A SpyFu alternative for competitor keywords, without a subscription
You want to know which keywords a competitor pays for on Google Ads, what its ads say, and which keywords bring it organic traffic, for a few domains or a few hundred, inside a spreadsheet, n8n or an AI agent. SpyFu is the classic tool for that. Here is how it is sold, what PlainRows returns instead, and when each one fits.
How SpyFu is sold
From spyfu.com/pricing on 2026-10-19:
- Basic: $39 per month ($29 per month billed annually), 10k-row search results and exports, no API access.
- Pro + AI: $59 the first month, then $119 per month ($89 per month billed annually), with API access and $40 of API credits included.
- Team / Agency: $249 per month ($187 per month billed annually), 5 users, $100 of API credits included.
What PlainRows returns and charges
No plan to keep paying. Website Traffic Checker (Domain SEO Overview) runs on Apify: the free Apify plan is enough to test it, the Starter plan ($19 per month with $19 of usage included, apify.com/pricing) removes the free-plan limits.
| Data | Tool | Price (Starter plan) |
|---|---|---|
| For each domain: estimated Google organic and paid traffic, number of organic and paid keywords, in 94 countries | Website Traffic Checker | $0.004 per domain with data |
With keywordType: "paid": the keywords the domain shows Google Ads for, with ad position, landing page, ad title, ad text, search volume and CPC, plus its estimated monthly ad spend |
Website Traffic Checker | $0.002 per keyword |
With keywordType: "organic" (default): the keywords that bring the domain the most organic traffic, with position, URL, volume, CPC and difficulty |
Website Traffic Checker | $0.002 per keyword |
Example: 50 competitors with up to 100 paid keywords each cost at most 50 domains plus 5,000 keywords; domains without ads come back with their traffic data only. From October 25, 2026, each run also costs $0.012 to start and a domain with data costs $0.005 on the Starter plan. Domains with no data, duplicates and input mistakes are free, and a run never spends more than the maximum cost you set.
When SpyFu is the better choice
- You want a full interface: ad history over 10+ years, keyword grouping, rank tracking projects, reports and pre-built Google Ads campaigns.
- You research competitors every day: at that volume a flat subscription can cost less than paying per result.
When PlainRows is the better choice
- You check competitors now and then, or a list of domains in bulk, and want to pay only for the rows you get.
- You want the data as JSON or CSV in n8n, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets or an AI agent (MCP), without a separate API plan.
Competitor facts checked on 2026-10-19 from the linked pages; prices change, check them before you decide.