Ahrefs runs an official remote MCP server at https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp, available on Lite ($129 a month) and every plan above it. It puts Ahrefs keyword, backlink and competitor traffic data behind Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients, and every call spends Ahrefs API units, at least 50 at a time.
Last updated September 21, 2026. Figures are from Ahrefs's own documentation. New to the protocol? Start with what MCP is.
What the Ahrefs MCP server exposes
| Surface | What you get |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Keyword research data: volumes, difficulty and ideas |
| Backlinks | Backlink data for any domain |
| Competitors | Competitor organic traffic estimates |
| Content gap | Keywords competitors rank for that you do not |
The endpoint is https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp. You sign in with OAuth, or with an MCP key — which is separate from, and not interchangeable with, an ordinary Ahrefs API key. Ahrefs supports only this remote server; local setup is no longer supported.
Connecting it
1. Open your client's connector settings
In Claude, go to Settings, then Customize, then Connectors. In ChatGPT, turn on Developer mode under Settings, then Security and login, and add it under Settings, then Plugins. If Ahrefs is already listed in the client's directory, add it from there instead.
2. Paste the endpoint
Add a custom connector with the URL https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp and leave the advanced fields empty. There is no client ID or secret to enter; the server registers itself when you sign in.
3. Sign in and read the scopes
The consent screen is the one place you see what you are granting. Read it, and choose the narrower scopes wherever you are offered a choice.
4. Confirm the tools arrived
Ask the assistant what the connector can do. An empty list after a successful sign-in means the token is not being accepted: disconnect and reconnect to clear the stale grant.
The exact path for thirteen clients is in the MCP client directory.
What it costs
- Available on Lite ($129 a month), Standard ($249), Advanced ($449) and Enterprise ($1,499, billed yearly); yearly billing saves up to 17%. The $29 Starter plan does not include it.
- Calls spend the API units included in your plan, the same units as the Ahrefs API. One call costs at least 50 units, and more for larger or more complex requests.
- Ahrefs publishes two different allowances. Its help centre lists 100,000 units a month on Lite, 400,000 on Standard, 1M on Advanced and 2M on Enterprise; its MCP product page lists 200,000, 800,000, 2M and custom. Check the figure in your own account before budgeting.
- Rows per request are capped by plan: 100 on Lite, 250 on Standard, 500 on Advanced, unlimited on Enterprise.
- Extra units are sold on Enterprise only. On every other plan, running out means waiting for the month to reset or upgrading.
Ahrefs MCP vs Semrush MCP
| Ahrefs MCP | Semrush MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Lite, $129/mo | Starter, $199/mo |
| Units included | 100,000–200,000 on Lite | 50,000 on Starter and Pro+ |
| How a call bills | At least 50 units, more for bigger requests | Per line returned, 10–50 units a line |
| Buying more | Enterprise only | 2M–20M packages via sales |
| Strongest at | Backlinks | Competitor paid search and market data |
Ahrefs includes more units on a cheaper plan. Semrush reaches further into paid search, shopping and traffic data. Both are metered, so the choice is about which dataset you trust, not which one stops the meter. The Semrush side is in our Semrush MCP review.
The limits worth knowing
- The 50-unit floor makes small questions expensive. A call that returns one row still costs 50 units. An agent that checks ten keywords one at a time spends 500 units where a single batched request would have spent a fraction of that, so ask for lists, not items.
- Rows are capped by plan. On Lite a request returns at most 100 rows. A question like "every referring domain for this competitor" gets the first 100 and an answer that sounds complete.
- No top-up below Enterprise. When the monthly units are gone on Lite, Standard or Advanced, Ahrefs offers two options: wait for the reset, or upgrade. There is no pack to buy.
- It knows the market, not your site. Ahrefs estimates your traffic from outside. It has never seen your Search Console, so it cannot tell the difference between a page that ranks and a page that converts.
Where it stops for marketing
Ahrefs tells you which links and keywords a competitor has. It cannot write the page that competes for them, because it has no access to your CMS and no idea what is already on your site. Sprites is an AI marketing agent that picks up there: it reads your Search Console and site, researches the keyword, and puts the post in your CMS as a draft for approval, on a plan with no API units.
That is the edge of what one vendor's data can answer, not a flaw in the server. It is why a marketing stack usually runs two or three: this one for what it is good at, and one for the channels that spend money. For the other half: Search Console and your CMS over MCP. If you would rather hand the marketing half to one agent, Sprites runs Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and SEO behind one connector, with every write staged for your approval.
Before you grant write access
MCP has no built-in approval step: a write tool applies the moment the model calls it, unless the server itself holds the change. Check three things before you connect: which scopes the consent screen asks for, whether writes are staged or applied, and how to revoke access. The rest is in is MCP safe.
Related
- Semrush MCP review
- Semrush MCP alternatives
- The best MCP servers for SEO
- Every MCP server worth connecting for marketing
- The Claude connector shortlist
Ahrefs MCP questions
Does Ahrefs have an MCP server?
Yes. Ahrefs runs an official remote MCP server at https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp, signed in with OAuth or an MCP key. It is remote only; Ahrefs no longer supports a local setup.
Which Ahrefs plans include MCP?
Lite and every plan above it: Lite ($129 a month), Standard ($249), Advanced ($449) and Enterprise (from $1,499). The $29 Starter plan does not include it.
Does Ahrefs MCP use API units?
Yes. There is no fee for the server, but every call spends the API units included in your plan: at least 50 per call, more for larger requests.
How many API units do Ahrefs plans include?
Ahrefs’ help centre lists 100,000 a month on Lite, 400,000 on Standard, 1M on Advanced and 2M on Enterprise. Its MCP product page lists 200,000, 800,000, 2M and custom. The figure in your account settings is the one that applies.
Can I use Ahrefs MCP with Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes. Ahrefs lists Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Copilot Studio, and there is an Ahrefs connector in Claude’s directory. Any client that speaks remote MCP can use the endpoint.
Is Ahrefs MCP better than Semrush MCP?
For backlinks, and for units per dollar, yes: Lite at $129 includes more units than Semrush’s $199 Starter. For paid search, shopping and traffic data, Semrush reaches further. Both are metered.