Ghosts vs. Surfer SEO · SEO optimization platform

Surfer scores writing you've already produced. Ghosts produces the writing in the first place.

These aren't mutually exclusive. Surfer grades content against a target score but doesn't write it, so plenty of agencies draft in Ghosts and score in Surfer.

Start writing See sample work

Plans start at $29 a month, paid from day one, and you see the cost of every piece before it's written.

What Surfer SEO is good at.

Surfer is the optimization-score standard. Its Content Editor scoring is the industry benchmark and agencies live in it. Essential runs about $99 a month, AI articles beyond the quota are $29 each, and the AI-visibility tracker is another ~$95.

Where Ghosts wins.

→ Surfer assumes you already have writers; it scores drafts rather than producing them. Ghosts produces the drafts in the first place.
→ No add-on stacking. One subscription with a monthly allowance and the cost of each piece shown before it is written, instead of $99 base + $29 per article + $95 tracker.
→ A personal voice and an editor's review, not just a keyword score.

	Surfer SEO	Ghosts
Does the writing	No; it scores it	Yes
Optimization score	Best in category	Good; SEO/AEO aware
Add-on cost stacking	$99 + $29/article + $95	One plan with a monthly allowance
Personal voice	Not the point	The point

Surfer SEO pricing and features are approximate and current as of July 2026; check the vendor's live page before deciding.

Start writing

Plans start at $29 a month, paid from day one, and you see the cost of every piece before it's written.

See how Ghosts works for SEO agencies → Compare every tool side by side →

Read the writing, then decide.

Plans start at $29 a month, paid from day one, and you see the cost of every piece before it's written.

Start writing See sample work