GrowthBar vs Surfer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, GrowthBar and Surfer share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan, and GrowthBar starts cheaper, at $20.30 a month against $49 a month.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
GrowthBar grades higher on the free plan. Surfer grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GrowthBar
AI blog writer with keyword research and rank tracking, by SEOptimer
Surfer
Content editor that scores articles for search and AI citations
Which one is for you
Pick GrowthBar if
- Fits if you're a blogger who wants outlines, drafts and keyword research in one place
- Works for small teams sharing drafts with freelance writers, which starts at Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: SEOptimer is merging GrowthBar into its own platform, so these plans may change
- Tight if you track rankings on Standard, at 25 keywords on one site
- Watch out: the Chrome extension the plans include wasn't on the Chrome Web Store when checked
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $36 for Standard against $20.30 a month on yearly billing
- Watch out: the live pricing page wouldn't load for us, so these prices are from a copy archived on 24 September 2026
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
| 2.2GPAGrowthBarFair | 2.2GPASurferFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $20.30 a month on yearly billing ($36 monthly) for 2 users and 25 articles or audits, just above this category's cheaper quarter ($19.99). Tracking more keywords or sites needs Pro at $55.30. | 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. There's a 7-day free trial, the page doesn't say whether it needs a card, and a full refund is offered if you ask within 7 days after it ends. | 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 | BOutlines from the ranking pages, a blog writer, audits of old posts, keyword and competitor research, rank tracking with Search Console and custom voice models. It covers the whole job, though Standard tracks only 25 keywords. | 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. There's Search Console to connect for each site, outlines to steer and allowances for articles, audits and tracked keywords to watch. | 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 | CWeb only, with Search Console and WordPress the only connections on record. The plans include a Chrome extension, but its Chrome Web Store listing showed no extension when checked. | 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 | AI blog drafts with keyword research built in | 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: GrowthBar and Surfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- GrowthBar also covers rank tracking, backlink analysis and content optimization.
At a glance
| GrowthBar | Surfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20.30 per month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly) | $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | 7-day free trial with Pro access for new accounts; card required, converts to the chosen plan |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | SEOptimer | Surfer Sp. z o.o. |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | surferseo.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GrowthBar
- SEOptimer bought GrowthBar and is merging it into its platform, so the standalone plans may change.
- Standard tracks only 25 keywords on one site; tracking more sites or keywords needs Pro or Agency.
- The plans include a Chrome extension, but its Chrome Web Store listing showed no extension when checked.
- Refunds are offered in full if requested within 7 days after the free trial ends.
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
GrowthBar
- Outlines from the search results
- Scans the Google results for a keyword and builds an outline with suggested headings, keywords, word count and internal links.
- AI blog writer and post audits
- Writes a full post from the outline and audits posts you have already published. Plans allow 25 to 300 articles or audits a month.
- Keyword and competitor research
- Keyword suggestions with difficulty scores, plus a competitor's keywords, Google Ads and backlinks, with a per-query cap that rises by plan.
- Rank tracking with Search Console
- Tracks 25 to 5,000 keywords across 1 to 25 sites depending on the plan, with a Google Search Console connection for each site.
- Custom AI models
- Upload your best content and GrowthBar builds a model that writes in your brand's style and voice.
- Other AI writing tools
- Chat, product descriptions, press releases, meta descriptions, blog ideas and conversion of a post to audio or video. It works in about 20 languages.
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
GrowthBar
Standard$20.30
per month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly)
2 users, 25 AI articles or audits and 500 paragraph generations a month, 25 tracked keywords on 1 site, and unlimited keyword research.
Pro$55.30
per month, billed annually ($74.25 billed monthly)
5 users, 100 AI articles or audits a month, 1,000 tracked keywords across 3 sites, 5 keyword roadmaps and draft sharing with writers.
Agency$90.30
per month, billed annually ($149.25 billed monthly)
10 users, 300 AI articles or audits a month, 5,000 tracked keywords across 25 sites and 25 keyword roadmaps.
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
GrowthBar
- Annual discount
Lower monthly price with annual billing
The archived pricing table shows Standard at $20.30 a month billed annually ($243.60 a year) against $36 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, GrowthBar or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, GrowthBar is cheaper to start with: $20.30 a month, against $49 a month for Surfer. GrowthBar starts at $20.30 per month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly), and Surfer starts at $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, GrowthBar or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither GrowthBar nor Surfer has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do GrowthBar and Surfer run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Surfer lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.