How to Claim an Ahrefs Free Trial for 7 Days? [Complete Access]

This is an official statement from Ahrefs – “They used to offer a 7-day free trial access for $,1 but that has now been discontinued”.

So, what are the options left for you?

My Recommendation is to get a Semrush free trial instead of Ahrefs. 

Semrush has all the SEO tools, and they’re allowing you to test their tools for 14 days without any objection.

Ahrefs still has some awesome free tools that you can use today without any cost. We will discuss in this Ahrefs free trial post….

ahrefs free trial

Does Ahrefs Have a Free Trial?

The short answer is no, Ahrefs doesn’t provide a free trial anymore.

They used to offer a 7-day trial for $7 (and later for $1), which gave full access to all their powerful SEO tools. 

But unfortunately, that option has been discontinued and is no longer available. There’s also no official word on whether they plan to bring it back. 

So if you’ve seen outdated posts or YouTube videos claiming a free trial is available, I’d take those with a grain of salt.

Ahrefs hasn’t left us completely in the dark.

They now offer something called “Ahrefs Webmaster Tools”.

This is a free solution that gives website owners limited access to two core features:

  • Site Explorer, and
  • Site Audit.

I’ve personally used these free Webmaster Tools, and let me tell you it’s not the full Ahrefs suite, but it’s definitely useful. 

This helps you to understand or to get a feel for how the Ahrefs platform works, or you can easily audit your site without spending money.

However, there’s a catch: you can only use these tools for websites you own and can verify through methods like Google Search Console, DNS verification, or HTML upload. 

In other words, you won’t be able to spy on competitors or use advanced keyword tools unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

To sum it up:

  • ❌ No free trial offered by Ahrefs
  • ✅ Free access to limited tools for verified websites via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
  • 🔄 Refund available within 48 hours, but only if there has been no usage of the tools

How to Claim Ahrefs Free Webmaster Tools?

Here’s how I claimed Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Site Explorer, Site Audit) for free step by step:

Step 1: Go to the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools Page:

Step 1 Go to the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools Page

I started by heading to the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools page. You’ll see a “Sign Up For Free” button. Click on it to get started.

 Step 2: Create Your Free Ahrefs Account

Step 2- Create Your Free Ahrefs Account

You can sign up using your Google, Facebook, or email account. I chose to sign up using my Google account (just easier for me) but you can go with whatever works best. 

Just make sure to check the box for terms & conditions before clicking the final “Sign Up For Free” button.

Step 3: Confirm Your Email

Step 3- Confirm Your Email

Ahrefs then sent me an activation link via email. I checked my inbox and clicked on the “Confirm Email” button. And it instantly verified my account.

Step 4: Complete Your Ahrefs Account Setup

Step 4- Complete Your Ahrefs Account Setup

After email verification, Ahrefs asked for a few more details like my name, password, and how I heard about them. Once you fill those out and hit continue, your account setup will be completed.

Step 5: Verify Your Site Ownership

Step 5- Verify Your Site Ownership

To actually use the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, you’ll need to verify ownership of your website. 

There are four methods to verify ownership:

  • Google Search Console (this is the easiest if your site is already connected)
  • DNS Record
  • HTML File Upload
  • HTML Tag Placement

I personally used the Google Search Console method because my site is already linked to GSC before I come here. I just tap the import button.

Then it took just a few seconds since my site was already verified there. Once I linked my Google account Ahrefs confirmed ownership instantly.

Step 7: Start Using the Ahrefs Free Tools

Just after the site verification is done, you can start using Site Explorer and Site Audit completely free. These tools allowed me to:

  • Crawl and audit my website for technical SEO issues
  • Monitor backlinks and referring domains
  • Track keyword rankings
  • Understand my organic search performance

The best part? I can run these checks as many times as I want on the verified site without any payment or trial expiration.


Few More Free Tools From Ahrefs:

There are some more tools you can enjoy from Ahrefs for free of cost. And there is no restriction on the usage.

But do remember these tools are limited in features and don’t offer in-depth information, as you will see after upgrading to Ahrefs full subscription:

This is my experience with them:

1. Free Keyword Generator:

For quick keyword ideas, I just pop into Ahrefs’ free Keyword Generator. And within seconds, I get hundreds of keyword suggestions along with basic volume and keyword difficulty (KD) data.

It’s great for brainstorming, especially for newer websites.

2. Keyword Difficulty Checker:

It tells me how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword on Google based purely on the strength of the backlink profiles of the top-ranking pages.

I use this tool to find keywords with a difficulty score under 20 (that’s my safe spot when targeting quick wins).

3. Backlink Checker:

Out of all the free tools, this one is probably my favorite.

The Ahrefs Backlink Checker shows the top 100 backlinks pointing to any domain or URL. I often use it to Spy on competitors link profiles.

4. Website Authority Checker:

This tool gives you the Domain Rating (DR) of any site. It’s a simple but effective way to judge how strong or trusted a website is based on its backlink profile.

5. Website Traffic Checker:

This is one of the tools I use when I want a rough estimate of a competitor’s organic traffic. It also gives insights into top-performing pages and whether they’re running paid ads.

6. SERP Checker:

This tool is super helpful. It shows the top 10 Google results for any keyword across 240+ countries. Saves time of manual SERP analysis.

7. Free AI Writing Tools:

This one was a pleasant new surprise! Ahrefs offers a small collection of AI tools that help with things like:

  • Rewriting sentences
  • Creating outlines
  • Writing blog intros
  • Generating titles and meta descriptions

They’re pretty straightforward, and they’re not as powerful as dedicated AI writing platforms. They’ve saved me time on a few smaller content tweaks.

For More Information: Ahrefs Review


Alternatives to Ahrefs 7 Day Free Trial

AlternativesTrial DurationTrial Link
Semrush14 DaysActivate Now
Moz7 DaysActivate Now

FAQs About Ahrefs Free Trial:

Does Ahrefs offer a free trial?

No, Ahrefs no longer offers a free trial. They previously had a 7-day trial but that has been discontinued. Currently there’s no free trial available for any of their paid plans.

Is there any way to use Ahrefs for free?

Yes! If you own a website, you can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. It’s free and gives you limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit.

Can I analyze competitors with Ahrefs for free?

Unfortunately, no. With the free Webmaster Tools you can only analyze websites that you own and have verified. Competitor analysis is available in paid plans only.

Is there any free alternative to the Ahrefs trial?

Yes. Semrush offers a 14-day free trial, which includes full access to all premium features. It’s a great alternative if you’re looking to explore an all-in-one SEO toolkit temporarily.

Does Ahrefs offer any discount or coupon code?

No, Ahrefs does not run promotions or offer any coupon codes. You can save up to 20% OFF if you choose their annual plans.

Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied with Ahrefs?

Ahrefs offers a 48-hour money-back guarantee for monthly plans.

What are the key features of Ahrefs SEO tool?

Ahrefs offers several other free SEO tools like Keyword Generator, Backlink Checker, Keyword Difficulty Checker, Website Traffic Checker, and a set of AI-powered writing tools. These are standalone and can be used without a paid plan or account.

Explore More:


Avatar for Yash Jain
About Author
Meet Yash, our Senior Writer and Content Editor with 5+ overall experience. He has expertise in SEO blog writing, especially in niches like Web Hosting, SEO, and Blogging. He has been with us for over 3 years, and his main skills are SEO, content writing, and content editing.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Shares