When it comes to SEO tools, the debate often boils down to Ahrefs vs Majestic. I’ve been closely observing these two heavyweights since 2013, and the results are intriguing. Ahrefs has pulled ahead of Majestic by 7% for IP wins and 11% for subnet wins. But that’s not the whole story.

Diving deeper into the Majestic Fresh vs Ahrefs Recent index comparison, we see a different narrative. Majestic’s Historic index and Ahrefs’ Historical index present an altogether different story. It’s a back-and-forth battle, with wins varying depending on the global rank.

But what about onsite backlink research features? Here’s where things get really interesting. When analyzing the same URL on both tools, Majestic reports more backlinks in total, but Ahrefs reports a lot more referring domains. It’s a complex comparison, but one that’s worth delving into.

Ahrefs vs Majestic: A Battle of SEO Titans

Diving deeper into the Ahrefs vs Majestic rivalry, I witnessed widely respected features from both tools in terms of backlink analysis. Ahrefs appears to sprint ahead with its impressively large backlink database. Add to this its notable advanced filtering options, and it begins to look like Ahrefs will take the crown.

But wait- Majestic is not out of the race yet. It counters with its powerful trio; the Trust Flow, Citation Flow, and Topical Trust Flow metrics. So depending on your user needs and preferences, either tool could emerge victorious in this clash.

Shedding light on competitor analysis, Ahrefs seems to win the favor again with its wide array of features. From backlink analysis to keyword research, and even content analysis, Ahrefs proves it’s quite the versatile tool. Not to discount Majestic though, it still provides value with its adept backlink analysis and comparative analysis features, which can reveal insightful details of a competitor’s link profile. Again, the tool you lean towards will ultimately rely on your specific needs.

Turning to pricing, it’s a tug of war between the two. Ahrefs may appeal more to larger businesses and agencies due to its advanced features and higher allowances. Regardless, Majestic erects a strong defense with its pricing plans, which are potentially more economical for smaller businesses.

So there you have it. The SEO titan battle between Ahrefs and Majestic is as gripping as it gets. These tools, when wielded right, can reveal valuable insights and significantly enhance link building strategies. Yet, the choice will always be dependent on what aligns best with your specific needs and preferences.

IP Wins and Subnet Wins Comparison

A deep dive into the data confirms that there’s been a shift since I first ran this comparison in 2013. Ahrefs has managed to pull ahead significantly, showing a 7% increase for IP wins and an 11% increase for subnet wins against Majestic.

Let’s understand this better. As shown in the table below, Ahrefs incontrovertibly triumphs more when it comes to wins in IP and subnet.

Global Rank Ahrefs Wins IP Majestic Wins IP Ahrefs Wins Subnet Majestic Wins Subnet
1000000 15424 84555 14789 85187
100001-200000 20320 79606 19873 80047
200001-300000 18081 81855 17613 82309
300001-400000 13645 86317 13177 86770
400001-500000 11990 87976 11675 88275
500001-600000 9186 90778 8973 90976
600001-700000 11219 88674 11003 88870
700001-800000 11167 88627 9120 90819
800001-900000 10515 89433 9857 90036
900001-1000000 10796 89139 10346 89580

Majestic Fresh vs Ahrefs Recent Index: Unveiling the Differences

Diving deeper into the Majestic vs Ahrefs debate, it’s important to consider their different indexing strategies. Majestic’s approach is manifested in their ‘Fresh Index’ that they update several times a day, and it encompasses links discovered within the past 90 days. The main advantage of this feature is immediate feedback about a website’s backlink profile changes.

On the contrary, Ahrefs focuses on its ‘Recent Index,’ which is updated every 15 minutes, making it the clear winner when it comes to index frequency. However, it doesn’t specifically indicate how old the links within this index are. Therefore, while Fresh Index delivers a more “real-time” backlink analysis, Ahrefs’ Recent Index sets the stage for a consistent and comprehensive link discovery and analysis.

While comparing Majestic’s Neighborhood Checker with Ahrefs’ Search Explorer tool, both are designed to provide detailed insights into backlink profiles. Majestic’s tool detects all sites that share an IP and subnet, while Ahrefs’ tool can analyze both paid and organic traffic performances alongside backlink analysis.

However, Ahrefs goes a step further with options to analyze website structure and to explore detailed metrics for organic and paid keywords. In the Majestic vs Ahrefs review, the robustness of Ahrefs’ tools wins the day.

Lastly, Majestic has an exciting feature known as Clique Hunter. This utility lets you identify websites that link to your rivals but do not link to your site, providing an effective tool for competitor analysis. While Ahrefs doesn’t offer a tool exactly like this, its detailed competitor backlink analysis can counterbalance this facet.

The exploration of Majestic’s Fresh versus Ahrefs’ Recent Index has shed light on the several nuances that these platforms offer. The choice between them ultimately depends on what fits your unique link-building strategy the best. As the ongoing review continues, more factors will be taken into account, resulting in an even more detailed comparison.

Historic Index Showdown: Majestic vs Ahrefs

Diving deeper, an interesting battleground between Majestic and Ahrefs is the race for the most comprehensive historic index. Majestic’s Historic Index and Ahrefs’s Historical Data each hold their own unique attributes. The deciding factor lies in the diverse needs of SEO professionals and company’s unique strategies.

Majestic’s unique additions include nifty extras like browser plugins for Firefox and Chrome. These plugins enables instant insights like trust flow, citation ratings, and backlink information right from your browser. Its Clique Hunter offers the capacity to identify potential link-building opportunities, tracking sites that link to rivals but not to your site. It even hosts an unprecedented feature: users can submit overlooked URLs into Majestic’s expansive database.

In contrast, Ahrefs boasts a very efficient Site Explorer tool. This tool analyzes both paid and organic traffic performance, website structure, and backlink profile. It provides a smooth user experience- just input the domain, subdomain or URL and the analysis starts. An additional edge Ahrefs carries is a comprehensive visual representation of data that you can customise based on diverse metrics.

The most notable feature that expands Ahrefs’ scope is its role in content creation and optimization. Using this tool, SEO pros can identify effective keywords for new content and the optimization of existing content to channel more organic traffic.

However, despite all the positives, Majestic’s lack of a technical site audit option remains a drawback. Its keyword suggestion functionality could use more refinement and expanded sorting options.

Juxtapose these two frameworks and you’ll find countless unique features that justify their popularity. Following we’ll explore other areas like usability, customer support, and price on Majestic vs Ahrefs.

Onsite Backlink Research: Total Backlinks vs Referring Domains

In our closer eyeballing of Ahrefs and Majestic, we address the onsite backlink markers in each platform. For consistency, I’ve examined the backlink data arising from the exact same URL – the beginner’s guide to SEO from Moz.

Here’s where Majestic and Ahrefs stand, side by side, based on preliminary metrics:

Metric Majestic Ahrefs
Backlinks 628,437 111,000
Referring domains 1,840 11,300

Here’s the rundown:

From a sheer numbers perspective, Majestic shows a larger total of backlinks. On the flip side, Ahrefs reports vastly more referring domains.

Keep in mind though, it’s not as clear cut as it appears.

Majestic’s backlink count tends to get a bump up due to their method of reporting backlinks, which can lead to inflated stats.

Now let’s jump back to Ahrefs for a moment.

Remember, Ahrefs is more than just backlink data. It’s a combo of tools, with offerings like Site Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker, Content Explorer, Keywords Explorer, and Alerts.

One fantastic differentiator is Ahrefs’s Competitive Intelligence feature. This provides search traffic data, showing the amount of traffic a website garners from Google along with the keywords it ranks for.

While examining index size does have value, it’s crucial to remember one thing: any index is as useful as the actionable insights it offers. Following sections will peel back more layers to reveal these insights between Ahrefs and Majestic.

Stay tuned.

Conclusion

After digging deep into Ahrefs and Majestic, it’s clear that both have their strengths. While Majestic tends to show a higher backlink count, it’s worth noting that Ahrefs reports more referring domains. This might make Ahrefs a more accurate tool for your SEO efforts. Plus, Ahrefs’ competitive intelligence tools add an extra layer of insight. Remember, the focus should be on actionable data, not just the size of the index. Both Ahrefs and Majestic have their place in your SEO toolkit, but your choice should hinge on what you need most from your SEO software.

Which is better for SEO: Ahrefs or Majestic?

Both tools are highly effective for SEO, but it ultimately depends on your specific needs. If your main requirement is backlink checking, Majestic may fit the bill. However, if your role involves broader SEO tasks, Ahrefs offers a wider array of functions and tools.


What should an SEO or Content Marketer look for in a tool?

A versatile SEO tool would ideally include a backlink tester, a rank explorer, a relevance measurer, a content and keyword explorer, an audit tool, a bulk backlink checker, a domain comparison tool, and a website crawler. Ahrefs provides most of these features, outshining Majestic.


What is Majestic’s strength?

While both Majestic and Ahrefs perform well in finding backlinks, they surpass other tools like SEMrush significantly in accuracy and reliability. Hence, measures like Ahrefs Domain Rank (DR) and Majestic’s Trust Flow (TF) prove to be very dependable.


Does Majestic inflate backlink counts?

Comparisons have shown that Majestic can report higher backlink counts than Ahrefs. However, it’s crucial to consider the quality of actionable insights extractable from these data over mere index size.


What are the differences between Majestic indexes and Ahrefs indexes?

Majestic gives the option of a ‘Fresh’ or ‘Historic’ index, while Ahrefs provides ‘Live’, ‘Recent’, or ‘Historical’ indexes. The key distinction lies in the default settings, with Majestic choosing their ‘Fresh’ index and Ahrefs opting for their ‘Live’ index.