website crawlers
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