DataForSEO Alternatives — 9 Cheaper SEO Data APIs for 2026

DataForSEO has become a go-to for SEO data at scale, but its pricing adds up fast once you're pulling thousands of keywords, backlinks, or SERP results. If you're hitting credit walls or paying for data you don't actually use, there are cheaper and in some cases more complete alternatives worth evaluating.

This breakdown covers nine DataForSEO alternatives — their pricing, what they're actually good at, and where they fall short. Most offer free tiers so you can test before committing.

Key Takeaways

• Cheapest raw SERP data: SerpAPI at $25/mo for 1,000 searches, or Brave Search API at $5/1K with $5 free monthly credits
• Best all-in-one SEO data (keywords + backlinks + SERP): Semrush API, though it requires a higher commitment
• Most complete API for scraping SERPs: SerpAPI with 20+ search engines and structured output
• Best for AI agents and RAG pipelines: SearchHive's SwiftSearch API — unified search + scraping + deep research in one platform
• Biggest savings opportunity: Switching from DataForSEO's pay-per-request model to a credit-based system like SearchHive's ($0.0001/credit) can cut costs 40-60% for mixed workloads

1. SerpAPI

Best for: Structured SERP data from multiple search engines

SerpAPI provides parsed JSON results from Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, Google Maps, and 20+ other engines. You don't get raw HTML — you get structured data with knowledge panels, People Also Ask boxes, featured snippets, and more.

Pricing:

The free tier is limited (250/month), and SerpAPI gets expensive at high volume compared to alternatives. But the breadth of engines and the quality of parsed SERP features is hard to beat.

Pros: Widest engine coverage, excellent structured output, Python/Ruby/Node SDKs Cons: Expensive at scale, tiny free tier, no keyword research or backlink data

2. Semrush API

Best for: Full SEO suite data — keywords, backlinks, traffic, domain analytics

Semrush's API gives you programmatic access to their massive SEO database. Keyword difficulty, search volume, backlink profiles, domain authority — the works. It's the most complete SEO data API available, but it requires a Semrush subscription.

Pricing: The API is included with Guru plan ($249.95/mo) and above. API usage limits are generous but tied to your subscription tier. There's no standalone API pricing — you're paying for the full platform.

Pros: Most comprehensive SEO dataset, keyword research + backlinks + competitive analysis in one API Cons: Expensive entry point, requires full platform subscription, no free tier for API-only use

3. ValueSERP

Best for: Simple, fast Google SERP data at low cost

ValueSERP focuses on one thing: returning clean Google search results as JSON. No keyword research, no backlinks, just SERP data. And it's priced aggressively.

Pricing:

At $0.005/search on the Silver plan, ValueSERP is significantly cheaper than DataForSEO for basic SERP scraping. Results include local packs, knowledge graphs, and People Also Ask.

Pros: Very cheap per search, clean JSON output, location targeting Cons: Google only, no keyword research data, limited SERP feature coverage vs SerpAPI

4. SERPHouse

Best for: Budget SERP scraping with multi-engine support

SERPHouse supports Google, Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube with straightforward REST API access. Pricing is credit-based and relatively affordable.

Pricing: Plans start at $50/mo for 5,000 credits. Higher volume plans get cheaper per-credit. They also offer a pay-as-you-go option.

Pros: Multi-engine support, simple credit system, decent documentation Cons: Smaller developer community, fewer SERP features parsed, less reliable at high scale

5. SE Ranking API

Best for: SEO tools builders who need keywords + SERP + backlinks

SE Ranking offers API access to their SEO platform data — keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, competitor research, and on-page audits. Pricing starts with their Essential plan ($65/mo) which includes API access.

Pricing:

Pros: Comprehensive SEO data, reasonable pricing compared to Semrush Cons: API limits tied to subscription, documentation could be better, smaller index than Ahrefs/Semrush

6. Ahrefs API

Best for: Backlink data and domain analysis at scale

Ahrefs built their reputation on backlink data, and their API delivers it programmatically. You get referring domains, anchor text distribution, domain rating, URL rating, and more.

Pricing: API access starts at Advanced plan ($299/mo). The API returns data from Ahrefs' index of 25+ trillion links. Rate limits are generous on higher tiers.

Pros: Industry-leading backlink database, accurate domain ratings, extensive docs Cons: Very expensive, no standalone API pricing, limited keyword data compared to Semrush

7. API-SERP

Best for: Lightweight Google search API for quick integration

API-SERP provides a simple REST API for Google search results. Clean output, fast responses, minimal complexity. Good for apps that just need basic search results without heavy SERP feature parsing.

Pricing: Free tier gives 150 searches/month. Paid plans start at $50/mo for 5,000 searches.

Pros: Simple to integrate, good free tier, clean JSON Cons: Google only, no advanced SERP features, limited scale

8. Moz API

Best for: Domain authority and link metrics (Moz's core strength)

Moz's API is best known for Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) scores. Their Links API and Index API provide backlink data, and the Keywords API covers volume and difficulty.

Pricing:

Pros: DA/PA scores are widely recognized, good documentation, reliable Cons: Smaller link index than Ahrefs, expensive, slow to index new links

9. SearchHive — SwiftSearch + ScrapeForge + DeepDive

Best for: AI agents, RAG pipelines, and teams that need search + scraping + research in one API

SearchHive takes a different approach. Instead of just returning SERP data, it provides three integrated APIs: SwiftSearch for real-time search, ScrapeForge for web scraping with anti-bot bypass, and DeepDive for deep research workflows. Credits are universal across all three — $0.0001 per credit.

Pricing:

A search costs roughly 1 credit, a scrape 2-3 credits, and a deep research query 5-10 credits. At $49/mo for 100K credits, you can run thousands of mixed operations — search, scrape, and research — far cheaper than running DataForSEO + a separate scraping API.

import requests

API_KEY = "your_searchhive_key"
BASE = "https://api.searchhive.dev/v1"

# SwiftSearch — real-time search with structured results
resp = requests.post(f"{BASE}/swiftsearch", headers={
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}, json={
    "query": "best python web scraping libraries 2026",
    "num_results": 10,
    "include_snippets": True
})

results = resp.json()
for r in results["results"]:
    print(f"{r['title']}\n  {r['url']}\n  {r['snippet']}\n")

# ScrapeForge — extract full page content
scrape = requests.post(f"{BASE}/scrapeforge", headers={
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}, json={
    "url": results["results"][0]["url"],
    "format": "markdown",
    "anti_bot": True
})

print(scrape.json()["content"])

# DeepDive — multi-step research for complex queries
research = requests.post(f"{BASE}/deepdive", headers={
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}, json={
    "query": "compare SERP analysis APIs pricing 2026",
    "depth": 3,
    "max_sources": 15
})

print(research.json()["summary"])

Pros: Search + scraping + research in one API, extremely cheap per operation, credit system works across all endpoints, free tier with 500 credits Cons: Newer platform (smaller community), no keyword difficulty or backlink database (pure search/scrape/research)

Comparison Table

Recommendation

The right DataForSEO alternative depends on what data you actually need:

• Just SERP data? ValueSERP or SerpAPI — SerpAPI has the most engines, ValueSERP is the cheapest.
• Full SEO metrics (keywords, backlinks, difficulty)? Semrush or Ahrefs — they're expensive but their data is unmatched. SE Ranking is the budget alternative.
• AI agents and RAG pipelines? SearchHive — the only option here that combines search, scraping, and deep research in one API. At $49/mo for 100K credits, you can replace DataForSEO and your scraping tool while spending less.

For most developers building AI-powered applications, SearchHive delivers the best value because one credit works across search and scraping operations. No need to stitch together separate APIs and manage multiple bills. Start with the free tier — 500 credits, no credit card, full access to all endpoints.