Best SEO MCP servers in 2026, compared

An SEO MCP server gives an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or Claude Code a set of SEO tools it can call. Depending on the server, those tools return your own Google Search Console data, keyword search volume, live search results, backlinks, rankings, or site audits. The assistant reads the results and works with them in the same conversation, so you can do research and analysis without switching to a dashboard.

This post compares seven hosted or installable servers that cover SEO work beyond Search Console. CalmSEO, which publishes this blog, is one of them. Each competitor claim comes from the vendor's own product page, docs, or pricing page, linked in its section. Where a source does not cover something, we mark it as not documented. If you only need Search Console data, our comparison of Google Search Console MCP servers covers eight options in more depth.

Pricing checked October 2026. Plans and tool lists change often, so check the linked source before you sign up.

What an SEO MCP server does

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard AI clients use to call external tools. Using MCP for SEO means the assistant fetches real data while it answers. These are the main kinds of data SEO MCP servers expose:

• Search Console. Clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position for your own sites, read through Google's API after you connect your account.
• Keyword data. Search volume, CPC, difficulty, and related keyword ideas.
• SERPs. The live search results for a keyword in a given country and language.
• Domains and backlinks. The keywords a domain ranks for, referring domains, and link profiles.
• Audits. On-page checks for a single URL or a crawl of a whole site.

Most hosted servers connect by URL with an OAuth sign-in, so they work in Claude on the web and ChatGPT as well as desktop and command-line clients. Local servers run on your computer and need an API key or credentials in a config file.

Comparison table

"Not documented" means the vendor pages we checked do not mention Search Console access through the MCP server. Prices are monthly list prices in US dollars as shown on each vendor's site.

CalmSEO

CalmSEO is a hosted MCP server at https://mcp.calmseo.com/mcp. You add the URL to your client, sign in with OAuth, and connect Google Search Console in the CalmSEO dashboard with the read-only webmasters.readonly scope. The same account also works with the REST API, which shares one credit pool with MCP.

It has eleven tools. Six read Search Console: list_gsc_sites, query_gsc_search_analytics, get_gsc_top_queries, get_gsc_top_pages, get_gsc_page_queries, and list_gsc_sitemaps. Five use credits for third-party data from DataForSEO: search_serp for live Google or Bing results, get_keyword_search_volume for Google Ads volume and CPC, find_keyword_ideas, get_ranked_keywords for the keywords a domain or URL ranks for, and audit_page for a single-page check. It also ships a find_next_seo_fix prompt that uses your Search Console data to pick one page and query, runs a few paid checks, and returns title, meta description, H1, and content changes for that page.

A top 10 SERP check costs 1 credit, a page audit 5, ranked keywords (up to 100) 5, a search volume check (up to 1,000 keywords) 15, and keyword ideas (up to 50) 15. The Search Console tools are free on every plan. New accounts get 30 credits, and paid plans cost $10 per month for 300 credits, $39 for 1,500, and $79 for 3,500. Unused monthly credits expire at the end of each billing cycle.

Setup docs cover Claude, ChatGPT developer mode, and Cursor. In Claude Code, run claude mcp add calmseo --transport http https://mcp.calmseo.com/mcp. CalmSEO has no backlink data, rank tracking, site crawler, or AI visibility tools.

Best for founders and small teams who want their own Search Console data in the assistant without a subscription, plus keyword and SERP checks priced in credits per call.

Ahrefs MCP

Ahrefs MCP is a hosted server at https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp. Connecting shows an Ahrefs consent screen and creates an API key with the MCP scope, or you can generate an MCP key in your account. Ahrefs says its older local server on GitHub is outdated and does not work with MCP keys.

The tool groups cover Site Explorer overview and reports (backlinks, referring domains, organic keywords, competitors, top pages), Keywords Explorer, SERP overview, Rank Tracker, Site Audit, Brand Radar, Web Analytics, Content Helper, batch analysis, social media, and a Google Search Console group with keywords, pages, positions, and performance history. Because Ahrefs advertises more tools than some clients accept, you can limit them with a tools parameter on the URL.

Setup guides cover Claude on the web, desktop, and mobile, Claude Code, ChatGPT on the web, Copilot Studio, Lovable, n8n, Manus, Mistral's Le Chat, and OpenClaw. The MCP server is available on paid plans starting from Lite, which the pricing page lists at $129 per month. The $29 Starter plan does not list MCP access. Calls use API units from your plan's monthly allowance, and keys created through OAuth default to a limit of 200,000 units per month. Ahrefs does not permit calling the MCP endpoint from custom scripts and points to its API for that.

Best for teams that already pay for Ahrefs and want its backlink and keyword index inside Claude or ChatGPT.

Semrush MCP

Semrush MCP is a hosted server at https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp that connects with OAuth or a Semrush API key. Semrush describes the connection as read-only. It is also listed as an official app in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.

It returns keyword data (volume, difficulty, rankings, SERP features, related keywords), organic and paid metrics, keyword overlap and traffic share between competitors, and domain and backlink analysis such as authority score, referring domains, and anchor text. Traffic and market data need a separate Trends API plan. The MCP pages we checked do not mention Search Console.

The setup guide covers ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, and Perplexity. Eligible plans are Semrush One Starter and Pro+, and SEO Classic Pro and Guru. Semrush One Advanced and SEO Classic Business need an added MCP API units package. Included plans come with 50,000 MCP API units that refresh on renewal. Semrush lists SEO Classic Pro at $139.95 per month and Semrush One from $199.95 per month.

Best for Semrush subscribers who want its keyword and competitor data in their assistant.

DataForSEO MCP server

DataForSEO sells SEO data through an API, and its MCP server exposes seven of those APIs: SERP, Keywords Data, DataForSEO Labs, Backlinks, On-Page, Business Data, and Domain Analytics. You can use the hosted remote server or run the open-source server (Apache 2.0) locally with npx dataforseo-mcp-server or Docker. The local server authenticates with your DataForSEO API login and password, and the hosted server supports OAuth.

DataForSEO names Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI, and n8n as clients. The MCP server itself is free, and you pay DataForSEO's pay-as-you-go rates for the data your assistant requests. The FAQ lists a $1 free trial credit, a $50 minimum payment, no subscription, and a balance with no expiry date. DataForSEO supplies third-party data and has no Search Console connection. CalmSEO, OpenSEO, and Manifold all use DataForSEO for part of their data.

Best for developers who want the widest set of raw SEO data at provider prices and are comfortable choosing endpoints themselves.

OpenSEO

OpenSEO is an SEO platform with a web app, an MCP server, and agent skills. The hosted endpoint is https://app.openseo.so/mcp, with OpenSEO login through OAuth or a personal API key for headless use. The code is MIT licensed, and the self-hosting docs cover Docker and Cloudflare. Self-hosted OpenSEO is free, and you bring your own DataForSEO key and pay DataForSEO directly.

Its MCP tools cover keyword research with volume, difficulty, and CPC, live Google SERPs, domain and backlink overviews, local search and Google Business Profiles, rank tracking, and AI visibility. For Search Console, it reads clicks, impressions, CTR, and position, and inspects index status for up to 10 URLs per call. It can list GA4 properties and attach one to a project. Docs cover ChatGPT, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Codex.

The pricing page lists Base at $10 per month with $10 of usage, Pro at $30 with $36 of usage, and Agency at $200 with $240 of usage. Each action costs OpenSEO's data cost plus 28%, and Search Console data does not count against usage. An active subscription is required for the hosted service, and the free trial includes $0.50 of credits. We compare it with CalmSEO on the OpenSEO alternative page.

Best for people who want broad SEO coverage, including backlinks and rank tracking, at a low monthly price, or who want to self-host.

Manifold MCP

Manifold MCP is a hosted server at https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcp that accepts OAuth or an API key. It covers more than SEO. Its SEO data includes keywords, rankings, SERPs, domains, backlinks, and site health, and it adds AI answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google, social and Reddit data, ad libraries, people and company lookups, Google Maps, app stores, Amazon, and Google Shopping. You can also connect your own Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, and Google Analytics 4 accounts.

Manifold lists Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT (on paid ChatGPT plans), Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Grok, and OpenCode as clients. The pricing page has a free plan with 250 credits per month that reset monthly, Pro from $20 per month for 1,000 credits, and Max from $250 per month for 21,000 credits. Search Console, Bing, and Google Analytics tools cost 0 credits. Sample costs are 1 credit for a top 10 Google SERP, 10 for 100 keyword ideas with metrics, 15 for a domain overview, and 50 for a 1,000-page crawl.

Best for growth teams that want SEO, AI answer, and social research through one connection, with a free monthly allowance.

RankSpot

RankSpot is a hosted MCP server at https://mcp.rankspot.ai with an OAuth sign-in. It focuses on actions the agent carries out for you. It does keyword and competitor research, checks how your brand appears in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google, writes and publishes articles (for example to WordPress), requests indexing, and drafts outreach emails and forum replies. Articles and outreach emails wait for your approval before they go out. The pages we checked do not document a Search Console connection.

RankSpot lists Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, and n8n. The pricing page says there is no subscription. New accounts get $1 of welcome credit, top-ups start at $10, and credit rolls over. Listed prices include $3 per article, $0.0025 per Google search, $0.004 per page read, $0.004 per AI visibility check, and $0.01 per indexing request. Reading your data is free.

Best for founders who want an agent to write, publish, and do outreach, and who prefer paying per action.

Search Console only options

Several MCP servers cover only Google Search Console. Free open-source options run on your own machine. For example, mcp-gsc (MIT licensed) runs locally with uvx mcp-search-console, authenticates with your own Google Cloud OAuth client or a service account, and adds URL inspection and sitemap submission. Of the seven servers above, only OpenSEO documents URL inspection, and none document sitemap submission. Hosted Search Console servers such as Advanced GSC MCP and Windsor.ai also exist.

We compare eight of these, including how each one authenticates with Google and which clients it supports, in Google Search Console MCP servers compared.

How to choose

By the data you need

• Your own Search Console data: CalmSEO and Manifold include it for free, OpenSEO includes it with a subscription, and Ahrefs has a Search Console tool group on plans from Lite.
• Backlinks: Ahrefs, Semrush, DataForSEO, OpenSEO, and Manifold. CalmSEO has none.
• Rank tracking over time: Ahrefs Rank Tracker, OpenSEO, and RankSpot's scheduled keyword updates.
• Site-wide audits: Ahrefs Site Audit, DataForSEO's On-Page API, Manifold's technical crawl, and OpenSEO's audit crawler skill. CalmSEO audits one page per call.
• AI visibility: Ahrefs Brand Radar, OpenSEO, Manifold, and RankSpot.
• Publishing and outreach: RankSpot is the only server here that documents both.

By pricing model

Ahrefs and Semrush include MCP in their suite plans and meter it with API units, so they make the most sense if you already use the suite. OpenSEO, CalmSEO, and Manifold Pro are monthly plans with included usage. DataForSEO and RankSpot are prepaid with no subscription. DataForSEO balances have no expiry date, and RankSpot credit rolls over. CalmSEO and Manifold have free plans that include Search Console.

By client

All seven have a hosted endpoint, so all of them can work in clients that connect by URL. Claude Code and ChatGPT appear in the docs of all seven. Cursor appears in the docs of every server here except Ahrefs. DataForSEO and OpenSEO can also run on your own machine or server.

Using more than one

MCP clients can hold several servers at once. You can connect a server with free Search Console access for your own performance data alongside a suite you already pay for to get backlinks and competitor research. Fewer tools make it easier for the assistant to pick the right one, so connect only the servers you use.

Frequently asked questions