Keyword Research MCP: 8 Servers Compared (2026)

A keyword research MCP server lets an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT pull live keyword data through the Model Context Protocol: search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, related keywords and the pages that rank, instead of guessing from memory. This page compares eight keyword research MCP servers: the data each returns, the plan it needs and what counts against your usage, from each vendor's own page on November 9, 2026.

Keyword research MCP servers compared

Server	Good fit for	Entry point	Usage counted in
Arvow MCP	Keyword research that ends in a published article	Solo plan, $39 a month billed yearly ($69 billed monthly)	Credits: 1 to 3 per research call
DataForSEO MCP	Raw SEO data, pay as you go	$50 minimum top-up	Dollars per API request
Ahrefs MCP	Teams already paying for Ahrefs	Lite plan, €119 a month	API units, with a row cap per request
Semrush MCP	Teams on a Semrush plan	Starter plan, €158.40 a month billed annually (€190 monthly)	API units
SE Ranking MCP	SEO and AI search data from one hosted server	€45 for 250,000 credits	API credits
Keywords Everywhere MCP	Low-cost volume and CPC lookups	$7 a month, billed annually at $84	Credits: 1 per keyword returned
Moz MCP (beta)	Small volumes on a fixed monthly bill	Moz API plans from $20 a month	Rows
Ranki MCP	Keyword research and rank tracking in one chat	Essential plan, $24.99 a month	API credits: 1 per query, 3 for a live SERP

Ahrefs, Semrush and SE Ranking showed euro prices to a visitor in Portugal, so they are quoted in euros. Every other price is in US dollars as listed.

Which keyword research MCP server fits your job

• You want the research to become articles on your site: Arvow. One connection researches, writes and publishes.
• You want raw data and no subscription: DataForSEO, billed per request from a prepaid balance.
• You already pay for Ahrefs, Semrush or SE Ranking: connect the server your plan includes first.
• You only need volume, CPC and related terms: Keywords Everywhere, at one credit per keyword.

The eight servers

1. Arvow MCP: keyword research next to the content it feeds

Arvow's MCP server is first because this is our page. It has 49 tools, and ten of them are SEO research tools. The keyword overview tool returns search volume, CPC, competition, difficulty and search intent for 1 to 20 keywords and costs 1 credit. Keyword ideas from up to five seed terms, related keywords and long-tail suggestions cost 2 credits a call and return up to 50 rows. A SERP call returns up to 20 organic results for 1 credit. For a domain, it lists ranking keywords and competitors at 2 credits a call and keyword gaps at 3.

The reason to pick it is what sits next to the data: the same connection schedules articles on your AutoBlog calendar and publishes them to a connected CMS.

Limits: every call runs under an Arvow project. A lookup stops at 20 keywords and a list at 50 rows, with no monthly trend history. Research calls draw on the same credits as articles, which cost 15 credits each, so it is not built for bulk data pulls. MCP access is listed from the Solo plan on arvow.com/pricing: $39 a month billed yearly, or $69 billed monthly, with 1,000 credits a month.

2. DataForSEO MCP: pay as you go, the whole API behind one server

DataForSEO runs a hosted MCP server that Claude and ChatGPT connect to with OAuth, and the same server runs locally with npx dataforseo-mcp-server. The current version on GitHub works differently from most: instead of one tool per report, the agent browses the DataForSEO API documentation and then makes authenticated API requests. Keyword data comes from Google Ads, Bing Ads and Google Trends.

The pricing page sets a $50 minimum top-up, says the balance never expires and gives new accounts $1 of trial credit that can be spent through MCP. Limits: each request is billed at that endpoint's API price, and prices differ by endpoint.

3. Ahrefs MCP: Keywords Explorer data on your Ahrefs plan

Ahrefs hosts a remote MCP server for the Lite plan and higher. Its keyword research tools cover keyword overview, volume by country and history, matching and related terms, and search suggestions. The pricing page lists Lite at €119 a month with 100 rows per MCP request, rising to 250 and 500 rows on Standard and Advanced.

Limits: MCP calls consume the same monthly API units as direct API usage, and a key created through OAuth defaults to 200,000 units a month. Ahrefs also states that calling the MCP endpoint from custom scripts is not permitted.

4. Semrush MCP: the Semrush API inside your AI tool

The Semrush MCP server gives an agent the Semrush SEO API, the Trends API and read-only project data. OAuth is the default sign-in, and there is an official Semrush app inside Claude. Semrush's documentation names four plans that include MCP with 50,000 API units, refreshed at renewal: Semrush One Starter, Semrush One Pro+, SEO Classic Pro and SEO Classic Guru. Its pricing page lists MCP access on the Starter plan, at €158.40 a month billed annually or €190 monthly.

Limits: every request spends API units, by report type and by the amount of data returned. Semrush One Advanced and SEO Classic Business need a separate API unit package, sold from 2 million units.

5. SE Ranking MCP: 180+ tools, included in every plan

SE Ranking's hosted MCP server exposes more than 180 SEO and AI search tools: keyword research, domain analysis, backlinks, site audits and AI search visibility. The page says MCP is included in every SE Ranking subscription and runs on the plan's API credits. Without a subscription, the API pricing page lists a 14-day trial with 100,000 credits and a Wallet at €45 for 250,000 credits that never expire.

Limits: how much you can pull depends on the API credits in your plan.

6. Keywords Everywhere MCP: one credit per keyword

The Keywords Everywhere MCP server returns search volume, CPC and competition, related keywords and People Also Search For terms, plus traffic estimates and backlink data for a domain. It uses the same API key and the same credits as the browser extension. The pricing page starts at $7 a month, billed annually at $84, for 100,000 credits a year.

Limits: every keyword returned costs a credit, so a wide related-keywords prompt adds up. Credits expire after one year.

7. Moz MCP: in beta on the Moz API

Moz says its MCP server is in beta for account owners with an eligible Moz API subscription. The paid plans, from $20 a month for 3,000 rows, are marked MCP beta enabled. The Moz API behind it returns keyword volume, difficulty, organic CTR and priority, search intent and related keyword suggestions.

Limits: it is a beta, usage is counted in rows, and the $20 plan has no overage option.

8. Ranki MCP: keyword research and rank tracking in one chat

Ranki's MCP server connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Codex with OAuth sign-in. Its tools cover keyword overview and keyword match, a SERP explorer, domain metrics, organic keywords, top pages and keyword gap, plus its site audit and trackers. Ranki says API and MCP access is included in every plan, starting with Essential at $24.99 a month.

Limits: keyword and competitor queries cost one API credit each and a live SERP costs three. Keyword clustering is available in the HTTP API only, not as an MCP tool.

What a keyword research MCP server costs

Connecting is rarely the cost. The data is. All eight servers meter usage, and each counts something different: credits, dollars per request, API units or rows. Ask for a set number of results ("give me 20 keyword ideas"), and let your AI client ask before each tool call until you know what a session spends.

How to do keyword research from ChatGPT or Claude with Arvow

1. In ChatGPT, create a custom connector with the URL https://api.arvow.com/mcp, choose OAuth and sign in. In Claude, add a connector with the MCP URL from your Arvow organization settings and your API key in an x-api-key header.
2. Ask: "Look up volume, difficulty and intent for these ten keywords in the US."
3. Then: "Find keywords my competitor ranks for that we do not, and schedule articles for the five with the lowest difficulty."

The full steps are on the Arvow MCP page. To call the same data from code, see our comparison of nine keyword research APIs. For your own site's queries, see the Google Search Console MCP comparison.

FAQ

What is a keyword research MCP server?

A connector that gives an AI assistant keyword tools through the Model Context Protocol. You ask in plain language, and the assistant calls the server for live search volume, difficulty, CPC and related keywords.

Is there a free keyword research MCP server?

Not with unlimited data. DataForSEO gives new accounts $1 of trial credit that works through MCP, and SE Ranking runs a 14-day trial with 100,000 credits. Arvow has no such tier: MCP access starts on the Solo plan.

Can ChatGPT do keyword research with MCP?

Yes. Arvow, DataForSEO, Keywords Everywhere and Ranki document a ChatGPT connection with OAuth sign-in, and Ahrefs, Semrush and SE Ranking each offer an app or connector for ChatGPT.

Is there a Google Keyword Planner MCP server?

Not as a ready-made tool. The Google Ads MCP server on GitHub lists tools for querying account data and managing assets and labels, and no keyword planning tool. DataForSEO sells search volume, CPC and competition data from Google Ads.