Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Comparing the Pros and Cons of Two Popular SEO Tools

In today's digital age, it is not enough just to have a website. In order to drive traffic and generate business, a website must be optimized for search engines through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Without SEO, even the most informative and well-designed website will fail to attract visitors.

Fortunately, with the advent of SEO tools, businesses of any size can improve their online presence and remain competitive. Among the plethora of SEO tools available, two stand out as the most popular and effective: Surfer SEO and Ahrefs. 

These tools offer essential features that can enhance your SEO campaigns and take your website to new heights. In this article, we will compare these popular SEO tools to help you choose between the two. 

Although both of these tools have their strengths, there's simply no comparison when it comes to Scalenut's ability to streamline your content generation and optimization process. Sign up for a free 7-day trial today and see for yourself! 

What is Surfer SEO?‍

Surfer is an on-page optimization software that dissects the highest-ranking results in the search engine results page (SERP) for a specific keyword and generates a detailed plan for developing remarkably optimized content. 

With Surfer, you can effortlessly obtain a comprehensive set of guidance on various aspects such as content length, title, meta tags, and relevant user queries linked to your target keyword.

Surfer is equipped with an advanced algorithm that scrutinizes your content for more than 500 ranking signals to enhance your chances of securing a higher rank in the SERP. It is also known for its easy-to-navigate user interface. 

Who Should Use Surfer SEO? 

• Content writers and bloggers who want to create highly optimized content.
• SEO professionals who want to understand Google's ranking signals and create targeted content.
• Digital marketing agencies who want to provide clients with a comprehensive SEO analysis and optimization reports.
• E-commerce store owners who want to optimize their product descriptions, category pages, and other on-page elements.

Pros of Surfer SEO 

• It is an all-in-one solution for content creation, optimization, and analysis, featuring a content editor, planner, SERP analyzer, and keyword research tool.
• With Surfer SEO, you can evaluate your content based on over 500 ranking factors to identify areas for improvement.
• By utilizing LSI keyword analysis, Surfer SEO suggests relevant topics and keywords you can add to your content.
• You can save time and effort by allowing Surfer to perform a quick content audit in just minutes.
• This tool makes it effortless to rank for long-tail keywords, giving you an advantage in your SEO strategy.

Cons of Surfer SEO 

• There are occasions when the level of analysis required can be demanding. For example, meeting the recommended word count, optimizing keyword usage, and incorporating relevant images may require effort.
• Surfer SEO doesn't offer a free trial. 
• Individuals new to SEO may find it challenging to navigate the interface without prior knowledge.

Surfer SEO Cost  

SurferSEO pricing plans span from $59 to $239 per month and offer varying levels of features and usage limits to cater to different user needs. The $59 per month basic plan is perfect for individuals looking to build a single website. 

With this plan, you can create and edit up to 10 articles, as well as analyze 20 pages per month. For small startups with up to three team members and five websites, the Pro plan at $119 per month offers a comprehensive solution. This plan allows you to produce and optimize 30 articles and scrutinize 60 pages every month.

The Business plan, priced at $239 per month, is intended for large companies seeking to generate and enhance 70 articles and audit 140 pages monthly. With this plan, you can invite up to ten team members to join your account.

What is Ahrefs? 

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool that offers a range of services to help you improve your website's ranking. With Ahrefs, you can conduct competitor research to understand why they rank higher than you. 

This SEO tool has an index of over 40 trillion links and 500 million keyword suggestions, making it easy to find relevant target keywords. Additionally, Ahrefs's backlink analysis tool provides valuable information about your website's link profile and can help you identify areas for improvement. 

One of its features includes on-page optimization. The On-Page Optimization tool provides actionable insights to improve your website's on-page SEO. This SEO software also comes with an audit tool.  

Who Should Use Ahrefs? 

• Individuals looking to improve their website's search engine rankings and online visibility. 
• Businesses that rely heavily on online traffic for their revenue and success.
• Digital marketers, SEO specialists, SEO experts, content creators, bloggers, or website owners, looking for a wealth of data and insights to achieve their goals.
• Content creators and bloggers can use Ahrefs to identify content gaps and opportunities, conduct keyword research, and analyze their website's performance.

Pros of Ahrefs 

• It is a highly extensive web crawler. 
• It comes with comprehensive social sharing information from various platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
• It has one of the largest backlink databases. 
• It offers a user experience that balances loads of information with a clean, well-designed interface.

Cons of Ahrefs 

• Does not integrate with Search Console or Google Analytics. 
• Keyword suggestions lack a relevance score, forcing users to sort by metrics such as volume, resulting in irrelevant suggestions. 
• Some sections of the tool do not generate any results. 

Ahrefs Cost 

Ahrefs offers four different pricing options, ranging from $99 to $999. Take a closer look at each Ahrefs pricing plan and explore additional details about the product to determine which plan is the best fit for your needs below. 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: In-depth Feature Comparison 

Read on to know for an in-depth comparison of key Ahrefs features Surfer SEO features. 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Keyword Research 

Surfer's tool for conducting keyword research generates a comprehensive set of keywords related to a given search term. The tool also presents valuable insights, such as the monthly search volume for each keyword and how closely related each keyword is to the initial search term. 

Conversely, Ahref's keyword research tool allows you to uncover lucrative keywords that your rivals may have overlooked. This functionality empowers you to gain a competitive edge and leverage an untapped source of traffic within your industry.

Winner: Both of them are competent in keyword research. It's a tie. 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Languages Supported 

In terms of language support, Surfer provides coverage for a limited set of 20 languages, whereas Ahrefs boasts an extensive language database that spans over 100 different languages. 

This feature enables Ahrefs to cater to a broader range of users and makes it a versatile option for conducting keyword research across diverse geographic regions.

Winner: Ahrefs 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Competition Research 

The Ahrefs Site Explorer tool offers a trio of SEO tools that can help you gain a competitive edge. These three tools make the Ahrefs Site Explorer an all-in-one research tool, including organic traffic research, backlink analysis, and paid traffic research. Surfer's SERP analyzer also allows you to track your competition to get keyword suggestions and backlinks. 

Winner: While it's a close call, Ahrefs wins this round. That is because it offers more features in this category. 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: AI Writing

With Surfer's Content Editor, you can write and enhance your website content directly within the editor. The tool offers a middle column that presents you with rational recommendations to improve your copy and overall content. Ahrefs doesn't provide any such features. 

Winner: Surfer SEO 

Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Performance Analyzes 

The Ahrefs Rank Tracker tool is an invaluable resource for evaluating the effectiveness of your SEO tactics. This powerful tool allows you to track and monitor your progress over time and compare your performance with that of your rivals. You can do the same with the SERP Analyzer tool by Surfer SEO. 

Winner: Both the tools are competent. We'd call it a tie. 

Ahrefs vs Surfer SEO: Which is Better? 

Ahrefs stands out as one of the most widely-used SEO tools worldwide. Ahrefs' URL analyzer tool is an exceptional resource for collecting website data, measuring DR, and tracking website traffic over time.

While Ahrefs' keyword and website explorer features, along with rank tracking are beneficial for analyzing existing content, if your goal is to generate new optimized content for your blog, you might find Surfer SEO a more suitable option.

For novice SEOs, the abundance of data in Ahrefs can be overwhelming, whereas Surfer SEO offers a more streamlined and user-friendly interface. In that sense, choosing between Ahrefs and Surfer really depends on your end goal. 

It may be worthwhile to invest in both tools if you have the budget available. 

You can opt for an all-inclusive tool like Scalenut. Read on to learn about what makes Scalenut a worthy alternative to both Surfer SEO and Ahrefs. 

Scalenut: A Better Alternative

Scalenut is an all-in-one solution for content marketing and SEO that empowers users to take complete charge of their content ecosystem. Its impressive array of features includes the AI Writer, SEO Assistant, and Keyword Planner, which simplify content planning, researching, writing, and content optimization.

By using Scalenut, you can trust that your content will be expertly crafted and optimized for maximum impact on search engines and social media platforms. Besides, it also offers a chrome extension that allows you to use it on Google Docs. Here are some key features that make it stand out from similar tools in the market. 

AI Copywriter 

Scalenut's AI Copywriter assistant utilizes advanced deep learning algorithms to generate human-like writing. With access to an extensive library of billions of texts, the tool has developed a sophisticated understanding of language, recognizing the nuances of words and sentences. 

Cruise Mode 

Scalenut's revolutionary AI technology, Cruise Mode, is a total game-changer in the world of content creation. Thanks to this powerful tool, users can now generate comprehensive and well-written long-form content in just a few minutes, by putting minimal effort. With just a few simple inputs, Cruise Mode will do all the heavy lifting, delivering first drafts that are both quick and efficient.

SERP Ideas 

Scalenut's SEO Assistant is equipped with a powerful real-time SERP analysis tool that sets it apart from other SEO tools in the market. The tool provides a comprehensive 360-degree intelligence report for your targeted keyword, enabling you to validate the content of your article and ensure its accuracy.

Social Listening 

Scalenut's social listening feature sets it apart from other AI writing tools that offer only basic monitoring of online conversations. 

Its comprehensive social listening covers a wide range of popular public forums. It includes Quora, Reddit, and Google, providing you with a deeper understanding of your target audience's interests, pain points, and the latest trends in your industry.

Scalenut Pricing 

Scalenut offers three different pricing plans to its users. Read on to know about them. 

• Individual: Starting at $12 per month, this plan offers 100,000 AI words and 5 SEO reports to the users. It is ideal for freelancers and hobbyists. 
• Growth: This plan starts at $32 per month and includes 30 SEO reports and unlimited AI words. It is ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses. 
• Pro: The third plan by Scalenut starts at $60 per month and is ideal for enterprises and agencies. It involves unlimited reports and a dedicated customer success manager. 

You can start with a 7-day free trial before making a final call.