A free Ahrefs alternative for checking and fixing your own site
Ahrefs is best known for one of the largest backlink indexes on the web. Make It Flow takes a different route: it audits your site, reads your own Search Console and Bing data, and checks the technical basics such as speed, security and email that an SEO suite usually leaves out.
What Ahrefs is
Ahrefs is a paid SEO platform with a large backlink index, keyword explorer, rank tracking, site explorer and site audit. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools gives site owners a free, limited audit and backlink view for sites they verify.
Make It Flow vs Ahrefs, feature by feature
Site audit
Make It Flow Free single-page audit; full crawl on Pro
Ahrefs Site audit; free for verified sites via Webmaster Tools
Backlinks to any site
Make It Flow No
Ahrefs Yes, on paid plans
Your real search queries
Make It Flow From your own Search Console, free
Ahrefs Estimated from its database
Based on each product's public website at the time of writing. Features and plans change, so check Ahrefs's own site for current details.
Choose Ahrefs if
- You need to research the backlinks of sites you do not own.
- You want keyword research with volumes and difficulty for new topics.
- Link building is the core of your SEO work.
Choose Make It Flow if
- You want one free check that covers SEO, speed, security, DNS and email.
- You prefer real data from your own Search Console and Bing accounts.
- You need branded audits for clients without paying per seat.
Using both
If you already use Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, Make It Flow fills the gaps it does not cover: email authentication, security headers, DNS, speed and AI search readiness.
Questions
Is the Make It Flow backlink checker as big as Ahrefs?
No. It shows links to your own pages from Bing's index. It is good for seeing who links to you and with what anchor text, not for researching other sites.
Do I need to verify my site?
For the Search Console dashboard, yes, you connect your own Google account (read-only). The audit and the free tools work on any URL.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The audit, Search Console dashboard and 148 tools are free with a free account.
More comparisons
Ahrefs is a trademark of its owner. Make It Flow is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ahrefs.