Ahrefs MCP alternative
Keyword research, rankings, backlinks and site audits from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, paid per call. No Ahrefs plan and no API units to buy.
Go to Settings, then Connectors, and add a custom connector. Paste the URL and sign in.
https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcpThe tools your agent gets
SEO tools in the docsGet keyword ideas
Candidate keywords around a seed, with volume, difficulty, intent, CPC and trend for each.
seo_search_keywordsFrom 5 creditsCheck keyword metrics
Volume, difficulty, intent, CPC and 12-month trend for keywords you already have, with AI-engine prompt volume on request.
seo_get_keyword_metricsFrom 5 creditsGet a domain's ranked keywords
Keywords a domain or one page ranks for in the top 100, with position, URL and metrics.
seo_get_ranked_keywordsFrom 5 creditsFind keyword gaps
Keywords one competitor ranks for in the top 100 that the target does not rank for at all.
seo_get_keyword_gapFrom 5 creditsGet backlinks
Individual backlinks pointing at a domain or page, strongest referring domain first.
seo_get_backlinksFrom 10 creditsGet referring domains
Domains linking to a target, one row per domain, with domain rank, link counts and spam score.
seo_get_referring_domainsFrom 10 creditsGet a domain overview
Traffic estimate, ranked keyword count, position spread, top pages and domain rank for one domain.
seo_get_domain_overviewFrom 5 creditsFind search competitors
Domains that share search results with a target, with how many keywords overlap.
seo_get_serp_competitorsFrom 5 creditsRun a technical audit
Crawl a site for technical SEO issues.
seo_run_technical_crawlFrom 3 credits
The questions you ask Ahrefs, without the plan
Ahrefs’ own MCP server is hosted and draws on the monthly API units of an Ahrefs plan, Lite or higher. Manifold answers the same kinds of questions from DataForSEO’s index and charges per call.
| Ahrefs MCP | Ahrefs in the browser | Manifold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs an Ahrefs plan | Lite or higher | Yes | No |
| Keywords, rankings and gaps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backlinks and referring domains | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ahrefs’ own index and DR | Yes | Yes | No, DataForSEO’s |
| Social, Reddit and leads beside it | No | No | Yes |
| How you pay | Plan’s monthly units | Monthly plan | Per call |
Things to ask
Plain questions in any connected client. The agent picks the tools.
- Which keywords does our competitor rank for that we don’t? [competitor.com]
- List the domains linking to our competitor, strongest first.
- What is this domain’s authority, traffic and top pages? [domain]
- Find keyword ideas around “expense tracking” with volume and difficulty.
- Which pages on our site lost rankings, and for what?
- Audit this site for broken links and missing titles. [site]
Pay per call. Start free.
No seats and nothing else to subscribe to. Every workspace starts with 500 free credits, and an answer already in the cache costs 25% of the price or less.
- Get keyword ideas
- From 5 credits
- Check keyword metrics
- From 5 credits
- Get a domain's ranked keywords
- From 5 credits
- The same answer again, from the cache
- 25% or less
On the same server
The same server URL and credit balance reach every source. Switch off what you don’t need.
- Semrush MCP alternativeKeyword research and rankings, pay per call.
- DataForSEO MCPDataForSEO's data, hosted, with no account.
- SEO MCPKeywords, rankings, backlinks and audits.
- AI visibility MCPWhat ChatGPT, Gemini and others say and cite.
- Reddit MCPThreads, comments and subreddits.
- YouTube MCPVideos, channels, comments and transcripts.
- Apollo MCP alternativeCompanies, people and verified work emails.
- LinkedIn MCPPosts, profiles and company pages.
Questions about the Ahrefs MCP alternative
Is it the same data as Ahrefs?
No. Manifold’s SEO tools run on DataForSEO, whose index and scores differ from Ahrefs’. Its domain rank runs from 0 to 1,000, the same kind of number as Ahrefs’ DR on a different scale.
Do I need an Ahrefs account?
No. You spend credits from one Manifold balance, which also covers AI answers, Reddit, social and leads.
Which Ahrefs features does it cover?
Keyword ideas and metrics, rank tracking by lookup, keyword gaps, backlinks and referring domains, domain overviews and technical site audits. SEO tools in the docs
Which clients does it work with?
Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Grok, OpenCode and any other client that connects to a remote MCP server. Sign in with OAuth, or use an API key from the dashboard for scripts. Setup guides for every client
What does it cost?
Per call, in credits, with the price stated before your agent calls. A repeat of a recent call costs a fraction of the price. Plans and pricing