Semrush vs Ahrefs: What Scheduled Client Reports Cost
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Semrush and Ahrefs both let a free account produce one client-facing PDF report. The difference appears when the report must arrive every week without someone exporting it manually. Semrush includes scheduling with its single free Base report. Ahrefs gives Free users one report per month, but reserves scheduling for a paid plan or its $99 per month Report Builder add-on.
The Short Answer
- Semrush — Semrush includes one Base report on its free plan, with PDF export and daily, weekly, or monthly scheduled delivery to up to three recipients.
- Ahrefs — Ahrefs Free includes one report per month with five widgets, but scheduled delivery starts with a paid plan or the $99 per month Report Builder add-on.
| Tool | Best for | From | Free | Report export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush | Scheduled PDF at $0 | $117.33/mo (annual) | Yes | Free plan exports |
| Ahrefs | Manual PDF at $0 | $29/mo | Yes | Free plan exports |
What we compared
This is a published-plan comparison, not an account test. On 2026-08-20, we read each vendor’s current pricing page and dedicated reporting documentation. We compared the cheapest published route to one PDF report that updates and reaches a client on a schedule. A manually exported PDF and an automatically delivered PDF are separate outcomes here because the labor and gating are different.
Semrush’s My Reports documentation says its free plan includes one Base report. The same page lists PDF export, daily, weekly, or monthly scheduling, and delivery to up to three recipients for free accounts. Ahrefs’ Report Builder page gives Free users one report per month with five widgets, but its plan table leaves scheduling off Free, Starter, and Lite.
Scheduled PDF at $0
1. Semrush — Scheduled PDF at $0
Semrush is the $0 route when one scheduled report is enough. A Base report can combine Semrush data with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, export to PDF, and run daily, weekly, or monthly. The free account limit is one Base report and three email recipients, so this is a narrow but complete path for a solo consultant sending one recurring client update.
The free allowance has real boundaries. Semrush says free and trial accounts cannot put URLs in the custom email message. More report slots cost $10 per month for each additional Base report. The $20 per month Pro report is a different upgrade: it adds external integrations, white-labeling, branding, hourly scheduling, link sharing, and a custom domain.
Nothing here establishes how polished the default template looks or whether a particular client will accept it. Those would require generating and reviewing the file. What the official plan documents do establish is that the first scheduled PDF does not require a paid Semrush toolkit or a separate report purchase.
From $117.33/mo (annual). Free plan: 1 demo project, 10 reports per day across core tools, and 1 Base report with PDF export and scheduled email delivery.
- SEO — $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed annually
- Starter — $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed annually
- Pro+ — $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed annually
- Advanced — $549/mo, or $455.67/mo billed annually
Report export Free plan exports — The Free plan includes 1 Base report. Base reports include PDF export plus daily, weekly, or monthly scheduling; a free account can send or schedule the PDF to up to 3 recipients. Additional Base reports cost $10/mo per report and Pro reports cost $20/mo per report.
Pros
- One scheduled PDF Base report is included on the free plan; paid toolkits include 3 Base reports
Skip it if
- Free accounts can send scheduled reports to only 3 recipients and cannot include URLs in the custom email message
Manual PDF at $0
2. Ahrefs — Manual PDF at $0
Ahrefs also moved the first report below a paywall. An Ahrefs Free account can create one report per month with up to five data widgets, and the vendor says PDF recipients do not need an Ahrefs account. For a one-off manual handoff, the qualifying cost is therefore $0.
Scheduling changes the total. Ahrefs marks it unavailable on Free, Starter, and Lite. The separate Report Builder add-on costs $99 per month and expands the workspace to 50 reports and 500 widgets, with hourly, daily, weekly, or quarterly schedules for up to 50 recipients per report. Standard at $249 per month also includes scheduling, but it is not the cheapest published route if reporting automation is the only missing feature.
The Ahrefs add-on is much larger than the one-report job in this comparison. That may be useful for an agency with many reports, but it does not make the first scheduled report cheaper. We are comparing the entry cost for the deliverable, not trying to assign value to unused capacity.
From $29/mo. Free plan: Ahrefs Free — verified-site data plus 1 Report Builder report per month with 5 widgets and no scheduling.
- Starter — $29/mo
- Lite — $129/mo
- Standard — $249/mo
- Advanced — $449/mo
Report export Free plan exports — Ahrefs Free includes 1 Report Builder report per month with up to 5 widgets and manual PDF delivery. Scheduling is not included on Free, Starter, or Lite; the $99/mo Report Builder add-on includes 50 reports, 500 widgets, hourly/daily/weekly/quarterly scheduling, and up to 50 recipients per report.
Skip it if
- The free report cannot be scheduled; the cheapest published scheduling upgrade is the $99/mo Report Builder add-on
The decision rule
Choose Semrush when the job is one recurring PDF report for no more than three recipients and the free account’s data access is sufficient. Its published plan completes that workflow at $0.
Choose Ahrefs Free when a small report can be exported manually once a month. If automated delivery is mandatory, budget for the $99 per month Report Builder add-on unless the wider Ahrefs Standard plan is already justified by other work.
This result is deliberately narrower than a general Semrush-versus-Ahrefs recommendation. It does not compare backlink data, keyword databases, site audits, or report design quality. It answers one procurement question: what must be purchased before a client PDF can be delivered on a schedule?
More in this category
For the one-off export gate across four products, see which SEO tools export a real report without an extra purchase. For the cheapest complete path to a manual client PDF, see what one client-ready SEO report costs. Both comparisons separate a published plan limit from a result we have tested ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Semrush or Ahrefs cheaper for scheduled client reports?
Semrush is cheaper for one recurring client report. Its free plan includes one Base report with PDF export and daily, weekly, or monthly scheduling. Ahrefs Free includes one report per month, but not scheduling; the cheapest published Ahrefs scheduling upgrade is its $99 per month Report Builder add-on.
Can a free Semrush account email a scheduled PDF report?
Yes. Semrush says the free plan includes one Base report, and Base reports support PDF export plus daily, weekly, or monthly scheduling. A free account can send or schedule that PDF to up to three recipients, though it cannot place URLs in the custom email message.
Can Ahrefs schedule reports on the free plan?
No. Ahrefs Free can create one report per month with up to five widgets, but its current plan table marks scheduling as unavailable on Free, Starter, and Lite. Scheduling appears on Standard and higher, and on the separate $99 per month Report Builder add-on.
Does Ahrefs Free still let you export a client report?
Yes, for a small manual report. Ahrefs says a free account can create one report per month, and its Report Builder documentation describes PDF delivery to people who do not need an Ahrefs account. The free allowance is limited to five widgets and does not include scheduled delivery.
What do the paid report upgrades add?
Semrush sells additional Base reports for $10 per report per month and Pro reports for $20; Pro adds white-labeling, branding, external integrations, hourly delivery, and a custom domain. Ahrefs' $99 per month add-on raises the allowance to 50 reports and 500 widgets and adds scheduling for up to 50 recipients per report.
How We Keep This Updated
We re-check each tool's pricing, source documentation, and any firsthand test records used on this page. Every change is logged here. Our full procedure is on the methodology page, and if anything above is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will re-check it.
- 2026-08-20 — First published. Rechecked both vendors' official pricing and report-builder documentation; corrected the site's earlier claim that either vendor requires an add-on for the first PDF report.