# SE Ranking API + MCP vs Semrush API + MCP

> Semrush API + MCP scores 53.1 (D) on agent readiness against SE Ranking API + MCP's 50.9 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. SE Ranking API + MCP leads on reliability, payments & pricing and maintenance & community. Both do seo keywords. Category scores, facts, verdicts…

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/se-ranking-vs-semrush
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/se-ranking-vs-semrush.md (~2,300 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/se-ranking-vs-semrush.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/se-ranking-vs-semrush.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

Semrush API + MCP scores 53.1 (D) on agent readiness against SE Ranking API + MCP's 50.9 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. SE Ranking API + MCP leads on reliability, payments & pricing and maintenance & community. Both do seo keywords.

- SE Ranking API + MCP: grade D, 50.9/100, rank #681 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/se-ranking.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/se-ranking.json
- Semrush API + MCP: grade D, 53.1/100, rank #641 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/semrush.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/semrush.json

## Which one, for what

### SE Ranking API + MCP (D)

Good for: An agent that needs keyword, backlink, domain and AI search visibility data at a published price per call, or that manages rank tracking projects for an SE Ranking customer.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 51 against 34
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 17
- Maintenance & community, 79 against 57

Watch for: No scoped or read-only keys. The MCP docs say a key has the same access as the account, including Project API deletes

### Semrush API + MCP (D)

Good for: Teams already paying for Semrush who want an agent to pull keyword, backlink, ranking and traffic estimates in one place, mainly through the MCP server.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 70 against 58
- Agent ergonomics, 77 against 58
- Security & auth, 54 against 21

Watch for: Domain, URL, Trends, Position Tracking and Site Audit reports are version 3 only, where the one key is a URL parameter and can't be revoked


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | SE Ranking API + MCP | Semrush API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 51 | 34 | SE Ranking API + MCP +17 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 58 | 70 | Semrush API + MCP +12 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 58 | 77 | Semrush API + MCP +19 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 21 | 54 | Semrush API + MCP +33 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 17 | SE Ranking API + MCP +23 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 57 | SE Ranking API + MCP +22 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 71 | 67 | SE Ranking API + MCP +4 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **50.9 · D** | **53.1 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | SE Ranking API + MCP | Semrush API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | SE Ranking (SER Acquisition Inc.) | Semrush Inc. (an Adobe company) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.seranking.com` | `https://api.semrush.com` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Paid |
| Price for seo keywords | $0.002 per record | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the SE Ranking API Terms of Service. The OpenAPI file and the Claude skills on GitHub are MIT | Proprietary service under the Semrush terms of service |
| Tools exposed | none | 14 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | `com.seranking/mcp` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-09-28 | 2026-09-04 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2026-08-25 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-25 | 2025-10-13 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 0 stars | none |

## Verdicts

**SE Ranking API + MCP.** Every Data API endpoint has a published credit cost, credits sell from $50 for 250,000 with no expiry, and a 14-day trial needs no card. Keys carry full account access with no scopes or read-only mode, the key may travel in the URL, and no security page, SLA or llms.txt was found.

**Semrush API + MCP.** The hosted MCP server exposes 14 tools that load a report's parameters on demand, and version 4 API keys can be read-only, time-limited and revoked. Most reports still sit in version 3, whose single key travels in the URL and can't be revoked. No status page, OpenAPI file or API unit price was found.

## Before you call either

### SE Ranking API + MCP

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Token <key>`, not `Bearer` and not `?apikey=`, so it stays out of URLs and logs
2. Call `GET /v1/account/subscription` (0 credits) and read `units_left` before a large pull. A short balance returns `Insufficient funds`
3. Set `limit` and `cols` on per-record endpoints. Backlink summaries cost 100 credits a target and keyword rows 10 credits each
4. Stay under 10 requests a second on the Data API and 5 on the Project API per key. Repeated overruns block the Project API for 10 minutes
5. Ask the owner before any Project API or `PROJECT_*` create, update or delete call. The key has no read-only mode and nothing confirms a delete

### Semrush API + MCP

1. Use the MCP server at https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp where the host supports it. Call a discovery tool, then `get_report_schema`, then `execute_report`
2. Set `limit` or `display_limit` on every per-line report. A backlinks row costs 40 to 45 units and a historical keyword row 50
3. Check the unit balance before large pulls. A per-line report returns only the lines the balance covers, with no error
4. Send the version 4 key as `Authorization: Apikey <key>`, never as `?key=`. Version 3 accepts only the query parameter, so keep those URLs out of logs
5. Stay under 10 requests a second and 10 concurrent requests per account, and retry only when `error.retryable` is true

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, SE Ranking API + MCP or Semrush API + MCP?

Semrush API + MCP scores 53.1 (D) on agent readiness against SE Ranking API + MCP's 50.9 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. SE Ranking API + MCP leads on reliability, payments & pricing and maintenance & community.

### Do SE Ranking API + MCP and Semrush API + MCP need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call SE Ranking API + MCP and Semrush API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. SE Ranking API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.seranking.com and Semrush API + MCP at https://api.semrush.com.


## For agents

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

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