--- title: "Ahrefs vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Ahrefs or Surfer SEO more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI SEO tools set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/ahrefs-vs-surfer-seo" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ahrefs vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular? Is Ahrefs or Surfer SEO more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI SEO tools set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Ahrefs and Surfer SEO - **Competitive set**: AI SEO tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ahrefs Share of Search**: 4.1% - **Surfer SEO Share of Search**: 69.7% ## Is Ahrefs or Surfer SEO more popular in search? - In September 2026, Surfer SEO had more branded searches than Ahrefs among AI SEO tools worldwide. Surfer SEO had about 22,200 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 1,300. Surfer SEO made up 69.7% of all AI SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 4.1%. - Surfer SEO was ahead of Ahrefs in every measured month of the 11 months ending September 2026. - Across the 11 months ending September 2026, Ahrefs’ share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide moved from 3.3% to 4.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.9K to 1.3K. - Across the 11 months ending September 2026, Surfer SEO’s share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide moved from 70.3% to 69.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 22.2K. ## Top AI SEO tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Surfer SEO appeared in all five answers. Ahrefs was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Surfer SEO was listed before Ahrefs in four out of five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Surfer SEO | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Semrush | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Clearscope | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Frase | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Ahrefs | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | MarketMuse | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | WriterZen | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about AI SEO tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which AI SEO tool should I use?": 1. Semrush, 2. Surfer SEO, 3. Ahrefs, 4. Frase - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best AI SEO tools?": 1. Semrush, 2. Ahrefs, 3. Surfer SEO, 4. Frase, 5. Clearscope - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best AI SEO tool for content optimisation?": 1. Surfer SEO, 2. Frase, 3. Clearscope, 4. MarketMuse, 5. Semrush - Searched Google, AI Overview "ai seo tools": 1. Semrush, 2. Surfer SEO, 3. Clearscope, 4. Ahrefs - Searched Google, AI Overview "content optimisation tool": 1. Clearscope, 2. Surfer SEO, 3. Frase, 4. Semrush Not named in any answer: WriterZen. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for AI SEO tools worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Surfer SEO gained share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide, from 67.4% to 69.7%. - In September 2026, Ahrefs rose from 6th to 5th among AI SEO tools worldwide. ## How has branded search for Ahrefs and Surfer SEO changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Ahrefs estimated searches | Ahrefs Share of Search | Ahrefs rank | Surfer SEO estimated searches | Surfer SEO Share of Search | Surfer SEO rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 1.9K | 3.3% | 6 | 40.5K | 70.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 1.6K | 2.9% | 6 | 40.5K | 73.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 1.9K | 2.8% | 6 | 49.5K | 72.9% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 1.9K | 3.4% | 6 | 40.5K | 72% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 2.4K | 3.6% | 5 | 49.5K | 74.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 1.9K | 3.4% | 6 | 40.5K | 73.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | 1.9K | 4% | 6 | 33.1K | 68.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 1.3K | 3.2% | 6 | 27.1K | 67.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 1.6K | 4.1% | 6 | 27.1K | 69% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 1.3K | 3.9% | 6 | 22.2K | 67.4% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 1.3K | 4.1% | 5 | 22.2K | 69.7% | 1 | | Oct 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How are Ahrefs’ and Surfer SEO’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ahrefs’ and Surfer SEO’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Ahrefs**: Measured on the search term “ahrefs ai”. - **Surfer SEO**: Measured on the search term “surfer seo”. - [Ahrefs profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ahrefs) - [Surfer SEO profile](/demand/global-en/brands/surfer-seo) - [All AI SEO tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/ai-seo-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Ahrefs or Surfer SEO more popular in search? In September 2026, Surfer SEO had more branded searches than Ahrefs among AI SEO tools worldwide. Surfer SEO had about 22,200 branded searches, while Ahrefs had 1,300. Surfer SEO made up 69.7% of all AI SEO tool searches we track, and Ahrefs accounted for 4.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ahrefs vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/ahrefs-vs-surfer-seo This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/ahrefs-vs-surfer-seo. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.