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Index Marketing SEO › Surfer SEO vs Frase
SEO and content optimization platforms · September 2026 Edition

Surfer SEO vs Frase

Three of twelve models named Surfer SEO first on the direct prompt; zero named Frase. Both were named by all twelve models and Surfer SEO carries 56 labels and Frase 41, so the shares are not directly comparable.

Surfer SEO

accepted challenger

Named in three categories this edition.

Frase

accepted challenger

Named in three categories this edition.

First-choice share25%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate12%7%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#7A position in a field of 16; printed, not drawn.
Labels5641A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Surfer SEO reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Semrush was named alongside these two in ten of the twelve direct answers. Surfer SEO vs Semrush · Surfer SEO vs Ubersuggest · Surfer SEO vs Clearscope

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; 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 twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Surfer SEOFirst choices, of twelve modelsFrase
Direct30
Paraphrase90
Comparative50
Budget-constrained024 against Surfer SEO
Scale-constrained10
Negative113 against Surfer SEO · 3 against Frase
Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.

Across every category in the September 2026 Edition, Surfer SEO and Frase were named in the same answer eighty-eight times, of the 164 answers naming Surfer SEO and the 113 naming Frase. In those answers Frase took the first choice ten times and Surfer SEO twenty-six.

Every model, every framing

The seventy-two answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Surfer SEO and Frase stood in it.
ModelDirectParaphraseComparativeBudget-constrainedScale-constrainedNegative
Claude Haiku 4.5
GPT-5.4 mini
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Perplexity Sonar
Grok 4.1 Fast
Mistral Small
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick
Qwen 3.7 Flash
Kimi K2
GLM 4.7 FlashX
MiniMax M2.5
Surfer SEO Frase first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Surfer SEO on the left and Frase on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Surfer SEO and Frase stood in it.

Surfer SEO first, Frase an alternative

3 of 12 modelsFrase was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.
Gemini 3.5 FlashSemrush, Surfer SEO alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, SE Ranking
Grok 4.1 FastSurfer SEO alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Frase, MarketMuse, Semrush
MiniMax M2.5Surfer SEO alternatives: Ahrefs, MarketMuse

Neither was the first choice, one was named

7 of 12 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.
Perplexity SonarSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Surfer SEO
Mistral SmallHubSpot Content Hub, HubSpot Marketing Hub alternatives: Clearscope, MarketMuse, Semrush, Surfer SEO
DeepSeek V4 FlashSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Surfer SEO
Llama 4 MaverickKeygrip alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Screaming Frog, Semrush, Surfer SEO
Qwen 3.7 FlashAhrefs, Semrush alternatives: Clearscope, HubSpot, SE Ranking, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Surfer SEO
Kimi K2Semrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, MarketMuse, Screaming Frog, Surfer SEO
GLM 4.7 FlashXSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, NeuronWriter, Surfer SEO

Neither was named

2 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.
Claude Haiku 4.5Sight AI alternatives: Intero Digital, Stratabeat, Ubersuggest, Virayo, Writesonic
GPT-5.4 miniSemrush alternatives: Ahrefs, Clearscope, Conductor

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 SEO23%#1 of 13
Frase15%#3 of 13
The full small business standing →
Mid-marketThe figures above
Surfer SEO leads by twenty-two points.
Surfer SEO25%#1 of 16
Frase4%#7 of 16
The full mid-market standing →
Enterprise
Surfer SEO leads by two points.
Surfer SEO2%#7 of 13
Frase0%#12 of 13
The full enterprise standing →

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 eight in this category shown.

“Surfer SEO — entry plan is $49/mo, but AI tracking requires pricier tiers; more expensive than Frase” DeepSeek V4 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Content optimization platforms like Surfer SEO, Clearscope, Frase, or Rankability... they are highly dangerous when misused” Gemini 3.5 Flash · 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
“Ahrefs + Surfer SEO provides the best balance of comprehensive research capabilities and content optimization at $298/month” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“The Best All-Rounder: Surfer SEO ... Surfer is widely considered the market leader for real-time content optimization.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Choose Surfer SEO if you want the most mature real-time optimization experience and produce content at volume” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · first choice

What the models said about Frase

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of six in this category shown.

“Frase - Low-cost option with user reports of inaccurate recommendations” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Criticized as "dead" in 2026—doesn't account for LLMs” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“excellent tools when used correctly, but they are highly dangerous when misused” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Frase gives you content briefs and optimization at a fraction of the cost... it offers the most functionality per dollar” Claude Haiku 4.5 · budget prompt · first choice
“Frase is the best starting point for most small companies” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · first choice
“Budget-conscious | Frase | $15/month” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · first choice
Also compared

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.