OVERALL CONTROL / 0.6-customer-control
Grades and scoring
Data access
25% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Read interface 7.5/10
Structured API for the declared product scope
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Ahrefs returns keyword metrics for an explicit keyword set and country. These are provider observations, not an export of the underlying search database.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Bulk delivery 8.8/10
Batched or iterable API requests
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Submit declared keyword batches and retain the selected response rows. The response limit and billable fields constrain each extract.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Query expressiveness 8.8/10
Documented structured API filters
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Select fields, country and keyword inputs; supported where filters and ordering are endpoint-specific.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Ahrefs field selection and filters ↗
select, where and order_by · Checked 2026-10-22
Access cost barrier 5.0/10
Higher plan, separately licensed add-on or fixed recurring access fee
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Eligible paid plans include API units; noneligible accounts only receive limited free test queries. Most billable requests have a 50-unit minimum and usage can incur additional charges.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility and Plan limits · Checked 2026-10-22
Third-party accessibility
20% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Third-party eligibility 10.0/10
Customer authorization without discretionary provider approval
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Workspace owners or administrators create API keys. Send the key as a bearer token and set its usage limits before running billable queries.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
Downstream permission -
-
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Processing, AI-use, redistribution and other downstream contractual permissions were not settled by this technical review.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
External action
15% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Write interface 0.0/10
Assessed route is expressly read-only
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
The assessed keyword-data endpoint is GET-only; it does not mutate keyword metrics or customer projects.
Ahrefs API interface contract ↗
Requests: data endpoints use GET · Checked 2026-10-22
Custom application path 10.0/10
Customer applications using fixed APIs without provider selection
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
The documented interface can connect customer application code within its authorization and resource scope.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
Continuity
15% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Refresh mechanism 5.0/10
Scheduled feeds or recurring extracts
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Repeat the assessed collection traversal to reconcile current state. Native change delivery and retained replay were not established in this review.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Limit visibility 7.5/10
Numeric usage or polling guidance
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
The default request limit is 60/minute. Dynamic load throttling can also produce 429 independently of that count.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Rate limiting · Checked 2026-10-22
CDC and deletion capture 2.5/10
Full snapshots permit customer reconciliation; native deltas unverified
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Comparing saved keyword reports reveals observation differences. It does not identify deletions from the provider’s underlying index.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Replay and gap recovery 2.5/10
Rebuild from a fresh snapshot; no historical replay established
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Repeat the declared collection or export route to rebuild current state within its permissions and selection limits. Deleted payloads and intermediate history are unverified.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Data exit
20% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Export custody 7.5/10
Customer-held structured files or API records
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
The assessed structured payloads can be retained in customer-held files. Broader contractual reuse rights remain unresolved.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Post-cancellation access Disclosure
-
Disclosure only; does not reduce planned-exit credit.
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
The reviewed technical documentation does not establish retrieval rights after account termination.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
Planned migration fidelity 7.5/10
Portable structured records on documented routes; whole-product completeness unverified
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Retain the returned keyword metrics, country and observation timestamps. Saved reports do not reproduce Ahrefs’ search index or proprietary collection process.
Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗
GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limit · Checked 2026-10-22
Business logic and customization
5% of the overall score before applicability adjustment.
Scored answers and evidence
Logic authoring 2.5/10
External integration code; native business logic portability not established
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
External code can use this interface; native workflow portability was not established (API clients and native definitions are different artifacts).
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
Rights to custom logic -
-
Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded.
Ownership and reusable export rights for native workflow artifacts need a separate contractual review.
Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗
Eligibility, API keys and Basic usage · Checked 2026-10-22
Scores are out of 10. * Incomplete evidence discounts verified capabilities (unknown answers stay unknown). Planned migration drives data exit. Scoring method ↗
CUSTOMER CHOICE
Third-party accessibility
Workspace owners or administrators create API keys. Send the key as a bearer token and set its usage limits before running billable queries.
Confirm who can connect, who owns the credentials and which uses are permitted. Customer consent and provider approval can be separate requirements; the selected plan and contract still matter.
READ / INTEGRATE
API and export routes
Submit declared keyword batches and retain the selected response rows. The response limit and billable fields constrain each extract. Select fields, country and keyword inputs; supported where filters and ordering are endpoint-specific.
| Access route | Authentication | Credential owner | Provider approval | Access requirement | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country | API key | Customer | No | Customer-supplied credentials | 2026-10-22 |
Availability depends on your product, plan and agreement. See the documentation below for the requirements of each route.
ECONOMIC ACCESS
Cost, authentication and limits
Eligible paid plans include API units; noneligible accounts only receive limited free test queries. Most billable requests have a 50-unit minimum and usage can incur additional charges.
Check API entitlement, credential ownership and rate limits for the route you intend to use. Include review fees, customer-plan upgrades and ongoing access charges in the total.
ACT FROM OUTSIDE
External action
The assessed keyword-data endpoint is GET-only; it does not mutate keyword metrics or customer projects.
Validate the supported operation, acting identity and permission scope (read access does not imply write permission). Ambiguous retries and revoked credentials also affect whether an external workflow can run safely.
KEEP ACCESS USEFUL
Continuity
Repeat the assessed collection traversal to reconcile current state. Native change delivery and retained replay were not established in this review.
CDC, deletions and recovery
| Question | Answer / applicable route | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Can ongoing extraction identify updates and deleted records on the declared route? | Full snapshots permit customer reconciliation; native deltas unverifiedAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Comparing saved keyword reports reveals observation differences. It does not identify deletions from the provider’s underlying index. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| How can extraction recover after missed events or an interrupted consumer? | Rebuild from a fresh snapshot; no historical replay establishedAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Repeat the declared collection or export route to rebuild current state within its permissions and selection limits. Deleted payloads and intermediate history are unverified. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
Useful ongoing access includes corrections and deletions, not only the first export. A failed request, changed filter or lost resource permission should not be interpreted as a deleted record.
LEAVE WITH YOUR DATA
Data exit and portability
Retain the returned keyword metrics, country and observation timestamps. Saved reports do not reproduce Ahrefs’ search index or proprietary collection process.
Test the output against the destination’s required fields and history. Check stable identifiers, relationships, attachments and extraction time; a sample file proves only the coverage of that sample.
BUILD / INSPECT / REUSE
Business logic and customization
Customers can write external integration code. Native workflow rights and independent execution remain unresolved (record access does not establish portable application logic).
Custom API access, ownership of workflows and the right to export their definitions are separate questions. A custom-app capability alone does not establish that business rules can move to another system.
AGREEMENTS / API DOCS / PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Documented conditions
Answers below come from public provider materials. Every answer retains its source check date, scope (a partner agreement does not describe every customer route). Customer contracts and live behavior still need verification.
| Question | Answer / applicable route | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| What structured read interface is documented? | Structured API for the declared product scopeAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Ahrefs returns keyword metrics for an explicit keyword set and country. These are provider observations, not an export of the underlying search database. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| How can customers retrieve data in bulk? | Batched or iterable API requestsAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Submit declared keyword batches and retain the selected response rows. The response limit and billable fields constrain each extract. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What queries can a customer issue outside the provider UI? | Documented structured API filtersAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Select fields, country and keyword inputs; supported where filters and ordering are endpoint-specific. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 Ahrefs field selection and filters ↗select, where and order_byChecked 2026-10-22 |
| Who decides whether a chosen third party may connect? | Customer authorization without discretionary provider approvalAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Workspace owners or administrators create API keys. Send the key as a bearer token and set its usage limits before running billable queries. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What extra commercial condition applies to the routes supplying the assessed read capability, relative to the lowest paid plan? | Higher plan, separately licensed add-on or fixed recurring access feeAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Eligible paid plans include API units; noneligible accounts only receive limited free test queries. Most billable requests have a 50-unit minimum and usage can incur additional charges. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility and Plan limitsChecked 2026-10-22 |
| Which external write operations are documented? | Assessed route is expressly read-onlyAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. The assessed keyword-data endpoint is GET-only; it does not mutate keyword metrics or customer projects. | Ahrefs API interface contract ↗Requests: data endpoints use GETChecked 2026-10-22 |
| How can customers connect an application they build or choose? | Customer applications using fixed APIs without provider selectionAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. The documented interface can connect customer application code within its authorization and resource scope. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What mechanism supports repeatable extraction of changes? | Scheduled feeds or recurring extractsAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Repeat the assessed collection traversal to reconcile current state. Native change delivery and retained replay were not established in this review. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| How are integration limits disclosed? | Numeric usage or polling guidanceAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. The default request limit is 60/minute. Dynamic load throttling can also produce 429 independently of that count. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Rate limitingChecked 2026-10-22 |
| Where can a usable data copy be delivered? | Customer-held structured files or API recordsAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. The assessed structured payloads can be retained in customer-held files. Broader contractual reuse rights remain unresolved. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What retrieval rights are documented at cancellation? | -Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. The reviewed technical documentation does not establish retrieval rights after account termination. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
| How can customers define their own business logic? | External integration code; native business logic portability not establishedAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. External code can use this interface; native workflow portability was not established (API clients and native definitions are different artifacts). | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What rights or portability are documented for custom workflow artifacts? | -Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Ownership and reusable export rights for native workflow artifacts need a separate contractual review. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What usable data or native definitions can leave before cancellation? | Portable structured records on documented routes; whole-product completeness unverifiedAhrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Retain the returned keyword metrics, country and observation timestamps. Saved reports do not reproduce Ahrefs’ search index or proprietary collection process. | Ahrefs current v3 OpenAPI specification ↗GET /keywords-explorer/overview: keywords, country, select and limitChecked 2026-10-22 |
| What permission is needed for the documented downstream use? | -Ahrefs / v3 Keywords Explorer overview for an explicitly supplied keyword set and country; customer projects, underlying search indexes and other Ahrefs products are excluded. Processing, AI-use, redistribution and other downstream contractual permissions were not settled by this technical review. | Ahrefs API eligibility and key management ↗Eligibility, API keys and Basic usageChecked 2026-10-22 |
SOURCES / SCOPE / HISTORY
Sources and open questions
This review is based on the documentation below. Live account behavior and customer-specific agreements haven’t been tested.
Still to confirm
- Downstream contractual permissions and post-cancellation retrieval rights
- Complete migration of history, files, permissions and native workflow definitions
Documentation
Assessment checked 2026-10-22. Each answer retains its source and applicable route; the check date does not establish live account behavior.