Moz API free limit hit halfway through a donor list
You scored 400 of 1,500 candidates and the quota ran out. Here is how to finish the run without corrupting the sort order you already have.
SourceRanker editorial team ·
Do not splice two metrics
Domain Authority from Moz and Domain Rating from any other tool use different scales and crawls. If you score the first 400 rows with one and the rest with another, the sorted column means nothing.
Runbook for a stalled run
1
Save what you have
Export the 400 scored rows with their date. Add a column naming the tool. This costs a minute and saves an argument later.
2
Decide whether to restart or continue
For a list this size, restart on a single metric. The total cost on a per-call API is a fraction of a cent, so the sunk 400 rows are not worth the inconsistency.
3
Rescore the whole list on one source
Send all 1,500 rows to bulk_dr in one call. It costs 1 credit, since up to 2,000 domains fit in a call.
4
Keep Moz DA as a second opinion
For the 400 rows you do have, DA is still useful as a sanity check. If the two disagree by a lot, open that site by hand.
5
Wait for the quota only for the shortlist
When the quota resets, check the final 30 rows against Moz if a client expects DA in the report.
6
Write the date and the tool into the file name
Something like donors_bulk_dr_2026-10-29. Three weeks from now, nobody will remember which run was which, and monthly refreshes make dates matter.
Why the free limit is the wrong thing to optimise
People hunting for a Moz API free limit usually want the limit's size. We will not quote a figure, since Moz changes its plans and you should read the current page.
What matters is the shape. Free tiers are built for a handful of lookups per day or month, which suits a single site audit and fails on a donor list of thousands.
Alternatives to Moz exist at several price points. Ours is a prepaid link API: $100 free credit on sign-up, then USDT top-ups. A list of 1,500 domains needs a single bulk_dr call, while the starting credit is 1,000,000 credits. Plenty. The bulk recipe shows how to run it, and the reference lists every price.
Think about the second-order cost, too. Free tiers push you toward scoring only the domains you already like, because each lookup feels expensive. That bias is dangerous in a donor list, where the surprising row is often the useful one. A per-call price at $0.0001 removes the temptation to ration. You can score all 1,500 and even re-score after the October 2026 refresh, then compare which rows moved.
Troubleshooting a half-finished run
Symptom
Likely cause
Move
Quota error after a few hundred rows
Free tier cap reached
Stop, export, rescore on one metric
Scores look lower than last week
Different tool or different crawl
Never compare across tools
Some rows return nothing
Domain has too few known links
Flag them, check by hand
Run restarts and repeats rows
Script has no checkpoint
Write each batch to disk before the next
Client wants Domain Authority
Metric is Moz-specific
Use Moz for the final 30 only
Verdict
One metric per list, always
Finish the run on a tool whose allowance fits the list. Keep the second metric as a cross-check for the shortlist, and say in your notes which tool produced which column.