DataForSEO vs SerpWow (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 2.2.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
DataForSEO grades higher on value for money and features. 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
SerpWow
Multi-engine SERP API from Traject Data, now part of ScraperAPI
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 SerpWow if
- Fits if you need Google plus Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu or Naver from one provider
- Works for pipelines that want results pushed to a webhook or a cloud bucket
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you start small, at $155 a month billed monthly for 10,000 credits
- Tight if you want help getting set up, as premium support and onboarding start at BigData, $399
- Watch out: credits past the allowance cost $0.024 each on Starter
- Watch out: ScraperAPI bought Traject Data and says it is moving Traject's APIs onto its own infrastructure
- Not for you if you want to know the trial's size first, as its pages don't say
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADataForSEOGood | 2.2GPASerpWowFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DStarter is $125 a month on yearly billing ($155 monthly) for 10,000 credits, in this category's dearest tenth: $12.50 per 1,000, against $1 to $4 at most rivals. Traject Data's own Scale SERP starts at $29. |
| 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. | CNo free plan. There's a free trial, but its pages don't say how many searches it includes. |
| 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. | BGoogle web, AI Overviews, News, Trends, Images, Maps and Shopping on every Google domain down to postal code, plus Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu and Naver, with batches and webhook or cloud delivery. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. |
| 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: JSON, CSV or HTML by API pull, webhook or cloud bucket. No rating on record, and concierge onboarding only starts at BigData. |
| 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, webhooks and delivery to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage and Azure. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | SEO data for building your own tools | Google plus Bing, Yahoo and Baidu from one provider |
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 SerpWow. How we grade
Where they differ
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
At a glance
| DataForSEO | SerpWow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $50 minimum top-up, used as you go | $125 per month for 10,000 credits, billed annually ($155 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | $1 of trial credit for new accounts, plus a free Sandbox that returns sample responses | Free trial; the number of free searches is not stated |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DataForSEO OU | Traject Data (ScraperAPI) |
| Price read from | dataforseo.com | trajectdata.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.
SerpWow
- The cheapest plan is $155 a month billed monthly; Traject Data's Google-only Scale SERP starts at $29.
- Credits beyond a plan's allowance are charged, from $0.024 each on Starter.
- Premium technical support and concierge onboarding start at BigData; Starter has neither.
- Traject Data was acquired by ScraperAPI, which says it is moving Traject's APIs onto its own infrastructure.
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.
SerpWow
- Google verticals
- Web search, AI Overviews, News, Trends, Images, Videos, reverse image search, Maps listings and reviews, and Shopping and product data.
- Other search engines
- Its pages name Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu and Naver alongside Google, and also YouTube, Amazon and Reddit.
- Local targeting
- Every Google domain, localized by country, language, city, region or postal code, with mobile or desktop views.
- Batches
- Run hundreds or thousands of searches at once in batches; every plan allows up to 10,000 of them.
- Delivery options
- JSON, CSV or HTML by API pull, by webhook push, or straight to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage or Azure.
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.
SerpWow
Starter$125
per month for 10,000 credits, billed annually ($155 billed monthly)
Extra credits cost $0.024 each; up to 10,000 batches.
BigData$399
per month for 50,000 credits, billed annually ($499 billed monthly)
Extra credits at $0.01996 each, premium technical support and concierge onboarding.
Volume$960
per month for 250,000 credits, billed annually ($1,200 billed monthly)
Extra credits at $0.0096 each, with premium support and onboarding.
Infrastructure$2,399
per month for 1M credits, billed annually ($2,999 billed monthly)
Extra credits at $0.005998 each, with premium support and onboarding.
Infrastructure XL$7,200
per month for 5M credits, billed annually ($9,000 billed monthly)
Extra credits at $0.0036 each, with premium support and onboarding. Larger custom plans through sales.
Ways to pay less
DataForSEO
No public discounts listed.
SerpWow
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
SerpWow's pricing toggle takes 20% off for annual billing: Starter is $125 a month billed annually against $155 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DataForSEO or SerpWow?
As of Oct 23, 2026, DataForSEO starts at $50 minimum top-up, used as you go, and SerpWow starts at $125 per month for 10,000 credits, billed annually ($155 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, DataForSEO or SerpWow?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither DataForSEO nor SerpWow has a free plan. Both have 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.