Surfer SEO vs Frase (2026): Prices, Plans and Which to Choose
This page has no affiliate links right now: every link goes straight to the vendor. How we make money.
Surfer and Frase both help you write content that can rank on Google and get cited in AI answers. They differ most on how you pay, how much content you get, and how much of the writing they do for you.
The short answer
Choose Frase if you want to pay monthly, try it free for 7 days, and have it draft and publish articles for one site. Its $39–$49/mo Starter plan also tracks your brand in ChatGPT and Google AI answers.
Choose Surfer if you write your own articles, are happy to pay yearly, and want guidance while you write and edit. Discovery costs $49/mo billed yearly; AI answer tracking starts at $82/mo.
Surfer vs Frase side by side
 Surfer SEO |  Frase | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Discovery: $49/mo, billed yearly ($588/yr) | Starter: $49/mo monthly, or $39/mo billed yearly |
| Monthly billing | Not shown: the pricing page lists yearly rates only | Yes, on every self-serve plan |
| Free trial | No trial length published | 7 days, no credit card |
| Content on the cheapest plan | 120 documents to create or optimize; on a yearly plan these reset once a year | 10 articles and 50 audit pages a month |
| Seats and sites (cheapest plan) | Not stated for Discovery; Pro includes 5 seats | 1 seat, 1 site |
| AI answer tracking (cheapest plan) | None on Discovery | 50 prompts on ChatGPT and Google AI, checked daily |
| Cheapest plan with AI tracking | AI Search Analytics: $82/mo yearly, 50 prompts refreshed daily on ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews and other models | Starter: $39–$49/mo |
| Publishing | Integrations are listed from Standard up; Pro lists WordPress, Google Docs, Contentful and Zapier | WordPress, Webflow, Sanity, Wix or Frase’s own hosted blog, on every plan |
| If you hit the limit | Upgrade, or wait for credits to reset | Starter stops at its limit, so no surprise bill |
From each vendor’s pricing page, checked October 9, 2026. Prices in US dollars before tax.
The 4 differences that matter
1. How you pay
Surfer’s pricing page only shows yearly prices, so the cheapest way in is $588 up front. Frase lets you pay $49 month to month, or $39/mo if you pay for a year, and offers a 7-day free trial without a card. If you aren’t sure SEO tools are for you yet, Frase is the lower-risk start.
2. How much content you get
Surfer Discovery gives you 120 documents to create or optimize. Surfer’s FAQ says credits on a yearly plan reset once a year, so that is roughly 10 a month if you spread them out. Frase Starter gives you 10 articles and 50 audit pages every month, and stops at that limit instead of charging more.
3. AI answer tracking
Frase includes AI visibility on its cheapest plan: 50 prompts on ChatGPT and Google AI, checked daily. Surfer Discovery has none; you need AI Search Analytics ($82/mo yearly, 50 prompts daily) or Standard ($99/mo yearly, 25 prompts weekly). If tracking AI answers matters to you, compare the dedicated AEO tools as well.
4. How much it writes for you
Frase is built to run the loop for you: research a topic, draft the article, publish it to WordPress, Webflow, Sanity, Wix or its own hosted blog, then watch it for ranking drops. Surfer centers on helping you write and improve your own drafts, with optimization guidelines, its Surfy assistant and a humanizer on Discovery, and plagiarism checks and 1-click optimization on Standard.
Every plan, side by side
| Level | Surfer SEO | Frase |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Discovery: $49/mo yearly | Starter: $39/mo yearly ($49 monthly) |
| AI tracking only | AI Search Analytics: $82/mo yearly | Not offered separately |
| Team | Standard: $99/mo yearly | Professional: $103/mo yearly ($129 monthly) |
| Bigger team | Pro: $182/mo yearly | Scale: $239/mo yearly ($299 monthly) |
| Top self-serve | Peace of Mind: $299/mo yearly | Not offered |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Plans at the same level don’t include the same things, so read the details on each pricing page before you compare them dollar for dollar.
What a year actually costs
Monthly prices hide how billing works. Here is the list price for 12 months on the cheapest plans, before tax:
| What you want | Surfer SEO | Frase |
|---|---|---|
| Writing help, paid yearly | $588 (Discovery) | $468 (Starter, $39 × 12) |
| Writing help, paid monthly | Not offered | $588 (Starter, $49 × 12) |
| Writing help plus AI answer tracking | $1,188 (Standard, $99 × 12; prompts checked weekly) | $468 (Starter already includes it) |
| AI answer tracking checked daily | $984 (AI Search Analytics, $82 × 12) | $468 (Starter, 50 prompts daily) |
On paper Frase costs less at every step shown here. What you can’t see on a pricing page is how good each tool’s guidance and drafts are for your niche, which is why a short trial matters more than a few dollars a month.
A one-week way to decide
- Pick one article you need to write and one older page that has slipped on Google.
- Start Frase’s 7-day trial and run both pages through it.
- Ask yourself: did it save you time, and would you publish what it suggested after a normal edit? If yes, keep it. If you’d rather write everything yourself with live guidance, look at Surfer.
Which one fits you?
| If you are… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A new blogger testing the waters | Frase | Free 7-day trial and monthly billing, so you can stop any month |
| A writer who enjoys writing and wants to rank | Surfer | Built around improving your own drafts while you write |
| A solo site owner short on time | Frase | Can draft and publish articles for you, 10 a month on Starter |
| A content team that edits a lot of pages | Surfer Standard or Pro | 360 documents a year, collaboration, and integrations listed from Standard up |
| Anyone who mainly wants AI answer tracking | Frase, or a dedicated tracker | Frase Starter tracks 50 prompts daily on ChatGPT and Google AI; trackers such as Otterly.ai ($29/mo) cover more AI engines |
What we couldn’t check
We compared published plans and features. We haven’t tested either tool hands-on yet, so we can’t tell you whose drafts read better, whose content scores predict rankings more closely, or how accurate either tool’s AI tracking is. Frase’s free trial is the easiest way to judge its writing yourself. With Surfer, check the plan details carefully before paying for a year.
Other tools to consider
If you also need keyword research and rank tracking for a whole site, a suite such as Semrush or SE Ranking may suit you better. See how all four compare in our guide to the best AI SEO tools, or browse every AI SEO & AEO tool.
FAQ
Is Frase cheaper than Surfer?
At the entry level, yes. On October 9, 2026, Frase Starter cost $39/mo billed yearly or $49 month to month, while Surfer Discovery cost $49/mo and was only offered on a yearly plan. Frase Starter also includes AI answer tracking, which Surfer starts at $82/mo.
Can I pay Surfer monthly?
Surfer’s pricing page shows yearly prices only. If paying for a year up front is a problem, Frase lets you pay month to month on every self-serve plan.
Which is better for writing blog posts?
It depends on how you write. Frase drafts and can publish whole articles for you, 10 a month on Starter. Surfer is built around guiding your own writing against the pages that already rank, with an AI assistant and a humanizer. We haven’t tested the quality of either tool’s writing yet.
Do Surfer and Frase track ChatGPT answers?
Both can, on the right plan. Frase Starter tracks 50 prompts on ChatGPT and Google AI daily. Surfer’s AI Search Analytics plan tracks 50 prompts refreshed daily, and Standard tracks 25 prompts refreshed weekly. Surfer Discovery has no AI tracking.
Can I use Surfer and Frase together?
You can, but most people won’t need both: they overlap on research, writing help and content scores. Pick one, use it for a month, then decide whether something is missing.
Sources
Both pages checked October 9, 2026.