Surfer is 65% cheaper
than Semrush
$49/mo (Discovery) vs Semrush SEO at $139/mo — covering 80% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Same job. Way less money.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
SEO plan at $139/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Discovery: 588 USD/yearly.
Semrush costs $139/mo on the SEO plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 1 of them covers at least 75% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Surfer covers 80% of the 5 capabilities compared against Semrush. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Surfer | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword research | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rank tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site audit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlink analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Competitor analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Semrush has that Surfer lacks.
- Backlink analysis — Analyze the backlinks pointing to a site.Missing from Surfer.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Discovery | $49/mo (billed yearly) |
| Standard | $99/mo (billed yearly) |
| Pro | $182/mo (billed yearly) |
| Peace of Mind | $299/mo (billed yearly) |
| Enterprise | $999/mo |
| AI Search Analytics (standalone) | $158/mo (billed yearly) |
| Free | Free |
| SEO | $139/mo |
| Starter SEO + AI Search | $199/mo |
| Pro+ SEO + AI Search | $299/mo |
| Advanced SEO + AI Search | $549/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Surfer than Semrush?
65% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $49/mo on Discovery vs $139/mo on SEO. That is $1080 a year.
What does Surfer lack compared with Semrush?
Backlink analysis — 1 of the 5 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Semrush: 2026-10-26; Surfer: 2026-10-27 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://www.semrush.com/prices/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://www.semrush.com/pricing/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- Surfer data last verified 2026-10-27