POP vs Surfer
Surfer scores 6.4 to POP's 6.1 among the content optimizers we rate, and is the better pick for 1 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Surfer wins, 6.4 to 6.1
POP's Basic plan costs $40 a month against Surfer's $59 for Discovery, but keyword research and clustering only unlock on POP's Unlimited plan; Surfer includes both from Discovery. Surfer also publishes directly to WordPress, where POP works only through its Chrome extension overlay, copying text into the editor by hand. Both write full articles on every plan and offer live chat support, POP for 19 hours a day and Surfer 24 hours on weekdays.
Pick POP if you want full articles at the lowest price.
Pick Surfer if you need WordPress publishing and keyword research.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Rank updates: POP not published, Surfer Weekly / on-demand
- Keyword rank tracker: Scales by plan against Pages via Search Console
- Competitor analysis: Surfer yes, POP no
- Content languages: POP 61 languages, Surfer 18 languages
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $40 against $59
- WordPress: Surfer yes, POP no
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other content optimizers we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Surfer leads on 3 of 6 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (17)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
POP
Surfer
For everything else about each tool, read the full POP review and Surfer review.
POP vs Surfer: common questions
Which is better, POP or Surfer?
Surfer scores 6.4 and POP 6.1 out of 10 among the content optimizers we rate. Surfer is ahead on site audit, competitors and backlinks, works with your tools and team and support. POP is ahead on keyword research and rank tracking and pricing.
Is POP or Surfer cheaper?
POP's cheapest paid plan is $40/mo (Basic) and Surfer's is $59/mo, Discovery. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do POP and Surfer have a free plan?
Neither has a free plan.
What can Surfer do that POP cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: competitor analysis and wordPress.
