Ahrefs API alternative and Semrush API alternative for backlink and keyword data
SeoData is an Ahrefs API alternative for agencies and product teams that need backlink, keyword, domain, audit and position data in their own dashboards. One REST API, a monthly quota counted in plain rows (one backlink or one keyword is one row) and the API included in the Agency plan at 299 USD per month, or 149 USD per month billed yearly.
Check a domain below to see the data the API returns, then create your account and generate a key.
Which SEO data API should replace Ahrefs or Semrush
If you pull SEO data into a client portal, BI dashboard or internal tool, the cost that hurts is rarely the plan price. It is the unit math. Ahrefs API v3 charges units per request based on rows and fields, with a minimum of 50 units per call, and extra units are sold only on Enterprise. Semrush starts every account at zero API units and sells unit packs separately, at prices it does not publish.
SeoData counts usage in rows. A request that returns 200 backlinks uses 200 rows, no matter how many fields you ask for. Agency includes 100 000 rows per month and Enterprise includes 1 000 000, and the meta block of every response shows what is left. You can forecast the bill before the first request.
SeoData vs Ahrefs API vs Semrush API pricing and limits
The figures below come from each vendor's public pricing and help pages as checked in October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm current prices on their sites before you sign.
| SeoData | Ahrefs API v3 | Semrush API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest plan with API | Agency, 299 USD per month or 149 USD per month yearly | Lite, 129 USD per month | Advanced, listed at 549 USD per month |
| How usage is counted | Rows returned, one record is one row | Units per request, rows times fields, minimum 50 units | Units per line, cost varies by report and by live or historical data |
| Included volume | 100 000 rows (Agency), 1 000 000 rows (Enterprise) | A unit allowance that grows with the plan | Zero units, packs bought separately |
| Buying more | Upgrade the plan, the new quota applies right away | More units only on Enterprise (1 499 USD per month, yearly) | Unit packs from 2 million units, unused units expire |
| Data in one API | Domain overview, backlinks, referring domains, keywords, keyword gap, audit issues, positions | Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, rank tracking and more | Domain analytics, keywords, backlinks, projects |
| App for the team | Yes, same data, 10 seats on Agency | Yes | Yes |
| White-label client reports | Included on Agency | Report Builder, more reports as a paid add-on | Branded reports as a paid add-on |
| Best for | Agencies and SaaS teams that want app plus API with a predictable bill | Teams that already live in Ahrefs and want its link index | Teams already on a top Semrush tier |
Where the others win: Ahrefs runs one of the largest independent link crawlers with long history, and if raw index size is the only thing you care about, it is hard to beat. DataForSEO, an API-only service with a prepaid balance and a price per request, is usually the cheapest at very high volume if you are ready to build the interface and the reports yourself. SeoData fits the middle, the team that needs the app, the reports and the API on one bill.
Why agencies replace the Ahrefs API with SeoData
- Predictable cost. Rows are easy to forecast. Pull 300 keywords for 40 clients every week and you know you need about 52 000 rows a month.
- No field penalty. Requesting anchor, link type, first seen and last seen dates costs the same as requesting the URL alone.
- One key for everything. Domain metrics, backlinks, keyword gap, site audit issues and daily positions sit behind one workspace key.
- The app comes with it. Your account managers use the same data in the SEO software for agencies workspace while developers pull it through the API.
- Client reports without a second tool. White label SEO reports are part of the Agency plan, so the API feeds your portal and the PDFs go out from the app.
SEO API endpoints that replace the common Ahrefs calls
| What you call in Ahrefs or Semrush today | SeoData endpoint | What it returns |
|---|---|---|
| Domain rating, organic traffic, top pages | GET /v1/domain/overview | Visibility, estimated organic traffic, keywords in top 10, domain strength, top pages |
| All backlinks of a domain | GET /v1/backlinks | Source URL, target URL, anchor, link type, first and last seen dates |
| Referring domains, new and lost | GET /v1/referring-domains | Referring domains with strength, link count and new or lost status |
| Keyword volume and difficulty | GET /v1/keywords | Volume, difficulty, intent and SERP features for a list of terms in a market |
| Content gap or keyword gap | GET /v1/keyword-gap | Keywords where competitors rank and your domain does not, or ranks lower |
| Site audit issues | GET /v1/audit/issues | Issues from the latest audit, with severity and affected URLs |
| Rank tracking | GET /v1/positions | Daily positions of tracked keywords by market and device |
Full request and response formats are on the SEO API page. Every list is paginated with limit and offset, and the same filters work as in the app: market, device, date range, new or lost and minimum strength.
How to move from the Ahrefs API to SeoData
Create your account on Agency or Enterprise and generate an API key in Settings, then API.
List the Ahrefs or Semrush calls your scripts make today and map each one to a SeoData endpoint with the table above.
Run both APIs side by side for one reporting cycle on a few client domains and compare the numbers your dashboards show.
Switch the scripts, keep the key on your server and watch the rows used in the meta block of each response.
Who uses SeoData as an SEO data API
- Agencies that show visibility, links and positions inside their own client portal
- SaaS and marketing platforms that add domain and backlink metrics to their product
- In-house data teams that join keyword positions with revenue data in a warehouse
- Link building teams that push new and lost links into a ticketing system every morning
- Consultants who refresh a prospecting spreadsheet with domain authority and traffic for a list of domains
What an agency API workload costs
Take an agency with 25 clients. Every week it pulls the domain overview for each client and four competitors, 100 new or lost backlinks per client and 200 tracked positions per client. That is about 125 overview rows, 2 500 backlink rows and 5 000 position rows a week, or roughly 33 000 rows a month. It fits in the Agency quota of 100 000 rows with room for keyword research and gap reports, at 149 USD per month on yearly billing. When the workload grows past the quota, Enterprise raises it to 1 000 000 rows. See every plan on SeoData pricing.
Ahrefs API alternative questions
What is the best alternative to the Ahrefs API?
It depends on the job. For an agency or SaaS team that wants backlink, keyword, audit and position data plus an app and client reports on one predictable bill, SeoData is a strong fit. For raw volume where you build everything yourself, DataForSEO is often cheaper per request.
Does Ahrefs still require the Enterprise plan for API access?
No. Ahrefs help pages say API v3 works on Lite and higher plans, with a monthly unit allowance. Each request costs at least 50 units, and buying extra units requires Enterprise. Check the Ahrefs pricing page for the current allowance.
How much does the Semrush API cost?
Semrush lists API data integration on its Advanced plan, shown at 549 USD per month in 2026. API units are a separate purchase in packs from 2 million units, the unit price is not published and unused units expire at renewal.
Which SeoData plans include the API?
Agency includes 100 000 API rows per month and Enterprise includes 1 000 000. Starter and Pro use the app only. API rows and app lookups are separate limits.
Is the SeoData data the same as Ahrefs data?
No vendor shares an index, so numbers differ. SeoData combines licensed data partners with its own crawler that respects robots.txt. The method is on data and methodology. Compare both on a few client domains before you switch.
Can I keep using Ahrefs in the app and SeoData for the API?
Yes. A common setup is to keep the research tool and move only the automated pulls, because that is where per-unit pricing grows fastest.
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