DataForSEO vs Dumpling AI (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick DataForSEO: it is first in our ranking of SERP and SEO data APIs, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
DataForSEO grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DataForSEO
Pay-as-you-go APIs for SERP, keyword, backlink and AI mention data
Free trial · from $50
Dumpling AI
One API for web search, scraping, documents and social data
From $40/mo
Which one is for you
Pick DataForSEO if
- Fits if you're building your own rank tracker, keyword tool or backlink checker and want one bill for the data
- Works for batch jobs that can wait minutes for a queued result at $0.60 per 1,000
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want reports to look at, since it returns JSON with no SEO dashboard
- Tight if you're only testing, as the $1 trial credit goes fast and the next step is a $50 top-up
- Watch out: search operators multiply the price of a Google query by five
- Pricey if you pull backlinks or AI mentions in bulk, at $0.024 a task plus $0.000036 a row, and $0.1 a task plus $0.001 a row
Pick Dumpling AI if
- Fits if you want search, scraping and extraction from one account
- Works for people wiring up n8n or Make flows
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it free, since there is no free plan or trial
- Tight if your usage is uneven: subscription credits do not roll over
- Watch out: credits per request go from one to several depending on the action
- Watch out: only yearly-billed prices were readable, and the Starter plan is held to 30 requests a minute
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADataForSEOGood | 1.8GPADumpling AIWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$50 is the smallest top-up and the balance never expires, a first spend at the dear end of this category's usual $25 to $50. The rate lifts it: Google results are $0.60 per 1,000 in the standard queue and $2 live, where most rivals here charge $1 to $4. | C$40 a month on yearly billing, between this category's cheaper quarter ($19) and dearer quarter ($44.10). |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. New accounts get $1 of trial credit and a Sandbox that returns sample responses, enough to wire up your code, and then it's a $50 top-up. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | ASearch results from Google, Bing, YouTube, Yahoo, Baidu, Naver and Seznam, plus keyword volumes, its own backlink index back to 2019, site crawls and brand mentions in ChatGPT and AI Overviews. No other API in this category covers that much of the SEO job from one key. | CSearch, scraping, document extraction, and social and enrichment data in one place. Each action costs one or more credits, so it is hard to price a job up front. |
| Ease of use | CJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: a Sandbox, spending limits per API and connectors for Sheets, n8n and Make. No rating on record, and each API is billed per SERP, task, row or page, which takes reading before you start. | CNo store rating on record. It is an API, so you need a key and some code or an MCP client. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API and connectors for Google Sheets, n8n, Make, Zapier, Airtable, Postman and Pabbly. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. | BWeb only, but it lists Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, n8n and Make, with HTTP, CLI and MCP access. |
| Best for | SEO data for building your own tools | search, scraping and extraction through one API |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DataForSEO and Dumpling AI. How we grade
Where they differ
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
- Dumpling AI also covers AI agents and research.
In commonWebPublic APISERP API
At a glance
| DataForSEO | Dumpling AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $50 minimum top-up, used as you go | $40 per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | $1 of trial credit for new accounts, plus a free Sandbox that returns sample responses | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DataForSEO OU | DumplingAI |
| Price read from | dataforseo.com | dumplingai.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DataForSEO
- Google organic results cost $0.0006 per SERP in the standard queue, $0.0012 in the priority queue and $0.002 live; search operators multiply the price by five.
- Backlinks API calls cost $0.024 per task plus $0.000036 per row, and LLM Mentions $0.1 per task plus $0.001 per row.
- There is no free plan: after the $1 trial credit, the account needs a top-up of at least $50.
- It is a data API with no ready-made SEO dashboard; results come back as JSON for your own code or a connector.
Dumpling AI
- The pricing page opens on yearly billing; the monthly-billed prices were not readable, so only per-month-billed-annually figures are shown.
- Subscription credits do not roll over, while separately bought credit packs never expire.
- Each request costs from one to several credits depending on the action; a separate credit cost list exists.
- The homepage mentions a free tier but gives no allowance, and the pricing page lists no free plan.
Key features
DataForSEO
- SERP API
- Search results from Google (organic, Maps, AI Mode, News, Images, Jobs and more), Bing, YouTube, Yahoo, Baidu, Naver and Seznam, in queued or live modes.
- Keyword data
- Search volume and keyword metrics from Google Ads, Bing Ads, Google Trends and clickstream sources, plus the Labs API for keyword and competitor research.
- Backlinks API
- Backlink profiles, referring domains, anchors and link history back to 2019 from DataForSEO's own continuously crawled index, with bulk endpoints for up to 1,000 targets.
- On-Page and Lighthouse
- Crawls websites, audits pages, parses content and takes screenshots, priced from $0.00015 a page.
- AI Optimization API
- LLM Mentions draws on a database of over 280 million prompts and answers from ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews; other endpoints return LLM responses and AI search volume.
- Spending controls
- The dashboard tracks usage and cost, sets daily spending limits per account, API or endpoint, and can top up the balance automatically.
Dumpling AI
- Search
- Web, news, maps and autocomplete lookups through one API, auto-routed or pinned to Serper, Perplexity or DataForSEO.
- Scraping
- Fetches static pages, rendered apps and full crawls, with Firecrawl, SpiderCloud and native routes supported.
- Document extraction
- Turns PDFs and other documents into text or structured data through doc-to-text and extract-document endpoints.
- Social and enrichment data
- YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and Google Reviews data, plus email verification and company enrichment.
- CLI, MCP and HTTP
- The same capabilities are reachable from a command-line tool, an MCP server or plain HTTP calls.
Plans
DataForSEO
Pay as you go$50
one-time top-up, used as you go
No subscription: the balance never expires and each API is billed at its own rate per SERP, task, row or page.
Dumpling AI
Starter$40
per month, billed annually
1,200,000 credits per year, 30 requests per minute, basic support.
Pro$124
per month, billed annually
4,200,000 credits per year, 60 requests per minute, standard support.
Business$249
per month, billed annually
9,600,000 credits per year, 120 requests per minute, priority support.
Ways to pay less
DataForSEO
No public discounts listed.
Dumpling AI
- Annual discount
Yearly billing: 2 months free
The pricing toggle marks yearly billing as 2 months free compared with paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DataForSEO or Dumpling AI?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DataForSEO starts at $50 minimum top-up, used as you go, and Dumpling AI starts at $40 per month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, DataForSEO or Dumpling AI?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither DataForSEO nor Dumpling AI has a free plan. DataForSEO has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.