Gane, the publisher, sells software in this category. Every product here is measured by the same method as in every other category. How the conflict is handled.
Four of fourteen models named Surfer SEO first on the direct prompt; zero named Frase. Both were named by all fourteen models and Surfer SEO carries 63 labels and Frase 42, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the SEO and content optimization platforms page.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Surfer SEO and Frase were named in the same answer eighty-eight times, of the 193 answers naming Surfer SEO and the 102 naming Frase. In those answers Frase took the first choice eight times and Surfer SEO fifteen.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | ||||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | ||||||
| Perplexity Sonar | ||||||
| Grok 4.20 | ||||||
| Mistral Small | ||||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | ||||||
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | ||||||
| Kimi K2 | ||||||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | ||||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | ||||||
| GPT-6 Luna | ||||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B |
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Avoid premium-heavy tools like Clearscope, SurferSEO, or Frase” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Content graders and brief builders—for example, Surfer, Clearscope, or Frase. They can help with research and coverage, but don’t treat a score... as a ranking formula.” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“Surfer SEO is the mid-market benchmark for content optimization... For pure page-level NLP scoring, NeuronWriter is the direct, cheaper swap to Surfer.” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · soft negative
“Surfer SEO is the default recommendation for most content teams because it balances on-page scoring, keyword research, and a content editor in one interface.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“the consensus in 2025-2026 reviews is that Surfer SEO hits the best balance of price, on-page workflow and AI-assisted optimization” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Surfer SEO is the consensus leader for mid-market companies that want AI-search visibility connected to content briefs” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid premium-heavy tools like Clearscope, SurferSEO, or Frase” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“for example, Surfer, Clearscope, or Frase. They can help with research and coverage, but don’t treat a score, suggested word count, or list of terms as a ranking formula.” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“Frase has no backlink analysis, technical SEO auditing, or AI writing, so you'd need additional tools for comprehensive SEO work.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Best Overall for Budget: Frase is the most affordable tool that combines research, brief generation, AI writing, and optimization” Claude Haiku 4.5 · budget prompt · first choice
“Content Workflow: Frase or Surfer (research → brief → write → optimize)” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
“NeuronWriter and Frase are the best choices for a limited budget” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.