FreeSERP vs SerpBear (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, FreeSERP grades higher than SerpBear: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreeSERP grades higher on features and ease of use. SerpBear grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FreeSERP
Credit-based tracker for Google, Bing, Maps, YouTube and AI answers
SerpBear
Free open-source Google rank tracker that you host yourself
Which one is for you
Pick FreeSERP if
- Fits if you track a few dozen keywords and want Google, Bing and Maps checks on one balance
- Works for small local businesses that want Maps grid scans alongside rank tracking
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, as 100 credits a month is about 3 keywords checked daily
- Pricey if you track hundreds of keywords daily: 500 takes Agency at $99 a month, billed monthly only
- Watch out: refunds cover 7 days from a first purchase, and monthly renewals and top-up credits aren't refundable
- Not for you if you need several seats or white-label client reports, which are only a custom arrangement
- Watch out: extra credits are one-off packs from $19 for 1,000, and every tool draws on the same balance
Pick SerpBear if
- Fits if you're comfortable running a Docker app and want unlimited Google keywords for the price of a scraper
- Works for small sites that want Google positions next to their Search Console visits
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want to run a server, as there's no hosted version from the developer, only paid one-click hosts
- Skip it if you need Bing, other engines or AI answers tracked, as it tracks Google only
- Watch out: past ScrapingRobot's free 5,000 searches it's $1.80 per 1,000, and deeper positions take several requests per keyword
- Tight if you want email alerts or keyword research, which need your own SMTP settings and a Google Ads test account
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFreeSERPFair | 2.2GPASerpBearFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $19 a month for 2,000 credits, about 66 keywords checked daily, just under this category's middle ($19.99). There's no yearly billing, and extra credits are one-off packs from $19 for 1,000 to $199 for 15,000. | CThe app is free under the MIT license with no paid edition, but it's only free if you host it, which needs a server or a paid one-click host. Checks run through a scraper: ScrapingRobot's free tier is 5,000 searches a month, then $1.80 per 1,000. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with no card: 100 credits refilled every month, every tool unlocked. That's about 3 keywords checked daily, with 10 keywords per project and 100 rows per keyword search, so you'll hit the cap. | BNothing to pay SerpBear, with unlimited sites and keywords. ScrapingRobot's free tier covers 5,000 searches a month, but deeper positions take several requests each: 20 keywords near position 30, checked daily, use about 1,800. |
| Features | BGoogle and Bing to depth 100 in 190+ countries down to a postcode, Maps grids up to 21×21, YouTube, AI answers in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude, audits and keyword research. It covers the whole job; several seats and white-label reports are custom only. | CUnlimited Google tracking with a choice of how many result pages to check, Search Console visits, keyword ideas and volumes, email reports, CSV export and an API. The gap: it tracks Google only, with no other engine on record. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Nothing to install, but every tool spends the same credits at different rates, from 1 to 57 a time, so there are sums to do before you know what a month covers. | DNo rating on record. You deploy it with Docker or on a server, add scraper keys, and set up your own SMTP for email alerts and a Google Ads test account for keyword research. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It links to Search Console and Google Analytics 4, and no API or other integrations are on record. | BWeb only, as an app you host yourself. It works with ScrapingRobot, SerpApi and other scrapers or your own proxies, plus Search Console and Google Ads, and has a built-in API for reporting tools. |
| Best for | Google, Bing, Maps and AI checks on one credit balance | free self-hosted Google rank tracking |
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: FreeSERP and SerpBear. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreeSERP starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SerpBear has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
FreeSERP scores higher, and starts $19 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other rank trackers on the chart, none scores higher than FreeSERP for less, and none scores higher than SerpBear for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SerpBear is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- FreeSERP also covers site audit, AI search visibility and internal linking.
At a glance
| FreeSERP | SerpBear | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $19 per month for 2,000 credits, billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | 100 credits refilled each calendar month, every tool unlocked, up to 10 keywords per project and 100 rows per keyword search. No card needed. | The whole app is free under the MIT license with unlimited domains and keywords; you pay only the scraping service you connect, if it charges. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | FreeSERP | Towfiq I. |
| Price read from | freeserp.com | docs.serpbear.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FreeSERP
- Tracking one keyword daily uses about 30 credits a month, so the free plan covers roughly 3 keywords and Starter about 66.
- Plans are billed monthly only. Extra credits are one-off top-ups from $19 for 1,000 to $199 for 15,000, and they last a year.
- Refunds cover 7 days from a first purchase; monthly renewals are not refundable once the cycle starts, nor are top-up credits.
- Several seats on one balance and white-labelled reports are only offered as a custom arrangement.
SerpBear
- You host and maintain it yourself; there is no hosted service from the developer, only paid one-click hosts such as PikaPods and Elestio.
- Positions come from a scraper: ScrapingRobot's free tier covers 5,000 searches a month, then $1.80 per 1,000; other services charge their own rates.
- Most scrapers now need several requests per keyword for deeper positions: 20 keywords near position 30, checked daily, take about 1,800 a month.
- It tracks Google only. Keyword research needs a Google Ads test account, and email alerts need your own SMTP settings.
Key features
FreeSERP
- Google and Bing rank tracking
- Scheduled checks to depth 100 on desktop and mobile in 190+ countries, down to a city or postcode, with the full SERP kept for each position.
- Google Maps grid scans
- Scans a grid from 3×3 to 21×21 around a business and reports ARP, ATRP and share of local voice; a scan costs 3 to 57 credits.
- YouTube rank tracking
- Tracks a single video or a whole channel against a keyword list, by country and language, at 1 credit per check.
- AI answer tracking
- Runs your prompts in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude on a schedule and scores mentions, citations and prominence; each answer costs 1 credit, 3 on Claude.
- Site and page audits
- Crawls up to 1,000 pages at 1 credit per 20 pages, grades a single page on 63 checks, and maps internal links and orphan pages.
- Keyword research and competitor pages
- A keyword tool with volume, difficulty, CPC and intent, and a side-by-side check of your page against the top 10 for a tracked keyword.
SerpBear
- Unlimited domains and keywords
- Add as many sites and keywords as you like; the only limit is how many searches your scraper or proxies allow.
- Scrape strategies
- Basic, Custom or Smart strategies, set globally or per domain, decide how many Google pages are checked for each keyword.
- Choice of scraper
- Works with ScrapingRobot, SerpApi, SearchApi, Serper, Serply, ValueSerp, ScrapingAnt, CrazySerp or your own proxy IPs.
- Search Console data
- Shows real visits and impressions for each tracked keyword and surfaces new keywords, top countries and top pages.
- Keyword research
- Linking a Google Ads test account adds monthly search volumes and keyword ideas generated from your site's content.
- Alerts, API and CSV
- Daily, weekly or monthly email reports of position changes, CSV export, and a built-in API for reporting tools such as Google Data Studio.
Plans
FreeSERP
Free$0
100 credits a month, enough for about 3 keywords checked daily; 10 keywords per project.
Starter$19
per month for 2,000 credits, billed monthly
1 credit checks 1 keyword once, so about 66 keywords tracked daily. Unlimited keywords per project and email support.
Pro$49
per month for 6,000 credits, billed monthly
About 200 keywords tracked daily, or the credits spent on grid scans, audits and research instead.
Agency$99
per month for 15,000 credits, billed monthly
About 500 keywords tracked daily, with priority support.
TeamsCustom
Volume credit pricing, invoices and purchase orders, several seats on one balance and white-labelled client reports, quoted on request.
SerpBear
Self-hosted$0
Open-source app you run yourself with Docker or from the GitHub source, with a SQLite database and no paid edition.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreeSERP or SerpBear?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SerpBear is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $19 a month for FreeSERP. FreeSERP starts at $19 per month for 2,000 credits, billed monthly, and SerpBear is free.
Which has a free plan, FreeSERP or SerpBear?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both FreeSERP and SerpBear have a free plan.
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.