# Clearscope vs Ahrefs: which do AI models recommend for SEO, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, SEO and content optimization platforms. Zero of twelve models named Clearscope first on the direct prompt; one named Ahrefs. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/seo-content-optimization/clearscope-vs-ahrefs/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearscope | 6% | #4 of 16 | 16% | 50 | 12 of 12 |
| Ahrefs | 4% | #6 of 16 | 14% | 51 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: ahrefs first (first choices: Ahrefs, Semrush) (alternatives: Clearscope, HubSpot, SE Ranking, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Surfer SEO)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Conductor)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush, Surfer SEO) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, SE Ranking)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Surfer SEO)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Surfer SEO) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Frase, MarketMuse, Semrush)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: HubSpot Content Hub, HubSpot Marketing Hub) (alternatives: Clearscope, MarketMuse, Semrush, Surfer SEO)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Surfer SEO)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither first, one named (first choices: Keygrip) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Screaming Frog, Semrush, Surfer SEO)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Screaming Frog, Surfer SEO)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush) (alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, NeuronWriter, Surfer SEO)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Surfer SEO) (alternatives: Ahrefs, MarketMuse)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Sight AI) (alternatives: Intero Digital, Stratabeat, Ubersuggest, Virayo, Writesonic)

## What the models said about Clearscope

- "Clearscope ($129+/mo) — enterprise-grade pricing" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "$189-350/month; extremely high price for solo users; no free trial; limited to content optimization only" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "premium content editors (like Clearscope or Surfer SEO) often start around $100 to $140+ per month" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "Semrush Enterprise (~$18K/yr) + Clearscope or Surfer (~$1\u2013$15K/yr) for a cost-effective, comprehensive stack" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "I'd usually recommend Clearscope if your main goal is to improve content quality and search performance" (GPT-5.4 mini, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Legitimate paid tools: Surfer SEO, Clearscope, RankUp (with proper trials)" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Ahrefs

- "Avoid: Enterprise tools (Ahrefs/Semrush $99–$139); overkill for small budgets." (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Tools to Skip on a Budget - Ahrefs ($108+/mo)" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "The price increase in 2024 changed the value calculation, with the Lite plan jumping from $99 to $129 per month" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Choose Ahrefs or Semrush if you need a baseline tool for overall website health, backlink tracking, and competitor espionage." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Go with Semrush (for the extra marketing tools) or Ahrefs (if you care primarily about backlinks)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "The best SEO content optimization tool for a mid-sized B2B company would be Ahrefs or SEMrush" (Llama 4 Maverick, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.