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

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

Pick Textmetrics if

• Fits if your organization has many writers who must follow one writing guide
• Works for recruitment teams writing inclusive job ads inside their ATS

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price first, as quotes come only through sales
• Not for you if you want to try it yourself, as a trial comes only after a demo
• Watch out: language checks cover twelve languages, and Russian only in part
• Tight if you change things often, as adding domains or users goes through a customer success manager
• Watch out: the API, single sign-on and trainable custom functions are listed under the Advanced features

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.

Textmetrics

• Prices are not published; the vendor quotes by usage and organization size, and a trial account is arranged only after a demo.
• Language checks cover twelve languages, Russian only in part; the SEO suggestions work in more than 60.
• API access, trainable custom functions and single sign-on are listed under the Advanced features.
• Changes such as adding domains or users to the dashboard go through a Customer Success Manager.

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.

Textmetrics

Real-time editor

Suggestions while writing on keywords in titles, headings and metadata, reading level, inclusive language, sentiment and tone of voice.

GEO guidelines

Advice on matching text to specific questions and structuring it so AI assistants such as Copilot and Gemini can draw answers from it.

Content dashboard

Monitors a website's published content weekly for SEO, readability, inclusion, accessibility and branding, broken down by team or writer.

Custom rule sets

Rules are configured from your own writing guide and policies, with separate rule sets for teams that follow different style guides.

Accessibility checks

Checks text against WCAG guidelines and a target reading level such as B1, including heading structure and semantic layout.

Plugins where people write

Add-ins for Word, Outlook and Google Docs, Chrome and Edge extensions, and plugins for CMSs and applicant tracking systems.

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.

Textmetrics

Pricing could not be confirmed. See textmetrics.com.

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.

Textmetrics

No public discounts listed.