You’re probably as excited as most content writers are about the Surfer AI add-on released by Surfer SEO.
Surfer SEO has become one of the industry standards when it comes to optimizing articles for higher rankings on search engines. Thanks to its NLP features, you can SEO-optimize your blog posts to match the top-ranking pages for your given keyword.
As mentioned in my in-depth Surfer AI review, Surfer SEO subscribers can now generate entire articles of about 3,000 words (depending on the SERPs) with a click of a button. The best part is that the content already comes highly optimized.
However, numerous users have complained about the high price structure of Surfer AI. For that reason and others, I’ve compiled a list of the best Surfer AI alternatives and competitors to help you write long-form content that ranks on Google.
But first, let’s see what Surfer AI is and the disadvantages that make people turn to its competitors.
What is Surfer AI?
Surfer AI is a paid add-on ($29 per article) that Surfer SEO released to its customers. With Surfer AI, you don’t have to rely on external AI writing tools to generate articles and blog posts from scratch.
Surfer AI does it all:
- Researches the top-ranking pages for your chosen keyword.
- Writes an outline that you may customize.
- Writes in your selected tone of voice.
- Generates a highly SEO-optimized article in about 20 minutes.
- Optionally, you can choose an article that bypasses AI content detectors.
On top of the least expensive plan ($19/mo paid yearly), $29 per article is a great deal, considering all the above factors.
Besides, Surfer AI is one of the best undetectable AI writing tools, so you can rest assured your content won’t be flagged as AI, futureproofing your website’s content.
Let’s take a look at some of Surfer AI’s disadvantages.
Surfer AI Disadvantages
- You must have a Surfer SEO subscription to access Surfer AI—this is a killer.
- You must be cautious when setting up the Surfer AI wizard, as the tool doesn’t let you go back to previous steps.
- If you don’t like the generated article, you must purchase another AI credit ($29) to regenerate it.
- Paying $29 per article can be expensive when compared to some alternatives listed below.
So, let’s start and explore some of the best Surfer AI alternatives.
What are the Best Surfer AI Alternatives & Competitors?
1. Longform AI by SurgeGraph
Affordable and unlimited 1-click article generation and SEO-optimization features.
Longform AI by SurgeGraph is by far the best Surfer AI alternative when it comes to pricing and features.
Focusing on generating SEO-optimized content using SERP analysis and NLP, Longform AI excels in creating articles exceeding 3,500 words, concentrating on boosting organic traffic and search engine rankings.
Unlike Surfer AI, SurgeGraph lets you generate unlimited articles and do unlimited keyword research with metrics such as volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, opportunity score, and more. In a nutshell, everything is unlimited with Longform AI. Not happy with the outcome? No problem—generate again and again without additional costs.
Related: Learn how to use SurgeGraph to generate SEO content
Longform AI by SurgeGraph distinguishes itself from other AI writing tools by catering specifically to long-form content creation and incorporating sophisticated SEO features.
It analyzes over 50 SERP data points from high-ranking pages to produce search-engine-optimized content, thus increasing the likelihood of better rankings and more organic traffic.
Like Surfer AI’s NLP keywords, Longform AI employs proprietary Contextual Terms to guarantee that the resulting content is both cohesive and captivating.
Moreover, SurgeGraph is designed to save you time by offering extensive topic coverage and well-researched outlines that you can customize whenever you want, further augmenting the quality of the produced content.
Read my review to learn more about it.
Longform AI Key Features as the Best Surfer AI Alternative
- Unlimited Articles – Generate unlimited articles, all already SEO-optimized.
- Keyword to Blog Generator – Generate complete SEO-optimized articles by inputting a single keyword.
- SERP Analyzer – Longform AI analyzes the top-ranking pages to develop content that matches your keyword’s intent with just a few clicks.
- SEO-optimization – Access a powerful SERP analyzer and get suggestions for on-page SEO.
- Contextual Terms – Similar to NLP keywords, Contextual Terms are the most commonly used keywords competitors use.
- Keyword Research – SurgeGraph includes a built-in keyword research tool, allowing you to discover and focus on the most lucrative keywords for your content.
How does Longform AI compare to Surfer AI?
Longform AI is the most affordable solution for generating unlimited content optimized for SEO. Like Surfer AI, it analyzes the top organic competitors to develop unique content.
Unlike Surfer AI, Longform AI features a keyword research tool and AI writing tools to help you refine the content. All features are unlimited, costing $43.99/mo or $14.69/mo (paid every three years).
Longform AI Pricing
Longform AI provides a comprehensive plan that includes all unlimited features. Nevertheless, various billing cycles are available for selection.
Opting for the 36-month billing cycle ($14.69/mo) is the most economical option, as it offers a significant 67% discount. The monthly plan costs $43.99/mo.
2. Article Forge
Article Forge is an AI writer specifically designed to create top-quality articles with a single click. Simply input your desired keyword and press Generate.
Like Surfer AI, Article Forge produces text that avoids AI content detection tools and is plagiarism-free. This offers peace of mind to those worried about their writing being flagged for AI or plagiarism.
Unlike Surfer AI, Article Forge enables you to generate multiple articles at once and effortlessly schedule them to be published on your WordPress site.
Article Forge is unique because it doesn’t rely on GPT technology; instead, they use its own AI engine to develop content.
Article Forge Key Feature as the Best Surfer AI Competitor
- Article Writer – Generate 1,500 articles with just one click.
- Bypass AI Detection – The content successfully evades AI content detection tools.
- Original Content – Produce plagiarism-free content for your blog.
- Bulk Generation – Craft numerous articles simultaneously.
- Integrations – Combine Article Forge with WordAI to automatically produce 10 distinct variations of the same article.
How does Article Forge compare to Surfer AI?
Article Forge is not an SEO tool like Surfer, and you don’t get SEO recommendations based on SERPs. However, it manages to generate high-quality articles in just one click. Like Surfer AI, you can customize your blog post outline, toggle the Avoid AI Detection feature, and create plagiarism-free content.
A key selling point of Article Forge is its cost-effective pricing structure, charging per word, and offering affordable rates.
Article Forge Pricing
- Yearly Pricing ($13/mo) – Starting at 25,000 words, the yearly plan provides a 51% discount.
- Monthly Pricing ($27/mo) – With a starting limit of 25,000 words, you gain access to all features.
Begin exploring Article Forge with a 5-day free trial.
3. NeuronWriter
NeuronWriter is one of the top competitors to Surfer SEO and now Surfer AI. This AI SEO software, much like Surfer, offers relevant semantic keywords based on NLP suggestions.
With NeuronWriter, you can craft highly optimized content for search engines while using AI writing tools alongside, including the ability to generate an entire blog post in one click.
With its SEO Score, you can further optimize the terms on your content and headings to better match the top-ranking competitors for a given keyword.
Unlike Surfer AI, which costs $29 per article on top of a Surfer SEO subscription, NeuronWriter’s cheapest plan is €19/mo for 25 SEO articles or 25 SERP analyses. It’s a much more cost-effective solution to generate SEO-optimized blog posts without breaking the bank.
NeuronWriter Features as the Best Surfer AI Alternative
- 1-Click Blog Post – Generate entire blog posts with one click.
- SEO Score – Edit and optimize your AI-generated content for higher rankings.
- NLP Keywords – Get insights into the best NLP keywords to include in your copy.
- Plagiarism Checker – It integrates with a plagiarism checker to verify the authenticity of your article.
- AI Tools – Leverage several AI writing tools to develop further content.
How does NeuronWriter compare to Surfer AI?
With Surfer AI, you only have to input a keyword and customize the outline to generate the content. NeuronWriter offers more customizations, including inputting several keywords on the content and headings.
It’s also much more affordable, as you get 25 SEO analyses for €19/mo, while Surfer AI charges $29 for only one.
NeuronWriter Pricing
- Bronze Plan (€19/mo) – 25 SEO analyses and 15,000 AI credits.
- Silver Plan (€37/mo) – 50 SEO analyses and 30,000 AI credits.
- Gold Plan (€57/mo) – 75 SEO analyses and 45,000 AI credits.
- Platinum Plan (€77/mo) – 100 SEO analyses and 60,000 AI credits.
- Diamond Plan (€97/mo) – 150 SEO analyses and 75,000 AI credits.
One AI credit gives between 1 and 5 words, depending on the engine used.
For a limited time, NeuronWriter has a lifetime deal you can take advantage of.
4. Content at Scale
Content at Scale (CaS) is a top competitor to Surfer AI, as it can generate entire articles by inputting a keyword only. After customizing your outline, your article will be ready in a few minutes.
Content at Scale also boasts an SEO-optimization tool that incorporates pertinent NLP keywords to boost your Google rankings. Additionally, it offers an on-page SEO tool to ensure proper optimization of your blog posts.
Rather than merely being an additional layer on GPT-4, Content at Scale adopts a multi-model strategy that emphasizes long-form content and employs sophisticated semantic and NLP algorithms.
To learn more about this long-form article writer, check out my Content at Scale review. I’ve also created a detailed tutorial to witness its functionality in action.
Content at Scale Features as a Top Surfer AI Alternative
- Avoids AI Content – The content successfully avoids AI content detection tools.
- Plagiarism-Free – The generated content is unique and free from plagiarism.
- SEO Suggestions – It features an SEO score and NLP keywords to help you improve your article.
- Repurpose Content – You can create a unique article based on an existing blog post, a YouTube video, a podcast, or an audio file.
- WordPress Integration – Link your WordPress account and schedule posts for publication on your blog.
- Bulk Generation – The tool enables you to create numerous articles simultaneously.
How does Content at Scale compare to Surfer AI?
Like Surfer AI, Content at Scale charges per article. However, once your article is generated, you may request a re-run without additional charges.
One of the downsides of CaS is that the NLP keyword suggestions are less robust than Surfer’s SEO capabilities. However, they’re constantly improving their SEO tools, so we’ll probably see some significant improvements soon.
Content at Scale is tailored more to agencies, as you’ll get a cost of $15 per post in their Agency plan.
If you’re deciding to choose Content at Scale or Article Forge as your Surfer AI alternative, read my Content at Scale vs. Article Forge comparison.
Content at Scale Pricing
- Solo ($250/mo) – Generate 8 monthly posts at $31 each.
- Starter ($500/mo) – Generate 20 monthly posts at $25 each.
- Scaling ($1,000/mo) – Generate 50 monthly posts at $20 each.
- Agency ($1500/mo) – Generate 100 monthly posts at $15 each.
You may try Content at Scale for $39.99 and generate one post before committing to a paid plan.
5. Scalenut
Scalenut is an AI-powered platform designed to assist you in managing your entire content lifecycle, from identifying keyword clusters and creating content briefs to optimizing content for higher search rankings.
Scalenut’s similar feature to Surfer AI is its Cruise Mode, which lets you generate an article based on Google’s top ten ranking pages for your chosen keyword. Simply click the “Generate” button and let Scalenut handle the rest. Be sure to oversee the process, make real-time edits, and verify the accuracy of the information provided.
Scalenut also offers insights and semantic key terms to help you stay ahead of your competition.
Utilizing natural language processing and machine learning, Scalenut AI comprehends your articles’ context and offers enhancements suggestions. This results in less editing and more time dedicated to producing high-quality content.
The platform provides AI-powered copywriting solutions, catering to those who wish to compose articles from the ground up or optimize new and existing ones for improved SEO rankings.
You can read my in-depth Scalenut review to find out more.
Scalenut Key Features
- SEO Hub – Enhance your SEO strategy and boost your blog posts and articles’ rankings.
- Cruise Mode – Simplify the entire content creation process using Scalenut’s blog post generator, which assists with everything from selecting a title to crafting the full content.
- AI Copywriter – Create short- and long-form content for various media types.
- Content Brief – Examine the top 30 competitors and evaluate their content based on multiple metrics, such as word counts, readability scores, images used, and other important data.
- Topic Clusters – Employ Scalenut to pinpoint the keyword pillars that form the basis of your content strategy and utilize the AI writing tool to create each piece meticulously.
How does Scalenut compare to Surfer AI?
Unlike Surfer AI, Scalenut allows for more detailed article setup settings. For example, you can provide more than one keyword for the AI to generate the article. You can also check the top-ranking outlines to find inspiration.
Before generating the article, you can customize the talking points on each heading, something you can’t do with Surfer AI. This lets you specify in more detail what you want the AI to write.
Scalenut Pricing
- Essential ($23/mo) – Generate up to 100,000 monthly words and optimize 5 SEO articles.
- Growth ($47/mo) – Access unlimited words and optimize 30 monthly articles.
- Pro ($89/mo) – Optimize 75 monthly articles.
You may access Scalenut for free for 7 days before committing to it.
6. Write It Yourself
No, this is not a tool—it’s my sense of humor.
Most people don’t realize that a great alternative to Surfer AI and other AI writing tools is your little brain. No tool comes close to it. Yet, you must learn to use it properly.
Unlike Surfer AI, we can simultaneously mingle different voices and tones while staying on topic. Not only that, but an AI tool would never “think” of featuring this snippet in an article, wiping a smile off your face.
While we’re at it, and if you already use an AI tool to generate content, learn the best ways to humanize it.
Key Features
- Creativity – We’re much more creative than Surfer AI, although we can’t scrape the SERPs at the speed of light.
- Humor – Our sense of humor is much more interesting.
- Uniqueness – Want plagiarized-free content? Write it yourself.
- Avoids AI Detection – Is there anything to say?
How does Write It Yourself compare to Surfer AI?
The main advantage of writing the content yourself is that it keeps the reader engaged since it feels there’s truly a human being on the other side. Even AI tools that avoid AI detection can’t relate to the reader in the same way as you can if you write it yourself.
I bet that if this were written by an AI writing tool, you wouldn’t have read this far. And if you’re not a writer, you can use tools like Grammarly, Quillbot, or Chat by Copy AI to rephrase your content and make it more readable.
Write It Yourself Pricing
Completely free!
Best Surfer AI Alternatives: Conclusion
With today’s AI tools, we risk becoming lazier than ever. Just click a button, and that’s it.
Google has prioritized high-quality content for a long time, but I believe it will become increasingly demanding regarding quality. Several factors signal Google the quality of an article, such as how readers engage with it, if the user’s search intent is met, and more.
So, if you want to click a button and do nothing—that’s not the best approach. All these Surfer AI alternatives and competitors can help you produce quality content faster and cheaper.
But as always, they’re merely assistants. Remember to fact-check everything and input your personal views.
