What the SE Ranking API is, which of its two APIs you need, what it costs as of 10 Nov 2026, how to get a key and the rate limits, plus three alternatives.
Client result: Wearview went from $0 to $36K MRR in 8 months.
Abdelmoghit drives the content engine at AY Rank. He researches keywords, plans content clusters, and produces citation-optimized articles that rank in both Google and AI search engines.
Full Bio →| Option | What you get | Pricing model | Entry price (read 10 Nov 2026) | Rank data | Backlink data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AY Rank appOur pick | Tracked Google ranks and AI answers through an MCP server. No public REST API for rank data | Monthly or yearly plan | $100/mo Starter, 7-day free trial | Yesyour tracked keywords via MCP, app or CSV | No |
| SE Ranking Data API | Raw keyword, backlink, domain, audit and AI search data | Credits, pay as you go or annual | $50 for 250K credits | Yesdatabase rankings for any domain | Yes |
| SE Ranking Project API | Control of your SE Ranking projects, rank tracking, audits, AI results tracker | Uses your plan limits, no credits | $129/mo Core plan, $103.20/mo billed yearly | Yesyour tracked keywords | Yesyour Backlink Checker list |
| Semrush API | SEO API and Projects API | Plan add-on plus API units bought separately | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| DataForSEO | SERP, Labs, Backlinks and other APIs | Pay as you go, $50 minimum top-up | $50 top-up, SERPs from $0.0006 each | YesSERP API | YesBacklinks API |
Nearly every result on page one for "se ranking api" is an SE Ranking docs page, and the pricing is spread across four of them that don't fully agree. This guide puts the answers in one place, then covers alternatives.
The SE Ranking API gives you SE Ranking's SEO and AI search data over HTTPS, as JSON. It comes in two parts:
One key works for both. What you can call depends on your plan, not the key. The same docs also cover a Local Marketing API and an SE Visible API for AI visibility, marked Beta.
SE Ranking's own rule of thumb is a good one: the Data API for ad-hoc queries and AI agents, the Project API for ongoing tracking of a fixed list of keywords or sites.
If you never plan to open the SE Ranking app, the standalone API plan covers the Data API only.
These are the USD prices SE Ranking showed a US visitor on 10 Nov 2026. European visitors see euro prices.
Data API, pay as you go (Wallet). $50 for 250,000 credits. No subscription, and purchased credits never expire.
Data API, standalone plan. $179/mo, billed annually only. No app subscription needed, Data API only, "up to 57% off Wallet rates". Annual credits expire at the end of the cycle.
API add-on for subscribers. +$45/mo billed annually, on top of a Core, Growth or Enterprise plan. Covers both APIs.
Enterprise. Custom, 120M+ credits a year, "as low as at $30/1M credits".
Free trial. 14 days, 100,000 API credits, MCP access, no card.
What a credit buys depends on the endpoint. SE Ranking's own example: a backlink summary costs 100 credits per domain and an export costs 1 credit per backlink, so 250 summaries plus 50,000 exported backlinks is 75,000 credits.
One warning: SE Ranking's pages disagree. The FAQ on seranking.com/api.html still says the API add-on "starts at $149/month", while the pricing page shows +$45/mo. The pricing card says the standalone plan is "1M credits/yr", the getting-access page says $2,148 a year buys 12 million credits, and the credit system page says standalone "starts at 24M credits annually". Confirm the credit count before you budget.
Yes, once the 14-day free trial ends. The trial covers all six API groups, the Project API included. After that, the getting-access page says the Project API "is available on every current subscription plan: Essential, Pro, Business, Core, Growth, and Enterprise. There is nothing extra to buy." The standalone API plan does not include it.
The current plans, read on seranking.com/subscription.html:
So the cheapest way to use both APIs is Core, at $103.20/mo billed yearly or $129/mo month to month, with Wallet packs or the add-on for heavier Data API use.
https://api.seranking.com. To test a key, call GET /v1/account/subscription, which costs 0 credits and returns your remaining balance.curl -X GET 'https://api.seranking.com/v1/account/subscription' \
-H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY'
The Data API also accepts the key as an apikey query parameter, but SE Ranking recommends the header.
Data API
Project API
Limits apply per API key over a rolling one-second window:
Go over and you get HTTP 429. The Project API docs add that repeat offenders lose access for 10 minutes. Custom limits are available on request. SE Ranking's FAQ admits its defaults "are lower than some competitors'".
Yes, at https://api.seranking.com/mcp. You sign in with OAuth, or pass an API key in an X-Api-Key header in Claude Code. SE Ranking documents setup for Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Zed and Gemini CLI, among others.
It reaches the Data API, Project API, Local Marketing API and SE Visible API, though "Not every API endpoint is available through MCP". Sub-accounts need the master account's key for now. The pricing page marks MCP as included in every API plan, and SE Ranking publishes open-source Claude Skills on GitHub.
Disclosure: AY Rank makes this tool, so this entry describes our own product rather than an independent review.
The AY Rank app is a rank and AI visibility tracker built to be queried from an AI assistant. It has no public REST API for rank data and no backlink data. You reach your tracked ranks through its MCP server, which Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients call with a workspace key, or through the app and its CSV export.
The server is at https://app.ayrank.com/api/mcp, with a limit of 60 requests a minute per key. Tools include keywords_list (live Google rank per market and device, plus 90 days of Search Console numbers), rank_movers and check_ranks, plus AI answer and citation tools.
Why AY Rank
every week someone tells me they're handing their SEO to Claude because it can write a blog post in seconds
i get it, we use it too
but at ayrank, writing is only one part of the work
getting a page published is easy
getting that page to bring qualified buyers is where the work starts
here's what that actually looks like:
and plenty more :)
we're running AI SEO for 50+ SaaS companies at ayrank right now
we use app.ayrank.com + looot MCP to bring the data into the workflow, and Claude to help execute
the goal is simple
more people finding you when they're ready to buy
more of those people becoming customers
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Run a free check on app.ayrank.com
Semrush's Standard API pairs an SEO API (domain, keyword and backlink data) with a Projects API (Position Tracking and Site Audit). Its docs say access needs a Business subscription, with API units "purchased separately". The pricing page we read names no Business plan and no unit prices, and the plan that lists API access, Advanced, is "Custom". So the entry price is not published. One line of the Domain Organic Search Keywords report costs 10 units live, 50 for historical data.
DataForSEO has no subscriptions. You top up at least $50, the balance never expires, and each API bills its own way. Google SERPs cost $0.0006 each in the standard queue, $0.002 live. A live backlinks request costs $0.024 plus $0.000036 per row. You build the rank tracking logic yourself. We compare more options in our best rank tracking APIs and best backlink APIs roundups.
Your own tracked keywords and sites call for a project-style API, such as SE Ranking's Project API or Semrush's Projects API. If you only read those ranks in Claude or ChatGPT, the AY Rank app's MCP tools also work, though it has no REST API for rank data. Any domain on the web calls for a data API: SE Ranking's Data API, Semrush's SEO API or DataForSEO.
For one-off audits or uneven volume, prepaid balances that never expire (SE Ranking Wallet, DataForSEO) waste the least. For steady volume, SE Ranking's annual plan lowers the per-credit rate, but unused credits expire.
A dashboard or your own product needs a REST API. If the reader is you, asking questions in Claude or ChatGPT, an MCP server may be enough. SE Ranking offers both. For rank data, the AY Rank app offers its MCP server, the app and CSV export, with no REST API. For free starting points, see our list of free AI rank tracking tools.
Is the SE Ranking API free?
Only for the 14-day trial, which includes 100,000 credits and MCP access with no card. After that, the cheapest Data API option is a $50 Wallet pack of 250,000 credits, and the Project API needs a plan from $129/mo.
What is the difference between the SE Ranking Data API and Project API?
The Data API returns raw SEO data on demand, such as keyword volumes, backlink profiles and AI search results, and is charged in credits. The Project API manages your SE Ranking workspace, such as projects, tracked keywords and audits, and uses your plan limits instead of credits.
Do SE Ranking API credits expire?
Wallet credits never expire. Credits on annual plans (standalone and add-on) expire at the end of the billing cycle. Trial credits expire at the end of the 14 days.
Can I get rank tracking data from the SE Ranking API?
Yes, in two ways. The Project API returns positions for keywords you track in your SE Ranking projects. The Data API's Domain Analysis group returns keyword rankings for any domain from SE Ranking's database.
What is the SE Ranking MCP server?
It is a hosted MCP server at api.seranking.com/mcp that lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other AI clients query SE Ranking data in plain language. You connect with your SE Ranking login or an API key, and not every API endpoint is available through it.
Does SE Ranking have an official SDK?
No. SE Ranking's own FAQ says it does not offer first-party SDKs. You work from the REST reference and its Postman collection.