Contadu vs Surfer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Contadu grades higher than Surfer: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Contadu grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Contadu
Content planning and NLP-based SEO editor for teams and agencies
Surfer
Content editor that scores articles for search and AI citations
Which one is for you
Pick Contadu if
- Fits if you run an agency planning and scoring content for several client sites
- Works for writers working in languages other than English
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there's only a 7-day trial
- Tight if you run more than 5 sites, since Freelance stops at 5 projects
- Skip it if you need extended API access or your own CMS in the editor, which wait on Enterprise at $293 a month
- Watch out: the same company sells NeuronWriter, which covers much of the same ground
Pick Surfer if
- Fits if you write articles meant to rank and want a score to aim for, from $49 a month
- Works for writers who draft in Google Docs or WordPress and want the guidelines there
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it without a card, since the 7-day trial needs one and becomes a paid plan unless cancelled
- Pricey if AI answer tracking is why you're here: Discovery has none, and Standard at $99 tracks 25 prompts weekly in ChatGPT only
- Not for you if you need a full SEO suite, as its research and audits are about content
- Watch out: on yearly plans credits reset once a year, and unlimited documents fall under a fair usage policy
- Pricey if you need the API, which needs Peace of Mind at $299 a month, Enterprise or an add-on
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAContaduFair | 2.2GPASurferFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFreelance is $37 a month billed yearly ($47 monthly), between this category's cheaper quarter ($20) and its middle ($45), with unlimited team members. Business, with 10 projects, is $77. | CGraded against other content editors. Discovery is $49 a month billed yearly ($59 monthly) for 1 seat and 120 documents: more than Frase's $39 and NeuronWriter's $19, well under Clearscope's $129. Standard, with 3 seats, is $99. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 7-day trial once you make an account, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. Refunds cover the first plan bought, within 30 days. | DNo free plan. The 7-day trial gives new accounts Pro, but it needs a card and turns into a paid plan unless you cancel. The free Keyword Surfer extension is a small consolation. |
| Features | BA strategy planner with topical maps and clusters, an editor with NLP terms and entities, AI writing, plagiarism checks, internal links, tasks and reports. The whole job, though own-CMS editor integration and extended API access need Enterprise. | BA live Content Score and guidelines, an AI writer with humanizer and plagiarism checks, keyword research, topical maps, content audits with drop alerts and AI answer tracking. The whole content job, though Discovery has no AI prompt tracking. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Strategies, writer analyses, AI words and projects each have their own monthly cap to keep track of. | CNo rating on record. Writing against a score is easy to grasp, but topical maps, audits and the AI tracking spaces are more to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a Chrome extension for Google Docs, WordPress and Shopify editors, with Search Console, Zapier, OpenAI and Anthropic. Extended API access needs Enterprise. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb plus Chrome extensions, one bringing the guidelines into Google Docs. It connects to WordPress, Zapier, Contentful, Jasper, ChatGPT and Claude; the API needs Peace of Mind or an add-on. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | content plans and NLP scoring for agencies | scoring articles as you write them |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Contadu and Surfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Contadu also covers reports, content optimization and internal linking.
- Surfer also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| Contadu | Surfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $37 per month, billed annually ($47 billed monthly) | $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial after creating an account | 7-day free trial with Pro access for new accounts; card required, converts to the chosen plan |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Conti sp. z o.o. | Surfer Sp. z o.o. |
| Price read from | contadu.com | surferseo.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Contadu
- There is no free plan, only a 7-day trial; a refund can be requested within 30 days for the first plan bought.
- Each plan caps content strategies, content writer analyses, AI words and projects; Freelance stops at 5 projects.
- Editor integration with your own CMS and extended API access come only with Enterprise.
- The company also sells NeuronWriter, which covers much of the same ground.
Surfer
- Discovery has no AI prompt tracking and one seat; Standard tracks 25 prompts weekly in ChatGPT only.
- On annual plans, credits reset once a year, and unlimited documents fall under a fair usage policy.
- The trial needs a card and becomes a paid plan after 7 days unless cancelled; it is for new accounts only.
- API access needs Peace of Mind, Enterprise or an API add-on.
Key features
Contadu
- Content strategy planner
- Builds a content plan from competitor analysis, with topical maps, keyword clusters, keyword details and coverage gaps against rival sites.
- NLP terms and entities
- The Content Writer editor suggests terms drawn from the top Google results and the people, places and events they mention, with entities in 19 languages.
- AI writing and Content Designer
- Generates articles and outlines enriched with NLP terms, from built-in or custom templates; your own OpenAI or Anthropic key lifts the plan's word limit.
- Plagiarism and internal links
- The editor checks text for plagiarism, within a monthly allowance, and suggests internal links between related pages.
- Tasks and reporting
- Assign content tasks with due dates to colleagues or outside writers, and produce reports on content quality, competition and progress.
- Chrome extension and WordPress
- The extension brings recommendations into Google Docs, WordPress and Shopify editors, and the WordPress integration imports and exports posts.
Surfer
- Content Editor and Content Score
- Write or paste an article and get live guidelines on terms, structure and length, scored against the pages that rank for the topic.
- AI writing assistant
- Surfy drafts and edits inside the editor, with an AI detector, humanizer, plagiarism check and 1-click optimization of existing text.
- AI visibility tracking
- Track set prompts in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, with mention gaps and brand sentiment.
- Content Audit and drop alerts
- Monitor 10 to 500 published pages, get alerts when rankings drop and suggestions for which articles to refresh.
- Keyword research and Topical Map
- Plan clusters of related articles around a topic, and check search results with the SERP Analyzer.
- Keyword Surfer extension
- A free Chrome extension shows search volume and keyword ideas on Google results; another brings Surfer's guidelines into Google Docs.
Plans
Contadu
Freelance$37
per month, billed annually ($47 billed monthly)
5 content strategies, 50 content writer analyses, up to 150,000 AI words, 5 projects, 100 plagiarism checks and 1,000 backlink checks.
Business$77
per month, billed annually ($97 billed monthly)
10 content strategies, 100 content writer analyses, up to 300,000 AI words, 10 projects, 200 plagiarism checks and 10,000 backlink checks.
Agency$149
per month, billed annually ($187 billed monthly)
25 content strategies, 250 content writer analyses, up to 500,000 AI words, 25 projects and 500 plagiarism checks.
Enterprise$293
per month, billed annually ($367 billed monthly)
50 content strategies, 500 content writer analyses, up to 750,000 AI words, 50 projects, editor integration with your own CMS, extended API access and onboarding.
Surfer
Discovery$49
per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly)
1 seat, 120 documents to create or optimize, 10 tracked pages, AI writing assistant and humanizer. No AI prompt tracking.
AI Search Analytics$82
per month, billed yearly ($95 billed monthly)
AI visibility only: 50 prompts tracked daily across all models, mention gaps and sentiment, 5 brand spaces, 5 seats and MCP.
Standard$99
per month, billed yearly ($119 billed monthly)
3 seats, 360 documents, 50 tracked pages, 1-click optimization, plagiarism checks and 25 prompts tracked weekly in ChatGPT.
Pro$182
per month, billed yearly ($219 billed monthly)
5 seats, 360 documents, 200 pages, 50 prompts daily across all models, 5 brand spaces, internal linking, cannibalization report and MCP.
Peace of Mind$299
per month, billed yearly ($359 billed monthly)
10 seats, unlimited documents under fair use, 500 pages, 100 prompts daily, API access and a dedicated success manager.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom limits, SSO, white-label, advisory program and tailored onboarding, through sales.
Ways to pay less
Contadu
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Contadu's pricing page lists yearly billing at 20% off: Freelance is $37 a month billed yearly instead of $47 billed monthly.
Surfer
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with yearly billing
Surfer's pricing FAQ gives up to 17% off for annual plans, paid upfront: Pro is $182 a month billed yearly instead of $219 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Contadu or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Contadu is cheaper to start with: $37 a month, against $49 a month for Surfer. Contadu starts at $37 per month, billed annually ($47 billed monthly), and Surfer starts at $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Contadu or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither Contadu nor Surfer has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.