Go from Semrush to Build it: keyword + rank checker
The job: Occasional keyword or rank lookups (Selected keyword queries, Selected SERP/rank lookups, CSV export). Pick where you are today and where you want to land; the move below follows your pick.
Every way to do this job · pick one
Switch app
Open source
Build it with an agent
Agent skill
Pay per use
The money
$139/mo today , then $1.80/mo
Semrush SEO
Modeled from public list prices, with your time at $50 an hour. Show the math
Does it do the job? 3 of 3 covered
- Covered: Selected keyword queries built to your spec
- Covered: Selected SERP/rank lookups built to your spec
- Covered: CSV export built to your spec
The work
- Setup
- About 4 h + $60
- Upkeep
- 1 h a month
- Watch out
- You own bugs and API changes
Make the move in four steps
Export from Semrush
Position Tracking (rankings, pages, competitors, devices, featured snippets): Position Tracking → each tab → Export
Export stepsBuild it
Download SPEC.md for your coding agent: what to build, what's out of scope, and the acceptance tests to pass.
Get the build specSwitch links and integrations
Point links, embeds and integrations at Build it: keyword + rank checker, then send a test through every one.
Cancel Semrush
Turn off renewal before your renewal date, once the new setup works. Access runs until: The end of the committed (pre-paid) subscription term; then a free-level account.
How to cancel Semrush
The whole recipe: 11 ways out, best first
What you use
- Selected keyword queries
- Selected SERP/rank lookups
- CSV export
Not covered
- Entire competitive index
- Historical parity
- All backlink data
- Automated full-suite equivalence
Check before switching
- Exact data endpoint identified
- Coverage compared
- Prepayments included in cash flow
- Cadence and unit counts confirmed
Agents: get_recipe("keyword-workbench") on the Stackcut MCP server.
11 ways out, best first
Keyword data per call via tregTested by Stackcut · Works, with caveatsSaves $1,624 in year oneHow we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Keyword data per call via treg | pay per use at the modeled volume | $2.70/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $2.70 | +$136/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$136 × 12 | +$1,636 |
| Setup, once | 0.25 h × $50/h | −$12 |
| Year one | +$1,636 − $12 | +$1,624 |
- Not counting your time (0.25 h in year one): saves $1,636 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
- Tested by Stackcut: DataForSEO returned volumes for 9 of 10 keywords for $0.09 per call (up to 1,000 keywords)
- SE Ranking data measured at about $0.0018 per keyword
- Set up in about 5 minutes; the treg CLI shows each endpoint's price before you call it
- Different numbers than Semrush: "delete me review" was 480 in Semrush and 5,400 in DataForSEO. Pick one provider and compare trends
- Coverage gaps in our test: SE Ranking had no data for 4 of 10 keywords, Serpstat for 3
- No UI: CLI, API or agent only
- No rank tracking, backlinks or site audit
- Semrush's own data through treg needs your own Semrush API credential, so it doesn't remove the Semrush bill
Step-by-step: set up, move your data, check, roll back · about 15 min (measured)
Keep Semrush for a month while you run your usual keyword checks through treg, then cancel.
About 5 minutes to sign in and make the first call in our test.
Before you start
- Export your Semrush keyword lists (Keyword Strategy Builder) and Position Tracking tables as CSV. There's no bulk project export. semrush.com
- Write down the 10 to 20 keywords you check most. You'll compare them in both tools.
Set up
- Sign up at treg.to. New accounts get $1.00 of free credit. treg.to
- Install the treg CLI (or add its MCP server to your agent) and sign in.
- Pick one keyword-volume provider and stay on it. In our test DataForSEO covered 9 of 10 keywords for $0.09 per call (up to 1,000 keywords per call). our test
Move your data
- Run your saved keyword list through the provider once and save the result as your new baseline. Don't compare it number-for-number with Semrush.
Check it worked
- Check the same keywords in both tools for one month. Trends should move the same way even if absolute volumes differ (ours differed by up to 10x on one keyword). our test
- Check your treg balance after a normal week of use to confirm the monthly cost.
Roll back
- Until the Semrush term ends you can keep using it. After that, a new Semrush subscription is a fresh start; exported CSVs are your history.
Watch out for
- treg's Semrush endpoints need your own Semrush API credential, so they don't remove the Semrush bill. Use DataForSEO, SE Ranking or Serpstat instead. our test
- Month-to-month Semrush plans get no refund; cancel before the renewal date. semrush.com
Reviewed 2026-09-29.
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Google Search Console (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $0 | +$139/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$139 × 12 | +$1,668 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$1,668 − $50 | +$1,618 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $1,668 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: OpenSEO (hosted) | Hosted plan | $12.30/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $12.30 | +$127/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$127 × 12 | +$1,520 |
| Setup, once | 0.5 h × $50/h | −$25 |
| Year one | +$1,520 − $25 | +$1,495 |
- Not counting your time (0.5 h in year one): saves $1,520 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
- Nothing to host
- Same open-source code: can self-host later
- Usage-based data cost
- 28% markup on data requests
- Smaller dataset UI than Semrush
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: OpenSEO (self-hosted) | a small server (modeled) | $1.80/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 0.5 h/mo × $50/h | $25/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $1.80 − $25 | +$112/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$112 × 12 | +$1,346 |
| Setup, once | 1.5 h × $50/h | −$75 |
| Year one | +$1,346 − $75 | +$1,271 |
- Not counting your time (7.5 h in year one): saves $1,646 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
- No monthly fee: you pay DataForSEO per request
- MCP server and agent skills for Claude Code
- MIT license, runs on Cloudflare's free plan
- You bring and fund a DataForSEO key ($50 minimum deposit)
- No history import from Semrush projects
- Fewer reports than Semrush (no AI search visibility)
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Google Search Console MCP (mcp-gsc) | runs in the agent you already pay for | $0/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 0.5 h/mo × $50/h | $25/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $0 − $25 | +$114/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$114 × 12 | +$1,368 |
| Setup, once | 2 h × $50/h | −$100 |
| Year one | +$1,368 − $100 | +$1,268 |
- Not counting your time (8 h in year one): saves $1,668 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Build it: keyword + rank checker | hosting and API costs (modeled) | $1.80/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 1 h/mo × $50/h | $50/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $1.80 − $50 | +$87.20/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$87.20 × 12 | +$1,046 |
| Setup, once | 4 h × $50/h + $60 one-time | −$260 |
| Year one | +$1,046 − $260 | +$786 |
- Not counting your time (16 h in year one): saves $1,586 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
- Exactly the features you use
- Lives in your stack (cron + table + page)
- Data API cost only
- You own bugs and API changes
- No backlink or audit data
How we got this
| You pay now: Semrush SEO | flat price | $139/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Moz Pro | Standard plan | $99/mo |
| Difference each month | $139 − $99 | +$40/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$40 × 12 | +$480 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$480 − $50 | +$430 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $480 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How to leave Semrush
Export first
- Position Tracking (rankings, pages, competitors, devices, featured snippets): Position Tracking → each tab → Export (XLSX, CSV, Google Sheets, PDF). Historical date-range export not verified; SE Ranking can import Semrush ranking history. semrush.com
- Keyword lists (Keyword Strategy Builder, formerly Keyword Manager): Keyword Strategy Builder → list → Export (XLSX, CSV) semrush.com
- Site Audit (crawled pages, issues, compare crawls): Site Audit → Export (PDF, data exports (format not stated)) semrush.com
- Projects as a whole: No bulk project export found: export each tool separately.
What you lose
- Semrush's own keyword and backlink index and its history
- Ads, social, PR and content suites
- Scheduled PDF reports
Cancel
- Export everything you want to keep first (see export).
- Logged in, open semrush.com/cancel (also reachable from Subscription Info → Contact us).
- Choose "All Semrush subscriptions" to cancel everything; add-ons need a separate Contact Form request, apps are cancelled under My Apps → Settings.
- Confirm through the emailed link within 24 hours.
- Check Subscription Info shows "Recurring: Inactive".
- Takes effect
- At the end of the committed term; the account then drops to a free account.
- Refunds
- 7-day money-back guarantee only for initial subscriptions with a term of 12 months or more (and initial add-ons); ask for it in the cancellation form's comment field. No refunds for month-to-month plans.
- Notice
- None beyond cancelling before the renewal date.
- After you cancel
- Website Monitoring folders are kept for a 30-day grace period, then deleted.
Tested by Stackcut
Semrush keyword lookups → pay-per-call keyword data through treg
Question. Can an occasional keyword-volume lookup move from a Semrush seat to per-call data through treg, and do the numbers hold up? Path: Keyword data per call via treg.
Tested on. leakcheckme.com: A real site with real rankings: 10 keywords it ranks for or targets.
Numbers
- 10 keywords from leakcheckme.com, US volumes
- Coverage: DataForSEO 9/10, Serpstat 7/10, SE Ranking 6/10 (Semrush 10/10)
- Cost: $0.09 per DataForSEO call (up to 1,000 keywords); SE Ranking about $0.0018 per keyword
- Biggest gap: "delete me review" 480 (Semrush) vs 5,400 (DataForSEO)
Verdict
Good replacement for occasional keyword-volume lookups (not for rank tracking, backlinks or audits). Use DataForSEO for batches (cheapest per keyword, best coverage here) and expect different absolute numbers than Semrush.
Good fit when
- You look up keyword volumes a few times a month
- Relative volume is enough to prioritise content
Not a fit when
- You need Semrush's own numbers (clients report in Semrush)
- You rely on Position Tracking, backlinks or Site Audit
What we found
- treg's Semrush endpoints need your own Semrush API credential ("no semrush credential in this org yet"): Semrush's API needs its own subscription, so "Semrush data via treg" does not remove the Semrush bill. The per-call replacement is other providers' data through treg.
- Volumes disagree by provider, sometimes by 10x: "delete me review" is 480 (Semrush), 160 (SE Ranking), 5,400 (Serpstat and Google Ads, which merge close variants). Pick one provider and stay on it; compare trends, not absolute numbers across tools.
- Coverage gaps: SE Ranking had no data for 4 of 10 (branded Google queries), Serpstat 3, DataForSEO 1.
- Cost: about $0.0018 per keyword (SE Ranking) to $0.09 per batch of up to 1,000 (DataForSEO) versus a $139/mo Semrush SEO seat. Break-even is tens of thousands of lookups a month.
- Setup took about 5 minutes: sign in, `treg call <endpoint>`; the CLI shows each endpoint's price and observed reliability before you call it.
What we changed in this recipe
- Renamed the path from "Semrush data via Treg" to "Keyword data per call via treg", with DataForSEO, SE Ranking and Serpstat as the providers.
- Coverage is now keyword research only; rank tracking, backlinks and site audit are listed as missing.
- Re-costed at $0.009 per keyword (DataForSEO, batches of 10) instead of $0.006.
How we tested
- Baseline: Semrush keyword overview (batch of 10, US database) through the Semrush API.
- Same 10 keywords through treg with its CLI (treg 0.14.0): SE Ranking, Serpstat and DataForSEO (Google Ads) volume endpoints.
- Cost measured from the treg balance before and after each call.
Compare before you switch
Read the checked comparisons and workload guides for the tools this recipe replaces.
- Semrush vs DataForSEO Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Semrush vs Google Search Console Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Semrush vs Moz Pro Checked comparison evidence, public switching accounts.
- Semrush vs OpenSEO Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Semrush vs SE Ranking Checked comparison evidence, migration details.
- Semrush vs treg Checked comparison evidence, migration details.
- Semrush alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costs Compare the wider set of alternatives and their tradeoffs.
- SEO data for AI agents: what keyword and search data costs per call Choose for a new project, using its workload and volume.
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