4 min read
Do keyword research with your AI agent
Ask your agent for keywords with volume, difficulty and intent, then who ranks for the best one. A real run on our own market, with what it found.
Semrush MCP alternative for Claude and ChatGPT
Keyword research, rankings, search competitors and backlinks from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, paid per call. No Semrush plan and no API units to buy.
The tools your agent gets
What each tool returns, and what a call costs.
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 search results for a query
The top organic results and SERP features Google shows for one query.
seo_get_serpFrom 1 creditGet 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 search competitors
Domains that share search results with a target, with how many keywords overlap.
seo_get_serp_competitorsFrom 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 a domain overview
Traffic estimate, ranked keyword count, position spread, top pages and domain rank for one domain.
seo_get_domain_overviewFrom 15 creditsGet traffic estimates in bulk
Estimated monthly organic and paid traffic for up to 1,000 domains in one call.
seo_get_traffic_estimatesFrom 50 creditsGet a backlink summary
Link totals for a domain or page: backlinks, referring domains, dofollow share, link types and domain rank.
seo_get_backlink_summaryFrom 10 credits
Things to ask
Plain questions in any connected client. The agent picks the tools.
Who are our search competitors, and how many keywords do we share? [our site]
Estimate monthly organic traffic for these 20 competitors.
Find keyword ideas around “meal kits” with volume, difficulty and intent.
Which keywords does our competitor rank for that we don’t? [competitor.com]
Where do we rank for “project management software”?
Summarise the backlink profile of this domain. [domain]
The questions you ask Semrush, without the plan
Semrush’s own MCP server is hosted and spends API units that come with some Semrush plans and are bought separately on others. Manifold answers the same kinds of questions from DataForSEO’s data and charges per call. To set up Semrush’s own server instead, follow our guide to the Semrush MCP.
| Semrush MCP | Semrush in the browser | Manifold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs a Semrush plan | Yes, with API units | Yes | No |
| Keywords, rankings and gaps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Traffic estimates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Semrush’s own database | Yes | Yes | No, DataForSEO’s |
| Setup | Paste a URL | None | Paste one URL |
| Social, Reddit and leads beside it | No | No | Yes |
Pay per call. Start free.
One balance pays for every tool, with nothing else to subscribe to. Every account gets 250 free credits a month, 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 search results for a query
- From 1 credit
- 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.
All MCP servers- Ahrefs MCP alternativeKeywords and backlinks without an Ahrefs plan.
- Hosted 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.
- LinkedIn MCPPosts, profiles and company pages.
- YouTube MCPVideos, channels, comments and transcripts.
- Apollo MCP alternativeCompanies, people and verified work emails.
Questions about the Semrush MCP alternative
Is it the same data as Semrush?
No. Manifold’s SEO tools run on DataForSEO, so volumes, difficulty and traffic estimates will differ from Semrush’s own. Both are estimates; use one source consistently.
Do I need a Semrush account?
No. You spend credits from one Manifold balance, which also covers AI answers, Reddit, social and leads.
Does it track AI search visibility too?
Yes, on the same server: what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI answers say about a brand and which sources they cite. AI visibility MCP
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
See it in use
- 4 min read
Find the keywords a competitor ranks for and you don't
Ask your agent to size a competitor's search traffic and list the keywords it ranks for that you don't. A real run against an SEO MCP rival.
Further reading
- 10 min read
Semrush MCP: setup in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor
Semrush MCP connects your agent to Semrush's SEO data: keywords, domains, backlinks, competitors and site audits. This guide covers the plans that include it, setup in Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT and Cursor, how units are spent, and a community server you run yourself.
- 18 min read
The best SEO MCP servers, compared
Looking for the best SEO MCP server? Here are 13 compared: Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking, Serpstat, DataForSEO, OpenSEO, a Search Console server, Screaming Frog, SEO Review Tools, ContextBolt, SEOmatic, BlogSEO and Manifold, with what each costs, how it connects, and which one fits your workflow.
- 11 min read
How to find customers in Facebook groups with Claude
Connect Manifold MCP, find the public groups your buyers use, and have your agent table the themes and the open threads you could answer.
