Keyword Surfer vs Surfer (2026): which should you pick?

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Keyword Surfer

• Free$0

  Search volumes, CPC, keyword ideas, page metrics and keyword collections in Google results, free from the Chrome Web Store.

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.

Keyword Surfer

No public discounts listed.

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.