DataForSEO and seodata.dev both sell Google search volume, CPC and competition through an API and an MCP server, and the right one mostly depends on how you call it.
- DataForSEO is a pay-as-you-go SEO data platform. Its Google Ads search volume endpoint costs $0.06 per request in the standard queue or $0.09 live, and each request holds up to 1,000 keywords. New accounts get $1 of credit, and the first top-up is at least $50. It also sells SERP, backlink, on-page and Labs data.
- seodata.dev charges a flat price: 20 lookups a day without signing up, 50 a day and 500 a month with a free key, and $4.99 a month for unlimited. Results come back instantly, with similar keywords and their own volumes included.
Batched pipelines are far cheaper on DataForSEO, at roughly $3 for 50,000 keywords. An AI agent that looks up one keyword per live call pays $0.09 each there, so seodata.dev’s flat $4.99 is cheaper past about 55 lookups a month and needs no deposit to start.
At a glance
| seodata.dev | DataForSEO | |
|---|---|---|
| To get started | Nothing, or an email for a free key | Account, then API login and password; $1 trial credit |
| Paid entry point | $4.99 a month | $50 minimum payment, pay as you go |
| Search volume pricing | Flat, unlimited on Unlimited | $0.06 per request (standard queue) or $0.09 live; up to 1,000 keywords per request |
| Speed | Instant | Live mode in seconds; standard queue takes longer and needs a second call to fetch results |
| Keywords per call | 1 via REST, up to 25 via MCP | Up to 1,000 |
| Data | Volume, CPC, competition, similar keywords with their own volumes | Volume, CPC, competition, 12 months of history, bid ranges, plus SERP, backlinks, on-page and more |
| MCP server | Remote, works without sign-in, three keyword tools | Official, local or hosted, generic tools that build raw API requests |
| Auth | None, API key or OAuth | HTTP Basic with API credentials, or OAuth for MCP |
Prices from DataForSEO pricing, the Keyword Data API page, live search volume docs and their MCP server repo, checked 12 October 2026.
When DataForSEO is the better choice
DataForSEO is the right tool for bulk pipelines. Batch 1,000 keywords into one standard-queue request and you pay six cents, so even 50,000 keywords a month costs about three dollars, and the $1 trial credit alone covers around 20,000 batched keywords. It also covers far more than volume: SERP results, backlinks, on-page audits, Labs data and Bing, all under one account with a mature, well-documented API.
When seodata.dev is the better choice
seodata.dev suits the opposite pattern, where an AI assistant or a small script asks about a handful of keywords at a time. DataForSEO prices by request, so an agent that looks up one keyword per live call pays nine cents each, which passes $4.99 at about 55 lookups a month and reaches $45 at 500. seodata.dev stays flat however the calls are shaped, answers instantly without a task queue, and lets you start without a deposit.
The MCP server is also narrower on purpose: three tools that return keyword data directly, so Claude or ChatGPT can answer “compare these keywords in Spain” in one step instead of composing a raw API request.
Try it
Paste this URL into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client to start without an account:
https://mcp.seodata.dev/mcpOr call the API:
curl "https://api.seodata.dev/v1/keyword?q=search+volume+api&country=us"The MCP setup guide covers each client, and pricing has the free key and Unlimited.