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I built a $9 Ahrefs alternative because raw SEO data is cheap

I built a $9 Ahrefs alternative because raw SEO data is cheap

by harryfelio·Apr 5, 2026·2 points·0 comments

AI Analysis

MidShip It

Yet another SEO tool competing with Ahrefs and Semrush on price alone.

Strengths
  • Lean cost structure enables $9/month pricing vs $100+ enterprise tools
  • No card required for 3 free credits monthly lowers friction
  • Focuses on core 5% of features most users actually need
Weaknesses
  • Crowded category with established players offering far more data depth
  • No clear technical moat beyond cheaper data sourcing
Category
Target Audience

Indie hackers, solo devs, small business owners doing their own SEO

Similar To

Ahrefs · Semrush · Ubersuggest

Post Description

Like many solo devs and indie hackers, I was paying $100+/mo for enterprise SEO tools (Ahrefs, Semrush) but only using about 5% of their features. I really just needed basic keyword research, SERP difficulty analysis, and simple rank tracking.

I wanted to see what the actual floor was for raw SEO data if you stripped away the fluff and enterprise bloat.

I spent the last few months wiring together different data sources to find out. I got my costs down to a few cents per report and because the data is so cheap to fetch on-demand, I packaged it into a minimalist tool which strictly focuses on the essential elements of SEO:

A keyword analyzer which pulls the top 10 search results, audits them, and flags weak spots (like low DA sites or forums like Reddit) to calculate a realistic difficulty score, a keyword finder which generates hundreds of scored long-tail variations, and a rank tracker with email notifications.

Because the costs on my end are so lean, I don't need to charge $100/mo - so I set up a "Hobbyist" tier at $9/mo which more or less covers data costs and gives you 100 deep searches a month.

If you want to poke around the UI or test the data accuracy, new accounts get 3 free credits every month (no card required). I'd love brutally honest feedback on the UX / if you could see yourself doing keyword research with it.

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