Ahrefs
Paid API plan starts at
$129/ month
Lite · billed monthly
- Included
- 200,000 API units / month
- Request limit
- 100 rows / request on Lite
- Usage
- Rows × selected field costs; 50-unit request minimum
Ahrefs vs DataForSEO: choose a research suite or composable SEO APIs
Ahrefs
- What it is
- An SEO platform and API for backlinks, organic rankings and search visibility data.
- Best for
- Examining a site’s ranking pages and backlink profile with date-specific data.
- Typical output
- Keywords, ranking URLs, positions, volume and traffic estimates.
DataForSEO
- What it is
- APIs for search results, keyword metrics, backlinks and domain intelligence.
- Best for
- Building your own SEO reports with explicit request parameters and usage billing.
- Typical output
- SERP positions, keyword metrics or backlink summaries depending on the API.
Need both?
Paste this prompt into your agent.
set up https://glasser.ai/SKILL.md
Show me how to use Ahrefs and DataForSEO together through Glasser. Read each provider’s domain-level link summary and keep their metrics separately labelled. Inspect each endpoint and its price before asking me to approve a paid run.What can Ahrefs and DataForSEO do?
| Capability | Ahrefs | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|
| Search visibility | ||
| Backlink intelligence | ||
| Analysis workflows | Site audit & rank trackingDirect product |
Limits & data comparison
| Compare by | Ahrefs | DataForSEO |
|---|---|---|
| Limits | Selected Glasser Backlinks Stats: one target and date per request. Organic-keyword and individual-link reports have different limits. | Selected Glasser summary: one target and one summary row per call. The summary contains aggregate counts, not the individual backlink list. |
| Fields & data scope | Live and all-time backlinks and referring-domain totals. These counts reflect the Ahrefs index and requested target scope. | SERP positions and feature blocks; backlink summary includes links, referring domains and rank. These are distinct reports, not interchangeable rows. |
| Execution & reliability | Synchronous report, 75-second Run timeout. Empty reports are free; invalid field names can reject the request. | Glasser summary: synchronous, 30-second timeout. A no-result response still costs the $0.024 base; errors and timeouts are free. |
| Access & trade-offs | Direct API bills rows and requested fields with a 50-unit minimum for billable requests. Glasser offers selected reports. | The $50 direct top-up is prepaid balance. Glasser charges the selected endpoint’s task usage without a separate DataForSEO balance. |
Ahrefs vs DataForSEO pricing
DataForSEO
$50/ initial top-up
Prepaid API balance
- Commitment
- No recurring subscription; balance does not expire
- Backlink task
- 1,000 one-row summaries consume $24.036
- Backlinks access
- No longer requires the former $100 monthly commitment
Task-based cost example
Ahrefs: 1,000 domain backlink summaries + DataForSEO: 1,000 domain backlink summaries
| Task | Direct: entry spend | Glasser: task charges |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs: 1,000 domain backlink summaries | $129.00$129 Lite month; 1,000 summaries fit the included API allowance | $7.741,000 × $0.00774 per returned row |
| DataForSEO: 1,000 domain backlink summaries | $50.00$50 initial top-up; 1,000 × ($0.024 + $0.000036) = $24.036 consumed | $24.041,000 × $0.024036 at the stated default output; larger requests cost more |
| Entry spend / task charges | $179.00 | $31.78 |
Inputs and outputs
Ahrefs
- InputDomain and report date
- ProcessRead Ahrefs Backlinks Stats
- OutputBacklink and referring-domain counts
DataForSEO
- InputDomain and backlink scope
- ProcessRead DataForSEO Backlinks Summary
- OutputBacklinks, referring domains, rank and dofollow share
Still unsure? Choose based on your task
Review a site’s backlink profile
Ahrefs brings its link index and research interface to backlink investigation.
Build a backlink scoring pipeline
DataForSEO provides parameterized backlink reports you can combine in your own application.
Compare backlink signals from both indexes
Read each provider’s domain-level link summary and keep their metrics separately labelled.
Why use Ahrefs and DataForSEO through Glasser?
One API key
Connect the available data APIs with one Glasser credential.
One balance
Share one balance across the Glasser endpoints your task uses.
Pay as you go
Pay for API usage without a separate provider subscription.
Agent-ready
Connect through Skill, MCP or CLI.
Questions before you choose
When should I choose Ahrefs over DataForSEO?
Ahrefs brings its link index and research interface to backlink investigation. DataForSEO provides parameterized backlink reports you can combine in your own application.
Will the two backlink APIs return identical totals?
Each provider has its own crawl coverage, indexing cycle and definitions. Compare the same domain scope and date assumptions. Keep Ahrefs counts and DataForSEO counts separate; differences alone do not establish which is more accurate.
Can I use Ahrefs and DataForSEO together through Glasser?
Yes. The selected endpoints for both providers are available through one Glasser key and balance. Match each operation to the right input and field requirements; access covers listed APIs, not the providers’ entire software suites.
Can my agent choose the right data API automatically?
An agent can discover available endpoints and select one using your required fields, input identifiers and budget. It should inspect the contract and ask before paid execution. Glasser does not silently route to an unavailable provider or guarantee identical records across sources.
How do I control API spending through Glasser?
Set a task budget in your agent instructions, inspect the endpoint’s price and cap, and limit request volume. Check each run’s actual charge before continuing. An instruction is not a billing-system hard cap; returned rows and optional parameters can change the total.
Can I use Glasser with Claude Code, Codex and ChatGPT?
Use the Glasser Skill or CLI in a compatible coding agent, or connect Glasser through MCP in a supported client. Client support and account settings determine which integration is available. The prompt above helps your agent discover the APIs relevant to this task.