Semrush vs Surfer

by Gralio Feb 26, 2025

Semrush is a comprehensive digital marketing platform suitable for businesses needing a wide range of tools. Surfer is a specialized SEO tool best for those focused on content creation and on-page optimization.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4780 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 3 hours, 3 minutes of reading.

Semrush

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Surfer

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About

Semrush is an online visibility and marketing platform that helps businesses improve their online presence. It offers a wide range of tools for SEO, content marketing, competitor analysis, social media management, and paid advertising. With a massive database, Semrush provides insights into keywords, backlinks, website traffic, and competitor strategies, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions to enhance their online visibility and achieve marketing goals. Many Fortune 500 companies utilize Semrush's comprehensive suite of digital marketing tools.

Surfer is an SEO tool that helps businesses improve their website rankings on search engines like Google. It offers a suite of features, including keyword research, content planning, and on-page optimization analysis. Surfer's Content Score helps you understand how well your website content is optimized for specific keywords. It also offers AI-powered writing assistance and integrates with popular platforms like Google Docs and WordPress. Surfer is designed to make SEO simpler and more efficient for agencies, marketing teams, and anyone creating online content.

Summary

Main difference

Semrush offers a broader suite of digital marketing tools beyond SEO, including features for social media management, paid advertising, and market analysis. Surfer primarily focuses on on-page SEO and content optimization, providing in-depth analysis and AI-powered writing assistance.

Relative strengths of Semrush (compared to Surfer)

Wider range of marketing tools covering SEO, social media, and paid advertising.
Larger database for keyword research and competitor analysis.
Enterprise-grade SEO features for larger organizations.

Relative weaknesses of Semrush (compared to Surfer)

Less specialized in on-page optimization and content quality analysis compared to Surfer.
Steeper learning curve due to the breadth of features.
Pricing can be higher, especially with add-ons for social media management.

Who is using Semrush and Surfer?

Kevin Indig

SEO Authority | Growth Advisor | Hypergrowth Partner

Gaetano Di Nardi

Growth Advisor for B2B SaaS Companies

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Anna York

Digital Marketing Consultant at Anna York Consulting

Brendan Hufford

SaaS Marketing - Growth through Content, Community & SEO

Show all 9 stacks

Kevin Indig

SEO Authority | Growth Advisor | Hypergrowth Partner

Anna York

Digital Marketing Consultant at Anna York Consulting

Burkhard Berger

Building my things to $10M in revenue with organic marketing.

Charlie Hills

I use AI to create content that converts

Who should use Semrush VS. Surfer

Semrush is a leading online visibility and marketing platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools for SEO, content marketing, and competitor analysis. Users praise Semrush for providing actionable insights and clear steps to improve website performance. Some users mention the cost can be high. Fortune 500 companies and digital marketing agencies rely on Semrush to improve their online presence.

Surfer is an SEO tool that helps content creators and marketers improve website rankings. Surfer offers keyword research, content planning, and optimization analysis. Users love the Content Editor and platform integrations, but some find the AI writer generic and pricing expensive. Surfer is best for agencies and marketing teams.

Ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking to enhance their online presence and achieve marketing goals.
Strong fit for E-commerce, Media & Entertainment, and Marketing & Advertising industries.

Best for agencies, marketers, SEOs, and content creators.
Ideal for marketing & advertising agencies seeking improved organic traffic and rankings.

Semrush and Surfer features

Supported

Partially supported

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Real-time content feedback

Supported

Semrush provides real-time feedback and guidelines during content creation via its SEO Writing Assistant.

Supported

SurferSEO provides real-time feedback and guidelines during content creation.
Keyword Research

Supported

Semrush supports keyword research with tools and a large database.

Supported

SurferSEO supports keyword research with its Keyword Research tool and Chrome extension.
Competitor Traffic Analysis

Supported

Semrush supports competitor strategy analysis using traffic data and trend analysis over time.

Not supported

SurferSEO does not directly offer daily and weekly traffic data analysis for competitors.
Enterprise SEO Solutions

Supported

Semrush offers an Enterprise SEO platform with advanced features for large organizations.

Supported

SurferSEO offers an Enterprise plan with advanced features and dedicated support.
Data-Driven Content Strategy

Supported

Semrush supports data-driven content strategy with keyword research, competitor analysis, and content effectiveness analysis.

Supported

SurferSEO supports data-driven content strategy by providing data-driven insights and optimization tools.
SERP Analysis

Supported

Semrush provides tools for SERP analysis, including competitor analysis features such as identifying competing websites, analyzing keyword gaps, and comparing backlink profiles.

Supported

SurferSEO supports SERP analysis, including competitor analysis, through its SERP Analyzer tool.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Semrush and Surfer Pricing

No data

See full Pricing page

Surfer offers a 7-day money-back guarantee. They have add-ons like SERP Analyzer and Rank Tracker. The Enterprise plan is custom with custom limits, white-labelling & API access, personalized onboarding, dedicated CSM and priority support, SEO advisory & consulting, Rank Tracker, and SSO.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Semrush and Surfer review insights

Users love

SEMrush is great in that it provides not only insights and metrics but clear actions to improve a given page or an entire site!
Semrush takes 70% of the time off designing campaigns that rely on keywords, competitor behavior, or site insights.
I love the way how it shows the analytics of authority score as well as the detailed traffic report of the site.
Domain Overview, Technical SEO auditing, Keyword Research

Content Editor is highly praised for making on-page SEO optimization easier and more efficient.
The tool provides comprehensive data and insights on keyword research, SERP analysis, and competitor analysis.
Surfer integrates well with other platforms, particularly Google Docs and Jasper.
Many users report seeing significant improvements in search engine rankings after using Surfer.
The user interface is generally considered intuitive and easy to use.

Users dislike

The pricing for SEMrush can be steep, especially since the social media calendar posting feature, now costs an additional $29 per month.
SEMrush has a robust monetization system that adds up very quickly.
Price was a little high for the smallest package.
The cost - we used to be able to share accounts, but now have to register separate accounts for all users.

The AI writer is not very good and produces generic content.
The Content Editor credits system is limiting, especially on lower-tier plans.
Grow Flow suggestions are often too basic and not actionable.
The pricing can be expensive, particularly for small businesses or individual users.
Some users have reported bugs and glitches with the platform, particularly with the Chrome extension.

Semrush and Surfer Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(2095)
Capterra

4.7/5

(2131)
Glassdoor

4.0/5

(272)

G2

4.8/5

(532)
TrustPilot

4.3/5

(40)
Glassdoor

4.3/5

(3)

Company health

Employee growth

13% increase in the last year

7% increase in the last year

Web traffic

5% decrease in the last quarter

23% increase in the last quarter

Financing

January 2018 - $40M

No data

How do Semrush's enterprise SEO features compare to Surfer's content optimization tools?

Semrush offers a broader suite of enterprise SEO tools, including competitor analysis, keyword research, and SERP analysis features, focusing on large-scale SEO strategies and data analysis. Surfer, while also offering keyword research and competitor insights, primarily focuses on content optimization with its Content Score and AI writing tools, making it more suitable for content marketers and agencies concerned with optimizing individual pieces of content. While both offer overlapping functionalities like competitor analysis, Semrush's enterprise features are geared towards large-scale SEO operations, while Surfer specializes in granular content optimization.

Which product offers better integration with existing content creation workflows?

Surfer offers better integration with existing content creation workflows. Its integration with Google Docs and WordPress, along with AI-powered writing assistance and real-time content feedback, allows for a more streamlined content creation process. While Semrush provides robust data and insights for content strategy, Surfer's features are more directly embedded within the writing process itself.

What are the advantages of Semrush?

Semrush offers a broader range of functionalities beyond content optimization, encompassing SEO, competitor analysis, social media management, and paid advertising. It boasts a larger database and provides insights into website traffic and competitor strategies, making it suitable for a wider variety of marketing tasks. Semrush is utilized by many Fortune 500 companies, suggesting a robust and enterprise-grade solution.

What are the disadvantages of Semrush?

Semrush's main disadvantage is its pricing, which is considered expensive, especially for small businesses or individuals. Users also report that the cost can add up quickly with additional features like the social media calendar requiring separate subscriptions.

Alternatives to Semrush and Surfer

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a suite of online tools designed to improve a website's search engine ranking and visibility. It provides data and insights on competitors, keywords, backlinks, and website content. Businesses use Ahrefs to research competitor strategies, discover relevant keywords, find link-building opportunities, audit their website for SEO issues, and track their ranking progress against competitors. Ahrefs is known for its large database and focus on data accuracy for marketing professionals.

SE Ranking

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO software suite designed to help businesses improve their search engine rankings. It offers a wide range of tools, including keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, backlink monitoring, and rank tracking. SE Ranking is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of features, making it suitable for both SEO beginners and experienced professionals. It aims to provide actionable insights and data-driven recommendations to optimize website content, improve visibility, and attract more organic traffic.

Similarweb

Similarweb is like a giant spyglass for the internet. It helps you understand what people are doing online, so you can make smarter decisions for your own website and marketing. Want to know who your competitors are online? Similarweb shows you. Want to see which websites are sending traffic to your competitors (so you can try to get them to send traffic to you)? Similarweb shows you that too. You can even see what keywords people are using to find your competitors, and which online ads are working best for them. Basically, if you want to know how your website stacks up against the competition and find new opportunities to grow online, Similarweb gives you the information to do it.

Scalenut

Scalenut is an AI-powered platform designed to help businesses create SEO-optimized content. It offers tools for keyword planning, topic research, AI writing, content optimization, and performance tracking. Scalenut aims to streamline the content creation process, saving time and potentially boosting organic traffic. Features include AI-powered writing assistance, SEO analysis, and content planning tools, all accessible through a single platform.

Moz Pro

Moz Pro is a suite of SEO tools designed to improve your website's visibility on search engines. It offers features such as keyword research, competitor analysis, site auditing, and rank tracking, all within a single platform. Moz Pro aims to help businesses of all sizes understand their website's SEO performance, identify areas for improvement, and track their progress over time. It is known for its user-friendly interface and educational resources.

KWHero

KWHero is an SEO software tool that helps businesses improve their online visibility. It offers features like AI-powered content outlines, content creation, and keyword research to help you outrank competitors. KWHero analyzes your competitors' content strategies to help you create better content, optimize for relevant keywords, and meet Google's SEO requirements. The software supports over 80 languages and offers collaboration features for teams.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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