Surfer
Free trialContent editor and AI search tracker that scores drafts against the pages Google and ChatGPT favor.
Best for content teams and agencies that write to rank in Google and want to see how ChatGPT and Gemini mention their brand
Facts checked November 4, 2026
The short answer
Surfer compares each draft with the pages that already rank for your keyword and gives your writers a list of terms, headings and a target length, plus a Content Score that moves as they type. Its AI tracker runs the questions your buyers ask in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers and shows how often your brand comes up. It suits teams that publish and refresh articles every week, because briefs, writing, audits of old posts and AI visibility sit in one app. It lists no backlink research and sells full rank tracking as an add-on, the smaller plans cap documents tightly (Standard and Pro include 360 a year), and the trial asks for a card.
Choose it if
- Your writers need a clear target for every article: the terms to use, the headings to cover and a score to reach before they hand it in
- You want to know whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews name your brand, and which sources they cite when they name a competitor
- You refresh old posts and want Search Console data to flag pages that slipped in the rankings, with a weekly email of quick wins
- Your team drafts in Google Docs or WordPress and wants Surfer's guidelines next to the text instead of in another tab
- You write for several brands and need separate brand workspaces and up to five seats on one plan (Pro)
Skip it if
- You need backlink research or daily rank tracking for hundreds of keywords, since Surfer lists no link data and sells its rank tracker as a separate add-on
- You publish a handful of articles a year: there is no free plan, and the smallest plan (Discovery) still bills for 120 documents a year
- You want to try it without a card: the 7-day Pro trial takes billing details and starts the paid plan unless you cancel
- You need the API on a mid-priced plan, because Surfer lists API access only on Peace of Mind and Enterprise
- You pay by PayPal, which Surfer does not accept
Main features
Content Editor and Content Score
Enter a keyword and Surfer reads the pages that rank for it, then lists the terms, headings, word count and images your draft should include. The Content Score updates as you write, so a writer can see when an article is ready.
Surfy writing assistant
Ask Surfy to rephrase, expand or back up a passage while you work in the editor, and set a custom voice so its edits match your tone. Surfer AI can also write a full article in 29 languages, and each one counts toward your document allowance.
One-click optimization and internal links
A single button adds missing terms and sections to lift the Content Score of a draft or an old post. From the Pro plan up, Internal Linking scans your site and inserts links to your own pages with suggested anchor text.
AI Tracker
Add the prompts your buyers type and Surfer runs them in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, then reports a Visibility Score, mention rate and average position. Mention Gap lists the sites that AI answers cite for a competitor but not for you.
Content Audit
Connect Google Search Console and Content Audit shows each page's position, clicks and Content Score, flags ranking drops, and sends a weekly email with the pages most worth updating.
Topical Map
Topical Map groups keywords into clusters, shows how well you and your competitors cover each one, and turns a chosen topic into an article outline. A rebuilt version based on search intent and your brand was in closed beta in October 2026.
Humanizer and plagiarism check
The Humanizer rewrites stiff AI-written passages, up to 50,000 words a month on plans with AI features. The plagiarism checker runs before you publish and is listed from the Standard plan up.
WordPress plugin and Google Docs
The free WordPress plugin shows the same Content Editor inside WordPress and exports drafts with their images, and Surfer's Chrome extension brings the guidelines into Google Docs for writers who work there.
MCP server
Connect Surfer to ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant that supports MCP and the assistant can plan, score and edit content with live Surfer data. MCP left beta in October 2026 and is listed on AI Search Analytics, Pro and higher plans.
Keyword Surfer extension
A free Chrome extension that shows search volume, cost per click and related keyword ideas on Google's results page, with data for 70 countries.
Pricing
US dollar prices checked November 4, 2026, per month on yearly billing, as Surfer states them on its own Surfer vs Semrush comparison page. The pricing page sets the currency by the visitor's country and showed euros from our server, and we could not confirm US prices for month-to-month billing, so check surfer.ai/pricing for those. Yearly plans are charged in full at purchase, and unused documents do not roll over.
Discovery
$49 / month, billed yearly
120 documents a year (10 a month on monthly billing), 10 tracked pages, 1 seat, 1 brand workspace, Surfy assistant and Humanizer, no AI prompt tracking
AI Search Analytics
$82 / month, billed yearly
AI visibility tracking only: 50 prompts refreshed daily across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, mention gap and sentiment, 5 brand workspaces, 5 seats, MCP; no documents
Standard
$99 / month, billed yearly
360 documents a year (30 a month on monthly billing), 25 ChatGPT prompts refreshed weekly, 50 tracked pages, 3 seats, plagiarism checker, rank drop alerts, WordPress and Google Docs
Pro
$182 / month, billed yearly
Everything in Standard, plus 50 prompts refreshed daily across all tracked AI models, 200 tracked pages, 5 seats, 5 brand workspaces, internal linking, cannibalization report, 10 custom templates, Contentful, MCP
Peace of Mind
$299 / month, billed yearly
Everything in Pro, plus 100 daily prompts, unlimited documents under a fair-use cap of 500 a month, 500 tracked pages, 10 seats, API, Zapier, SERP Analyzer, personal onboarding and a success manager
Enterprise
Custom / year
Custom limits, SSO, white-label, advisory program and priority support
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use Surfer, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to Surfer
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Semrush | You need keyword, backlink and rank-tracking databases in the same subscription as your content tools | Free |
| Wordze | You run a blog or Shopify store and want keyword research, AI drafts and one-click publishing for $10 a month billed yearly | $10 a month (Solo, bille... |
| SERPed.net | You are an agency that needs rank tracking, backlink checks, site audits and white-label PDF reports more than a writing editor | $7 for the first 30 days... |
| Jasper | Brand voice across email, ads and social copy matters more to you than scoring articles against search results | $59 a month per seat (Pr... |
Questions people ask
Is there a free version of Surfer?
There is no free plan. Surfer offers free tools on its site, including the Keyword Surfer Chrome extension, an AI detector, an AI humanizer and a one-off AI visibility audit. New accounts can try the Pro plan for 7 days, but you enter card details at checkout and the paid plan starts when the trial ends unless you cancel first.
Is Surfer SEO the same product as Surfer?
Yes. Surfer used to trade as Surfer SEO at surferseo.com, which now redirects to surfer.ai, and the app and help center still use the surferseo.com address. The company behind it is Surfer Sp. z o.o. in Wrocław, Poland, and the site lists Surfer among the products of Positive, a group that also runs User, Signitic and Iconosquare.
How is Surfer priced?
As of November 4, 2026, Surfer's own site lists Discovery at $49 a month, AI Search Analytics at $82, Standard at $99, Pro at $182 and Peace of Mind at $299, all billed yearly and charged up front. Enterprise is priced on request. Paying month to month costs more (yearly billing saves up to 17%), and the pricing page shows prices in your local currency, so check it for the monthly rate.
What counts as a document, and do unused ones roll over?
Each Content Editor you create counts as one document, whether you write it yourself or have Surfer AI draft it. Yearly plans get the full year's allowance at purchase, and unused documents do not carry into the next year or survive a plan change. Peace of Mind is unlimited under a fair-use cap of 500 documents a month.
Can I get a refund on a yearly Surfer plan?
Surfer's terms say a prepaid yearly plan is not refundable when you cancel. You can ask support to recalculate the fee based on the months you have started or the limits you have used, whichever is higher, and Surfer refunds the difference if it accepts the request. On monthly plans you pay for the month in which you cancel.
Which languages does Surfer support?
The Content Editor's guidelines work in any language, and Surfer AI writes articles in 29, including German, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Arabic, Hebrew and Maltese are not available for AI writing. The app's interface is in English, Polish and French.
Does Surfer track rankings and backlinks?
Surfer tracks positions for the pages you add to Content Audit and alerts you to ranking drops, using Search Console data. A full rank tracker is a separate add-on, and Surfer's plans list no backlink research, so you would pair it with a tool such as Semrush or Ahrefs for link data.
Sources we checked 24
- surfer.ai/pricing for plans, prompt, document, page, seat and workspace limits, monthly and yearly billing, 17% yearly saving, payment methods, credits reset, cancellation, company address checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/compare/surfer-vs-semrush for US dollar prices per month on yearly billing for every self-serve plan (page FAQ) checked November 4, 2026
- surferseo.com for redirect from the old domain to surfer.ai checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai for product description, customer count claim, Positive group header checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/integrations for integrations: Keyword Surfer, Contentful, ChatGPT, Jasper, Zapier, Google Docs, WordPress, API checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/content-editor for Content Editor, Content Score, Surfy, custom voice, internal linking, Humanizer, plagiarism check, collaboration, WordPress plugin checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/ai-tracker for AI Tracker models, Visibility Score, mention rate, average position, Sources and Mention Gap checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/content-audit for Content Audit with Search Console, ranking drop alerts, weekly email checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/topical-map for Topical Map clusters and outlines checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/mcp for MCP server and supported assistants checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/keyword-surfer-extension for free Chrome extension, metrics, 70 countries checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/updates for October 2026 updates: MCP out of beta, WordPress plugin, French and Polish interface, Topical Map and Agent Analytics betas checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/contact for support, sales and press email addresses, office address checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/career for remote-first team, bootstrapped statement checked November 4, 2026
- surfer.ai/legal/regulations for legal company name, registered office, cancellation and refund terms checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944181-how-does-the-surfer-trial-work for 7-day Pro trial, card required, automatic start, eligibility checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/7545943-pricing-faq for plan names, USD and EUR billing, upgrades and downgrades, VAT, 24/5 support checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944180-subscription-migration-faq for May 18, 2026 plan migration, Humanizer limit, single document limit, Rank Tracker add-on, API plans checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/6758676-annual-plans-limits-allocation for yearly limits granted up front, no rollover checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944161-fair-usage-policy for Peace of Mind cap of 500 documents a month checked November 4, 2026
- docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/8052688-surfer-language-support for 29 AI writing languages, interface languages checked November 4, 2026
- wordze.com/pricing for Wordze alternative: Solo price billed yearly checked November 4, 2026
- serped.net for SERPed alternative: rank tracking, backlinks, audits, white-label reports checked November 4, 2026
- jasper.ai/pricing for Jasper alternative: brand voice features checked November 4, 2026