Ahrefs Brand Radar — Excellent AI visibility data attached to an SEO suite — but the plan you buy it in gives you five prompts.
Short answer: Brand Radar is Ahrefs’ AI search visibility tool. It does two distinct jobs: research any brand across a database Ahrefs states covers 459 million-plus organic prompts, and track prompts you define yourself. The second job is metered severely on the main plans — Lite at $129 a month allows 5 tracked prompts and 150 checks, Standard at $249 allows 10, and Advanced at $449 allows 20. Ahrefs sells separate prompt packages that are far better value: $50 a month buys 2,500 checks, roughly 80 prompts daily on one platform, which is more than four times what the $449 plan includes.
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Verdict at a glance
Overall rating: 4.0/5 ★★★★☆
Standout: ⭐ The organic prompt database. Researching any brand across 475M+ prompts you did not have to configure is a genuinely different capability from prompt trackers, which only ever show you the questions you thought to ask.
Watch out: ⚠️ Tracked prompt allowances on the main plans are tiny — 5 on Lite, 10 on Standard, 20 on Advanced. Buying the $50 Basic prompt package alongside a cheaper plan gets you far more tracking than upgrading to Advanced does.
Brand Radar rates 4.0 because the data is excellent and the packaging is confusing enough to cost buyers money. On capability it is strong: the organic prompt database lets you research any brand’s AI visibility without configuring anything, which no pure prompt tracker can do, and the citation and mention reporting is the kind of thing a serious GEO practice needs. Daily update frequency applies across all tiers, which is better than several competitors. The problem is that the tracked-prompt allowances bundled into the main plans are so small they are almost decorative — 5 prompts on a $129 plan, 20 on a $449 one — while the standalone prompt packages start at $50 for 2,500 checks. A buyer who upgrades from Lite to Advanced to get more prompt tracking pays $320 more a month for 15 extra prompts, when $50 would have bought roughly 80 daily. Read the packages before the plans. And note that Ahrefs never discounts and does not generally refund, so a mis-sized purchase is a mis-sized purchase.
Quick facts
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ideal user | SEO teams wanting AI visibility inside an existing suite |
| Learning curve | ⭐ Low if you already use Ahrefs |
| Setup time | Minutes for research; report setup for custom prompts |
| Free trial | ⚠️ None — Ahrefs states it never runs discounts or trials |
| Free tier | ⚠️ Ahrefs Free exists but excludes Brand Radar |
| Pricing | Lite $129/mo · Standard $249 · Advanced $449 · Enterprise $1,499 |
| Standalone | Brand Radar AI from $199/mo, includes an Ahrefs Free account |
| Key limit | ⚠️ 5 tracked prompts on Lite; 20 on Advanced |
Overview
Brand Radar is Ahrefs’ answer to the question of whether your brand appears in AI answers, and it is worth separating the two things it does because they are priced and limited differently. The first is research: Ahrefs states Brand Radar covers 459 million-plus organic prompts, and you can query any brand against that corpus without configuring anything in advance. The second is custom prompt tracking, where you define the questions you care about and Ahrefs checks them daily across AI platforms and locations.
Brand Radar is included in every main Ahrefs plan — Lite at $129 a month, Standard at $249, Advanced at $449, and Enterprise at $1,499 with an annual commitment — and Ahrefs offers up to 17% off for annual billing. It is also sold standalone as Brand Radar AI from $199 a month, which includes an Ahrefs Free account. The included tracked-prompt allowances, however, are small: Lite gets 5 prompts and 150 checks a month, Standard 10 prompts and 300 checks, Advanced 20 prompts and 600 checks, and Enterprise from 83 prompts and 2,500 checks. Update frequency is daily on every tier.
The pricing that actually matters for prompt tracking sits in a separate table. Ahrefs sells custom prompt packages where, in its own words, tracking one prompt on one platform in one location uses one check. Basic is $50 a month for 2,500 additional checks — Ahrefs gives the example of 80 prompts daily on one platform — with overage at $0.020 a check. Growth is $100 for 7,000 checks, an example of 100 prompts daily on two platforms, with overage at $0.015. Scale is $250 for 25,000 checks with overage at $0.010. Those rates make the packages, not the plan tiers, the sensible way to buy prompt volume.
Key features
- Organic prompt database — ⭐ research any brand across 475M+ prompts
- Custom prompt tracking — your own questions, checked daily
- Daily update frequency — ⭐ on every tier including Lite
- Citation and mention reporting — which domains AI answers cite
- Share of voice against competitors — brand versus rivals in AI responses
- Multi-platform and multi-location checks — one check per prompt, platform, location
- MCP server — ⭐ included on every plan, query from Claude or another assistant
- API access — on every plan, row limits scaling by tier
- Report Builder — dashboards, available as a $99/mo add-on for more capacity
- Sits inside the full Ahrefs suite — Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit
Pricing (as of 2026-10-01)
Model: bundled into Ahrefs plans with small prompt allowances; prompt volume sold separately by the check · Free tier: ⚠️ none for Brand Radar — the Ahrefs Free account excludes it · Entry paid: $129/mo (Lite)
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $129/mo | 5 projects · 750 tracked keywords · ⚠️ 5 tracked AI prompts, 150 checks/mo · 100,000 crawl credits · API and MCP access · 1 user, extra users $40/mo |
| Standard | $249/mo | 20 projects · 2,000 tracked keywords · ⚠️ 10 tracked AI prompts, 300 checks/mo · 500,000 crawl credits · Content Explorer, Batch Analysis, Portfolios · extra users $60/mo |
| Advanced | $449/mo | 50 projects · 5,000 tracked keywords · ⚠️ 20 tracked AI prompts, 600 checks/mo · 1.5M crawl credits · Looker Studio integration · extra users $80/mo |
| Enterprise | $1,499/mo, annual commitment | From 83 prompts and 2,500 checks/mo · uncapped API · SSO and audit log · unlimited historical data · from 3 users |
| Brand Radar AI standalone | From $199/mo | Research any brand across 475M+ organic prompts and track your own prompts · includes an Ahrefs Free account |
| Prompt packages | $50 · $100 · $250/mo | ⭐ Basic +2,500 checks (overage $0.020) · Growth +7,000 checks (overage $0.015) · Scale +25,000 checks (overage $0.010) |
⭐ Buy prompt volume through the packages, not by upgrading your plan. Moving from Lite to Advanced costs $320 more a month for 15 extra tracked prompts. The $50 Basic package adds 2,500 checks — Ahrefs’ own example is 80 prompts daily on one platform — which is over four times what the $449 Advanced plan includes.
⚠️ Understand the check unit before estimating cost. Ahrefs states that tracking one prompt on one platform in one location uses one check. Tracking 20 prompts across 3 platforms in 2 locations daily is 20 × 3 × 2 × 30 = 3,600 checks a month, which no main plan below Enterprise covers.
⚠️ There is no free trial and no discounting. Ahrefs states plainly that it never runs discounts, and that it does not issue refunds in general — monthly subscribers can request one only if the service is unused. Size the purchase correctly the first time.
⭐ MCP server access is included on every plan, so an assistant can query your Ahrefs data directly. In testing, brand-level Brand Radar queries through the MCP server returned ‘Custom prompts require a report_id’ until a Brand Radar report was configured — the API surface is scoped to reports you set up, rather than answering ad-hoc brand questions.
⚠️ Users are charged separately above the one included: $40 a month on Lite, $60 on Standard, $80 on Advanced and $100 at Enterprise. A four-person team on Standard is $249 plus $180, not $249.
Ratings breakdown
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ease Of Use | 4.0/5 | Familiar if you use Ahrefs; ⚠️ the check unit takes working out |
| Features | 4.5/5 | ⭐ The organic prompt database is a genuine differentiator |
| Value | 3.5/5 | ⚠️ Strong via prompt packages, poor if bought by upgrading tiers |
| Support | 4.0/5 | Solid, with SSO and audit logging at Enterprise |
Pros
- ⭐ Research any brand across 475M+ organic prompts without prior setup
- ⭐ Prompt packages are excellent value — $50 for 2,500 checks
- Daily update frequency on every tier, including $129 Lite
- MCP server and API access included on all plans
- Citation and mention data sits beside backlink and keyword data in one tool
- Brand Radar available standalone from $199/mo with a free Ahrefs account
- No contracts or setup fees; switch or cancel at any time
- Pay-as-you-go credits last three billing months rather than expiring monthly
Cons
- ⚠️ Bundled prompt allowances are very small — 5 on Lite, 20 on Advanced
- ⚠️ No free trial, and Ahrefs states it never discounts
- ⚠️ No refunds in general, so a mis-sized plan is an expensive mistake
- ⚠️ Additional users cost $40–$100/mo each on top of the plan
- The check unit multiplies quickly across platforms and locations
- Brand Radar is excluded from the Ahrefs Free account
- Enterprise requires an annual commitment at $1,499/mo
Who it’s for
- SEO teams already on Ahrefs who want AI visibility in the same tool
- Agencies researching client and competitor AI visibility before pitching
- Practitioners who want the organic prompt corpus rather than only their own prompts
- Teams wanting AI visibility data queryable from an assistant via MCP
Who it’s not for
- Buyers who need many tracked prompts and will not add a prompt package
- Teams wanting to trial before committing — there is no trial
- Small teams sensitive to per-user charges on top of the plan
- Anyone needing AI visibility alone at the lowest possible price
Best use cases
- Measuring whether your brand appears in AI answers for commercial questions
- Researching a competitor’s AI visibility across the organic prompt database
- Tracking a defined prompt set daily across platforms and locations
- Identifying which domains AI answers cite so you can pursue those placements
- Querying AI visibility data from Claude or another assistant via the MCP server
Integrations
Brand Radar benefits from sitting inside Ahrefs rather than beside it: the same subscription carries Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker, Content Explorer and Web Analytics, so AI citation data can be read against backlink and ranking data without exporting anything. API and MCP server access are included on every plan, with row limits per request scaling from 100 on Lite to unlimited at Enterprise, and Ahrefs Connect provides 100,000 to 2 million integration units a month by tier. Looker Studio integration arrives at Advanced. In practice the MCP server is the most interesting route for a GEO workflow, since it lets an assistant query your visibility data directly — though as tested, brand-level Brand Radar queries require a configured report before they return data.
How it compares
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Semrush AI Visibility | SE Ranking | Nightwatch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $129/mo (Lite) | $165.17/mo annual (Starter) | $103.20/mo annual (Core) | ⭐ €79/mo billed yearly (Starter) |
| Prompts at entry | ⚠️ 5 tracked prompts | 50 prompts daily | ⭐ 100 prompts daily | 50 AI prompts |
| Working tier | $449/mo Advanced | $248.17/mo Pro+ annual | $223.20/mo Growth annual | €159/mo Professional yearly |
| Prompts at working tier | ⚠️ 20 tracked prompts | 100 prompts daily | 250 prompts daily | 150 AI prompts |
| Seats | ⚠️ 1; $40–$80/mo per extra | ⚠️ 1; from $45/mo per extra | 1 manager seat on Core | ⭐ Unlimited on every plan |
| Free trial | ⚠️ None | Free trial available | ⭐ 14 days, no card | ⭐ 14 days, no card |
| Best fit | AI visibility inside a full SEO suite | AI visibility bundled with a full SEO suite | SEO suite with AI search visibility | Rank tracking plus AI visibility, no per-seat fees |
All figures are vendor-published and verified on 2026-09-07. Ahrefs’ prompt figures are the allowances bundled into each plan; buying its separate prompt packages from $50 a month changes the picture substantially, and the comparison row understates Brand Radar for anyone who does.
Alternatives
Within full SEO suites, Semrush and SE Ranking both bundle far more prompt tracking at the entry tier — 50 and 100 daily prompts respectively, against Brand Radar’s 5 on Lite — so if prompt volume is the point and you do not want to add a package, they are the cheaper route. Nightwatch is the strongest value on seats, charging by keywords tracked rather than team size, with unlimited users on every plan. Authoritas is the choice when you need explicit control over which AI models are queried, since it prices every model individually. Among dedicated GEO tools, Profound and Scrunch AI target the enterprise end, while Otterly.AI and Rankscale sit far below Ahrefs on price. Brand Radar’s real differentiator is the organic prompt database, and nothing in that list replaces it — you are choosing between researching the whole prompt landscape and tracking a list you wrote yourself.
Disclosure: DigiJaws publishes this review and sells a competing product: a free AI visibility checker that audits how machine-readable a page is, and the Prompt Observatory at $49 a month, which re-queries AI engines weekly and records which brands they name. We have deliberately left both out of the ratings and comparisons here rather than rate our own work.
Recent changes
As verified on 2026-09-07, Ahrefs prices Lite at $129 a month, Standard at $249, Advanced at $449 and Enterprise at $1,499 with an annual commitment, offering up to 17% off for annual billing. Brand Radar is included in all of them and is also sold standalone as Brand Radar AI from $199 a month, which includes an Ahrefs Free account. Ahrefs now states Brand Radar covers 459 million-plus organic prompts. Tracked AI prompt allowances stand at 5 prompts and 150 checks a month on Lite, 10 and 300 on Standard, 20 and 600 on Advanced, and from 83 prompts and 2,500 checks at Enterprise, with daily update frequency across all tiers. Custom prompt packages are priced at $50 for 2,500 additional checks with $0.020 overage, $100 for 7,000 checks with $0.015 overage, and $250 for 25,000 checks with $0.010 overage. API and MCP server access is included on every plan. Ahrefs continues to state that it never runs discounts and does not issue refunds in general.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Ahrefs Brand Radar cost?
Brand Radar is included in every Ahrefs plan: Lite at $129 a month, Standard at $249, Advanced at $449 and Enterprise at $1,499 with an annual commitment, with up to 17% off annual billing. It is also available standalone as Brand Radar AI from $199 a month, which includes an Ahrefs Free account. Additional prompt tracking is sold separately in packages at $50, $100 and $250 a month.
How many AI prompts can I track on each plan?
Fewer than most buyers expect. Lite includes 5 tracked prompts and 150 checks a month, Standard 10 prompts and 300 checks, Advanced 20 prompts and 600 checks, and Enterprise from 83 prompts and 2,500 checks. Update frequency is daily on all tiers. For meaningful volume you need one of the separate prompt packages rather than a higher plan.
Is it cheaper to upgrade my plan or buy a prompt package?
A package, by a wide margin. Upgrading from Lite to Advanced costs $320 more a month and adds 15 tracked prompts. The $50 Basic package adds 2,500 checks a month — Ahrefs’ own example is 80 prompts daily on one platform — which is more than four times the allowance included in the $449 Advanced plan. If prompt tracking is why you are buying, price the packages first.
What is a check in Ahrefs Brand Radar?
Ahrefs defines it precisely: tracking one prompt on one platform in one location uses one check. The multiplication matters. Twenty prompts across three platforms in two locations, checked daily, is 20 × 3 × 2 × 30 = 3,600 checks a month — more than any plan below Enterprise includes, and more than the $50 or $100 packages provide. Calculate against your intended platform and location coverage, not just your prompt count.
Can I buy Brand Radar without a full Ahrefs subscription?
Yes. Ahrefs sells Brand Radar as a standalone tool from $199 a month, and states that purchasing it also gives you an Ahrefs Free account with limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit. Note that this is more expensive than the $129 Lite plan, which includes Brand Radar alongside the rest of the suite — so the standalone option only makes sense if you specifically do not want the wider toolset.
Does Ahrefs offer a free trial of Brand Radar?
No. Ahrefs states directly that it never runs discounts, and the free option it offers — Ahrefs Free — covers limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit for your own verified site, not Brand Radar. Combined with a general no-refund policy, that means there is no low-risk way to evaluate Brand Radar. Competitors including SE Ranking and Nightwatch offer 14-day trials with no credit card required.
Can I query Brand Radar from Claude or another AI assistant?
Yes — MCP server access is included on every Ahrefs plan, with maximum rows per request scaling from 100 on Lite to unlimited at Enterprise. One practical caveat found in testing: brand-level Brand Radar queries through the MCP server return an error asking for a report ID until you have configured a Brand Radar report in the interface. The API surface is scoped to reports you have set up rather than answering ad-hoc brand questions.
Sources
- Ahrefs — official plans and pricing, including prompt packages
- Ahrefs — Brand Radar product page
- Semrush — SEO and AI search plans and pricing
- SE Ranking — official pricing page
- Nightwatch — official pricing page
Compiled from public sources; last verified 2026-10-01. Pricing is subject to change — verify with the vendor. Ratings reflect editorial opinion based on documented capabilities, published pricing, and aggregated user reviews. DigiJaws does not accept payment for review placement or rating.
Ahrefs Brand Radar Review 2026: Pricing. DigiJaws, 2026. https://digijaws.com/reviews/ahrefs-brand-radar-review/