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Pricing comparison · checked Oct 19, 2026
Semrush API alternative
How Semrush API access works, what a line of data costs in units, and when published pay-per-result pricing is simpler.
The short answer
Semrush's Standard API is an add-on to the SEO Business plan. After upgrading, your API unit balance is zero, and you buy unit packages of 2M, 5M, 10M or 20M units on top. Units renew with your plan and unused units expire. Semrush does not publish package prices on its public pages; you see them in the account at purchase.
Units are charged per line. Per Semrush's own docs, one line of Domain Organic Search Keywords costs 10 units live or 50 units historical. So 1,000 organic keywords for 100 domains costs 1,000,000 units live.
Side by side
| Wrenfield Data on Apify | Semrush Standard API | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription needed | None | SEO Business plan + API unit package |
| Unit prices published | Yes, per result (read live from Apify) | No (shown in account at purchase) |
| Unused balance | Nothing to expire | Units expire at renewal |
| Ranked keywords for a domain, 100,000 rows | $200 (Competitor Keywords Launching soon) | 1,000,000 units (10 units/line, live) |
| Keyword volume, 1,000 keywords | $4.15 (Keyword Search Volume) | Keyword Analytics reports, units per line |
| Domain authority, backlinks, traffic, 1,000 domains | $5 (Domain Authority & Traffic) | Backlinks / Domain reports, units per line or request |
| Rate limit | Per tool; batch inputs | 10 requests per second |
| Caching your data | Your data, no time limit from us | Terms: do not cache more than one month without consent |
When to pick which
- Your team lives in Semrush and needs its Authority Score or traffic estimates: stay with Semrush; the API is the cleanest way to get its own metrics out.
- You need SEO data in a pipeline, a client report or an AI agent, and not the Semrush UI: pay per result. No Business-plan commitment, prices are published, and nothing expires.
FAQ
How much does the Semrush API cost?
Semrush requires an SEO Business subscription plus separately purchased API unit packages (2M to 20M units). As of Oct 19, 2026, Semrush does not list unit-package prices on its public pricing or help pages; they are shown in the account. Usage is metered per line, for example 10 units per live organic-keyword line.
Does Semrush MCP need the API add-on?
Semrush offers MCP access on some plans separately from the Standard API. Check its pricing page for the current plan matrix.
Do you use Semrush data?
No. We use licensed data providers and Google Keyword Planner data. The numbers will differ from Semrush's own estimates.
Sources
Competitor prices are list prices from the linked pages, checked Oct 19, 2026 (monthly billing, USD). Our prices are read from the Apify API at build time and are the Apify Free-plan tier; paid Apify plans get lower tiers. Vendors change prices; check the source before you buy. Trademarks belong to their owners. Wrenfield Data is not affiliated with SerpApi, DataForSEO, Ahrefs or Semrush.
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