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Fig vs DataForSEO
DataForSEO sells SEO and SERP APIs on a pay-as-you-go balance. Fig uses live research behind a hosted MCP, expert skills, and Stripe Checkout aimed at brand owners and agents — not at teams who want to operate the raw API.
Give this to your agent
Set up Fig - https://figaeo.com/llms.txt
Typical pricing (public list ranges)
Competitor prices below are typical public list ranges as of September 2026. Plans, seats, and add-ons change. Confirm on the vendor’s pricing page before you buy.
DataForSEO is pay-as-you-go with no monthly SEO seat. Their pricing page states a $50 minimum payment. SERP API public examples start around $0.0006 per 10-result SERP on the standard queue, with higher prices for priority and live modes. Other APIs (keywords, backlinks, AI optimization) have their own per-request rates.
Fig Checkout minimum is $10 (recommended $20). Fig’s retail rates are not DataForSEO wholesale rates — you pay for hosted tools, compact responses, Checkout, and skills, not raw API units.
What each product is for
| Dimension | DataForSEO | Fig |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Developers and platforms building SEO products | Brand owners and agents who should not run an API stack |
| Access | REST APIs, keys, task queues, live vs standard modes | Hosted Streamable HTTP MCP after GitHub or Google sign-in |
| Minimum pay | Typically $50 deposit after trial credit | $10 Checkout, $20 recommended pack |
| Playbooks | You write the agent logic | one SEO/AEO router plus focused audit, research, content, and validation skills |
| Payment UX | Account balance in DataForSEO | Short figaeo.com/pay link; human approves Checkout |
Honest overlap
If you are comfortable with API keys, webhooks, location codes, and per-endpoint pricing, DataForSEO is the direct data buy — often cheaper per SERP at wholesale.
Fig is the opposite pitch: no scraping stack, no vendor dashboard for the brand owner, no guarantee that Fig is the lowest cost per row. It is the hosted lookups an agent can finish in chat.
Keep DataForSEO if
- You are shipping your own SEO SaaS, rank tracker, or high-volume pipeline.
- You want the $50 API wallet and per-request control across many endpoints.
Pick Fig if
- An agent should call get_serp and suggest_keywords without you holding SEO API credentials.
- You want $10–$20 Checkout instead of a $50 API minimum and integration work.
- You want expert skills and human-approved payment, not a developer console.
Credits, not a seat
Fig is prepaid credit, not a monthly seat. Checkout starts at $10; a $20 pack is the recommended default. Your agent spends the balance on live lookups, then asks you to approve Checkout again when remaining USD cannot cover the next call.
Fig does not guarantee rankings, citations, or traffic. It returns research data your agent can call. Humans approve sign-in and Checkout. The agent (or you) decides what to change on the site.