OpenSEO review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source, usage-priced SEO platform built for AI agents
OpenSEO report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for SEO research through AI agents like Claude
OpenSEO is an open-source SEO platform covering keyword and backlink research, rank tracking, site audits and AI answer tracking, built to be used through agents like Claude and Codex as well as its own web app. The hosted plan is $10 a month with $10 of usage. But heavier use costs extra, included credits reset monthly, and self-hosting still means paying DataForSEO for the data.
Who OpenSEO is for
- Fits if you already do your SEO work through Claude, Codex or another AI agent
- Works for developers who want to self-host or build on open-source SEO code
Who OpenSEO is not for
- Tight if you research a lot, as $10 of usage is about 200 keyword searches and more is bought as top-ups
- Watch out: plan credits reset each billing cycle, and top-ups only work while you have an active subscription
- Watch out: the hosted service adds a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests
- Skip it if you want self-hosting to be free, as you still pay DataForSEO, with a $50 minimum top-up
- Skip it if you need AI tracking beyond ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews
Why OpenSEO gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for money$10 a month with $10 of usage included, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. The vendor's estimate is about $0.05 per keyword search and $0.08 per domain overview. Heavier use is bought as top-ups, with a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests.
- CFree plan and trialSelf-hosting is free, but you pay DataForSEO for the data, with a $50 minimum top-up. The hosted trial gives $0.50 of credits with no card, about ten keyword searches.
- BFeaturesKeyword research, domain and backlink research, rank tracking by location and device, site audits, AI answer tracking and an MCP server for agents, all on one plan. It covers the whole job, though AI tracking names only ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. The web app and agents both run on usage credits you'll want to watch, and self-hosting means Docker or Cloudflare plus a DataForSEO key.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, connected to Search Console, DataForSEO, Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and Gemini through its MCP server. No desktop or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from OpenSEO's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/openseo#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/openseo.svg" alt="OpenSEO: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where OpenSEO stands among SEO tools
OpenSEO's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 61 of the 64 other SEO tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 57 of 64) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $10 a month, against a middle price of $39 for the category: 2 of the 56 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 65 SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. OpenSEO’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 57 of 64, level with 7
- CFree plan and trialAbove 14 of 64, level with 44
- BFeaturesAbove 43 of 64, level with 21
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 64, level with 60
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 15 of 64, level with 49
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 57 SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep OpenSEO, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace OpenSEO you would be making search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 61 of the 64 other SEO tools we grade. It costs $120 a year. OpenSEO is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date.
- An index of the links between billions of web pages.
- Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results.
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- The same prompts asked of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers every day, and the answers kept.
- It plugs into other products, Google Search Console, DataForSEO and Claude among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. OpenSEO’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is OpenSEO?
OpenSEO is an open-source SEO platform covering keyword research, domain and backlink research, rank tracking, site audits and AI search visibility, all on DataForSEO data. It is designed to be used through AI agents such as Claude, Codex and ChatGPT via its MCP server, as well as in its own web app. The hosted plan is $10 a month with usage included, and the code can be self-hosted for free.
Worth knowing
- The $10 plan covers $10 of usage a month; the vendor estimates about $0.05 per keyword search, $0.08 per domain overview and $0.002 per AI prompt check.
- Usage credits in the plan reset each billing cycle; only bought top-up credits roll over, and using them still needs an active subscription.
- Self-hosting needs your own DataForSEO account, with a $50 minimum top-up; the hosted service adds a 28% fee on DataForSEO requests.
- AI visibility tracking names ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews; the site lists no other AI engines.
Key features
- Keyword research
- Keyword ideas with search volume, difficulty, intent and live SERPs, saved into keyword lists for content planning and tracking.
- Domain overview and backlinks
- Estimate any domain's organic traffic and ranking keywords, and inspect its backlinks, referring domains and link quality.
- Rank tracking
- Track keywords by domain and location, optionally on desktop and mobile, with the ranking URL, position changes and SERP features.
- Site audit
- Crawls a site's pages and lists technical and page-level SEO problems.
- AI visibility and Prompt Explorer
- Research prompts, then track brand mentions, cited pages and competitors in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, and compare answers across models.
- MCP server and agent skills
- Connect Claude, Codex, ChatGPT and other agents; skills for audits, keyword and competitor research save their findings as reports in the app.
OpenSEO pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, OpenSEO has a free plan, and paid plans start at $10 per month, including $10 of usage.
- Starts at
- $10 per month, including $10 of usage
- Free plan
- Self-hosted: the open-source app is free to run with Docker or on Cloudflare, but you bring your own DataForSEO API key and pay DataForSEO for the data.
- Free trial
- Free trial with $0.50 of usage credits, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 | The open-source app, hosted yourself with Docker or on Cloudflare. You pay DataForSEO directly for data; its minimum top-up is $50. |
| Base Plan | $10per month, including $10 of usage | Every feature, with $10 of usage credits each month. Extra credits can be bought at any time and never expire; Search Console data uses no credits. |
Read from openseo.so on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with OpenSEO before you buy.
Works with
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Common questions
Does OpenSEO have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. OpenSEO is listed for Web.
Does OpenSEO have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. OpenSEO is listed for Web.
Is OpenSEO open source?
Yes. OpenSEO is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.