Semrush vs Surfer

Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?

The short answer

Semrush is the stronger AI pick in SEO Tools: it has a visibility score of 64.3 versus 12 for Surfer, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.

Choose Semrush if…

You want the brand AI engines rank higher (64.3 vs 12)
You want a free plan to start
AI answers describe it more positively (49% vs 43% positive)
You prefer a larger, established vendor (1,001–5,000 employees)

Choose Surfer if…

You want a lower entry price ($49 vs $139)
Content optimization focus
Strong AI search visibility
High ratings on G2 and Capterra

AI visibility side by side

Latest weekly run · Nov 2

Metric	Semrush	Surfer
Visibility score	64.3%	12%
Change vs last week	New	New
Rank in SEO Tools	#1	#8
Share of voice	12.3%	4.4%
Mentions this run	63	23
Positive in AI answers	49%	43%

The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days

Semrush 0pp · Surfer 0pp over 0 weekly runs.

Engine by engine

Semrush leads on 3 of 3 engines

ChatGPT

77%

11.1%

AI Mode

64.3%

9.4%

Perplexity

51.7%

15.6%

SemrushSurfer

Head to head in AI answers

22 engine answers name both brands

22Semrush ranked higher

0Surfer ranked higher

Prompt	Engine	Semrush	Surfer
How do I choose an SEO tool for a mid-market team?	Perplexity	#3	#8
What should an SEO tool integrate with?	ChatGPT	#5	#10
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	ChatGPT	#2	#5
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	AI Mode	#1	#3
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	Perplexity	#2	#6
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	ChatGPT	#1	#3
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	AI Mode	#2	#6
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	Perplexity	#3	#7
Best SEO tool for startups	ChatGPT	#3	#6
Which SEO tool has the best reviews?	Perplexity	#1	#5
Compare the leading SEO Tools platforms	ChatGPT	#1	#7
Compare the leading SEO Tools platforms	AI Mode	#1	#7

Features, pricing & fit

Dimension	Semrush	Surfer
Pricing model	Flat tiers	Flat tiers
Entry price	Free; paid from $139 / mo	$49 / mo
Free plan	Yes	No
Support	Help Center and Basic Onboarding, Enterprise SLA and 24/7 support, Dedicated account manager	Customer Support (24h, Mon–Fri), Knowledge Base, Surfer Academy, Personalized Onboarding
Founded	2008	—
Headquarters	Boston, MA	Wrocław, Poland
Employees	1,001–5,000	51–200
Funding	IPO	—
Best for	Freelancers and small businesses through to agencies and enterprises managing multiple brands, regions and teams.	Marketing and SEO teams, agencies, in-house content teams and individual content creators who want to grow organic traffic from Google and AI search.