Category by category
| Category | Surfer SEO | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Features | – | Stronger |
| Backlinks | – | Stronger |
| Keywords | – | Stronger |
| Ease of use | Stronger | – |
| Starting price | from $59/mo | from £113.40/mo |
Category calls are editorial judgements, not lab test results. Swipe sideways if the table is cut off.
- Features
- Semrush covers keyword research, backlinks, PPC, and audit alongside content. Surfer does content optimisation only. You still need other tools
- Backlinks
- Semrush has comprehensive backlink analysis. Surfer has zero backlink capability. It's purely content-focused
- Keywords
- Semrush has the industry's largest keyword database. Surfer's keyword research is minimal. It's designed for optimising content, not finding keywords
- Pricing
- Cheapest paid plans: Surfer SEO $59/mo, Semrush £113.40/mo. The vendors publish prices in different currencies, so neither is called cheaper here. Plan limits are in the tables below.
- Ease of use
- Surfer's Content Editor workflow is more focused and purposeful. Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant is buried in a broader platform
Side by side
| Detail | Surfer SEO | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Discovery, $59/mo | SEO, £113.40/mo |
| Paid plans | 4 | 3 |
| Sites or projects (that plan) | not published | 5 |
| Tracked keywords (that plan) | not published | 500 |
| Users included (that plan) | 1 | not published |
| Other limits (that plan) | 120 documents; 10 tracked pages | Basic keyword research and competitor analysis; AI search tracking |
| Free plan | not published | Yes |
| Free trial | not published | 7 days, card needed |
| Currency shown | USD | GBP |
| Prices checked | 31 Oct 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 |
"Not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not show it on the check date; it is not assumed to be zero or unlimited. Swipe sideways to see both tools.
What Surfer SEO and Semrush cost for the same workload
The cheapest plan on each tool whose published limits cover the workload, and what the first year costs at list price. Yearly billing is used where the vendor publishes it.
| Workload | Surfer SEO | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 100 tracked keywords, 1 userSolo blogger or one business site | Limits not published | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 5 sites, 500 tracked keywords, 1 userFreelancer with a few clients | Limits not published | SEO: £1,140.84 |
| 15 sites, 1,500 tracked keywords, 2 usersSmall agency | Limits not published | Limits not published |
"Limits not published" means the vendor's pricing page did not list a limit needed to judge the plan. Try your own numbers in the plan finder.
Every Surfer SEO and Semrush plan
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Sites or projects | Tracked keywords | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfer SEO Discovery | $59 | $49 | not published | not published | 1 |
| Surfer SEO Standard | $119 | $99 | not published | not published | 3 |
| Surfer SEO Pro | $219 | $182 | not published | not published | 5 |
| Surfer SEO Peace of Mind | $359 | $299 | not published | not published | 10 |
| Semrush SEO | £113.40 | £95.07 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Starter | £161.25 | £133.84 | 5 | 500 | not published |
| Semrush Pro+ | £242.28 | £201.09 | 15 | 1,500 | not published |
Prices are shown in the currency each vendor published, before tax. Swipe sideways to see every column.
- Checked on vendor siteSurfer SEO: prices read from surferseo.com and surfer.ai on .
- Prices read from vendor site; some terms not published thereSemrush: prices read from semrush.com on . Shown in GBP as the vendor displayed it; not converted.
Surfer SEO Black Friday 2026
Not announced yet. Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
Last confirmed offer (2025): no discount; 20 extra AI Tracker prompts when joining the Scale plan. Source.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Semrush Black Friday 2026
Not announced yet. Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
No Black Friday offer from Semrush has been found on its own site for 2024 or 2025.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every SEO tool's Black Friday offer.
Which should you pick?
Pick Surfer SEO if
Content optimisation is your primary need and you want the most detailed, SERP-backed scoring for every piece you publish
Surfer SEO plans and catchesPick Semrush if
You need keyword research, backlinks, and content tools all in one platform and don't need Surfer-level content depth
Semrush plans and catchesThe verdict
This comparison only makes sense if you're deciding whether to use Surfer standalone or rely on Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant for content work. The honest answer: Semrush's writing assistant is decent, but Surfer's Content Editor is significantly more detailed. The NLP term analysis, heading recommendations, and image suggestions in Surfer go deeper than Semrush offers. If content quality is your primary concern, Surfer wins. If you want everything in one tab, Semrush is sufficient.