# 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. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb.md (~2,200 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

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 API: grade C, 59/100, rank #508 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-search-console.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-search-console.json
- Similarweb: grade D, 46/100, rank #762 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/similarweb.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/similarweb.json

## 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.

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

| Category | Weight | Google Search Console API | Similarweb | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 37 | 35 | Google Search Console API +2 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 63 | Google Search Console API +12 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 67 | Google Search Console API +15 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 56 | 52 | Google Search Console API +4 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 5 | Google Search Console API +35 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 71 | 33 | Google Search Console API +38 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 60 | Similarweb +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **59 · C** | **46 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Google Search Console API | Similarweb |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Google | Similarweb Ltd. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://searchconsole.googleapis.com` | `https://api.similarweb.com` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Google APIs Terms of Service. The client libraries are Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service under Similarweb's terms of use |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-24 |
| Terms last updated | 2021-11-09 | 2025-03-19 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-06-30 |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 12k stars, 70k npm/wk, 31.8M PyPI/wk | none |

## 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.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-similarweb.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "google-search-console", "b": "similarweb"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare google-search-console similarweb`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-search-console.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/similarweb.json

## Other comparisons with Google Search Console API or Similarweb

- [Ahrefs vs Google Search Console API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ahrefs-vs-google-search-console.md)
- [Ahrefs vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ahrefs-vs-similarweb.md)
- [DataForSEO vs Google Search Console API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dataforseo-vs-google-search-console.md)
- [DataForSEO vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dataforseo-vs-similarweb.md)
- [Manifold vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/manifold-mcp-vs-similarweb.md)
- [Moz API vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/moz-api-vs-similarweb.md)
- [SE Ranking API + MCP vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/se-ranking-vs-similarweb.md)
- [Semrush API + MCP vs Similarweb](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/semrush-vs-similarweb.md)
- [Google Search Console API vs Manifold](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-manifold-mcp.md)
- [Google Search Console API vs Moz API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-moz-api.md)
- [Google Search Console API vs SE Ranking API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-se-ranking.md)
- [Google Search Console API vs Semrush API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-search-console-vs-semrush.md)