Buying guide

Best SEO APIs for keyword, SERP and backlink data

By Joonas Rotko, ex-agency co-owner, 10+ years spending real marketing budgets

Prices verified 2 Oct 2026 · How I choose, and how I earn from this page

For Google results in your own tracker or reports, I'd start with DataForSEO: no monthly plan, just a $50 minimum to fund the account and $0.6 per 1K SERPs on the standard queue. SearchApi is the flat-bill option at $40/month billed monthly for this workload. I checked every price on 2 Oct 2026.

Prices on this page are for

10,000 Google searches a month
API access only, for the suites

Who this is for. Small agencies, consultants and technical solo builders who pull keyword, SERP or backlink data into their own reports or tools, and want to know the bill before they start. These are building blocks, not finished dashboards, so whoever uses them also writes and maintains the code that calls them, and the monthly bill is only part of the cost. If you'd rather log in and look at a dashboard, SEO software is the shorter route.

Looking for something else?

Different job, different guide.

I want a dashboard, not raw data

I want to start free

Best free SEO toolsStart without a subscription.

I want to see how AI search mentions my brand

Best AI visibility toolsTrack ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI answers about your brand.

My picks for different needs

Find the line that sounds like you. Each pick links to the full reasoning below.

I want the lowest price per Google request and I'm fine paying as I go
No monthly plan. You fund an account and pay per request.
Why this one
DataForSEO
My default
See DataForSEO plansAffiliate link
I want a flat monthly bill for a known number of searches
A fixed monthly allowance, and failed requests are not billed.
Why this one
SearchApi
$40/momonthly
See SearchApi plansAffiliate link
I already pay for an SEO suite and want its data in my own reports
API credits come with Core, so there is no second subscription.
Why this one
SE Ranking
$103.20/moannual
See SE Ranking plansAffiliate link
I want to test an API for free before I commit
A standing free plan with a small monthly search allowance.
Why this one
SerpApi
$150/momonthly
See SerpApi plans
I need backlink data and my reports are built around it
API access on every paid plan, but no request count on the pricing page.
Why this one
Ahrefs
$108/moannual
See Ahrefs plans
I'm building an AI visibility tracker and need what ChatGPT and Perplexity answer
One credit balance across AI answer engines and Google, but not the cheapest way to pull plain Google results.
Why this one
cloro
$30/momonthly
See cloro plansAffiliate link

The tools side by side

Each row is the cheapest plan whose monthly allowance covers the workload. DataForSEO has no monthly plan, so its cost cell shows the price per request instead.

10,000 Google searches a month: plan priced, monthly and annual cost, Requests or credits included, Free start
Tool and plan	Cost per month	Requests or credits included	Free start
DataForSEOPay as you go	Pay as you go. From $0.6 per 1K SERPs on the standard queue, after a $50 minimum payment.	See the note	Trial not published
SearchApiDeveloper	Not sold annually $40 monthly	10,000	Trial not published
SerpApiProduction	Not sold annually $150 monthly	15,000	Free plan
HasDataStartup	$49annual $59 monthly	200,000	Free plan
cloroLite	Not sold annually $30 monthly	37,500	Free plan

SEO suites with an API, priced on API access alone

SE Ranking, Semrush and Ahrefs are SEO suites that include API access, not API-first products. Their pricing pages don't turn the allowance into a count of Google searches, so each is priced at the cheapest plan that includes API access, not on the search workload above.

SEO suites with an API, priced on API access alone: plan priced, cost, API access, Free start
Tool and plan	Cost	API access	Free start
SE RankingCore	$103.20annual $129 monthly	Yes	14-day trial
SemrushAdvanced	$455.67annual $549 monthly	Yes	Free plan and a 7-day trial
AhrefsLite	$108annual $129 monthly	Yes	Free account, no trial

Eight picks, in the order I'd consider them

Each one says who it is for, what it costs for 10,000 Google searches a month, and what you give up.

DataForSEO

Broadest data, pay as you go

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want to pay only for what a tracker or report actually pulls, and you want keyword, backlink, on-page and AI-answer data under the same account as the search results.

Consider SearchApi instead if

You'd rather know the monthly bill in advance. SearchApi sells a flat allowance, $40/month billed monthly for this workload.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

The standard queue is the cheapest way to get Google organic results here, and you can pay more per request when you need them faster: $1.2 per 1K SERPs on priority and $2 per 1K SERPs live. One account also covers keyword, backlink, domain and on-page data, so a new feature later doesn't mean a second vendor.

The plan I priced

DataForSEO has no monthly plan, so there's no plan price in the table and no monthly total here. What a request costs depends on how fast you want it back. One SERP of the Google Organic SERP API is ten search engine results; the Keywords Data API bills per task of up to 1,000 keywords; LLM Mentions bills per request plus per row.

Closest alternative

SearchApi becomes the better choice when you want a predictable monthly bill and a plain per-search allowance more than the lowest per-request price.

DataForSEO homepage, captured 2 Oct 2026

10,000 Google searches a month: billed by usage

Pay as you go. From $0.6 per 1K SERPs on the standard queue, after a $50 minimum payment.

The trade-off

There's no free plan and you fund the account first, with a $50 minimum. Optional parameters on a SERP request multiply its cost, so test the calls you really make before you trust a budget.

What my review says

Best for: A technical solo builder or small agency that wants to pay only for the data a tracker or report actually pulls.

Skip it if you want a flat monthly bill or a finished dashboard instead of raw data to build on.

Strengths

Per-request pricing with no monthly commitment, so a quiet month costs nothing extra.
Three speed tiers on Google organic results, from queued to live, priced separately.
SERP, keyword, backlink, on-page and AI-search endpoints under one account.

Limits

No free plan on the pricing page, only a minimum payment to start.
Optional SERP parameters multiply the cost of a task, so the real bill depends on how you call it.
The pricing pages show a Try for free button but state no trial amount.

See DataForSEO plans My DataForSEO reviewAffiliate link

SearchApi

Clean SERP API, flat monthly allowance

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want a predictable monthly bill for a known number of Google searches, and a rank tracker or report is the main job.

Consider DataForSEO instead if

You pull far fewer searches than the allowance in a typical month, or you want keyword and backlink data too. Its standard queue is $0.6 per 1K SERPs, and you pay only for what you use.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Developer covers 10,000 searches a month, which is the whole workload, at $4 per 1,000 searches. The per-search price falls on each bigger plan. One successful search (a 200 status code) counts against the plan; failed requests are not billed.

The plan I priced

I priced Developer: $40/month billed monthly. The pricing page shows monthly billing only. Production is $100/month billed monthly and lowers the rate to $3 per 1,000 searches, so move up when you pull more than Developer allows.

Closest alternative

SerpApi becomes the better choice when you want a standing free plan to test with first: SerpApi gives 250 searches a month free.

10,000 Google searches a month: Developer

Billed monthly

$40/mo

Above 10,000 API requests or credits: Production (+$60/mo billed monthly).

The trade-off

It's a monthly commitment even in a quiet month, and the free start is a one-off allowance of 100 requests, not a standing free plan. Rate limit: only up to a fifth of the plan's credits can be used each hour.

What my review says

Best for: A solo builder or small agency that wants a predictable monthly search allowance for rank tracking or reporting.

Skip it if you only need an occasional lookup, since even the entry plan is a monthly commitment.

Strengths

Failed requests are not billed, only searches that return a 200 status.
Per-search rate drops on each higher plan, so cost per search falls as volume grows.
A legal protection guarantee comes with Production and the plans above it.

Limits

Only a one-off allowance of free requests at sign-up, not a standing free plan.
A rate limit caps how much of the monthly allowance you can use in any single hour.
The pricing page shows monthly billing only, with no annual discount or pay-as-you-go option.

See SearchApi plans My SearchApi reviewAffiliate link

SE Ranking

SEO suite with an API included

Hands-on

Choose it if

You already use SE Ranking for tracking and audits, or want one subscription that gives you the dashboard and your own data pulls.

Consider SearchApi instead if

All you need is search results in your own code. You'd pay $40/month billed monthly for this workload and skip the tracking and audit tools.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Core includes 25,000 API credits next to rank tracking, audits and AI search tracking, so a small agency gets reports and an API on one bill. Growth raises that to 100,000 credits.

The plan I priced

I priced Core: $129/month billed monthly, or $103.20/month billed annually. SE Ranking also sells a standalone API plan, from $179/month billed annually, with no monthly option.

Closest alternative

Semrush becomes the better choice when your team already lives in Semrush and the API comes with its top plan.

SE Ranking homepage, captured 2 Oct 2026

API access plan: Core

Billed annually

$103.20/mo

Billed monthly

$129/mo

The trade-off

The pricing page counts credits, not searches, and doesn't say how many credits one Google results page costs, so the credit allowance is not a search count. You also pay for a whole toolbox when you only want data.

What my review says

Best for: A small agency or solo builder who wants a dashboard and API credits on one bill.

Skip it if all you want is search results in your own code with no dashboard to pay for.

Strengths

API credits come with Core, so there is no second subscription for data pulls.
A 14-day trial with no card needed, so you can try the credits first.
A standalone API plan from $179/month billed annually if Core's credits run out.

Limits

The pricing page counts credits, not searches, and doesn't say what one results page costs in credits.
You pay for the whole toolbox, from $129/month billed monthly, when you only want data.
Payments are non-refundable except where the service wasn't delivered.

See SE Ranking plans My SE Ranking review SE Ranking pricingAffiliate link

Semrush

Keyword data via API, top plan only

Hands-on

Choose it if

You already work in Semrush, want its keyword and competitor data in your own reports, and the entry price for API access isn't the problem.

Consider DataForSEO instead if

You want keyword and SERP data in code without buying a plan at $549/month billed monthly before you pull a single result.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

If your team already pays for Semrush, Advanced adds API access to the data you already work with. The SEO, Starter and Pro+ plans don't include it.

The plan I priced

API access starts at Advanced: $549/month billed monthly, or $455.67/month billed annually. The cheaper SEO plan is $139.95/month billed monthly and has no API.

Closest alternative

Ahrefs becomes the better choice when you care more about the backlink index than the keyword database, and want API access on every paid plan.

API access plan: Advanced

Billed annually

$455.67/mo

Billed monthly

$549/mo

The trade-off

API access sits on the most expensive current plan, and the plan comparison says whether API access is included, not how many requests it covers. So there's no cost for this workload to show here. This is a suite with an API, not an API-first product.

What my review says

Best for: Teams already working in Semrush who want its keyword and competitor data in their own reports and can pay for the Advanced plan.

Skip it if you only want data in your own code: API access starts on Advanced at $549/month billed monthly, and the cheaper plans don't include it.

Strengths

Its keyword and competitor data, the data you'd already look at in the dashboard, can feed your own reports.
A limited free plan, and a 7-day trial on the paid plans.
Advanced covers 40 monitored websites.

Limits

API access starts at Advanced, $549/month billed monthly.
The plan comparison gives no API request count.
The trial needs a card, and the money-back guarantee is a one-time 7-day offer.

See Semrush plans My Semrush review Semrush pricingAffiliate link

SerpApi

Established SERP API with a free plan

Desk research

Choose it if

You want to try a SERP API for free first, prefer month-to-month billing, and don't mind paying more per search for it.

Consider SearchApi instead if

You want a lower price for the same volume. SearchApi's Developer plan is $40/month billed monthly against $150/month billed monthly here.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Free gives you 250 searches a month to test a tracker before you pay, and billing is month-to-month. Production covers 15,000 searches, which is the first plan above the workload.

The plan I priced

I priced Production: $150/month billed monthly. Developer stops at 5,000 searches, which is below the workload, and the U.S. Legal Shield starts on Production.

Closest alternative

HasData becomes the better choice when you also want general scraping and AI-answer data, and you're happy to budget in credits rather than searches.

10,000 Google searches a month: Production

Billed monthly

$150/mo

Above 15,000 API requests or credits: Big Data (+$125/mo billed monthly).

The trade-off

At this volume it costs more than SearchApi. The pricing page doesn't define what one search covers or list the engines, and speed modes change the price.

What my review says

Best for: A solo builder who wants a free tier to test a rank tracker before paying.

Skip it if you want to know what one search covers before paying, since the pricing page does not define it.

Strengths

A free plan with a monthly search allowance and no payment needed.
Month-to-month billing, cancel anytime.
A wide ladder of plans from small to very high volume.

Limits

The pricing page does not define what one search covers or list the engines.
The U.S. Legal Shield is missing from the Starter and Developer plans.
Speed modes change the price, and the page shows Best Effort by default.

See SerpApi plans My SerpApi reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

Ahrefs

Backlink data from a large index

Hands-on

Choose it if

Backlink data is what you're building around, and you're sure enough to pay before you try.

Consider DataForSEO instead if

You want backlink data and pay only for what you pull. DataForSEO lists a Backlinks API under the same pay-as-you-go account.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

Every paid plan includes API access, starting at $129/month billed monthly on Lite. If you already use Ahrefs for link research, the API puts that data in your own reports without a second vendor.

The plan I priced

Lite is $129/month billed monthly, or $108/month billed annually. Standard is $249/month billed monthly, or $208/month billed annually.

Closest alternative

Semrush becomes the better choice when you want a keyword database and a trial period more than backlink depth, and can pay for the Advanced plan.

API access plan: Lite

Billed annually

$108/mo

Billed monthly

$129/mo

The trade-off

No free trial and no standing refund policy, and the pricing page lists API access without a request count, so there's no cost for this workload to show. It's a suite with an API, not an API-first product, so check the allowance on your plan before you build on it.

What my review says

Best for: Someone building around backlink data who is sure enough of the choice to pay before trying, because there is no free trial.

Skip it if you want to test the API before paying: Ahrefs offers a free account with limited data, not a trial.

Strengths

API access on every paid plan, starting at $129/month billed monthly on Lite.
Annual billing brings Lite down to $108/month billed annually.
A free account shows your own site's data before you spend anything.

Limits

No free trial of any kind.
The pricing page lists API access without a request count, so there is no cost for this workload.
No standing refund policy.

See Ahrefs plans My Ahrefs reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

HasData

Scraping and SERP data on one credit balance

Hands-on

Choose it if

You want search results and general web scraping from one credit balance, and a standing free plan to start on.

Consider SearchApi instead if

You want one flat per-search price instead of credits that buy a different number of requests on each API.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

The free plan gives 1,000 credits a month, and Startup is $59/month billed monthly for 200,000 credits, so a mixed job of search results and page scraping runs on one balance. The data covered: Google SERP, SERP Light, Rank Checker, AI Mode, ChatGPT Scraper, News, Scholar, Shopping, Maps, Images, Trends; Bing Search; DuckDuckGo SERP.

The plan I priced

I priced Startup because the free plan is below the workload: $59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually. Check the requests per credit for your own API calls on the pricing table.

Closest alternative

SerpApi becomes the better choice when you want a plain per-search count and month-to-month billing for Google results only.

10,000 Google searches a month: Startup

Billed annually

$49/mo

Billed monthly

$59/mo

Above 200,000 API requests or credits: Basic (+$50/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

A credit isn't a search. Each plan holds a monthly credit balance; the pricing table lists how many requests that balance covers for each API (for example Google SERP API, Google SERP Light API, Web Scraping API). That makes a mixed workload harder to budget than one flat price per search.

What my review says

Best for: A solo builder who wants SERP, AI-answer and general scraping data from one credit balance.

Skip it if you want one flat per-search price, since the cost per request differs by API.

Strengths

A standing free plan with monthly credits and no card needed.
Google SERP, AI Mode and ChatGPT scraping on the same plan table.
A billed-annually switch lowers every monthly price.

Limits

Growth is priced on a volume slider, so its exact cost depends on the credits you pick.
Per-request cost varies by API, which makes budgeting a mixed workload harder.
The free plan covers only a small number of Google SERP requests a month.

See HasData plans My HasData reviewNo affiliate link: plain link

cloro

AI answer data and Google results in one API

Desk research

Choose it if

You are building an AI visibility tracker or report and need what ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers actually say, with Google results alongside.

Consider DataForSEO instead if

You only need plain Google results. DataForSEO's standard queue is $0.6 per 1K SERPs with no monthly plan, and a Google Search request on cloro is 3 credits.

Why it fits 10,000 Google searches a month

The other picks return Google results. cloro also returns the answers from AI engines: ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overview, Google Search, Google News (Grok listed as unavailable). Every engine draws on the same credit balance, and a request costs a set number of credits by engine, for example 3 for a Google Search and 7 for a full ChatGPT response. That is why it suits a tracker that reports on AI answers.

The plan I priced

I priced Lite, the first paid plan: $30/month billed monthly, with 37,500 credits a month. The free plan has 500 credits a month to test with. Plans are monthly only, and each request spends credits by engine, so check the credit cost of the engines you will call before you size a plan.

Closest alternative

HasData becomes the better choice when you want Google results and general web scraping on one credit balance more than AI answer data from ChatGPT or Perplexity.

10,000 Google searches a month: Lite

Billed monthly

$30/mo

Above 37,500 API requests or credits: Hobby (+$70/mo billed monthly).

The trade-off

It is not the cheapest way to pull plain Google results, which is the workload this guide prices. A credit is not a search, since each request costs credits by engine, so budget from the per-engine credit costs. There is no pay-as-you-go option, unused credits do not roll over, and sync requests cost extra credits over async or batch ones. Failed requests are not billed.

What my review says

Best for: Someone building an AI visibility tracker or report who needs what ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers say, from one API.

Skip it if you only need plain Google results at the lowest price, or you want pay-as-you-go billing: cloro sells monthly credit plans only.

Strengths

One credit balance covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Google AI Mode, AI Overview and Google Search.
A free plan with 500 credits a month to test with, and failed requests are not billed.
Unlimited seats on every paid plan.

Limits

A credit is not a search: each request costs credits by engine, from 3 for Google Search to 7 for a full ChatGPT response.
No pay-as-you-go option, and unused credits do not roll over.
Sync requests cost extra credits compared with async or batch requests.

See cloro plans My cloro reviewAffiliate link

What 10,000 Google searches a month really costs

Only plans that sell a monthly allowance covering the workload get a bar. DataForSEO bills per request and the suites are priced on API access alone, so neither is plotted

Dollar prices, per month (billed annually where sold)

cloro$30/mo monthly
SearchApi$40/mo monthly
HasData$49/mo
SerpApi$150/mo monthly

Pay monthly or yearly?

What yearly billing saves on the same plan.

SE Ranking$129 monthly, $103.20 yearly: 20% less
Semrush$549 monthly, $455.67 yearly: 17% less
Ahrefs$129 monthly, $108 yearly: 16% less
HasData$59 monthly, $49 yearly: 17% less

When you'll outgrow the plan

The first limit you hit, and the next plan up.

SearchApi: above 10,000 API requests or credits, Production (+$60/mo)
SerpApi: above 15,000 API requests or credits, Big Data (+$125/mo)
HasData: above 200,000 API requests or credits, Basic (+$50/mo)
cloro: above 37,500 API requests or credits, Hobby (+$70/mo)

How I calculated this

Workload: 10,000 Google searches a month, API access only, for the suites.

A plan counts when its monthly allowance covers the workload. Vendors that sell credits are counted by their credit allowance, and a credit is not always one search. Pay-as-you-go pricing has no monthly allowance, so it is shown as a price per request instead of a monthly total. Suites that include an API are priced on API access alone.

Other options, and why they missed the list

I kept this list short on purpose, and cloro is on it for AI answer data rather than for plain Google searches. A tool has to sell API access you can pay for without a sales call, say what its plans include, and cover keyword, SERP or backlink data. Free Google options such as the Search Console API are worth using on your own site, and my free SEO tools guide covers them.

ValueSERP
Another SERP API, sold in prepaid credit bundles. A fit if you're comparing SearchApi and SerpApi on price.
Zenserp
A SERP API in the same class as SearchApi and SerpApi, with a small free plan to test on.
Majestic
A backlink index with its own API. Backlink data only, with no keyword or SERP data.
Moz
An SEO suite with an API for domain authority and link data, if that metric is what your reports use.
Serpstat
An all-in-one SEO platform that also sells API access, closer to SE Ranking than to a pure data API.
LinkResearchTools
A link audit and backlink analysis suite. Link work only, so it misses the keyword and SERP jobs on this list.

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Who is behind this guide

Joonas Rotko

I co-ran a marketing agency in Finland and spent more than ten years buying SEO and marketing software with real client budgets. I write these guides for the person who has to pay for the tool and use it.

Hands-on with 6 of these 8 tools
Prices checked 2 Oct 2026
How this page earns

More about me and how I review

Affiliate disclosure

Links marked as affiliate links on this page pay me a commission if you sign up through them, and you pay the same price. I have affiliate links for DataForSEO, SearchApi, SE Ranking, Semrush and cloro, and where two tools do a job about equally well, the one I can earn from goes first. cloro sits last despite that, because this guide prices plain Google searches and cloro's strength is AI answer data, so it does not do the guide's job about equally well. I have no affiliate link for SerpApi, Ahrefs or HasData. They are listed for their free plan, their backlink data and their scraping. A commission never moves a price on this page or changes what I say about a tool.

How this guide was prepared

What I did

Each price is read from the vendor's own pricing page. The page keeps the link and the day I checked, and the tables, chart and card text are all generated from that record.
I sized the job as a month of Google search requests, the unit a rank tracker or report consumes. Of the plans whose monthly allowance covers it, the cheapest is the one shown.
DataForSEO has no monthly allowance, so it appears as a price per request and I never turn that into a monthly total.
The Hands-on badge marks APIs and suites my own use backs. Desk research marks the ones judged from published plans and documentation alone.
cloro is the one pick that also returns AI answer data, so it is ranked on the plain Google workload like the rest and placed last, because that is the job it is least suited to. Its case is the AI visibility job, covered in its card and in the FAQ.

What to keep in mind

Per-request rates and plan sizes can change at any time, so the check date beside each source matters as much as the price.
Credits are not searches. SE Ranking, HasData and cloro sell credits, and their pricing pages don't turn credits into a search count for Google results, so their allowance is not directly comparable to SearchApi or SerpApi. cloro charges credits per request by engine, so I show its per-engine credit costs and never add them up into a search total.
Semrush and Ahrefs list API access on their plans without a request count, so they are priced on API access alone, not on the workload.
SerpApi's pricing page doesn't say what one search covers or which engines it includes.

Sources and verification dates

DataForSEO pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026
SearchApi pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026
SE Ranking pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026
Semrush pricing and limits checked 29 Sep 2026
SerpApi pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026
Ahrefs pricing and limits checked 30 Sep 2026
HasData pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026
cloro pricing and limits checked 2 Oct 2026

Prices and limits checked on 12 vendor pages. Oldest check: 29 Sep 2026.

2 Oct 2026: First Best V2 version: the ranked list is rebuilt from verified plan facts for one monthly Google search workload.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between an SEO API and a SERP API?

A SERP API returns the search results page for a query: the ranking URLs, and often the features around them. That's what a rank tracker needs. An SEO API is wider: it adds keyword volumes, backlinks, domain metrics and on-page data. DataForSEO sells both under one account. SearchApi, SerpApi and HasData are mainly SERP and scraping APIs, and SE Ranking, Semrush and Ahrefs add API access to a full SEO suite.

What does one request cost?

It depends on the vendor's unit. DataForSEO charges $0.6 per 1K SERPs on the standard queue, $1.2 per 1K SERPs on priority and $2 per 1K SERPs live. SearchApi's Developer plan is $4 per 1,000 searches, falling to $2 per 1,000 searches on Scale. SerpApi, HasData and SE Ranking don't publish a per-search price, so I only compare them on the monthly plan.

What does a month of Google searches cost on a flat plan?

On a flat plan, SearchApi is $40/month billed monthly and SerpApi is $150/month billed monthly. HasData is $59/month billed monthly on its credit plan. DataForSEO has no monthly plan and bills per request, so its total depends on the queue and the parameters you use.

Is there a free SEO API?

SerpApi has a free plan with 250 searches a month, and HasData's free plan gives 1,000 credits a month. cloro's free plan gives 500 credits a month. SearchApi gives 100 free requests at sign-up. DataForSEO has no free plan, only a minimum payment. Google's own Search Console API is free for data about your own site.

Can I try these before paying?

SE Ranking has a 14-day trial and Semrush has a 7-day trial. SerpApi and HasData have standing free plans. Ahrefs has no free trial, only a free account with limited data. DataForSEO states no trial amount on its pricing page.

Which API gives me what ChatGPT or Perplexity answers about my brand?

cloro. It returns the answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Google AI Mode and AI Overview, plus Google Search and News, from one credit balance. Each request costs credits by engine: 3 for a Google Search and 7 for a full ChatGPT response, with 500 free credits a month to try it and Lite from $30/month billed monthly. It is built for an AI visibility tracker or report, not for the cheapest plain Google results. DataForSEO also lists LLM Mentions data under its pay-as-you-go account.

Do I need an API at all?

Only if something has to fetch the data without you: a rank tracker that runs overnight, a client report that refreshes itself, or a tool that takes search results as its input. For looking at keywords and rankings by hand, a dashboard costs less than the engineering time an API needs, and my SEO software guide is where I'd begin.

Best SEO APIs for keyword, SERP and backlink data

Looking for something else?

I want a dashboard, not raw data

I want to start free

I want to see how AI search mentions my brand

My picks for different needs

The tools side by side

SEO suites with an API, priced on API access alone

Eight picks, in the order I'd consider them

DataForSEO

SearchApi

SE Ranking

Semrush

SerpApi

Ahrefs

HasData

cloro

What 10,000 Google searches a month really costs

Pay monthly or yearly?

When you'll outgrow the plan

Other options, and why they missed the list

How I chose, and how I earn from this page

Joonas Rotko

Affiliate disclosure

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