Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Google Search Console is free for anyone with a Google account, and there is no paid tier or premium version. Its API is free as well, within usage limits. The one place money can come in is the bulk data export to BigQuery: the export itself costs nothing, but Google Cloud charges for storage and queries above its free usage level. Using Search Console has no effect on how you rank.

What exactly is free?

• The web interface. Google's overview of Search Console calls it "a free service offered by Google". All reports and tools are included: performance data, URL Inspection, indexing reports, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals, links, removals and the rest.
• Properties. You can add up to 1,000 properties to one account.
• The API. Google's pricing page for the Search Console API says all use of the API is free of charge, but subject to usage limits.

What are the API limits?

The limits are generous for one site but matter for tools working across many. The published usage limits include:

• URL Inspection: 2,000 inspections per site per day and 600 per minute.
• Search Analytics: 1,200 queries per minute per site and per user.

There is also a limit on how much data comes back: the API returns the top rows rather than every row, which is why very large sites never see every query.

Does the BigQuery export cost money?

It can. The bulk data export sends your performance data to BigQuery every day. According to Google's bulk export help, you need a Google Cloud project with billing enabled, the data is subject to Google Cloud storage and query costs with a free usage level, and data accumulates indefinitely unless you set an expiry. The export starts from the day you set it up; it does not backfill earlier data. Check your usage in Google Cloud before it grows.

Does paying for something improve my rankings in Google?

No. Google states that it does not accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher, and you do not need Search Console at all to appear in Google's results. Search Console is free because it gives you a view of what Google already does with your site, plus a few tools to fix problems.

If it is free, why do people pay for SEO tools?

Search Console shows Google's data about your own site, one property at a time, as raw tables. Paid tools add things it does not offer: competitor and keyword research, data kept beyond 16 months, cross-site summaries, alerts and automation. Whether that is worth paying for depends on how many sites you manage and how much of the analysis you want done for you. See How does Google Search Console compare to Semrush? for one comparison.

How AutoPSEO helps

AutoPSEO is a paid tool built on top of the free Search Console data: it stores your history beyond 16 months, adds reports Search Console lacks and runs a content engine that turns your search data into articles. Plans are listed in US dollars on the pricing page, starting at $19 a month, with a 7-day trial. Search Console itself stays free, and AutoPSEO reads it with your permission (Connecting Search Console).