---
title: OpenSEO (open source)
description: Open-source, self-hostable alternative to Semrush and Ahrefs that feeds real DataForSEO keyword, backlink, and rank data to your AI agent through an MCP
canonical: "https://10xgtm.ai/oss/openseo"
type: open-source-review
license: MIT
repo: "https://github.com/every-app/open-seo"
language: TypeScript
---

# OpenSEO

Open-source, self-hostable alternative to Semrush and Ahrefs that feeds real DataForSEO keyword, backlink, and rank data to your AI agent through an MCP server and nine prebuilt SEO skills. Hosted from $10 a month or free on your own Cloudflare.

The first open-source Semrush and Ahrefs alternative that is **actually MIT and actually usable**, and its real trick is an **MCP server plus nine agent skills** that let Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex pull live keyword, backlink, and rank data instead of guessing. The honest catch: the data comes from **DataForSEO, which you pay for**, its depth trails Ahrefs, and at v0.1.x this is a young project carried mostly by one maintainer.

## Project facts

- **License:** MIT
- **Repo:** https://github.com/every-app/open-seo
- **Stars:** 13.9k
- **Language:** TypeScript

## What it does

- Runs the core SEO workflows on real DataForSEO data: keyword research with search volume and related terms, competitor and domain research, backlinks, rank tracking, and site audits
- Exposes an MCP server so agents like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenClaw, and Hermes can query your keyword, SERP, competitor, and backlink data directly inside a chat
- Ships nine agent skills (keyword research, keyword clustering, competitor analysis, competitive landscape, link prospecting, local SEO, SEO audit, SEO coach, SEO project setup) that guide the agent through complete workflows
- Tracks organic and Google Maps rankings over time, and reads first-party Google Search Console and Analytics signals so an agent can see how its changes moved performance
- Audits a site for SEO performance with Lighthouse scans, and explores AI-search visibility so you can see how a brand shows up in LLM answers
- Self-hosts two ways: a Docker image for local testing, or an internet-facing Cloudflare deploy that runs on the free plan for a team
- Lets you fork the whole app and build your own SEO tool or custom skills on top, since it is MIT, not source-available

## What it can't do

- Match the raw data depth of Ahrefs or Semrush; it rides the DataForSEO index, and practitioners running both find DataForSEO surfaces fewer topics and backlinks on large sites
- Give you free data; you bring a paid DataForSEO key when self-hosting, or pay the hosted plan whose price includes a 28 percent markup on every DataForSEO request
- Run itself hands-off if you self-host internet-facing; the recommended Cloudflare path is real setup, and the team says Docker on Railway, Coolify, or Dokploy is not smooth yet
- Claim maturity; it is v0.1.x, backlinks and rank tracking landed after the first launch, and the roadmap is still filling in
- Replace a full analytics stack; the Google Search Console integration is basic, and heavy analysts still reach for BigQuery for the deep work
- Be trusted blind by an agent; the MCP hands over DataForSEO volumes as if they were ground truth, so a stale or thin number can steer an agent's plan unless you sanity-check it

---
Full review: https://10xgtm.ai/oss/openseo