Keyword Surfer vs SEOquake (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick SEOquake: it is first in our ranking of SEO browser extensions (Keyword Surfer is third), and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 3.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
SEOquake grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Keyword Surfer
Free Chrome extension showing search volumes beside Google results
Free
SEOquake
Free Semrush extension for page audits and metrics in Google results
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Keyword Surfer if
- Fits if you want a keyword's volume while you're searching Google anyway
- Works for writers gathering related keywords into a list before drafting
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Firefox or Safari, as it's Chrome and Chromium browsers only
- Too light for keyword research away from Google, since there's no database to search on its own
- Not for you if you want page checks like titles, headings or schema, which it doesn't do
- Watch out: the store listing says it handles location, user activity and website content data
Pick SEOquake if
- Fits if you check a rival's traffic and backlink figures while you browse
- Works for reading Semrush figures for every result on a Google search page
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the traffic and backlink figures are Semrush estimates, not data from your own analytics
- Skip it if you use Firefox, where the version is 3.9.9 from December 2022 against 4.3.0 on Chrome
- Tight if you won't make a Semrush account, as Authority Score, referring domains and Traffic Analytics need one
- Not for you if you want the interface in a language other than English
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAKeyword SurferVery good | 3.2GPASEOquakeVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree from Surfer, whose page calls it 100% free with no paid tier for the extension. Surfer's paid content tools are a separate product. | AFree from Semrush, with no paid tier for the extension. Core reports and the built-in Semrush figures work with no account at all. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright: volumes, cost per click, keyword ideas, page estimates and saved collections, with nothing locked behind a plan. | AFree outright. Authority Score, referring domains and Traffic Analytics need a Semrush account, but a free one is enough. |
| Features | CVolume and cost per click for the query, keyword ideas with overlap scores, traffic and word-count estimates for ranking pages, CSV collections and 70 countries. It does keyword numbers on Google fully, a smaller job, with no page checks and no database of its own. | BTitle, meta, headings, canonical and indexability with an audit, Semrush figures under every Google result in any country, AI Overview sources, links with follow status and HTTP codes, keyword density and domain comparison. That covers the whole job here. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and the panel appears beside your next Google search. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: Quick View works on the first page you open, with no account. |
| Platforms and integrations | CChrome and other Chromium browsers only, so computers only, with no Firefox or Safari version. It runs on Google Search and in ChatGPT, and links to Surfer. | CChrome and Firefox, so computers only, and the Firefox version lags far behind. It works on Google Search and draws on Semrush, and nothing else is listed. |
| Best for | search volumes beside Google results | Semrush figures on Google results and pages |
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: Keyword Surfer and SEOquake. How we grade
Price against what you get
Keyword Surfer has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SEOquake has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
SEOquake scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other SEO browser extensions on the chart, none scores higher than Keyword Surfer for less, and none scores higher than SEOquake for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Keyword Surfer also covers keyword research.
- SEOquake also covers site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
In commonFree planBrowser extension
At a glance
| Keyword Surfer | SEOquake | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The extension is free; Surfer's page calls it 100% free with no paid tier for the extension itself. | The extension is free and its core reports work without an account; connecting a free Semrush account adds Authority Score, referring domains and Traffic Analytics. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Surfer Sp. z o.o. | Semrush Inc. |
| Price read from | surfer.ai | chromewebstore.google.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Keyword Surfer
- It runs in Chrome and other Chromium browsers only; Surfer lists no Firefox or Safari version.
- It works on the Google results page and has no keyword database to search on its own.
- The store listing says it handles location, user activity and website content data.
- Surfer's paid content editor and AI visibility tools are a separate product with their own plans.
SEOquake
- Authority Score, referring domains and Traffic Analytics need a Semrush account, though a free one is enough.
- The Firefox version is much older: 3.9.9, last updated in December 2022, against 4.3.0 on Chrome in October 2026.
- Its traffic and backlink figures are Semrush estimates, not data from your own analytics.
- The Chrome Web Store lists the interface in English only.
Key features
Keyword Surfer
- Volume and CPC in Google
- Shows search volume and cost per click for the query in a side panel on the Google results page.
- Keyword ideas
- Lists keyword suggestions and related terms with their search volumes and an overlap score against the query.
- Ranking page metrics
- Estimates traffic for the pages in the results and shows their word count and how many times they use the keyword.
- Collections and CSV export
- Save keywords into folders to come back to without searching again, and export each folder as a CSV file.
- Data for 70 countries
- Search data can be set to any of 70 countries to match where an audience is.
- Keyword Surfer in ChatGPT
- The store listing says the extension also works in ChatGPT to rewrite text to sound more human and score how human it reads.
SEOquake
- Quick View and page audit
- Shows the title, meta description, headings, canonical, indexability and word count, then audits content, mobile and technical issues such as hreflang and alt text.
- SERP Overlay
- Puts position numbers and Semrush metrics under each organic Google result, in the country and language you pick, with CSV export.
- AI Overview sources
- Shows which pages a Google AI Overview cites and compares them by Semrush traffic and backlink figures.
- SEObar
- A toolbar on the page that keeps chosen metrics, such as traffic estimates and backlink counts, in view while you browse.
- Link and keyword density reports
- Lists internal and external links with anchor text, follow status and HTTP codes, and counts phrases of one to four words.
- URL and domain comparison
- Compares several URLs or domains side by side on Semrush traffic, backlink and other metrics; audits export as PDF.
Plans
Keyword Surfer
Free$0
Search volumes, CPC, keyword ideas, page metrics and keyword collections in Google results, free from the Chrome Web Store.
SEOquake
Free$0
Quick View, Full Report, SERP Overlay, SEObar and the built-in Semrush metrics, with more metrics after a free Semrush sign-in.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Keyword Surfer or SEOquake?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Keyword Surfer and SEOquake are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Keyword Surfer or SEOquake?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Keyword Surfer and SEOquake have a free plan.
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.