Same link graph depth. More endpoints. Actual free tier.
Majestic has no free API tier and charges ~£30/mo minimum. RankParse: 100 free requests, no card, credits that never expire.
TL;DR
Pricing at three volume tiers
Majestic has no free API option. RankParse's free tier covers 50 backlink lookups.
| Volume / mo | RankParse | Majestic |
|---|---|---|
| 1K requests | Free tier | ~£29.99/mo (min) |
| 10K requests | $49 (Growth pack) | ~£29.99/mo + overages |
| 100K requests | $299 (Scale pack) | Higher plan required |
Feature parity
| RankParse | Majestic | |
|---|---|---|
| Backlinks endpoint | ||
| Referring domains | ||
| Anchor text distribution | ||
| Domain authority / Trust Flow score | ||
| Top pages by backlinks | ||
| Tech stack detection | ||
| Page metadata (title, h1, desc) | ||
| MCP server for AI agents | ||
| No subscription required | ||
| Credits never expire | ||
| Free tier (no card) | ||
| Trust Flow / Citation Flow metrics | ||
| Topical Trust Flow |
Migration in 3 lines
Switch from Majestic's command-based API to a plain REST endpoint with an X-API-Key header.
# Majestic — requires paid plan (~£29.99/mo), API units expire monthly
curl "https://api.majestic.com/api/json?app_api_key=YOUR_KEY&cmd=GetIndexItemInfo&items=1&item0=stripe.com&datasource=fresh"
# RankParse — actual free tier, credits never expire
curl "https://api.rankparse.com/v1/backlinks?domain=stripe.com&limit=100" \
-H "X-API-Key: rp_your_key"
# Cost: 2 credits ($0.006 at Growth tier).When to stay with Majestic
Majestic is the right tool when:
- Your link quality workflow depends on Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics
- You use Topical Trust Flow for niche relevance scoring
- You need Majestic's Historic Index (5+ years of link data)
- You need continuous crawl freshness rather than quarterly snapshots
RankParse is the right tool when you need backlink and authority data via a simple REST API — without paying for metrics you don't use.
Common questions
How does Majestic's Trust Flow compare to RankParse's authority score?
Both measure link quality. Majestic Trust Flow is a proprietary metric based on their crawl and editorial link curation. RankParse Authority Score is computed from the full Common Crawl link graph. For most enrichment and scoring use cases, both signals work well. If your workflow depends specifically on Trust Flow or Citation Flow, Majestic is the right tool.
Does Majestic have a free tier?
Majestic has a limited free search tool on their website, but no free API tier. Their cheapest paid plan is ~£29.99/mo (~$38). RankParse gives 100 free API requests on signup with no credit card.
Do Majestic API units expire?
Majestic plans are monthly and the unit quota resets each billing cycle. Unused units are lost. RankParse credits never expire.
Is RankParse's auth simpler than Majestic?
Yes. Majestic uses a query-string API key with a custom command structure. RankParse uses a standard X-API-Key header and plain REST GET requests — the same pattern as Stripe, Twilio, and most modern APIs.
How current is RankParse's link data vs Majestic?
Majestic crawls continuously with two indexes: Fresh (90 days) and Historic. RankParse uses quarterly Common Crawl data — 3B+ pages. For programmatic enrichment and authority scoring, quarterly freshness covers the vast majority of use cases.
Same link data. No £30/mo minimum.
100 free requests. No credit card. API key in 30 seconds.
Get API key — free