W
WBrightLocal vs Surfer SEO
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
B
Choose BrightLocal if…
- you want the lower entry price ($31/mo vs $49/mo)
- you want to trial it before paying
- you're in its core audience: local businesses, seo agencies
S
Choose Surfer SEO if…
- you work on Chrome
- you're in its core audience: seo specialists, content marketers
Side by side
Feature BrightLocal Surfer SEO
Pricing modelFree trialPaid
Starting price$31/mo$49/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
Trains AI on your contentNo—
Data retentionPlatform account retained 3 years from last recorded activity—
Security and complianceGDPRGDPR
Updates, last 90 days—1
AI search visibility—
Content scoring editor—
Technical site audit—
Local geo-grid ranking—
MCP server—
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Chrome, API
CategorySEOSEO
CompanyBrightLocal LtdSurfer sp. z o.o.
Based inUnited KingdomPoland
Founded2009—
Part ofBrightLocal Services Ltd—
Key features
B BrightLocal
- Local rank tracking for up to 100 keywords and competitors
- Geo-grid map view of local rankings
- Local AI Visibility Tracker for ChatGPT and Google AI
- AI Insights with prioritized actions
- Citation monitoring and manual citation building
- Google Business Profile audits and post scheduling
- Review monitoring and management
- APIs for listings, reviews and ranking data
S Surfer SEO
- Content Editor with live SEO and AI search guidelines
- AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity
- Content audit with prioritized action list
- Topical maps and competitive gap analysis
- Re-optimization alerts when rankings or AI mentions drop
- Google Docs, WordPress and Contentful integrations
- Plagiarism checker and AI Humanizer
- MCP connection to ChatGPT and Claude
Plans and prices
From each vendor's site. Prices change — confirm before buying.
BrightLocal
Track$31/mo ($369 billed annually)
Manage$40/mo ($485 billed annually)
Citation Buildingfrom $2/citation
Managed SEO Servicesfrom $499/mo
API SolutionsCustom
Surfer SEO
Discovery$49/mo billed yearly
AI Search Analytics$82/mo billed yearly
Standard$99/mo billed yearly
Pro$182/mo billed yearly
Peace of Mind$299/mo billed yearly
EnterpriseCustom
Strengths and limitations
BrightLocal
- Paid plans start at $31/mo, and annual billing saves 25%
- Free tools such as a Local SERP Checker and a Google review link generator
- Offers self-serve software, managed services and APIs
- Free trial available on platform plans
- Track plan limits geo-grid tracking to five keywords
- AI Insights requires the Manage plan or higher
- API pricing is not published
- No mobile apps listed
Surfer SEO
- Tracks visibility in both Google and major AI assistants
- Integrates with Google Docs, WordPress and Contentful
- Peace of Mind plan includes unlimited documents under a fair usage policy
- Yearly billing saves up to 17%
- No free plan listed
- Listed prices are for yearly billing, charged upfront
- API access requires Peace of Mind ($299/mo), an API add-on or Enterprise
- PayPal is not accepted
More comparisons
Other options to consider
WW
From $79/mo
F
FF
From $39/mo
K
KAI SEO agent and article writer for sites that grow through search content
Free, from $25/mo
K
Free, from $25/mo
K
AI SEO agent and article writer for sites that grow through search content
Blog & SEO WritingFree planAPI
N
NNLP-based content optimization and AI search visibility tracking for SEO teams
From $23/mo
N
From $23/mo
N
NLP-based content optimization and AI search visibility tracking for SEO teams
Blog & SEO WritingAPI
Built from each vendor's public website; we haven't tested them hands-on. Editorial policy