Domain Authority vs Domain Rating
DA is from Moz, DR is from Ahrefs, and Authority Score is from Semrush. They measure the same thing using different data. Here is how to use each one correctly.
16 May 2026 · 5 min read
Domain authority (DA) and domain rating (DR) measure the same underlying thing: how strong a website's backlink profile is. But they are calculated by different companies, use different datasets, and produce different numbers. Comparing a DA score from one tool to a DR score from another is meaningless. Comparing them correctly tells you a great deal.
What is domain authority?
Domain authority is a metric from Moz. It runs on a scale of 1 to 100 and is designed to predict how likely a site is to rank in search results. It is calculated using Moz's own link index, which crawls a large portion of the web and scores domains based on the number and quality of sites linking to them.
The calculation is logarithmic: moving from 20 to 30 is much easier than moving from 70 to 80. The higher the score, the more it reflects comparison to the most-linked sites on the internet.
What is domain rating?
Domain rating is Ahrefs' equivalent metric. It also runs from 0 to 100 and measures the strength of a site's backlink profile relative to all other sites in Ahrefs' index. Like DA, it is logarithmic and weighted by the quality of linking domains, not just the volume of links.
The key difference is the underlying data: Ahrefs maintains one of the largest and most frequently-updated link indices available, which means DR often reflects recent link changes faster than DA does.
Domain authority vs domain rating: key differences
| Domain Authority | Domain Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Moz | Ahrefs |
| Scale | 1–100 | 0–100 |
| Recrawl frequency | Every few weeks | Near real-time for active sites |
| Index size | Large | Very large |
| Spam signal included? | Yes (spam score) | No (separate UR/DR metrics) |
| Best used for | Link prospecting, backlink audits | Competitor analysis, link research |
Neither metric is objectively more accurate. They reflect the same underlying concept using different data.
What about Semrush Authority Score?
Semrush's Authority Score is a third version of the same idea. It runs from 1 to 100 and combines three inputs: organic search data (actual estimated traffic), backlink quality, and spam signals. Because it incorporates traffic data, Authority Score can be more sensitive to manual penalties and algorithmic suppressions: a site with many links but no organic traffic will score lower than DA or DR alone would suggest.
| Metric | Tool | What it uses |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | Link profile, spam signals |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | Link profile only |
| Authority Score | Semrush | Links, traffic, spam signals |
Why do the scores differ for the same domain?
It is common to see a site with a DA of 45, a DR of 38, and an Authority Score of 52. This is normal. The differences come from:
- Different crawl frequencies and index sizes
- Different weighting of link quality signals
- Different treatment of nofollowed and UGC links
- Whether traffic data is incorporated
A gap of 10–15 points between tools for the same domain is not unusual. A gap of 30+ points is worth investigating: it may indicate that one tool has not yet registered a significant link gain or loss that the other has picked up.
Which metric should you use?
Pick one and use it consistently within any given analysis. Mixing tools mid-analysis creates noise. The practical guide:
- Link prospecting: any of the three works. DA is more widely understood in outreach contexts (many link prospects will know their DA score). DR is the most data-accurate for assessing real link strength.
- Competitor analysis: DR or Authority Score, both of which update more frequently than DA.
- Backlink audits: DA with spam score gives you both quality and risk signals in one place. Use Crawly's domain authority checker to get both metrics simultaneously.
- Reporting to clients: DA, because it is the most recognisable term outside of SEO professionals.
How to check both DA and DR
Crawly's free domain authority checker returns the DA score, spam score, referring domain count, and backlink total for any domain, with no login required.
For bulk checks across a list of domains, the bulk DA checker handles up to 100 domains at once. Useful for filtering a link prospect list before outreach.
To compare two domains directly, use the domain authority comparison tool, which places both sites' metrics side by side.
Should you try to improve DA or DR specifically?
Neither. Both are outputs of your link profile. Trying to improve DA or DR directly is not the right framing. The goal is to earn high-quality links from relevant, authoritative domains. When you do that consistently, both metrics improve as a consequence.
See how to increase your domain authority for a practical breakdown of what actually moves the score.
Use either metric as a directional signal, not an absolute truth. Check your site's authority alongside referring domain count and spam score with Crawly's DA checker.