DataForSEO vs SEO Score API (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick DataForSEO: it is first in our ranking of SERP and SEO data APIs, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
DataForSEO grades higher on features. SEO Score API grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, 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
SEO Score API
SEO audit API that scores any URL on 80+ checks, AI readability too
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 SEO Score API if
- Fits if you want a build to fail when a page's SEO score drops
- Works for developers adding page checks to their own apps or dashboards
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need backlinks, keyword research or rank tracking, which it doesn't do
- Tight if you're on Free, with 20 audits a month and only 2 checks per category shown
- Pricey if you want Deep Site Audits, which start on Pro at $39 a month or $12 for a single audit
- Watch out: extra AI citation checks cost $10 for 500, and the pages don't say which AI engines are checked
- Watch out: the product is labeled as being in public beta
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADataForSEOGood | 2.6GPASEO Score APIGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AStarter is $5 a month for 200 audits with all 80+ checks, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter, and Pro is $39 for 5,000 with 20 deep audits. Google's Lighthouse, one of its listed alternatives, is free, though. |
| 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. | CA free plan for good with no card, but tight: 20 audits a month on 50+ checks, showing only 2 checks per category and the top 2 fixes, at 2 requests a minute. |
| 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. | CPage audits done fully: 80+ checks, AI readability, SXO, AEO and AIO scores, monitoring, history and a 14,000+ check deep audit from Pro. It's a smaller job, though: no backlinks, keyword research or rank tracking, which the vendor says to get from Ahrefs or Moz. |
| 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. | CJudged on how fast a developer gets a first result: send a URL and get a score back, with Python, Node.js and Go clients and a GitHub Action. No rating on record. |
| 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, with an API, Python, Node.js and Go clients, an n8n node, an MCP server, a Claude Code skill and a GitHub Action, plus Vercel and Netlify. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | SEO data for building your own tools | SEO scores for single pages from your own code |
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 SEO Score API. How we grade
Where they differ
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, backlink analysis and sERP API.
At a glance
| DataForSEO | SEO Score API | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 minimum top-up, used as you go | $5 per month for 200 audits, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 20 audits a month scored on 50+ checks, showing 2 checks per category and the top 2 fixes, at 2 requests a minute. No card needed. |
| Free trial | $1 of trial credit for new accounts, plus a free Sandbox that returns sample responses | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DataForSEO OU | 45Squared |
| Price read from | dataforseo.com | seoscoreapi.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 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.
SEO Score API
- It audits pages only: no backlinks, keyword research or rank tracking, which the vendor says to get from suites such as Ahrefs or Moz.
- Deep Site Audits come only with Pro (20 a month) and Ultra (100), or as credit packs from $12 for one audit to $499 for 100.
- Extra AI citation checks cost $10 for 500 or $36 for 2,000; the pages read do not say which AI engines are checked.
- The product is labeled as being in public beta.
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.
SEO Score API
- 80+ checks per URL
- Titles, headings, canonical tags, robots.txt, sitemaps, structured data, Open Graph, page weight and accessibility, each marked pass, warning or fail with a fix.
- AI readability and GEO audits
- 26 checks on whether AI crawlers such as GPTBot and ClaudeBot can read a page, including llms.txt and bot access; GEO audits measure visibility to AI search.
- SXO, AEO and AIO scores
- Paid plans score search experience, how well a page answers questions for snippets and AI Overviews, and how easily language models can take it in.
- Deep Site Audit
- An asynchronous audit of about 90 seconds against a 14,000+ check catalog across nine areas, with an AI pass and a scan for leaked API keys.
- Monitoring and history
- Watch scores on a set of URLs, pull a page's score history, run batch audits, and share HTML reports and score badges.
- SDKs, CI and agents
- Python, Node.js and Go clients, an n8n node, an MCP server, a Claude Code skill and a GitHub Action that fails a build when a score drops.
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.
SEO Score API
Free$0
20 audits a month on 50+ checks, with partial results, no history and no AI citation tracking.
Starter$5
per month for 200 audits, billed monthly
All 80+ checks, SXO, AEO and AIO scores, AI citation tracking with 15 prompts, 5 monitored URLs and 30 days of history.
Basic$15
per month for 1,000 audits, billed monthly
Adds 1 GEO audit a month, 30 tracked prompts, 10 monitored URLs and 90 days of history.
Pro$39
per month for 5,000 audits, billed monthly
20 Deep Site Audits, 5 GEO audits, 75 tracked prompts, 25 monitored URLs, a year of history and priority support.
Ultra$99
per month for 25,000 audits, billed monthly
100 Deep Site Audits, 10 GEO audits, 200 tracked prompts, 50 monitored URLs, unlimited history and dedicated support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom audit volume and limits on an annual agreement with invoicing. Through sales.
Ways to pay less
DataForSEO
No public discounts listed.
SEO Score API
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
SEO Score API bills paid plans yearly for the price of 10 months: Starter is $50 a year and Pro $390, with monthly allowances unchanged.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DataForSEO or SEO Score API?
As of Oct 23, 2026, DataForSEO starts at $50 minimum top-up, used as you go, and SEO Score API starts at $5 per month for 200 audits, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, DataForSEO or SEO Score API?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only SEO Score API 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.