Semrush API review
Best for competitor research
Semrush sells the widest keyword database in the category and a competitor research toolkit built on top of it. The API exposes that in three parts: the Standard analytics API for domain and keyword data, the Trends API for traffic estimates, and the Projects API for audit and tracking data tied to your own projects.
Access is not a product you can buy on its own. You need the Business plan at $499.95 a month, and then you buy API units separately on top of that. The Business plan does not come with a usable standard allowance, which is the detail that catches most people out when they budget for it.
Who Semrush API is for
Agencies and in-house teams already standardised on Semrush that want its numbers in their own dashboards, and competitor-intelligence work where the breadth of the keyword database matters more than the price per row. Anyone starting from scratch on cost grounds should look elsewhere first.
Strengths and limits
What it does well
- The keyword database is the broadest here by country and language coverage, which matters for international work.
- Traffic Analytics gives competitor traffic estimates that few other APIs expose at all.
- The Projects API returns your own site audit and position tracking data, so internal reporting does not need a second tool.
- Well-established endpoints with a long track record and a large body of community integration code.
Where it falls short
- Two costs stacked on each other: the $499.95 Business plan is only the entry ticket, and units are an additional purchase.
- Unit burn is uneven. Historical and keyword queries consume far faster than simple traffic lookups, which makes forecasting harder than the rate card suggests.
- Practitioners regularly question the accuracy of the traffic and volume estimates, which are modelled rather than sourced from Google.
Semrush API pricing
API access requires the Business plan at $499.95 a month. Units are then purchased as a separate add-on, working out around $50 per million when bought in bulk. The important caveat is that the Business plan starts you with no usable standard API unit allowance, so the real entry cost is the plan plus a unit package.
Budget by query type rather than by unit count. Historical data and keyword queries burn units several times faster than basic domain lookups, so a workload dominated by keyword research costs far more than the same number of traffic calls.
Verdict
Worth it if you are already on Semrush and the competitor data is what you need. The stacked pricing makes it a poor choice as a first SEO API, and the modelled estimates mean it is better treated as a directional competitive signal than as ground truth. For raw SERP and keyword volume at a fraction of the cost, start with DataForSEO or SE Ranking.
Semrush API FAQ
How much does the Semrush API cost?
The Business plan at $499.95 a month is required for API access, and units are bought separately on top, roughly $50 per million in bulk. There is no standalone API subscription and no meaningful free allowance.Does the Business plan include API units?
Not in a usable quantity. You start with zero standard API units on the Business plan and must buy a unit package as a separate add-on, so budget for both line items.What can the Semrush API return?
Domain and keyword analytics across more than 140 databases, competitor traffic estimates through the Trends API, backlink and authority data, and your own site audit and position tracking data through the Projects API.How accurate is Semrush traffic data?
It is modelled, not measured, so treat it as a directional comparison between competitors rather than a true visitor count. It is most reliable for relative comparisons within one market and least reliable for small or niche sites.Semrush API or Ahrefs API?
Semrush for keyword breadth and competitor traffic, Ahrefs for backlink depth and freshness. Semrush costs less to enter but stacks a plan fee and unit purchases, while Ahrefs charges a flat $500 minimum that includes a generous row allowance.
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This is an independent review. We have no affiliate relationship with Semrush API, earn nothing if you sign up, and no provider pays for placement in the directory. Prices were read from the vendor's own pages in August 2026 and change without notice.