SEMSTORM vs Surfer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SEMSTORM and Surfer share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about the free plan, where SEMSTORM grades higher, or features, where Surfer does.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SEMSTORM
Polish SEO suite for rank tracking, keywords and content writing
Surfer
Content editor that scores articles for search and AI citations
Which one is for you
Pick SEMSTORM if
- Fits if you do SEO for Polish websites
- Works for you if you track rankings and AI Overviews city by city
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your sites aren't Polish, as domain analysis only covers Polish-language sites
- Tight if you're on Basic, with no subusers, API, Looker Studio or white label, which starts at 599 zł
- Not for you if you want prices in dollars or euros, as it's billed in złoty plus VAT
- Too light for link work, as there's no backlink tool
- Watch out: after the 14-day trial, the free account can't open campaigns, documents or reports
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
| 2.2GPASEMSTORMFair | 2.2GPASurferFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is 129 zł a month excluding VAT, about $33, for 150 tracked keywords and 10 reports a day. Just above this category's cheapest quarter. There are no subusers or API on Basic, and white label starts at Business for 599 zł. | 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 14-day trial of Premium features with no credit card. Afterwards the account turns into a free one with no access to campaigns, documents or reports. | 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 | CRank tracking by city with AI Overviews, domain and competitor analysis, keyword ideas in 20+ languages, a content assistant and Lighthouse checks. The gaps the listing names: domain data for Polish-language sites only, and there's no backlink tool. | 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. Rank campaigns and competitor reports need setting up, and the daily report limits take some planning. | 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 only, connected to Google Analytics and Search Console, with a Looker Studio connector in beta for some partners and an API from Premium. 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 | SEO for Polish websites | 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: SEMSTORM and Surfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- SEMSTORM also covers rank tracking, AI search visibility, content optimization and page speed.
- Surfer also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| SEMSTORM | Surfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | 129 zł per month for 150 tracked keywords, excluding VAT | $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Premium features, no credit card required | 7-day free trial with Pro access for new accounts; card required, converts to the chosen plan |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | SEMSTORM International sp. z o.o. | Surfer Sp. z o.o. |
| Price read from | app.semstorm.com | surferseo.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
SEMSTORM
- Prices are in Polish złoty and exclude VAT; the pricing page shows no dollar or euro prices.
- Domain analysis covers Polish-language sites only; keyword suggestions and the content editor work in other languages.
- Basic has no subusers, API or Looker Studio access, and white label starts at Business for 599 zł a month.
- After the 14-day trial the account reverts to a free one with no access to campaigns, documents or reports.
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
SEMSTORM
- Rank tracking with AI Overviews
- Checks rankings in a real browser by province, city, street or zip code, on desktop and mobile, tracks every competitor automatically and records AI Overview and AI Mode results.
- Domain and competitor analysis
- Shows the keywords any Polish-language site ranks for, compares up to 5 sites at once and lists keywords rivals rank for that you do not.
- Keyword suggestions
- Up to 10 seed words at once in 20+ languages, filtered by country, city and currency, with search volume, trends, CPC and competition.
- Content Assistant
- Analyzes the pages ranking for a keyword and suggests phrase counts, headings and length, flags hard-to-read passages, and drafts text or whole articles with AI.
- Lighthouse audits
- Runs Google Lighthouse checks for speed, accessibility and SEO, with the connection speed, processor and device type adjustable.
- API and data connections
- Campaigns can pull in Google Analytics and Search Console data. The API starts at Premium, and a Looker Studio connector is in beta for selected partners.
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
SEMSTORM
Basic129 zł
per month for 150 tracked keywords, excluding VAT
15 AI Mode keywords, Polish domain data to the top 20, 10 reports a day, 5 Content Assistant keywords and 5,000 AI words. No subusers or API.
Premium249 zł
per month for 1,000 tracked keywords, excluding VAT
100 AI Mode keywords, 2 subusers, 100 reports a day, 100 Content Assistant keywords, 50,000 AI words and 100,000 API points.
Business599 zł
per month for 5,000 tracked keywords, excluding VAT
500 AI Mode keywords, 10 subusers, 250 reports a day, white label, technology detection and 5 million API points.
Agency899 zł
per month for 10,000 tracked keywords, excluding VAT
1,000 AI Mode keywords, 20 subusers, 500 reports a day, 1,000 Content Assistant keywords, 200,000 AI words and 10 million API points.
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
SEMSTORM
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
SEMSTORM's pricing page offers two months free when a plan is paid yearly instead of 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, SEMSTORM or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SEMSTORM starts at 129 zł per month for 150 tracked keywords, excluding VAT, and Surfer starts at $49 per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, SEMSTORM or Surfer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither SEMSTORM nor Surfer has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do SEMSTORM 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.