DataForSEO vs Linkup (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 2.4.
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 and features. Linkup grades higher on the free plan. 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
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 Linkup if
- Fits if an agent needs web search with sources attached
- Works for people who would rather pay per call than per month
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a fixed monthly bill, since spend follows usage
- Skip it if you have no work email, as the free credit asks for a professional one
- Watch out: zero data retention and the private environment are Enterprise only
- Watch out: the page says 4,000 free queries while the docs call it $20 of credit
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADataForSEOGood | 2.4GPALinkupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CPay per call from a prepaid balance at about $0.005 a search, with no flat plan to compare with this category's $19 to $44. |
| 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. | B$20 of credit on sign-up, topped back up to $20 each month for eligible accounts, about 4,000 searches. One person could live on that. |
| 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, sourced answers, fetch and research endpoints. Zero data retention is only on the Enterprise plan. |
| 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 with a key and code to write. |
| 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 LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, Vercel AI SDK, Composio, Hugging Face and Agno. |
| Best for | SEO data for building your own tools | web search with sources for AI agents |
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 Linkup. How we grade
Where they differ
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
- Linkup also covers AI search, AI agents and research.
In commonWebPublic APISERP API
At a glance
| DataForSEO | Linkup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 minimum top-up, used as you go | Not published |
| Free plan | None | New accounts with a professional email get $20 of credit, topped back up to $20 each month for eligible accounts. |
| Free trial | $1 of trial credit for new accounts, plus a free Sandbox that returns sample responses | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DataForSEO OU | Linkup |
| Price read from | dataforseo.com | linkup.so |
| 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.
Linkup
- There is no monthly plan: each successful call draws down a prepaid balance, so spend follows usage.
- The pricing page says 'Run 4,000 queries for free'; the docs describe it as $20 of credit, which covers 4,000 searches at $0.005.
- Zero-data retention is offered only on the Enterprise plan; SOC 2 Type II is stated to be on all plans.
- It is a general web search API, not an SEO tool: it has no rank tracking or keyword data.
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.
Linkup
- Search endpoint
- Web search for agent tool calls. Flash, fast and standard depths cost $0.005 a call and deep costs $0.05 for raw results.
- Sourced answers and structured output
- The search endpoint can return a sourced answer or output shaped to a schema, at $0.001 to $0.005 more than raw results.
- Fetch endpoint
- Gets a URL's content as Markdown, from $0.001 per call without JavaScript rendering up to $0.01 with pro mode and rendering.
- Research endpoint
- Asynchronous deep research billed by reasoning depth: $0.25 for S, $0.50 for M, $1.50 for L and $2.50 for XL.
- Agent integrations
- Docs cover an MCP server and guides for LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, the Vercel AI SDK and Composio.
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.
Linkup
Free credit$0
$20 of credit on sign-up with a professional email; docs say eligible accounts are topped back up to $20 monthly.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom pricing, private environment, SOC 2 Type II, zero-data retention, SLA and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
DataForSEO
No public discounts listed.
Linkup
- Startups
$5,000 in free credits for startups
The pricing page invites startups to apply for $5,000 in free credits.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DataForSEO or Linkup?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DataForSEO starts at $50 minimum top-up, used as you go, and Linkup publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, DataForSEO or Linkup?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Linkup has a free plan. DataForSEO does not, though it 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.