Product / Bring your own keys
An SEO tool that runs on your own API keys, at the provider's price.
SerpDad is an SEO tool where you bring your own API keys: one for DataForSEO and one for your AI provider. Providers bill you directly. SerpDad shows a cost estimate before every run, respects your spend limits, and never resells provider usage.
Our run of 1,797 keywords cost $13.10 in provider fees.
Most SEO tools resell credits. So you never see what the work costs.
Credits hide the price
A plan includes a bundle of credits. You can't tell what one SERP or one brief actually costs.
The markup is the business
When the tool resells usage, more usage means more margin. Its incentives are not yours.
Limits arrive mid-project
The credits run out halfway through a plan, and the next tier costs double.
How bring your own keys works. Two keys, an estimate, then the run.
Add a DataForSEO key and one AI provider key
DataForSEO supplies the top 10 results and search volumes. Your AI provider reads results and writes briefs and drafts: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Z.AI or Moonshot.
SerpDad checks each key live
A free or near-free check runs when you save a key, and again each night. A run can't be approved until both keys pass.
Read the estimate before anything runs
One line per spending step, your DataForSEO balance, and your monthly cap after the run. Then you approve it, or you don't.
The real numbers. What our own run cost.
| Line | Provider | Actual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Top 10 results (SERP fetch) | DataForSEO | $0.83 |
| Keyword data | DataForSEO | $10.42 |
| Page classification | AI provider | $1.67 |
| Briefs | AI provider | $0.18 |
| Total | Both | $13.10 |
Reuse is free. Results already fetched in your workspace in the last 30 days are reused at no cost. Our run reused 408 SERPs from cache. The estimate shown before it ran was $4.32 to $14.77.
Spend controls. Three guards, set once per workspace.
Monthly spend cap
A suggested $50.00 a month. A run that would pass the cap pauses. Owners and Admins get an email at 50% and 90%.
Owner approval line
A run estimated above $25.00 by default waits for an Owner or Admin to approve it.
Low-balance pause
If your DataForSEO balance drops below $2.00, the run pauses and asks you to top up. It resumes without paying twice.
Don't trust us. Inspect our own run.
From our own run on serpdad.com
What it won't do. It never resells provider usage.
SerpDad makes money from one thing: the plan, priced per workspace. It never adds a markup to provider fees, and it never falls back to its own key for your work. Data bought with your key stays in your workspace.
Keys are encrypted and write-only. After you save one, the app only shows the provider, the last 4 characters and its status. Replacing or deleting a key asks for your password again.
Step-by-step setup: DataForSEO key, AI provider key.
Questions and answers.
Can't find the answer? Email us.
Why do I need my own keys?
So you pay each provider its own price with no markup, and see the real cost of every run. SerpDad never resells provider usage and never falls back to its own key for your work.
Which keys do I need?
A DataForSEO key and one AI provider key: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Z.AI or Moonshot. Ahrefs, Search Console and Spiral are optional.
How much will a run cost?
You see an estimate before anything runs. Our run of 1,797 keywords was estimated at $4.32 to $14.77 and cost $13.10 in provider fees.
How do I stop a run from overspending?
Set a monthly spend cap and an owner approval line per run. SerpDad also pauses when your DataForSEO balance drops below $2.00. Set a limit at each provider too.
How are my keys stored?
Encrypted and write-only. After you save a key, the app shows only the provider, the last 4 characters and its status. Keys never appear in logs, emails or links.
You pay providers directly.
Run your first 1,000 keywords free.
Your first plan is free up to 1,000 keywords, with briefs for the top 5 pages. No card needed.