OpenSEO: pricing, features, alternatives

OpenSEO is an open-source SEO platform positioned as a Semrush and Ahrefs alternative you can self-host or run hosted. The product site is openseo.so. The GitHub repo every-app/open-seo is MIT, created 2026-02-27, TypeScript. On 2026-09-07 GitHub listed about 17,501 stars and 2,211 forks. It showed up on X For You via a post that called out the open-source SEO stack against paid Ahrefs / Semrush seats.

Compare Claude SEO if you wanted a local Claude Code audit skill instead of a data platform, Marketing Skills if you wanted CRO and copy skills on top of SEO data, or Claude Skills if you still needed how SKILL.md loads.

Key Features

Keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking, site audits: Homepage feature list also includes domain overview, AI visibility, prompt explorer, and saved keywords. Data for paid lookups comes from DataForSEO.
MCP for agents: Official copy says the agent can research keywords, competitors, backlinks, and Google Search Console, then you review the work in the OpenSEO app. Docs list Claude, Codex, OpenClaw, OpenCode, and Gemini.
Hosted or self-host: Hosted trial at app.openseo.so/sign-up. Self-host paths in the README are Docker (local testing) and Cloudflare (recommended for a team-facing deploy).
GSC without burning credits: openseo.so/pricing says Google Search Console data is free and does not touch the $10 usage bucket.
Open source: MIT. README invites forks instead of building a crawler from scratch.

Limitation: without a DataForSEO key (self-host) or hosted credits, you do not get the proprietary keyword and backlink tables. MCP without live data still guesses.

Use Cases

Indie developers who do not want a $129 Ahrefs floor for keyword and backlink checks.
Teams wiring Claude Code or OpenCode that need real SEO numbers inside the agent, then a UI to review.
Self-hosters who will bring a DataForSEO key and run Docker or Cloudflare.

Pricing

openseo.so/pricing and the GitHub README on 2026-09-07.

Piece	Price	Notes from first-party pages
Hosted Base Plan	$10 / month	Includes $10 of usage. Keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking, site audits. Extra usage can be bought and does not expire. Subscription is still required to use the hosted app.
Free trial	$0.50 of credits	Pricing FAQ. No unexpected bills: exhausted credits return errors until you top up.
Self-host	DataForSEO billed to you	README: hosted adds about 28% on DataForSEO requests; self-host is slightly cheaper per call.

Do not treat a third-party tweet's traffic number as audited monthly visits.

Getting Started

Open openseo.so and either sign up hosted or clone every-app/open-seo.
For agents, follow OpenSEO MCP and Agent Skills setup.
Self-host only after you have a DataForSEO key (docs/DATAFORSEOAPIKEY.md).
Confirm Claude SEO if you wanted an audit skill that does not depend on that API.

First-party resource: OpenSEO README.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it actually free?

The code is MIT. Hosted SEO data is metered. Self-host still pays DataForSEO.

Same as Claude SEO?

No. OpenSEO is a data app plus MCP. Claude SEO is a Claude Code skill pack that audits a URL from the terminal.

Can I cancel the $10 plan?

Pricing FAQ says yes, from the billing portal, access through the end of the period.

Alternatives

Claude SEO: Local Claude Code audits, no DataForSEO required for the core pass.
Marketing Skills: 50 marketing skills, not a backlink database.
Claude Skills: How skills load, not an SEO product.

Tips

Quote 17,501 stars, MIT, $10 hosted, and the 28% DataForSEO markup from pages checked 2026-09-07.
Put GSC on the free path before you burn keyword credits.
Do not treat the in-app health of a competitor domain as a Google ranking forecast.

Conclusion

OpenSEO is the open-source SEO console with MCP when you want Semrush-class lookups without a $129 seat. Start at openseo.so, then decide whether Claude SEO already covers the audit you needed.