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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

DataForSEO vs Frase vs Similarweb

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

DataForSEO

4.0

From From $50 top-up

Frase

4.0

From $49/mo

Similarweb

3.7

From About $125/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

Pick it if: Anyone using Claude Code or building their own tools who wants real SEO data without a big monthly plan.

Pick it if: Small marketing teams, freelancers and agencies who write SEO content and want research, briefs and drafts in one place.

Pick it if: Marketers, founders and analysts who want to size up competitors and markets from the outside.

Overview

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
In one lineRaw search, keyword and backlink data you pay for by the query, built for AI agents.Researches, briefs and drafts SEO articles, and tracks if AI search cites you.See roughly how much traffic any website gets and where it comes from.
Pricing modelPaidPaidFreemium
Starting priceFrom $50 top-up$49/moAbout $125/mo
Free plan No No Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Overall rating4.04.03.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
2.5
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.0
2.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Access & platform
Free plan No No Yes
Mobile app No––
Desktop app No––
Browser extension No– Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace– Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No––
Understands images No––
Makes images No No–
Makes video No No–
Writes code No No–
Runs agents or automations No Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No Yes–
Works in many languages Yes Yes No
Capabilities score3/ 177/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Plans

Pay as you goOur pick

From $50 top-up

Anyone who wants real data in Claude Code without a subscription.

Starter

$49/mo, or $39/mo billed yearly

One person writing a few articles a month.

Free

Free

Quick checks on a big competitor.

ProfessionalOur pick

$129/mo, or $103/mo billed yearly

Small teams publishing weekly.

StarterOur pick

About $125/mo billed yearly, $149 monthly

A founder or marketer tracking a handful of competitors.

Scale

$299/mo, or $239/mo billed yearly

Agencies running several sites.

Business packages

Custom, yearly contract

Teams that need SEO, ads or AI search data at depth.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams needing white-label and SSO.

Which plan to pickThere's only one way to pay. Use the $1 trial credit to test the MCP server, then top up $50 and set a daily limit of a dollar or two. Use the cheaper standard queue for bulk jobs and the live mode only when you need an answer now.Professional is the plan most teams settle on, because Starter's 10 articles a month runs out quickly. Try the 7-day trial on two or three real articles before paying.Use the free lookups first; for most small businesses they answer the question. Pay for Starter only if you check competitors every month, and get a quote before committing to a yearly package.

Key features

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Standout features
  • SERP API
  • Keywords Data
  • DataForSEO Labs
  • Backlinks API
  • MCP server
  • Spend controls
  • SERP research and briefs
  • AI drafting in your voice
  • Content scoring
  • Content Guard
  • AI visibility tracking
  • API, MCP and CLI
  • Website traffic
  • Traffic channels
  • Referral sources
  • Keyword and ad research
  • AI traffic and visibility
  • AI agents and AI Studio

Pros and cons

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Pros
  • Costs cents per lookup with no monthly fee
  • Official MCP server works well with Claude Code
  • Covers search results, keywords, backlinks and more in one account
  • Balance never expires and spending limits protect you
  • Live results for any location, including Australian cities
  • Fast, thorough content briefs
  • Cheaper than Clearscope and Surfer at the entry level
  • Covers Google and AI search in one tool
  • API, MCP and CLI on every plan
  • The quickest way to see any website's traffic and channel mix
  • Useful free lookups for large sites
  • Covers markets and competitors, not just SEO
  • Adds AI search traffic and visibility data
Cons
  • No friendly dashboard; you need Claude Code or a developer to use it
  • Per-request pricing is confusing until you've used it for a while
  • Keyword difficulty and traffic estimates are less polished than Ahrefs
  • No real free plan, just a $1 trial credit
  • AI drafts need editing to sound human and be accurate
  • Starter limits are tight
  • Rebuilt in 2026, so the newer features have little track record
  • Past complaints about slow replies on billing issues
  • Estimates are unreliable for small, local sites
  • Expensive beyond Starter, with prices only from sales
  • Higher packages need yearly contracts
  • Overlaps with Semrush and Ahrefs if you already pay for one

Who each one is for

AttributeDataForSEOFraseSimilarweb
Best for
  • SEO research from Claude Code
  • Keyword volumes on demand
  • Live search result checks
  • Backlink data for custom reports
  • Building SEO content briefs fast
  • Drafting articles from a brief
  • Answering the questions searchers ask
  • Tracking citations in AI search
  • Checking a competitor's traffic and channels
  • Sizing up a market before you launch
  • Benchmarking your traffic share
  • Finding sites that send traffic to competitors
You'll find it used by
  • Claude Code users
  • Developers
  • Agencies
  • SEO tool builders
  • Content marketers
  • SEO freelancers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • B2B software teams
  • Marketers
  • Founders
  • Market researchers
  • Investors
  • E-commerce brands

Questions people ask

Which is better, DataForSEO, Frase or Similarweb?

They tie on our overall rating (DataForSEO 4.0/5, Frase 4.0/5 and Similarweb 3.7/5). DataForSEO is best for SEO research from Claude Code and keyword volumes on demand. Frase is best for Building SEO content briefs fast and drafting articles from a brief. Similarweb is best for checking a competitor's traffic and channels and sizing up a market before you launch.

Which is cheaper, DataForSEO, Frase or Similarweb?

DataForSEO: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $50 top-up. Frase: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo. Similarweb: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at About $125/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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