17.7k stars · MIT · v0.1.7 (2026-09-02) · Track this in Rising ↗
Self-hostable SEO workbench (keywords, rank tracking, audits, AI visibility) with an MCP server. Free Ahrefs/Semrush alternative.
Radar check
What we found when we opened it. Every bar is one fact, with its date.
Last code pushed 25 Oct 2026, 2 days before this check.
Latest release v0.1.16 on 25 Oct 2026.
Public since February 2026, 8 months.
24,973 stars and 3,410 forks.
472 commits and 104 new issues in the last 90 days.
20 contributors. 17 pull requests merged in 90 days.
A security policy says how to report a problem. No published security advisories.
How the bars are scored
- Alive. Days since the last code push: a week or less 100, a month 90, three months 70, six months 50, a year 30, eighteen months 15, older 0.
- Releases. Age of the latest GitHub release, on a similar scale; no bar when the project publishes no releases.
- Maturity. Age of the project: eight years 100, five 90, three 70, two 55, one 40, six months 25, younger 10.
- Adoption. Stars on a log scale: 100,000 stars is 100, 10,000 is 80, 1,000 is 60, 100 is 40.
- Activity. Commits in the last 90 days: 300 or more 100, 100 85, 30 65, 10 45, any 25.
- Community. People who have contributed: 100 or more 100, 30 80, 10 60, 5 40, 2 25, one 10.
- Security. A published security policy 80, none 40; published advisories are listed, not scored.
Checked by Repo Radar on 26 Oct 2026 from the repository on GitHub. Covered in Edition 2.
▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install
What it does
It covers keyword research, rank tracking, competitor comparison, backlink analysis, site audits and AI visibility in one application. The data behind all of that comes from one named provider, DataForSEO, and the README is explicit that the key is the reader's own and the provider bills them directly. It ships an MCP server, so an assistant can ask it questions instead of a person clicking through screens, and it ships prebuilt agent skills with the option of writing more. Two install routes are documented: Docker for a machine of one's own, and Cloudflare for anything reachable over the internet, which the README says works on the free plan. It also names three other hosting services and says making them simpler is work for the coming months. What it does not do is run without that provider key, and the Docker route ships with its own sign-in switched off.
Why it matters
Who it suits. Anyone paying a monthly subscription for this kind of tool and not using most of it, since paying per request instead usually costs less. The MCP server is the real reason to look: a question asked in plain words beats learning another dashboard that nobody opens. Skip it if there is no appetite for an account with the data provider, and skip it if the site is small enough that a free rank check once a month is enough.
Verdict. Worth an evening, with one deployment detail that must not be missed. The documented Docker route runs with the application's own authentication disabled, and the guide says plainly to expose it only behind a proxy that does the authenticating, a private network or a tunnel. A copy of this left open on the internet is somebody else's workbench billed to the reader's provider account. Beyond that, the project is in good order: MIT, read from the file, copyright 2026, with release v0.1.12 on 8 October 2026 and code on the same day. It is still a 0.1.x release, so breaking changes should be expected, and the open pull requests outnumber the open issues, 141 against 99, which usually means a project taking contributions faster than it can review them. The hosted version costs ten dollars a month and adds a stated 28 per cent markup on each provider request, which makes the self-installed route the cheaper one by design.
Summary (Key Points)from the README
Key features
- MCP server and agent skills: AI agents such as Claude Code, OpenClaw and Hermes can use your SEO data directly, and you can build your own reusable skills.
- Six SEO workflows: Keyword research, rank tracking, competitor insights, backlinks, site audits and AI visibility.
- Pay-as-you-go data: You bring your own DataForSEO API key and pay only for what you use.
- Two self-hosting paths: Docker on your own server or computer, or a deploy to your own Cloudflare account.
- Free Cloudflare option: The Cloudflare deploy works on the free plan and needs no server to run.
- Team accounts: The first visitor creates the admin account, and teammates join through invitation links.
- Optional Cloudflare Access: Cloudflare checks every request before it reaches OpenSEO.
- Forkable codebase: The README encourages forking and vibe coding a custom tool.
Ways to install
| Platform or method | What it needs | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Docker (self-hosted) | Your own server or computer, a prebuilt image, and a Compose-based platform if you use one such as Coolify, Portainer or Dokploy | Prebuilt image, described as ready in seconds |
| Cloudflare (self-hosted) | Your own Cloudflare account, which can be on the free plan | One deploy command |
| Hosted version | Sign-up on the OpenSEO website; the README says a trial is free and a hosted subscription is $10/month | No setup described |
Important
- DataForSEO key required: You need a DataForSEO API key to get any SEO data, and you pay DataForSEO directly when self-hosting.
- Hosted pricing markup: The README says the hosted service charges 28% extra on every DataForSEO request, and that self-hosted costs will be slightly lower than the website estimates.
- "No subscriptions" caveat: The Why section says there are no subscriptions, but the hosted version has a $10/month subscription option.
- No-sign-in mode is for protected networks: Running Docker without sign-in is meant for setups behind Tailscale, a private network or your own authenticating proxy.
- Older image: The single-container image still gets updates, but the README recommends moving to the new setup, including data.
- Local development: Setup details are in a separate document, docs/LOCAL_DEVELOPMENT.md, and were not covered in the README.
Written by an AI model from the project’s README; not part of the review, and it can be wrong.
- MIT, read from the file, with no per-seat pricing and no paid edition carved out of the code.
- An MCP server and prebuilt agent skills, so the questions can be asked in plain words rather than clicked.
- Paid per request through the reader's own provider account instead of a flat monthly subscription, and release v0.1.12 landed on 8 October 2026.
- The documented Docker route disables the application's own sign-in, so it must sit behind something that authenticates.
- Version 0.1.12: young software, with 141 pull requests open against 99 issues.
- The search data is not free. A paid provider key is required, and the project cannot control what that provider charges.
git clone https://github.com/every-app/open-seo.git cd open-seo cp .env.example .env # set DATAFORSEO_API_KEY docker compose up -d
