Site Metrics Tool vs Ahrefs — which to pick in 2026
Ahrefs is the industry standard for backlink analysis — 33T+ links in their index, refreshed faster than competitors. But for a Russian team three uncomfortable facts: pricing starts at $129/month, no Yandex data, USD-only billing. Site Metrics Tool takes a different angle: it reads your own GSC and Webmaster, doesn't try to replace Ahrefs wholesale, and covers 80% of monitoring needs at 10× lower cost.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Site Metrics Tool | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Link index size | Your own GSC + Webmaster data | 33T+ links (proprietary crawler) |
| Index refresh | Hourly (your site only) | 15–30 minutes (the whole web) |
| Domain Rating / URL Rating | None | Yes (DR / UR) |
| Site Explorer / Content Gap | None | Yes |
| Rank tracking | From GSC/Webmaster + scraper | Proprietary SERP crawler |
| Yandex data | Full | Limited keyword research only |
| Core Web Vitals tracking | Via PageSpeed Insights API | Site Audit only, not main dashboard |
| Entry plan price | 0₽ (Free) / 990₽/month | from $129/month (~12,000₽) |
| RUB billing | Yes | No |
| Disavow for Yandex | CSV export + link to Yandex form | No (Google only) |
Site Metrics Tool — pros
- Free tier for one site — Ahrefs has none
- Yandex in the same dashboard as Google
- RUB pricing for clean Russian accounting
When to pick Ahrefs
- No proprietary link index — we only see what Webmaster and GSC return
- No Domain Rating or other Ahrefs-proprietary metrics
- No Content Explorer or Ahrefs-grade keyword research
Verdict
Ahrefs is the right choice for agencies that need deep competitor link intelligence and a global keyword database. Site Metrics Tool fits teams that need daily monitoring of their own rankings, backlinks and Core Web Vitals, focused on the Russian market. Many use both — Ahrefs for one-off investigations, Site Metrics Tool for daily monitoring and alerts.