Ahrefs vs Sistrix in 2026: Global backlink depth vs the European Visibility Index
Both start at 119 euros a month and both skip white-label reporting. The real split is Brand Radar against the Visibility Index, and how much of the world each tool actually covers well.
Ahrefs
Sistrix- Ahrefs maintains one of the largest active backlink databases in the industry; Sistrix's backlink data is not positioned as a primary differentiator.
- Sistrix includes full API access on every plan, starting at €119/month. Ahrefs restricts API access on its entry Lite plan and only opens it up meaningfully from Standard at €229/month.
- Ahrefs has Brand Radar for tracking brand visibility across AI-generated content alongside search. Sistrix does not track AI model or LLM visibility at all.
- Sistrix's Visibility Index is a widely cited European SEO benchmark; its data strength is concentrated in DACH markets, the UK, France, Spain, and Italy, with thinner US coverage.
- Sistrix includes AI-powered content creation tools tied to its keyword and ranking data. Ahrefs does not offer a comparable content generation feature.
- Neither platform offers white-label client reporting on any plan.
- Sistrix adds Amazon and Instagram monitoring from its Plus plan, extending visibility tracking into social commerce. Ahrefs has no equivalent.
Ahrefs and Sistrix land at the same entry price, €119 a month, which makes the decision less about budget and more about which data model fits your market. Ahrefs built its reputation on the largest backlink index available and recently folded AI and search visibility tracking into Brand Radar. Sistrix built its reputation on the Visibility Index, a single score that compresses a domain's entire Google presence into one trackable number, and backs it with an API available on every plan, even the cheapest one. Sistrix is the sharper tool for European SEO teams and technical practitioners who want to build on top of its data. Ahrefs is the sharper tool for anyone whose work depends on backlink accuracy or who needs AI visibility tracking bundled into the same platform as SEO research.
The tools at a glance
Ahrefs
Industry-standard SEO platform with Brand Radar for AI visibility and the largest backlink database
Ahrefs built its name on backlink data and still leads there: Site Explorer draws from one of the most active web crawlers online, giving referring domain and anchor text data that most competing tools measure themselves against. Keywords Explorer and Rank Tracker round out a research stack that professional SEOs reach for by default.
Brand Radar folds AI and traditional search visibility into one view, tracking citation frequency in AI-generated content alongside classic ranking data. For teams that want SEO research and AI visibility monitoring under one login rather than stitching two tools together, this is the reason to pick Ahrefs over a narrower European competitor.
The cost is real. Lite starts at €119/month with usage limits that active SEO teams hit fast, and there is no free tier to soften the commitment. API access on Lite is limited, so teams planning to build automated workflows around Ahrefs data usually need Standard at €229/month or higher.
| Feature | Lite €119/month | Standard €229/month | Advanced €419/month | Enterprise €929/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand Radar (AI visibility) | Yes | |||
| Backlink database | Largest in the industry | |||
| API access | Limited on Lite, full from Standard | |||
| White label | No | |||
| AI content generation | No |
Sistrix
Professional SEO platform with the Visibility Index, competitor intelligence, and AI-powered content tools
Sistrix is the default SEO platform across the DACH region and much of Europe, built around the Visibility Index, a proprietary score that weights keyword rankings by search volume into one comparable number per domain. It is the metric European SEO teams cite in client reports and competitive reviews without needing to explain it first.
The API is available on every plan, including the €119/month Start tier, and the documentation is strong enough that technical teams regularly build custom dashboards straight on top of it. That is a meaningfully different access policy than Ahrefs, which reserves fuller API access for its higher tiers. Sistrix also bundles AI-powered content creation tools directly into the keyword and ranking workflow, plus Amazon and Instagram monitoring from the Plus plan up.
What Sistrix does not do is track AI model or LLM visibility. There is no equivalent to Brand Radar here, and the platform's own documentation confirms it is scoped to traditional Google search. Its data is also strongest in Europe; teams running primarily US-focused SEO will find the coverage thinner than Ahrefs or Semrush.
| Feature | Start €119/month | Plus €239/month | Professional €419/month | Premium €799/month | Enterprise Contact for pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility Index | Yes | ||||
| API access | Full, on every plan | ||||
| AI content generation | Yes | ||||
| AI model / LLM tracking | No | ||||
| White label | No |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Ahrefs | Sistrix |
|---|---|---|
| Backlink database size | Largest in the industry | Not a primary strength |
| Visibility benchmark metric | No single index (multi-metric) | Yes (Visibility Index) |
| API access on entry plan | Limited | Full |
| AI content generation | No | Yes |
| AI model / LLM visibility tracking | Yes (Brand Radar) | No |
| Social commerce monitoring | No | Yes (Amazon, Instagram) |
| White-label reporting | No | No |
| Technical site audit | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword research depth | Very deep | Strong, Europe-weighted |
| Entry price | €119/mo | €119/mo |
Considering AI Peekaboo alongside Ahrefs and Sistrix?
Ahrefs has Brand Radar for AI visibility, but it sits inside an expensive suite with no white-label delivery and limited API on the entry plan. Sistrix has none of that: no AI model tracking at all. If AI visibility monitoring is the actual priority rather than a bundled extra, AI Peekaboo is a dedicated platform that ships a read and write API on every plan from $50 per month, with white-label reports built in from day one, an option neither Ahrefs nor Sistrix currently offers.
Read the AI Peekaboo review →Which should you choose?
AhrefsSistrixSistrixAhrefsSistrixAhrefsSistrixThis comparison comes down to geography and priorities more than raw feature count. Sistrix wins on API accessibility and on the Visibility Index as a client-facing benchmark, and it is the more natural fit for European-market SEO work. Ahrefs wins on backlink depth and is the only one of the two with any AI visibility tracking built in. Neither has solved white-label reporting, so agencies delivering branded work will need a third tool regardless of which one they pick for research.
Bottom line
Pick Sistrix if you operate mainly in European markets and want an API you can build on from the cheapest plan. Pick Ahrefs if backlink accuracy is central to your work or you want AI visibility tracking without adding a separate platform. If AI visibility is your primary goal rather than a secondary feature, look at a dedicated tool like AI Peekaboo instead of stretching either SEO suite to cover it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ahrefs or Sistrix better for API access?
Sistrix is better for API access because it is included on every plan, starting at €119/month, with strong documentation that technical teams can build on immediately. Ahrefs restricts meaningful API access to Standard and above at €229/month, so if programmatic access is a day-one requirement, Sistrix is the more accessible option.
Does Sistrix track AI visibility in ChatGPT or Gemini?
No. Sistrix does not track AI model or LLM visibility on any plan. It is scoped to traditional Google search, competitor intelligence, and social commerce monitoring. Ahrefs is the one of the two with Brand Radar, which does track AI-generated content visibility alongside search.
Which tool has better backlink data, Ahrefs or Sistrix?
Ahrefs has the stronger backlink database. It maintains one of the largest active crawl indexes in the industry, and its Site Explorer is the reference point most competing tools benchmark against. Sistrix does not position backlink analysis as a core strength; its identity is built around the Visibility Index instead.
Is either Ahrefs or Sistrix good for agencies that need white-label reports?
Neither is. Ahrefs and Sistrix both lack white-label client reporting on every plan they offer. Agencies that need branded deliverables typically export data from one of these tools into a separate presentation or reporting platform.
Is Sistrix worth it outside of Europe?
Sistrix works outside Europe but its data coverage is noticeably thinner for US and other non-European markets compared to Ahrefs. If your SEO work is concentrated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, France, Spain, or Italy, Sistrix is a strong fit. For primarily US-focused teams, Ahrefs is the safer default.