--- title: "Semrush vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Semrush 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/semrush-vs-surfer-seo" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Semrush vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular? Is Semrush 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**: Semrush and Surfer SEO - **Competitive set**: AI SEO tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Semrush Share of Search**: 3.7% - **Surfer SEO Share of Search**: 69.7% ## Is Semrush or Surfer SEO more popular in search? - In September 2026, Surfer SEO had more branded searches than Semrush among AI SEO tools worldwide. Surfer SEO had about 22,200 branded searches, while Semrush had 1,170. Surfer SEO made up 69.7% of all AI SEO tool searches we track, and Semrush accounted for 3.7%. - Surfer SEO was ahead of Semrush in every measured month of the 11 months ending September 2026. - Across the 11 months ending September 2026, Semrush’s share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide moved from 4.7% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.7K to 1.2K. - 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, both Semrush and Surfer SEO showed up in all five answers. Semrush was listed before Surfer SEO in three of them. 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, Semrush lost share of searches among AI SEO tools worldwide, from 4.2% to 3.7%. ## How has branded search for Semrush and Surfer SEO changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Semrush estimated searches | Semrush Share of Search | Semrush rank | Surfer SEO estimated searches | Surfer SEO Share of Search | Surfer SEO rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 2.7K | 4.7% | 4 | 40.5K | 70.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 1.9K | 3.4% | 5 | 40.5K | 73.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 2.2K | 3.3% | 5 | 49.5K | 72.9% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 3.2K | 5.7% | 3 | 40.5K | 72% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 2.5K | 3.8% | 4 | 49.5K | 74.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 2K | 3.7% | 5 | 40.5K | 73.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | 2.2K | 4.6% | 5 | 33.1K | 68.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 2K | 5% | 4 | 27.1K | 67.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 1.9K | 4.8% | 4 | 27.1K | 69% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 1.4K | 4.2% | 5 | 22.2K | 67.4% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 1.2K | 3.7% | 6 | 22.2K | 69.7% | 1 | | Oct 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How are Semrush’s and Surfer SEO’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Semrush’s 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. - **Semrush**: Measured on the search terms “semrush ai” and “semrush ai seo”, summed into one figure. - **Surfer SEO**: Measured on the search term “surfer seo”. - [Semrush profile](/demand/global-en/brands/semrush) - [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 Semrush or Surfer SEO more popular in search? In September 2026, Surfer SEO had more branded searches than Semrush among AI SEO tools worldwide. Surfer SEO had about 22,200 branded searches, while Semrush had 1,170. Surfer SEO made up 69.7% of all AI SEO tool searches we track, and Semrush accounted for 3.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Semrush vs Surfer SEO: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/semrush-vs-surfer-seo This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/semrush-vs-surfer-seo. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.