Moz API Free Limit 2026: What You Get and What It Costs

The Moz API free limit 2026 is 50 rows per month, throttled to one request every ten seconds, and Moz asks for no credit card to start. That allowance is enough to confirm how a response is shaped, but nowhere near enough to run a production pipeline. The number that matters more is how quickly one call can burn through those 50 rows.

Moz built the Domain Authority metric, and the API is the programmatic door into the same index. You can pull Domain Authority, Page Authority, Spam Score, Brand Authority, link counts, linking domains, anchor text, ranking keywords and keyword metrics without opening a dashboard. Everything arrives through a JSON-RPC 2.0 endpoint.

This guide covers what the free tier includes, what each paid tier returns, how rows are metered per endpoint, and how to stretch a small allowance. It also compares the API with the Moz Pro dashboard and with browser-based cloud access through Toolsurf.

What Is the Moz API and How Does the Free Tier Work?

The official product name is The Moz API, also marketed as the Moz Links API or the Moz Data API. Older material still calls it the Mozscape API. Moz created the Domain Authority metric, and this endpoint exposes that data for automation rather than for browsing.

It is deliberately separate from the Moz Pro web app. Moz’s own FAQ states that there is no paid access included in the Moz Pro subscription, so API rows and dashboard seats are two separate purchases.

Requests are authenticated with an x-moz-token header, and OAuth or a Bearer token is also accepted. The same token works across the Data endpoints and the separate Moz Local listings endpoints.

What a Row Actually Means

A row is Moz’s unit of API request cost rather than a count of URLs. In most endpoints each object inside a multi-object result counts as one row, yet some endpoints consume more than one row per object. Two calls that look similar on paper can therefore cost very different amounts.

A single URL metrics lookup is cheap. A ranking keywords call that returns fifty keywords is not. Because the free plan includes 50 rows per calendar month, one ambitious call can wipe out the entire allowance.

The 10-Second Throttle on the Free Plan

Free access is capped at one request every ten seconds. Reviewers describe that rate limit as severe and say it leaves the plan useful for little more than a smoke test. Moz itself frames the free tier as enough to confirm the shape of a response.

Combine the throttle with the monthly row cap and the free plan becomes a sandbox rather than a data source. Any real workflow, whether it is a weekly link audit or a monthly keyword refresh, eventually needs paid rows.

What Data the Moz API Returns

The API is broader than a single authority score, and every field is available programmatically. Its index covers 45.5 trillion links across 1 billion domains, 1.25 billion monthly keyword volumes, 800 million keyword suggestions, 25 billion historical SERPs and 440 million SERPs collected each month.

Site and Link Metrics

You can request Domain Authority, Page Authority, Spam Score, link propensity and link counts for a single URL or for a batch. Brand Authority is available at domain level, along with linking-domain distributions by DA and DA histories over time.

Link endpoints return the links pointing at a target, with filters for anchor text or for the linking domain. Link Intersect surfaces the competitor gap, and Link Status checks whether a page still links to a target.

Keyword and Ranking Data

Ranking endpoints return the keywords a domain, subfolder or page ranks for in the top 50, along with position, volume and difficulty. You can also pull keyword counts, top pages by authority, anchor-text profiles and organic search competitors.

Keyword research endpoints return volume, difficulty, organic CTR as an opportunity score, priority and search intent. Related keyword suggestions come from the same call, and the most recently collected SERP is available per keyword.

Utility Calls and Quota Management

Three utility methods keep a project honest. QuotaLookup reports remaining rows, MetadataIndexFetch returns the current index ID, and AsyncCallLookup collects long-running results later. Global endpoints also expose the top ranking domains and top pages across the whole Moz index.

Moz API Free Limit 2026: What 50 Rows Actually Buy You

Because rows are charged per returned object, the free allowance disappears at very different speeds depending on the endpoint you call. The documented row costs show exactly where those 50 rows go.

Row Costs by Endpoint

• Fetching site metrics for a single URL costs one row.
• Keyword metrics cost one row per returned value, up to five rows per call.
• Listing ranking keywords costs one row for every keyword returned.
• Listing linking domains costs one row for every domain returned.
• Related keyword suggestions cost one row per suggestion returned.
• Fetching a SERP costs 15 rows for that single call.
• Link Intersect costs one row per result, multiplied by the number of domains in the request.

A ranking keywords call that returns fifty keywords spends the entire monthly allowance in one request. The SERP endpoint is comparatively expensive as well, because 15 rows disappear before you read a single result.

The table below summarises what the free tier includes and what it leaves out.

Moz API Pricing Tiers in 2026: Starter, Growth, Advanced and Enterprise

Moz publishes five tiers, all quoted in US dollars per month at the time of writing (October 2026). No annual API rate appears on the pricing page, so monthly billing is the only published option.

Beta API methods require the Starter tier or above, so free access excludes them entirely. Moz also added MCP beta bonus rows across the paid plans, from 150 and 750 on Starter through to 400,000 on Advanced, and included on Enterprise.

Moz launched an official hosted, read-only Model Context Protocol server in beta, exposing 28 tools and working in Claude, ChatGPT and Claude Code. It requires a Moz Data API subscription rather than Moz Pro, and only the account owner can connect while the server stays in beta.

One more change affects budgeting. From 1 October 2026, search intent became a default and billed part of the keyword metrics call instead of an opt-in extra.

Limits Beyond Rows: Tracking, Coverage and Reporting Gaps

Row caps are only part of the picture, because the API is a snapshot service. Moz support states plainly that the API does not let you track things over the long term or generate reports for you. Every call reflects the index at the moment of the request.

• There are no saved campaigns, no rank-tracking history and no scheduled reports inside the API.
• Ranking keyword lists stop at the top 50 positions, so deeper position questions stay unanswerable.
• Moz publishes no site audit endpoint in the API at all.
• There is no full real-time SERP scraping, and the focus stays on authority and keyword data.
• Free access excludes beta methods, which need a paid Starter tier or above.

What Moz Pro Adds That the API Does Not

The Moz Pro dashboard is a separate subscription with its own pricing: Starter at $49/month, Standard at $99/month, Medium at $179/month and Large at $299/month, with roughly 20% off on annual billing. One review reports a 7-day free trial that unlocks full Medium access. Read the Moz Pro overview before assuming the API replaces it.

Moz Pro also added AI visibility tracking in 2026. Medium includes 100 tracked prompts per month and Large includes 200, with extras at $50 per 100. AI Visibility Dashboards are 2 on Medium and 4 on Large, with extras at $20 each per month, and AI Content Briefs arrive in packages of 2, 10 and 50.

How to Stretch the Free Allowance: A Step-by-Step Setup

The free plan rewards discipline rather than volume. A short setup sequence keeps a test inside 50 rows while still producing genuinely useful answers.

A Six-Step Free-Tier Setup

1. Create a Moz account and generate an API token, because the free plan needs no credit card.
2. Send one test request and confirm the token works as an x-moz-token header or as a Bearer token.
3. Call QuotaLookup first, since it shows the rows remaining before you commit to a larger request.
4. Call MetadataIndexFetch and record the index ID, so you know which index produced your numbers.
5. Test every new endpoint against a single URL before pointing it at a list of domains.
6. Log the rows you spend in a simple sheet and stop when the monthly total approaches 50.

Practical Tips for Stretching Rows

• Cache responses locally, because the Moz index does not refresh as fast as you might poll it.
• Reserve the SERP endpoint for final validation, since each call costs 15 rows.
• Use Link Intersect sparingly and keep the domain list short, because cost multiplies by domains.
• Collect keyword ideas with a browser tool such as Keyword Tool Pro instead of spending rows on suggestions.
• Line up a paid tier or a daily cloud-access plan before the free allowance runs dry mid-project.

Async calls help as well, because AsyncCallLookup collects results later rather than holding a connection open. That matters when a plan allows only one request every ten seconds.

Moz API Alternatives and Complementary Tools Compared

The Moz API is one route into link and keyword data, and it is not the only one. The right choice depends on whether you need automation, a dashboard or simple browser access to several tools at once.

Rank-tracking platforms fill the gap the API deliberately leaves open. Authority Labs and Advanced Web Ranking both specialise in scheduled position tracking, which the Moz API does not attempt. If you are weighing vendors, this breakdown of Authority Labs pricing shows what a pure tracking subscription costs.

Keyword platforms cover a different gap, since volume, difficulty and intent data each consume rows here. Toolsurf members reach premium SEO dashboards through 1-Click Cloud Access at $2/Day, backed by 99.9% uptime and no browser extension to install.

Pros & Cons of the Moz API in 2026

Who Should Use the Moz API in 2026?

Developers Building Internal SEO Dashboards

Developers get row-metered authority data without scraping anything, and the JSON-RPC format fits most stacks. Budget rows by expected result size, and keep QuotaLookup inside your monitoring so a batch job cannot drain the account overnight.

SEO Agencies Managing Many Client Domains

Agencies can pull DA, PA and linking-domain data into client reporting at scale, but the API produces no reports of its own. Many teams pair it with a rank-tracking platform, and comparison reads such as Moz Pro vs Raven Tools help narrow the dashboard decision.

Affiliate and Content Teams Screening Domains

Anyone checking hundreds of domains for Spam Score or authority gains real speed from the API. The free tier will not stretch that far, so plan a paid tier or a daily cloud-access plan rather than queueing hundreds of calls at one request every ten seconds.

Solo Marketers on a Tight Budget

Solo operators rarely need an API at all. If the goal is simply to use premium SEO tools every day without row accounting, a $2/Day cloud-access plan removes the metering problem entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – The Moz API in 2026

How many rows does the Moz API free plan include?

The free plan includes 50 rows per month at no cost, and Moz does not require a credit card. Rows measure request cost rather than the number of URLs you query. A single ranking keywords call returning fifty keywords can consume the whole monthly allowance, so treat the free tier as a testing quota rather than a working one.

What is the exact Moz API free limit 2026 users should plan around?

Officially it is 50 rows per month with one request every ten seconds and no credit card. The practical ceiling is lower than 50 lookups, because keyword metrics cost one row per returned value and a SERP call costs 15 rows. One broad request can exhaust the allowance completely.

Does the Moz API come with a Moz Pro subscription?

No. Moz’s own FAQ states that there is no paid access included in the Moz Pro subscription, so the API and the dashboard are billed separately. Moz Pro starts at $49/month for its Starter tier, while API plans start at $20/month for 3,000 rows. Budget for both if you need automation and campaigns.

What do the paid Moz API tiers cost in 2026?

Starter runs from $20 to $75/month for 3,000 to 15,000 rows, and Growth runs from $125 to $500/month for 50,000 to 500,000 rows. Advanced starts at $2,000/month for 4 million rows, and Enterprise terms are custom. Overage rates are published for every tier except Enterprise.

Can I track rankings over time with the Moz API?

Not directly. The API returns snapshots of the current index, and Moz support confirms it does not track things over the long term or generate reports for you. There are no saved campaigns, no rank-tracking history and no scheduled reports. Ranking keyword lists also stop at the top 50 positions.

Does the Moz API have a site audit endpoint?

No. Moz publishes no site audit endpoint in the API at all, so crawl-based technical checks are not available through this product. Teams that need audits rely on the Moz Pro dashboard or a separate crawler. The API concentrates on authority metrics, links, ranking keywords and keyword data instead.

What is the Moz Data MCP server?

It is an official hosted, read-only Model Context Protocol server in beta that exposes 28 tools and works in Claude, ChatGPT and Claude Code. It requires a Moz Data API subscription rather than Moz Pro. Paid tiers receive MCP beta bonus rows, and only the account owner can connect while it remains in beta.

Is the free Moz API tier enough for a small project?

Only for testing. With 50 rows per month and a ten-second throttle, the free tier is best used to confirm response shapes and authentication. Small ongoing projects either buy the $20 Starter rung or use browser-based access, which avoids row metering entirely.

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