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Head to head · Seo rankings · October 2026 research run

Google Search Console API vs Similarweb

Google Search Console API scores 59 (C) on agent readiness against Similarweb's 46 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do seo rankings.

Google Search Console APIGoogle · HTTP API C59/100#508 of 841 SimilarwebSimilarweb Ltd. · HTTP API D46/100#761 of 841

Which one, for what

Google Search Console API C

Good for An agent reporting on or monitoring search performance and index status for sites its user owns, with first-party click and impression counts.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 75 against 63
  • Agent ergonomics, 82 against 67
  • Payments & pricing, 40 against 5
  • Maintenance & community, 71 against 33

Watch for

Data covers only properties the signed-in user has owner, full or read access to. It cannot be asked about any other domain

Similarweb D

Good for Traffic and engagement estimates, traffic channel mix and keyword click data for domains an agent doesn't own, with app, company and retail data on the same key.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

API and MCP access need a Business, Enterprise or API-only plan bought through sales. The FAQ says there's no API test without a subscription

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runGoogle Search Console APISimilarwebEdge
Reliability16%203735Google Search Console API +2
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.27563Google Search Console API +12
Agent ergonomics13%16.28267Google Search Console API +15
Security & auth14%17.55652Google Search Console API +4
Payments & pricing10%12.5405Google Search Console API +35
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87133Google Search Console API +38
Transparency & trust7%8.85860Similarweb +2
Negative events≤1500
Total59 · C46 · D

Facts side by side

FactGoogle Search Console APISimilarweb
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorGoogleSimilarweb Ltd.
Hosted endpointhttps://searchconsole.googleapis.comhttps://api.similarweb.com
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthOAuthOAuth or key
PricingFreePaid
x402nono
LicenceProprietary service under the Google APIs Terms of Service. The client libraries are Apache-2.0Proprietary service under Similarweb's terms of use
Read-only variant documentedyesno
llms.txtnoyes
Last release2026-09-232026-09-24
Terms last updated2021-11-092025-03-19
Privacy policy last updated2026-10-012026-06-30
Customer content may train modelsyesnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessyesyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the textyes
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the textnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textnot found in the text
Popularity12k stars, 70k npm/wk, 31.8M PyPI/wknone

Verdicts

Google Search Console API

The API is free, with published quotas of 1,200 Search Analytics queries a minute per site and typed filters that accept regular expressions. It covers only properties the signed-in user manages, returns at most 50,000 rows a day per search type, and has no status page, SLA or dedicated changelog. A person must complete OAuth consent first.

Similarweb

The V5 API returns traffic estimates, keyword clicks and SERP positions with selectable metrics, and the hosted MCP server accepts OAuth with a read scope. Access needs a Business, Enterprise or API-only subscription sold through sales, with no API trial, public price per credit or public status page found.

Before you call either

Google Search Console API

  1. URL-encode the property in the path. A URL-prefix property needs its trailing slash, and a Domain property is written sc-domain:example.com
  2. Query one day at a time and page with startRow in steps of 25,000 until a response has no rows
  3. Leave page and query out of dimensions when totals must be accurate. Grouping by either drops some data
  4. Ask for webmasters.readonly unless the task adds or deletes properties or sitemaps
  5. After a quota exceeded error wait 15 minutes. If it repeats, the daily load quota is spent, so shorten date ranges and drop page or query grouping

Similarweb

  1. Send the key in the api-key header. The capabilities endpoint documents ?api_key= in the URL, which puts the secret in logs
  2. Stay under 10 requests a second. A 429 can also mean the monthly credit allowance is spent, so call /capabilities (free) before retrying
  3. Pass domains in lower case without www. or a path. The docs list 401 as data not found for a malformed domain
  4. Request only the metrics, countries and months needed. Credits multiply across domains, metrics, countries and periods, and daily granularity costs about 30 times monthly
  5. Website keywords accept monthly granularity for the last three months only, and position isn't returned for worldwide

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Google Search Console API or Similarweb?

Google Search Console API scores 59 (C) on agent readiness against Similarweb's 46 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

Do Google Search Console API and Similarweb need an API key?

Google Search Console API uses an OAuth sign-in. Similarweb takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

Can an agent call Google Search Console API and Similarweb without installing anything?

Yes. Google Search Console API has a hosted endpoint at https://searchconsole.googleapis.com and Similarweb at https://api.similarweb.com.

Other comparisons with Google Search Console API or Similarweb

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