--- title: "MarketMuse vs Surfer: Which is more popular by branded search?" description: "Which is more popular in search, MarketMuse or Surfer? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO content optimization platforms 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/marketmuse-vs-surfer" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # MarketMuse vs Surfer: Which is more popular by branded search? Which is more popular in search, MarketMuse or Surfer? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the SEO content optimization platforms 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**: MarketMuse and Surfer - **Competitive set**: SEO content optimization platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **MarketMuse Share of Search**: 17.2% - **Surfer Share of Search**: 1.6% ## Which is more popular in search, MarketMuse or Surfer? - In August 2026, MarketMuse had more branded searches than Surfer among SEO content optimization platforms worldwide. MarketMuse was estimated to have 1.9K branded searches compared to Surfer’s 180, and held a 17.2% Share of Search versus Surfer’s 1.6%. - MarketMuse was ahead of Surfer in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MarketMuse’s estimated Share of Search among SEO content optimization platforms worldwide moved from 23.8% to 17.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.1K to 1.9K. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Surfer’s estimated Share of Search among SEO content optimization platforms worldwide moved from 1.3% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 280 to 180. ## How did search popularity change for SEO content optimization platforms worldwide in August 2026? - MarketMuse’s estimated Share of Search among SEO content optimization platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 20.1% to 17.2% in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Surfer worldwide fell 35.7% over 11 measured months, from 280 to 180 in August 2026. ## Month by month | Month | MarketMuse estimated searches | MarketMuse Share of Search | MarketMuse rank | Surfer estimated searches | Surfer Share of Search | Surfer rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 5.1K | 23.8% | 3 | 280 | 1.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 4.2K | 20.1% | 3 | 220 | 1.1% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 4.1K | 23.4% | 2 | 180 | 1% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 5.9K | 28.7% | 2 | 270 | 1.3% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 3.4K | 20% | 3 | 180 | 1.1% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 4.1K | 22.3% | 3 | 270 | 1.5% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 3.4K | 22% | 3 | 270 | 1.7% | 5 | | May 2026 | 2.8K | 20.1% | 3 | 150 | 1.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 2.2K | 18.3% | 3 | 120 | 1% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 2K | 17.5% | 3 | 180 | 1.6% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 1.9K | 17.2% | 3 | 180 | 1.6% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using MarketMuse’s and Surfer’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. - **MarketMuse**: Measured on the search terms “marketmuse”, “marketmuse ai”, “marketmuse alternatives”, “marketmuse pricing”, “marketmuse reviews”, “marketmuse seo” and “marketmuse.com”, summed into one figure. - **Surfer**: Measured on the search terms “surfer content optimization” and “surferseo.com”, summed into one figure. - [MarketMuse profile](/demand/global-en/brands/marketmuse) - [Surfer profile](/demand/global-en/brands/surfer) - [All SEO content optimization platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/seo-content-optimization-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 5 brands. ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which is more popular in search, MarketMuse or Surfer? In August 2026, MarketMuse had more branded searches than Surfer among SEO content optimization platforms worldwide. MarketMuse was estimated to have 1.9K branded searches compared to Surfer’s 180, and held a 17.2% Share of Search versus Surfer’s 1.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "MarketMuse vs Surfer: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/marketmuse-vs-surfer This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/marketmuse-vs-surfer. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.