A Semrush API alternative you pay per result
You need search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty, a domain's organic traffic or its backlinks inside a script, a spreadsheet or an AI agent. You do not need a full SEO suite subscription to get them.
What the Semrush API requires
- Standard API access is an add-on for the SEO Toolkit Business subscription: you upgrade first, and the API unit balance starts at zero (Semrush developer docs).
- Units are then bought in packages of 2,000,000, 5,000,000, 10,000,000 or 20,000,000 units, renewed with the subscription (Semrush knowledge base).
- Keyword Overview costs 10 API units per line, 50 for historical data (Keyword reports).
- On 2026-10-07, the plan with API access was listed at €526 per month, or €436.99 per month billed annually (semrush.com/prices, viewed from Europe), before any API units.
What PlainRows charges
No subscription to us. The tools run on Apify: the free Apify plan is enough to test them, and the Starter plan ($19 per month, with $19 of usage included, apify.com/pricing) removes the free-plan limits.
| Data | Tool | Price per row (Starter plan) |
|---|---|---|
| Search volume, CPC, competition, difficulty, intent, 12-month trend | Keyword Search Volume | $0.008 per keyword found |
| Estimated organic traffic and keyword counts of a domain | Website Organic Traffic & Top Keywords | $0.004 per domain, $0.002 per top keyword |
| Backlinks with anchor, dofollow flag, first seen date | Backlink Checker | $0.035 per target checked + $0.002 per backlink |
Example: 2,000 keywords a month with Keyword Search Volume cost about $16.00, which fits inside the $19 of usage included in the Apify Starter plan. Keywords with no data are not billed.
When Semrush is the better choice
- You also use the Semrush interface every day (position tracking, site audit, content tools): the API comes with a plan you already pay for.
- You need Semrush's own numbers, or its historical databases going back years. PlainRows tools use DataForSEO data, so values differ from Semrush, as they differ between any two SEO tools.
- You pull tens of millions of rows a month and have negotiated unit prices.
When PlainRows is the better choice
- You need a few hundred to a few hundred thousand rows a month and no SEO suite.
- You run the lookups from n8n, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets or an AI agent (MCP) and want one API token for everything.
- You want to know the price of a run before it starts: every tool stops at the maximum cost you set.
Competitor facts checked on 2026-10-07 from the linked pages; prices change, check them before you decide.