InLinks vs Surfer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, InLinks and Surfer share a 2.2 GPA, and only InLinks has a free plan.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
InLinks 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.
InLinks
Entity-based internal linking, schema and content briefs
Surfer
Content editor that scores articles for search and AI citations
Which one is for you
Pick InLinks if
- Fits if you want internal links added without editing your CMS templates
- Works for SEOs adding schema markup across many pages at once
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, at 2 optimizations a month and 25 pages
- Watch out: unused credits are lost each month, and pages, audits and briefs share one pool
- Skip it if you can't add its JavaScript to your site, as links and schema then go in by hand
- Pricey if you need the API or unlimited users, which start at $196 a month
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
| 2.2GPAInLinksFair | 2.2GPASurferFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFreelancer is $49 a month for 100 credits, a little above this category's middle ($45). A page costs 1 credit and a brief or audit 5, from the same pool, and each level up adds $49. Sales tax is added on top. | 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 | CA free plan with 2 content optimizations a month, internal links on 25 pages, keyword research and a limited AI assistant. Enough for a look, with caps you'll hit. | 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 | BEntity-based internal linking, automatic schema, briefs and audits from up to 10 ranking pages with a content score, a topic planner and an AI writing assistant. The whole job, though live links and schema need its JavaScript on your site. | 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 a script to add to your site, a credit pool shared by pages, audits and briefs, and topic maps to learn. | 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, working through its own JavaScript on any site. No integrations are listed, and the API starts at Level 4, $196 a month. | 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 | internal links and schema added by script | 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: InLinks and Surfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- InLinks also covers content optimization, schema markup and internal linking.
- Surfer also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| InLinks | Surfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per month for 100 pages | $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Content optimization twice a month, internal links on 25 pages, keyword research, social media automation and a limited AI assistant. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with Pro access for new accounts; card required, converts to the chosen plan |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | InLinks Optimization LTD | Surfer Sp. z o.o. |
| Price read from | inlinks.com | surferseo.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
InLinks
- Credits renew monthly and unused ones are lost; the page cap equals the monthly credits, and audits and briefs draw on the same pool.
- Links and schema update live only with the InLinks JavaScript on the site; without it, links are added by hand.
- API access and unlimited users start at Level 4, $196 a month; sales tax is added at the local rate.
- The free plan stops at two optimizations a month and 25 pages.
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
InLinks
- Entity-based internal linking
- Audits a site's internal links by topic and inserts links into body text through its JavaScript, with varied anchor text; links can also be exported.
- Automated schema markup
- Identifies the main entities on each page and adds About schema through the same line of code, editable from the dashboard.
- Content audits and briefs
- Builds a knowledge graph from up to 10 ranking pages, with topic maps, heading analysis, entities, a readability model and a content score.
- Topic Planner
- Clusters the concepts on your site into topics, shows the gaps and suggests where a new pillar page or supporting page is needed.
- AI writing assistant
- Drafts content inside the brief editor at no extra charge on paid plans; the free plan gets a limited version.
- Agency features and API
- From Level 4, unlimited users and projects, client logins and API access; every plan allows unlimited projects.
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
InLinks
Free$0
Two content optimizations a month, internal links on 25 pages, keyword research and a limited AI assistant.
Freelancer$49
per month for 100 pages (Level 1)
100 credits a month: adding a page costs 1, an audit or brief 5. Writer access, Content Planner and full AI writing. Each level up adds $49.
Agency$196
per month for 430 pages (Level 4)
Everything in Freelancer plus API access, unlimited projects and users, unlimited Topic Trends data and client logins.
EnterpriseCustom
100,000+ pages for internal links, dedicated infrastructure, tailored contracts and an account manager; the calculator suggests about $2,000 a month.
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
InLinks
- Other savings
First month refunded after a demo
New customers who subscribe and attend a one-to-one demo get their first month refunded, up to $200, once per customer.
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, InLinks or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, they start at the same price. InLinks starts at $49 per month for 100 pages, and Surfer starts at $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, InLinks or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only InLinks has a free plan. Surfer does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do InLinks 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.