Understanding Ahrefs’ Limit System (Credit‑based Plans & Legacy Limits)
Background

Ahrefs began transitioning to a credit‑based usage model around March 2022. The new system replaced the old model, which provided separate daily limits for different tools (e.g., 1,000 Site Explorer searches and 1,000 Keyword Explorer searches per day). Under the credit‑based model, paid plans are allocated a monthly pool of credits that can be spent across core tools (Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Content Explorer, Web Explorer and Competitive Analysis). Site Audit and Rank Tracker use separate “crawl credits” and “tracked keyword” allowances and do not consume credits. This report explains how Ahrefs’ limits work, how credits are spent, and what usage counts towards monthly limits. Understanding these rules helps users avoid running out of credits prematurely and shows which actions can be performed without consuming credits.

Types of limits in Ahrefs

Ahrefs plans impose several types of usage limits that often operate independently:

Limit Type	Description & where it applies	Key details (plan‑agnostic)
Credits per month	Monthly allowance of credits for tools like Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Content Explorer, Web Explorer, Batch Analysis and Competitive Analysis. Applies only to plans that use the credit system (Starter, Lite and certain legacy plans).	Each time you open a report or request new data (apply filters, change dates, open SERP viewer, etc.), 1 credit is spent. Starter plans include ~100 credits; Lite includes 500, Standard 600 and Advanced 750 (one power user included). Credits can be increased by verifying project ownership or purchasing add‑on credits.
Rows per report	Maximum number of results displayed or exported in a report for Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer and Content Explorer.	For Site Explorer (legacy plans) the limit on rows per report controls how many results you can view or export. Each row displayed counts as one row; the limit varies by plan. Similar limits apply for Keywords Explorer and Content Explorer. Higher plans allow more rows per report and per month.
Rows per month	Cap on cumulative number of rows viewed in Site Explorer reports per billing month.	Loading a single Site Explorer Overview can consume 2,500–8,000 rows depending on data displayed. Revisiting the same report within 30 minutes does not consume additional rows. Switching graphs to weekly or monthly frequencies reduces consumption by 7× or 30× respectively.
Crawl credits	Monthly allowance of internal HTML pages the Site Audit tool can crawl.	Only pages with HTTP 200 status consume crawl credits. Users get extra crawl credits (5,000 per verified project) on top of plan limits.
Tracked keywords	Max number of keywords that can be tracked in Rank Tracker across all projects.	Each keyword tracked in a location counts separately; tracking one keyword in two locations consumes two keyword slots.
Domains and URLs per week	Cap on distinct domains or URLs that can be queried in Site Explorer each week (legacy plans).	Researching multiple URLs from the same domain counts as one domain; there are separate weekly limits for domains and URLs.
Export rows per month	Limits number of rows exported (downloaded) from reports across tools.	Each line in an exported CSV counts as one row. Limits differ by plan; verified projects often allow more export rows.
SERP updates per month	Number of times you can request fresh SERPs for a keyword in Keywords Explorer.	Requesting a fresh SERP updates the SERP overview, keyword difficulty and parent topic; default results are cached.
Users	Number of active users included in the subscription.	Additional users become chargeable once they consume more than 5 credits (Casual) or more than 100 credits (Power). Plans include one Power user; extra users cost between $20 and $80 per month depending on plan.
How credits are consumed
Actions that consume credits

Credits are spent in small increments when viewing or interacting with data. According to Ahrefs’ help center, 1 credit is consumed whenever you perform any of the following actions in a credit‑consuming tool (Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Content Explorer, Web Explorer or Competitive Analysis):

Open a report – each new report page (e.g., Overview, Organic Keywords, Backlinks) costs 1 credit.

Apply filters and click “Show results” – any number of filters counts as 1 additional credit.

Change date ranges – switching time periods uses 1 credit.

Open the SERP viewer or position history graph.

Change modes – toggling options like “Group similar / One link per domain,” “New / Lost,” or “Main positions only / Multiple URLs only” consumes 1 credit.

Open the inspect window for a URL – using the Page Inspect tool costs 1 credit.

Add competitors to the performance chart.

Update SERPs in Site Explorer – refreshing SERP data for a keyword costs 1 credit per keyword.

Bulk operations: In Keywords Explorer you can analyze up to 10,000 keywords in one search for 1 credit. In Batch Analysis you can analyze up to 200 URLs in one search for 1 credit. Thus, large batches provide better value per credit than many individual searches.

Actions that do not consume credits

The following interactions are free of credit consumption:

Opening the same report with identical settings within 30 minutes – results are cached.

Using pagination (moving between pages of results).

Sorting tables by columns.

Expanding nested tables (only export rows are consumed).

Requesting more results in an expanded window.

Navigating within Backlink profile or Organic search views in Overview 2.0.

Expanding results when using “Group similar” or “One link per domain” modes.

Changing chart‑related settings in Top pages or Ads reports.

Consumption in Site Explorer Overview reports

Site Explorer’s Overview is particularly data‑heavy. Each Overview report can consume 2,500 – 8,000 rows from your monthly row limit depending on how many graphs and tables are displayed. Opening the same report again within 30 minutes does not deduct more rows. You can reduce row usage by changing chart frequencies from “Daily” to “Weekly” or “Monthly,” reducing consumption by 7× and 30× respectively. Minimizing specific graphs also prevents row consumption until the graph is opened.

Legacy limits versus credit‑based limits

Before March 2022, Ahrefs offered separate daily limits for each tool (e.g., 1,000 Site Explorer searches per day). The new model replaced these with a unified monthly credit pool. A third‑party summary explains that older plans allowed around 90,000 searches per month across features, whereas new plans offer about 500 reports per month, with each search or feature view counted as one report credit. When you apply filters or view SERPs, each additional action also consumes one credit. This means the new limits encourage more deliberate use of features; however, batch operations provide efficient ways to use credits.

Managing and monitoring usage

Check usage counters: Ahrefs displays a credits usage counter next to your workspace name; it resets at the beginning of each billing month. Workspace admins can view detailed usage and manage credit spending per user in the Limits & Usage page.

Inactive vs Casual vs Power users: Users are classified based on how many credits they use per month. Using 0–5 credits keeps the user “Inactive” (no charge); 6–100 credits makes them a “Casual user” and incurs a $20 monthly fee; using more than 100 credits makes them a “Power user” and adds an additional fee (from $40 to $80 per month depending on plan). Plans include one Power user; additional active users cost extra, which encourages teams to limit unnecessary usage.

Verified projects: Verifying ownership of a website grants extra credits (500 per project) and 5,000 extra crawl credits for Site Audit. These bonus credits can only be used for the verified project’s URLs but effectively double a Starter plan’s monthly credits.

Additional credits: If users exhaust their allowance, they can purchase pay‑as‑you‑go credits (500 credits for $50) or prepay to add 500 credits each month ($300/year). These credits are shared among power users after they hit personal limits and expire after three billing months.

Conserving rows and credits: Use filters judiciously; each new filter view costs 1 credit and may drastically increase row consumption. When exploring Site Explorer, minimize graphs and switch to weekly or monthly frequencies. In Keywords Explorer, analyze large batches (up to 10,000 keywords) instead of running many individual searches to maximise credits.

Summary

Ahrefs’ limit system is built around a credit model that charges 1 credit whenever you open a new report, apply filters or request updated data across most tools. The Site Audit and Rank Tracker tools have their own separate allowances (crawl credits and tracked keywords) and do not consume credits. Legacy plans (purchased before March 2022) maintain a variety of limits such as rows per report, domains per week and rows per month. Under the new credit‑based plans, monthly credit allowances differ by subscription level (Starter: 100; Lite: 500; Standard: 600; Advanced: 750) and can be increased through verification or add‑on purchases. Understanding exactly which actions consume credits helps users prioritize their research tasks and avoid unexpected charges.