# The best AI SEO tools in 2026 > The best AI SEO tools sorted by job: research, briefs, writing, on-page fixes and AI-answer tracking. Semrush, Surfer, Frase, Clearscope, ChatGPT and more. Source: https://terradium.io/blog/best-ai-seo-tools Last updated 14 October 2026 · Prices checked 14 October 2026 **The short answer** No single tool is the best AI SEO tool, because "AI SEO" covers several different jobs. For keyword and competitor research with AI-search tracking on top, **Semrush** is the broadest suite here. For writing and grading pages against what already ranks, shortlist the content editors: **Surfer**, **Frase** and **Clearscope**. **Alli AI** automates on-page changes across many sites, **SEO.ai** is a done-for-you agent for small businesses, and **ChatGPT** is a general assistant for drafts and ideas, not an SEO platform. **Terradium** ($29/mo) is the pick if your goal is to show up in AI answers. It tracks where you're missing and writes the articles that fill the gap. It has no backlink index, site crawler or keyword database, so if you need those, pair it with a suite. An AI SEO tool is software that uses AI, usually a large language model, to do part of the search optimization work for you. That can mean researching keywords and competitors, turning a keyword into a brief, drafting the article, scoring a page against the results it competes with, applying on-page fixes across a site, or tracking whether your brand appears in AI answers. Which tool is best depends on which of those jobs is slowing you down, so this guide sorts the tools by job instead of forcing them into one ranking. ## What "AI SEO tool" means The phrase gets used for two different things. 1. **AI for doing SEO.** The software uses AI to speed up the work: research, briefs, writing, optimization. This is what most of this guide covers. 2. **SEO for AI search.** The goal is to be mentioned and cited when people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews a question. This is often called AEO (answer engine optimization) or GEO (generative engine optimization). The line is blurring. Semrush, Surfer, Frase and Clearscope have all added some form of AI-answer tracking next to their SEO features, and the details are in each tool's section below. If you want a dedicated AI visibility tracker rather than an SEO tool that happens to have one, read our separate comparison of the [best AI visibility tools](https://terradium.io/best-ai-visibility-tools), which covers Profound, Peec AI, Otterly.AI and others on price, prompts and engines. If you're weighing one of those trackers, there's also a page on [Peec AI alternatives](https://terradium.io/alternatives/peec-ai). We don't repeat that list here. A word on the title. None of these tools can promise rankings, and we haven't measured what any of them does to rankings. What they do is take hours out of the work that tends to move rankings: picking the right topics, covering them well, keeping pages technically sound, and checking the results. Everything below about each tool comes from its own website, and every price was read from the vendor's pricing page on the date at the top. ## The AI SEO tools at a glance | Tool | Type | Paid plans from | Free option | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Semrush | All-in-one SEO suite | [$139/mo (SEO)](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/) | Free plan (10 reports/day) | | Surfer | Content optimization | [$59/mo (Discovery)](https://surferseo.com/pricing/) | Free Keyword Surfer extension | | Frase | Content optimization | [$49/mo (Starter)](https://www.frase.io/pricing) | Free checker tools | | Clearscope | Content optimization | [$129/mo (Essentials)](https://www.clearscope.io/pricing) | 14 days trial | | Alli AI | On-page SEO automation | [$299/mo (Business)](https://www.alliai.com/pricing) | 10 days trial | | SEO.ai | AI SEO agent | [$149/mo (Single Site)](https://seo.ai/pricing) | 7 days trial | | ChatGPT | General AI assistant | [See pricing page](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/) | See pricing page | | Terradium | AI visibility + AI SEO content | [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing) | 7 days trial | ## Research and tracking ### Semrush *All-in-one SEO suite · [$139/mo (SEO)](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/) · Free plan (10 reports/day)* Semrush is an all-in-one SEO suite: keyword research, competitor analysis, position tracking, site audits and backlink analysis, with AI-search visibility now sold alongside. Its combined SEO + AI Search plans start with Starter at $199/mo, which adds 50 AI prompts tracked daily and MCP access, so you can connect Semrush data to an AI assistant. If you only want the AI side, the standalone AI Visibility toolkit is $99/mo per domain and tracks 25 custom prompts daily across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity. **Pros** - Keyword research, rank tracking, site audit and AI visibility in one subscription. - A free plan (1 demo project, 10 reports a day) and a 7-day trial of paid plans. - The AI Visibility toolkit can be bought on its own, without the full SEO plan. **Cons** - Costs add up: the SEO plan is $139/mo, the combined SEO + AI Search plans start at $199/mo, and extra users start at $45/mo each. - It's a data platform first. The research tells you what to do, but someone still has to do it. **Best for:** teams that want keyword research, rankings and AI visibility in one place, and have the budget for it. ## Briefs, writing and optimization These three are content editors. You give them a keyword, they look at what already ranks, and they help you write or refresh a page that covers the topic as well. All three now include some AI-answer tracking. ### Surfer *Content optimization · [$59/mo (Discovery)](https://surferseo.com/pricing/) · Free Keyword Surfer extension* Surfer is a content editor with live guidelines and a Content Score that update as you write or refresh a page. Its entry Discovery plan includes 120 documents, 10 tracked pages, Surfy (its AI writing assistant) and an AI detector and humanizer for one seat. Surfer's toolset also lists keyword research, a topical map and a content audit. AI prompt tracking starts on Standard ($119/mo, 25 prompts weekly, ChatGPT only), daily tracking across all models starts on Pro ($219/mo, 50 prompts), and there's a standalone AI Search Analytics plan at $95/mo. **Pros** - Writing guidance, scoring and an AI assistant in the editor, from the entry plan up. - The free Keyword Surfer Chrome extension shows search volumes on Google results. - Annual billing saves up to 17%. **Cons** - No AI prompt tracking on Discovery, and Standard tracks ChatGPT only, weekly. - Plans get expensive as you add AI tracking. Check which engines each plan covers before you buy. **Best for:** writers and SEO teams who want a scoring editor next to every draft. ### Frase *Content optimization · [$49/mo (Starter)](https://www.frase.io/pricing) · Free checker tools* Frase calls itself "the content operating system for AI search": audit, research, writing, publishing and hosting in one place. AI visibility tracking is included in every plan rather than sold separately. Starter ($49/mo) includes 10 articles and 50 audit pages a month for one seat and one site, and tracks 50 prompts on ChatGPT and Google AI. Professional ($129/mo) adds Perplexity and 200 prompts; Scale ($299/mo) adds Claude and Gemini and 500 prompts. **Pros** - A low entry price for an editor plus AI tracking. - A 7-day free trial with no credit card. - Free GEO Score, AI Visibility and Agent Readiness checkers. **Cons** - Starter is small: 10 articles a month, one seat, one site. - Perplexity, Gemini and Claude tracking need the higher plans. **Best for:** small content teams that want briefs, writing and AI tracking in one editor. ### Clearscope *Content optimization · [$129/mo (Essentials)](https://www.clearscope.io/pricing)* Clearscope is a content-grading and topic-research tool built for content teams. Essentials ($129/mo) includes 50 tracked queries, 50 pages, 20 topic explorations and 20 drafts a month, and every plan has unlimited users and projects. Its query tracking shows when and how your brand is mentioned in ChatGPT and Gemini, included on every plan. **Pros** - Unlimited users and projects on every plan, which suits teams with many writers and editors. - ChatGPT and Gemini mention tracking is included, not an add-on. - A 14-day free trial. **Cons** - The highest entry price of the three editors here, and no free plan. - AI tracking covers two engines. **Best for:** content teams with several writers who all need the same grading standard. ## On-page automation ### Alli AI *On-page SEO automation · [$299/mo (Business)](https://www.alliai.com/pricing)* Alli AI automates on-page SEO across a whole site through a code snippet, aimed at businesses and agencies that manage many sites. Every plan includes an AI Search Visibility Engine, pre-rendering for 50+ AI crawlers and an AI Bot Traffic Live Monitor. Business ($299/mo) covers 5 sites, 500 keywords and 1,250 pages; API access and white-label snippet hosting start on Agency ($599/mo). **Pros** - Applies on-page changes across many pages and sites from one place. - Pre-rendering for AI crawlers, which matters if your pages are rendered in the browser. - A 10-day free trial on all plans. **Cons** - The highest entry price on this list. - Its focus is on-page optimization, so you'll still need a writer or another tool for new articles. **Best for:** agencies and multi-site businesses that want on-page fixes applied at scale. ## Writing and publishing ### SEO.ai *AI SEO agent · [$149/mo (Single Site)](https://seo.ai/pricing)* SEO.ai sells a done-for-you AI SEO agent that writes pages and articles, builds Google Ads and monitors performance, and says it targets visibility in both Google and ChatGPT. Single Site ($149/mo) covers one website in one language; Multi Site ($299/mo) covers up to 3 websites or languages. Prices exclude VAT, and annual payment saves 25%. **Pros** - Hands-off: the agent does the work instead of giving you a tool to operate. - Builds Google Ads as well as pages and articles. - A 7-day trial. **Cons** - Its pricing page doesn't publish article or seat limits. - $149 a month covers one site in one language, before VAT. **Best for:** small business owners who want SEO done for them, not a tool to learn. ### ChatGPT *General AI assistant · [See pricing page](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/)* ChatGPT is OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant. For SEO, people use it to brainstorm topics, outline articles, draft and rewrite copy, and write title tags and meta descriptions. It isn't built as an SEO platform, so the data an SEO tool gives you (keyword volumes, rankings, a crawl of your site) has to come from somewhere else. OpenAI's pricing page blocked our automated check, so we don't quote its plans here; see its pricing page. ChatGPT is also one of the places your buyers ask questions, which makes it somewhere you want to be cited, not just a writing aid. **Pros** - Flexible: one tool for ideas, outlines, drafts and rewrites. - Useful for fast first drafts of small items like meta descriptions and FAQs. **Cons** - No SEO data of its own, so you need another tool to pick topics and check results. - Drafts need fact-checking and editing before they go live. **Best for:** quick drafting and ideation, next to a tool that supplies the SEO data. ### Terradium *AI visibility + AI SEO content · [$29/mo (Starter)](https://terradium.io/pricing)* Terradium does AI visibility tracking and AI-written SEO content in one tool. Each week it asks 15 of your buyers' questions on 3 of 4 AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini) and reports whether your brand is mentioned and your site cited. From the gaps in those answers it builds a weekly Actions list of what to write next. It then writes up to 30 articles a month with a multi-agent pipeline (plan, research, write, improve), built to be cited in AI answers, and publishes them to a built-in CMS or to your own site through a signed webhook. **Pros** - Tracking and writing in one tool, so the gap list turns straight into articles. - The lowest published entry price on this list, with a 7-day free trial. - Publishes directly, without copy-pasting between tools. **Cons** - Samples less often than dedicated trackers: weekly, 15 questions, 3 engines. - No backlink index, site crawler, Google rank tracking or large keyword database. **Best for:** small teams that want to be cited in AI answers and need the articles to get there. **Where Terradium fits** Terradium covers two jobs on this list: tracking whether AI answers mention and cite you, and writing the content that closes the gaps. It overlaps with the content editors (Surfer, Frase, Clearscope) on writing and with Semrush on AI tracking. It does **not** replace an SEO suite. There's no backlink index, no site crawler or technical audit, no Google keyword-position tracking, no keyword database at Semrush or Ahrefs scale, and no PPC data. If you need those, keep a suite or a crawler and use Terradium as the content and AI-answer layer on top. If your team already has a writer and an editor it likes, a dedicated tracker may suit you better. ## AI search vs Google SEO Most of the work overlaps. A page that answers a question clearly, from a site crawlers can read, is a good candidate for both Google's results and an AI answer. The measurement is different, though. - **Google results** are rankings: a position for a keyword, tracked over time. - **AI answers** are mentions and citations. The same question can get a different answer each time it's asked, so tracking means sampling many answers and watching the trend, not reading one rank. The free consoles have started to report AI traffic, with limits. Google includes AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic in the normal Search Console Performance report, with no separate filter, so you can't split it out. Bing Webmaster Tools has an AI Performance report, in public preview since February 10, 2026, that shows how often your site is cited in Microsoft Copilot and Bing's AI-generated summaries. Our guide to the [best free SEO tools](https://terradium.io/blog/best-free-seo-tools) covers both. Before you buy anything for AI search, check that AI crawlers can read your site. If your robots.txt blocks them or your pages only render in the browser, no tool will show you being cited. The free [AI crawler checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-crawler-checker) tests robots.txt for 13 AI crawlers, llms.txt and server rendering. ## A workflow example Here is one way to combine these tools for a single article. It's an example of how the jobs fit together, not a measured result. 1. **Check access.** Run the AI crawler checker and fix anything that blocks crawlers. 2. **Pick the topic.** Use keyword research in a suite like Semrush, or a gap list from an AI visibility tracker, to choose a question your buyers ask that you don't yet answer well. 3. **Brief it.** Open the keyword in Surfer, Frase or Clearscope to see what the ranking pages cover. 4. **Draft it.** Use the editor's AI assistant, ChatGPT, or a pipeline like Terradium's to get a first draft. 5. **Edit it.** Add what only you know: your product details, real examples, your own numbers. Fact-check everything the AI wrote. 6. **Optimize and publish.** Score the page in the editor, fix on-page issues, and publish. 7. **Measure.** Watch Search Console for Google, Bing Webmaster Tools for Copilot citations, and an AI visibility tracker for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. A small team might do steps 2 to 6 in one tool. A larger team might use a different tool for each. ## How to choose - **Name the job first.** Research, briefs, writing, on-page fixes and tracking are different jobs. Buy for the one that's actually slowing you down. - **Count seats and articles, not features.** Frase Starter is 10 articles a month for one seat, Surfer Discovery is one seat, and Clearscope has unlimited users on every plan. - **Check AI engine coverage per plan.** Several tools track only ChatGPT, or only ChatGPT and Google, on their entry plans. - **Keep a human editor.** Every tool here can produce a draft. None of them knows your product, customers or numbers the way you do. - **Use the free trials.** Semrush, Frase, Clearscope, Alli AI, SEO.ai and Terradium all offer one. If you're picking AI tools for more than search, our guide to the [best AI tools for marketing](https://terradium.io/blog/best-ai-tools-for-marketing) sorts them by channel. If you work on a Mac, see our guide to the [best SEO software for Mac](https://terradium.io/blog/best-seo-software-for-mac-the-modern-macos-stack). ## Questions **What is the best AI SEO tool?** It depends on the job. Semrush is the broadest suite for research and tracking, Surfer, Frase and Clearscope are content editors for briefs and optimization, Alli AI automates on-page changes, and Terradium tracks AI answers and writes the content to close the gaps. **Are there free AI SEO tools?** A few. Semrush has a free plan with 10 reports a day, Surfer's Keyword Surfer extension is free, Frase offers free checker tools, and Terradium has a free AI crawler checker and AI visibility checker. Most paid tools here also offer a free trial. **Can ChatGPT do SEO?** It can help with parts of it, such as brainstorming topics, outlining articles and drafting meta descriptions. It isn't an SEO platform, so keyword data, rankings and a crawl of your site have to come from other tools, and its drafts need fact-checking. **How do I use AI to improve SEO?** Use it for the slow parts of the work: turning a keyword into a brief, getting a first draft, and checking a page against what already ranks. Keep a human editor to add your own expertise and check facts, and measure results in Search Console and an AI visibility tracker. **Is AI SEO the same as AEO or GEO?** Not quite. AI SEO usually means using AI to do SEO work, while AEO and GEO mean optimizing to be mentioned and cited in AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Several tools on this list now do both.