SEO and content optimization platforms · October 2026 Edition
Semrush vs Surfer SEO
Ten of fourteen models named Semrush first on the direct prompt; one named Surfer SEO. Both were named by all fourteen models and both carry 58 labels, so the shares below are directly comparable.
Boston, United States, founded 2008. Named in ten categories this edition.
Named in four categories this edition.
First-choice share21%17%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate21%17%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#2A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels5858Equal, which is what makes the shares comparable.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Semrush reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Clearscope was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Semrush vs Clearscope · Semrush vs SE Ranking · Semrush vs NeuronWriter
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the SEO and content optimization platforms page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
SemrushFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSurfer SEO
Direct101
Paraphrase161 against Semrush
Comparative831 against Semrush
Budget-constrained025 against Semrush · 2 against Surfer SEO
Scale-constrained111 against Surfer SEO
Negative105 against Semrush · 7 against Surfer SEO
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Semrush and Surfer SEO were named in the same answer 112 times, of the 407 answers naming Semrush and the 160 naming Surfer SEO. In those answers Surfer SEO took the first choice twenty-one times and Semrush thirty-one.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Semrush and Surfer SEO stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | | |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | | |
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | ||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | | |
Semrush Surfer SEO first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Semrush on the left and Surfer SEO on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Semrush and Surfer SEO stood in it.
Semrush first, Surfer SEO an alternative
10 of 14 modelsSurfer SEO was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Semrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Moz, Surfer SEO, Writesonic
Gemini 3.5 FlashClearscope, Semrush alternatives: Ahrefs, MarketMuse, Surfer SEO
Perplexity SonarSemrush alternatives: HubSpot Marketing Hub, MarketMuse, Surfer SEO
Grok 4.20Semrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, MarketMuse, SE Ranking, Surfer SEO
Mistral SmallAhrefs, Semrush alternatives: Clearscope, Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Surfer SEO
DeepSeek V4 FlashSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, SE Ranking, Surfer SEO
Qwen 3.7 FlashSemrush alternatives: Sight AI, Surfer SEO
GLM 4.7 FlashXSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Surfer SEO
MiniMax M2.5Semrush alternatives: Conductor, SE Ranking, Sight AI
GPT-6 LunaSemrush alternatives: Conductor
Surfer SEO first, Semrush not the choice
1 of 14 modelsSemrush was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Muse Glimmer 30BSurfer SEO alternatives: Clearscope, MarketMuse
Neither was the first choice, one was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.GPT-5.4 miniConductor alternatives: Clearscope, Semrush
Kimi K2Clearscope alternatives: Frase, Semrush, Surfer SEO
Neither was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Llama 4 MaverickSight AI
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Surfer SEO leads by eight points.
Surfer SEO20%#1 of 11Semrush12%#3 of 11Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Semrush leads at mid-market.
Semrush21%#1 of 12Surfer SEO17%#2 of 12Enterprise
What the models said about Semrush
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“you cannot afford to waste money on bloated enterprise platforms like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Clearscope, which easily run $100 to over $150 per month” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
“"Semrush is the market's most comprehensive all-in-one SEO platform." ... If you need backlink intelligence and full marketing reporting, start with Semrush or Ahrefs.” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“the pairing of Semrush and Clearscope remains the most reliable, high-performing combination for mid-market B2B organizations” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“For most mid-market B2B companies, Semrush offers the best balance of features, pricing, and procurement readiness.” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Surfer SEO
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Surfer SEO if you publish at volume (credit economics will hurt you)” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Surfer SEO's recent price changes and costly AI add-ons... have made many users seek better solutions... complex to use and difficult to fully leverage.” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Surfer — because the scoring can be mistaken for an objective quality metric, and the product leans into AI-assisted generation.” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“More comprehensive than Clearscope or Frase... Pick Surfer if you want one platform to manage the entire content process from planning to publishing.” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · first choice
“Surfer SEO is considered one of the best tools for content optimization as it analyzes what's already ranking and provides data-backed guidance” Llama 4 Maverick · comparative prompt · first choice
“Surfer SEO: A content-optimization tool that analyzes top-ranking pages for a target keyword and provides a structured brief” Llama 4 Maverick · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Also compared
Semrush vs ClearscopeSemrush vs SE RankingSemrush vs NeuronWriterSemrush vs UbersuggestSemrush vs AhrefsSemrush vs FraseSurfer SEO vs ClearscopeSurfer SEO vs SE RankingSurfer SEO vs NeuronWriterSurfer SEO vs UbersuggestSurfer SEO vs AhrefsSurfer SEO vs FraseAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full SEO standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.