Ahrefs MCP: plans, API units and setup

Ahrefs MCP is Ahrefs' official remote server that lets an AI agent such as Claude or ChatGPT read Ahrefs data: backlinks, keywords, rankings and site metrics. It needs the Lite plan or higher. Lite costs €115 a month and includes 200,000 API units, and every call uses at least 50 of them. The €26 Starter plan has no MCP access. If you only want SEO data in your agent now and then, zaDojo's server costs €10 a month with €10 of usage included.

Facts below come from ahrefs.com/pricing and the Ahrefs Help Center, checked on 22 October 2026. Ahrefs lists prices in US dollars; we show them in euros converted at 1 EUR = 1.1225 USD (ECB rate, 19 October 2026), so the amount you pay depends on your card's exchange rate. We make zaDojo, so read the comparison part with that in mind; our editorial policy explains how we write about competitors.

What the Ahrefs MCP server gives your agent

The server exposes Ahrefs API v3 data to the agent: Site Explorer metrics and backlinks, Keywords Explorer, rankings and the rest of the API. Some prompts about AI Overviews and AI Mode also need the Brand Radar add-on.

Ahrefs runs the server remotely only; its help center says local setup is no longer supported. You connect with an MCP-scope key, which is different from a normal API key. Ahrefs lists Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Lovable and n8n, and says any MCP client should work. Its documentation also says the MCP endpoint is for interactive AI clients. Scripts should use the regular API instead.

Which Ahrefs plans include MCP

Credits, seats and add-ons are covered on our Ahrefs pricing page.

How the API units run out

API units are shared between MCP, Ahrefs Connect and direct API use. A call costs at least 50 units, more for complex requests and wider results, and cached answers cost nothing. On Lite that is at most 4,000 calls a month, and fewer when the agent asks for many rows or fields. An agent doing broad competitor research can make dozens of calls for one question.

Admins can cap units per key, and usage shows under Account settings > Limits and usage. If your subscription lapses, the MCP connection stops with an authentication error.

Set it up

1. Check that you are on Lite or higher.
2. Create an MCP-scope key in your Ahrefs account.
3. Add the Ahrefs server in your AI client following Ahrefs' platform guide, then sign in or paste the key.
4. Ask one small question first, such as the backlink count for your own domain.

Choose Ahrefs MCP if

• Backlinks are your main job. Ahrefs runs its own crawler and keeps long link history (up to five years on Advanced).
• Your team already pays for Lite or above, so MCP costs nothing extra.
• You want the same numbers in your agent that your team sees in Ahrefs.

A cheaper option: zaDojo MCP

zaDojo is an SEO and AI visibility platform built to be used from an agent. Its remote server works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, VS Code, Windsurf and Gemini CLI with OAuth or an API key.

• Price: €10 a month with €10 of usage included. New accounts get €0.10 of trial credits with no card. One keyword research search is about €0.07, and a domain or backlink overview with a year of history about €0.10.
• Free reads: Google Search Console and Google Analytics with a normal Google sign-in, plus reports and plain site audits, use no credits.
• Saved work: the agent can save keywords, reports and AI answer trackers into a project your team opens in the web app.
• AI visibility: checks whether ChatGPT and Gemini mention your brand, with Google AI Overviews, Claude and Perplexity optional.

zaDojo does not run its own link crawler, so its backlink history is shorter and less deep than Ahrefs'. Setup is in the MCP guide. For a wider look, see zaDojo vs Ahrefs, and for other servers, the best SEO MCP servers. The Semrush MCP guide covers the same questions for Semrush, and Ahrefs alternatives looks beyond MCP.

Questions people ask

Is the Ahrefs MCP free? MCP has no separate fee, but it needs a paid plan from Lite (€115 a month) up. The free Ahrefs plan and Starter do not include it.

Can I run the Ahrefs MCP locally? No. Ahrefs now supports only its remote server.

Does Ahrefs MCP work in ChatGPT? Yes, Ahrefs lists ChatGPT among supported clients. Calls spend API units from your Ahrefs plan.