Ahrefs Charged Us $249 to Check 500 Keywords. Zapier Charged Another $299 to Parse the JSON

Description and use

Automated SEO pipelines became expensive due to Ahrefs and Zapier billing models. Switching to Mangools and Make.com cut annual spend from $6,996 to $928, saving $6,068.

Problem

Automated SEO and CRM pipelines were unexpectedly expensive due to per-task billing models in Ahrefs and Zapier.

Outcome

Annual SaaS spend dropped from $6,996 to $928, an 81.8% reduction, while maintaining all keyword and webhook functionality.

Workflow

• Audit existing pipeline cost
• Identify high‑cost components (Ahrefs credits, Zapier tasks)
• Select Mangools for keyword lookup and SERP data
• Select Make.com for workflow execution
• Re‑architect keyword research and webhook logic
• Validate no loss of metrics or executions
• Calculate new cost and savings

Evidence

Ahrefs Standard Plan (500 base credits + overage block): $284/mo

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Zapier Team Plan (50,000 task tier for 30k multi-step loops): $299/mo

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Total Monthly SaaS Burn: $583/mo ($6,996/year)

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Mangools Juicy (KWFinder + SERPWatcher) ($49/mo)

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Make.com Core/Pro Scenarios ($28.33/mo for 40k ops)

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Re-architecting our keyword research and webhook pipelines took one afternoon and saved $6,068 per year in recurring SaaS overhead

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