Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Which One Is Better?

ahrefs vs surfer seo which one to choose

For businesses that want to flourish and build an online presence, SEO has been a lifesaver always – or you can say, a ladder to success. So, if you’re on the way to build your presence online and attract a lot of visitors to your website, SEO is your guide. Some of the popular tools to help you achieve the same are Surfer SEO and Ahrefs.

If we talk about Surfer SEO, it’s a tool that helps you optimize on-page- keywords, page structure content, etc. When you use Surfer SEO, you get access to an editor tool that helps you write and optimize your content with real-time recommendations.

Its algorithms analyze the top-ranking websites and provide you with the best suggestions and recommendations. And so, you get the best out of the existing strategies and keywords to help you design your content and on-page effectively.

On the other hand, Ahrefs is like an allrounder in terms of SEO. Its features include keyword research, backlink analysis content analysis etc. You get a detailed report of your website’s backlinks profile performance, overall site performance, and the areas where you need to improve.

If we look at both of them, Surfer SEO and Ahrefs at the same time, you’ll see that both of them are great and powerful tools. But when choosing one of them, you have no other option but to compare them.

How about we do that for you and you save your time in actually using that tool and stepping forward to success? In this blog, we’ll let you know about Surfer SEO and Ahrefs, their differences, their benefits, their UX, and their pricing as well.

Difference Between Surfer SEO and Ahrefs: Which One Is Better

Surfer SEO and Ahrefs are the two most popular tools when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They both help you in improving your rankings and visitor count but then there comes a difference; the difference in their focus. If you are going to choose one of them, here are some differences you must see before making a purchase.

Area Of Focus

The first and most important difference between Surfer SEO and Ahrefs is the area that they focus on. Surfer SEO helps you with on-page optimization. It helps with all the optimization on-page and gives you an idea of your website’s current on-page insights.

It includes the website’s content, site structure, content length, etc. But on the other side, Ahrefs is an all-in-one tool for your SEO success. It helps you with backlink analysis, keyword research, and all-over website structure.

User Interface 

When you think about using an app or visiting a website, you just wish in your heart that it would be easy to use. In the case of Surfer SEO, it’s easy to navigate and use. When you visit the website for the first time, you are offered an overview of how to use the website.

surfer seo home page ui

But when you come to Ahrefs, you’ll find it a bit complex. It consists of all the tools needed for SEO success so, you might need a bit of time to understand the interface and be easy with it. But, you get provided with a lot of data and insights.

ahrefs home page ui

Pricing

As you would have noticed he a difference in their features and UX, and there’s a difference in the pricing too. Surfer SEO provides you with an on-page optimization service and therefore, its pricing plan starts at just $89 per month and $828 per year. But when you look at Ahrefs, its pricing starts from $129 per month and $1,290 per year.

ahrefs and surfer seo plans comparison image

While taking a look at both, you’ll find both of them are great tools and excellent at what they provide – they indeed are. But, to find the one that’s suitable for you, you must know your goals as well as what the website provides. If you’re looking for just optimizing on-page, go with Surfer SEO and if you’re aiming to get more features and improve your overall site, you may choose Ahrefs.

Plus Points Of Surfer SEO

On-page optimization has become far more important than it was a while ago. People are focusing on it way more than before. But when it comes to choosing a tool for the same, Surfer SEO stands out as the topmost tool that effectively helps in the on-page optimization of your website. Some of its main and attractive features are listed below-

Content Optimization

surfer seo content optimization tool

Content creators always look for tools that provide them with key keywords, structure, relevancy, and other important details by analyzing the top-performing content on the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). Content optimization helps in improving your website’s performance on search engines.

Surfer SEO provides you with the tools that help you with all the aspects important for on-page optimization. It includes analyzing different areas, identifying the need for improvement, and providing you with the content strategy to enhance your approach towards om-page optimization.

Decisions According To The Real Data

Are you still focusing on just the strategies? Well, then you might be missing a lot of fortune. Surfer SEO helps marketers and professionals get all the insights about the trends as well as their websites.

It helps you in knowing high potential keywords to ensure the relevance of content and serve user intent. It also helps you with being ahead of the crowd by providing you with updated analytics on the internet.

Competitor Analysis

To be successful on the internet, you should always be aware of what your competitors are up to – there’s no exception. In the same way, it helps you to know your competitors and the strategies that they use. You get to know their strengths, weaknesses, and results which helps you in shaping your approach and being successful.

User Friendly

Surfer SEO introduces itself with a preview when you visit the website for the first time to make sure you don’t face any difficulties while using the platform. This approach makes it easy for the users to use the platforms without any complexities.

Reports According To Your Needs

To reach heights, it’s important to be highly interactive and insightful. Surfer SEO considers your needs and goals and provides you with a customized report with a lot of insights and an overview of performance metrics and optimization strategies.

Plus Points Of Ahrefs

Ahrefs will provide you with all the tools essential for SEO success. By using AAhrefs, you can improve your ranks on search engines, boost overall site SEO, and much more. Let’s know its features below –

Backlink Analysis

Backlinks have always been important for building authority on search engines and improving your ranks directly or indirectly. Ahrefs has a great collection of backlinks that helps you know your competitor’s backlink profile and helps you build yours accordingly.

ahrefs backlinks analysis tool

You get all the important information such as backlinks, the linked web pages, the websites and domains that are linked to the website, etc. When you get to know your competitor, you shape your approach accordingly and goal for much better.

Keyword Research

How does our content rank on the website? Does it know all that you post? No. But your keywords help them get to know you and rank you on SERPs. Eventually, one can understand how important keywords are.

ahrefs keyword analysis tool in use

Ahrefs helps you with doing keyword research effectively where you get all the information such as search volume, difficulty, and more similar keywords, etc. You’re also provided with the information of keywords that your competitors use.

Content Analysis

We all know that “Content is the King.” How can you ignore it? There’s no different option other than creating high-quality content to win the user’s interest as well as the search engine’s trust. And here, Ahrefs proves to be your buddy!

It helps you identify what your content lacks, suggestions, and recommendations for what it should have. It also provides you with how your website’s content is performing as well as your competitor’s.

Site Audit

When you’ve made the effort, don’t you want to know how it’s performing? Ahrefs lets you know your website’s performance by conducting regular Audits. This way, you get to know the areas you’re successful at, and where you need to improve. You also get suggestions to improve where you lack.

UX Comparison

Now that you know all about their features, let’s discuss their user interface too! Other than all the features, it’s important to give the user a great experience. Let’s see what to expect!

Surfer SEO

  1. User-friendly interface, easy to use.
  2. You are offered an overview when you visit the website for the first time.
  3. The dashboard is easy to understand and you get access to all the tools in one place.
  4. You get real-time recommendations for your content.
  5. It focuses just on on-page optimization and helps you with it.

Ahrefs

  1. Easy to use, you get things done easily.
  2. It has many guides and tutorials to help you with various optimization processes, audits, etc. So, even if you’re a beginner, you won’t face any difficulties in getting things done.
  3. You get all the tools in one place to save time and easy access.
  4. You are updated regularly and even get updated insights and suggestions regularly.
  5. You get great customer support to help you out when you are stuck somewhere.

Both provide great user experience, but to choose one, you need to see more things. It depends on what your goal is and then, you’re all set to choose one of them for reaching your goals. But before you make a decision, how about seeing the pricing plans? After all, budget matters too.

Pricing And Plans Comparison

Ahrefs Surfer SEO
Plan Name Price And Features Plan Name Plan And Features
Lite Price: $129 per month

  • Suitable for small websites and bloggers.
  • Features include backlink analysis, keyword research, and rank tracking
Essential Price: $89 per month

  • For freelancers and small business owners
  • 30 articles per month to optimize with the content editor
  • keyword research
  • 10 auto-optimize runs
  • Can invite 2 team members
Standard Price: $249 per month

  • Suitable for small business to medium-sized businesses.
  • Additional features like content analysis, site audits, and competitor’s analysis
Scale Price: $129 per month

  • Suitable for mid-size agencies and teams of marketers
  •  Upto 100 articles can be optimized with a content editor
  • On-page audit
  • Keyword research
  • 20 auto-optimize runs
  • Can invite 5 team members
Advanced Pricing: $449 per month

  • For large businesses and agencies.
  • All the features provided with higher limits and additional user access
Scale AI Price: $219 per month

  • For agencies and teams of marketers who want to enhance their content with AI
  • Upton 100 articles can be optimized with the content editor
  • Upto 10 AI articles can be generated
  • On-page audit
  • Can invite 5 team members
  • Onboarding is kept personalized
  • 40 auto-optimize runs

Now, you know all the sides of both the tools, the features, the differences, and the budget. Therefore, choose what’s best for you according to your needs, preferences, and budgets.

Conclusion

Surfer SEO and Ahrefs are the most chosen platforms by professionals as well as beginners. They offer great tools and user interfaces to help you grow your websites and use them with ease.

Surfer SEO helps you by focusing on on-page optimization such as keyword suggestion, content recommendation, optimization, etc. On the other hand, Ahrefs helps you perform all the SEO tasks such as keyword research rank tracking, site audits, and much more.

Hence, your choice depends on what your goal is, what your budget is, and which tool fulfills your needs accurately. Observe what’s best for you and start your journey with your new companion! On a personal level, I do use Ahrefs a lot.