Side by side
| Feature | Ahrefs | Surfer |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | All-in-one SEO and AI search marketing platform for tracking rankings, competitors, brand mentions in AI answers, and website health. | Content optimization and AI visibility platform helping SEO and marketing teams rank on Google and get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. |
| Price from | 129 USD/mo | 82 EUR/mo |
| Free plan | trial | trial |
| Platforms | web, api, chrome | web, chrome, api |
| API | yes | yes |
Ahrefs: key features
- Keyword research and search volume data in Keywords Explorer
- Competitor website analysis in Site Explorer
- Rank tracking in search engines and Google Search Console
- Brand Radar for tracking brand mentions and citations in AI chatbots
- Site Audit for finding and fixing website issues
- Social Media Manager for scheduling posts across channels
Surfer: key features
- Optimized content editor based on real-time SEO data
- AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and AI Overviews
- SEO audit and site plan
- Topic and content idea discovery matched to search intent
- Existing page improvement and content gap analysis
- Chrome extension, API and MCP
FAQ
Is Ahrefs or Surfer better?
It depends on the job - compare prices, free plans and features in the table above.
Are Ahrefs and Surfer free?
Ahrefs: There is a free trial. The homepage offers a free sign-up option and free tools such as the AI Visibility Checker, AI Writing Tools, SEO Browser Extension and Word Count, plus free website health monitoring and Web Analytics. The pricing page lists paid plans only, so the scope of a free trial is not specified in the text. Surfer: There is a free trial. Free tools include a free AI visibility audit, a Chrome extension, AI detector and AI humanizer, plus a free AI search optimization course. The main platform is offered as a free start option on the homepage ('Start for Free'), with limits not specified in the provided text.