# Clearscope vs SE Ranking: 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; zero named SE Ranking. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/seo-content-optimization/clearscope-vs-se-ranking/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearscope | 6% | #4 of 16 | 16% | 50 | 12 of 12 |
| SE Ranking | 6% | #5 of 16 | 8% | 24 | 11 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- 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)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Ahrefs, Semrush) (alternatives: Clearscope, HubSpot, SE Ranking, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, 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)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Sight AI) (alternatives: Intero Digital, Stratabeat, Ubersuggest, Virayo, Writesonic)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Surfer SEO) (alternatives: Ahrefs, MarketMuse)

## 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 SE Ranking

- "SE Ranking is solid for agencies and cost-conscious teams, but may fall short for enterprises needing deeper backlink analysis or more advanced SEM integration" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "SE Ranking jumped significantly (now ~$103+/mo)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "The best SEO and content optimization platform for a company with a limited budget is SE Ranking, which costs $55/month" (Llama 4 Maverick, budget prompt, first choice)
- "or SE Ranking ($44/month) if you want a complete SEO platform including content optimization features" (Mistral Small, budget 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.