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Frase is one of the most underrated SEO writing tools available right now. While Surfer SEO gets most of the attention in this space, Frase does something subtly different — and for many writers and content teams, it does it better.
What Is Frase?
Frase is an AI-powered SEO content tool that combines SERP research, content briefs, and AI writing in a single workflow. The core idea: you enter a target keyword, Frase analyzes the top-ranking pages for that keyword, builds you a content brief based on what’s ranking, and then helps you write content optimized to compete with those pages.
That end-to-end approach — from research to brief to draft to optimization — is where Frase earns its reputation.
Frase Pricing (2026)
- Solo: $15/month — 1 user, 4 articles/month
- Basic: $45/month — 1 user, 30 articles/month
- Team: $115/month — 3 users, unlimited articles
The Solo plan at $15/month is genuinely the best entry point in the SEO writing tool market. For a freelancer writing a handful of optimized articles per month, it covers the full workflow for less than what you’d spend on lunch.
Frase’s affiliate program pays 30% recurring — well worth promoting for any writer recommending SEO tools.
The SERP Research Feature
Enter any keyword and Frase pulls the top 20 SERP results and automatically extracts the key topics, headers, and questions each ranking page covers. It then shows you a visual breakdown of what your article needs to include to be competitive — presented as a content score you can track as you write.
This is functionally similar to Surfer SEO’s content editor, but Frase’s SERP analysis is faster to set up and the interface is less cluttered. For writers who just want to see “what do I need to cover” without wading through advanced NLP metrics, Frase is more accessible.
Content Briefs
Frase can generate a full content brief from your keyword in about 60 seconds. The brief includes: suggested article structure, key questions to answer, topics to cover, and competitor stats (average word count, domain authority). For freelancers who work with clients who don’t provide briefs, this feature alone is worth the subscription price — it positions you as the expert who arrives with a plan.
The AI Writing Component
Frase includes an AI writing tool built on GPT-4. It’s not the strongest AI writer available (Claude and Jasper produce more nuanced prose), but it’s adequate for generating first drafts that you then optimize using Frase’s content scoring.
The smart approach: use Claude or ChatGPT to write the actual draft, then paste it into Frase to optimize it against the content score. You get the best writing quality from one tool and the best SEO optimization from another.
Frase vs Surfer SEO: The Key Difference
| Feature | Frase Basic ($45/mo) | Surfer SEO Essential ($89/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| SERP research | ✅ | ✅ |
| Content briefs | ✅ Auto-generated | ✅ Manual + AI |
| Content editor | ✅ | ✅ More detailed |
| AI writing | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Surfer AI |
| Keyword research | Basic | ✅ More powerful |
| Price | $45/month | $89/month |
Surfer SEO is more powerful for pure SEO analytics. Frase is better value for writers who primarily need the brief-generation and content-scoring workflow without the full SEO platform.
Who Should Use Frase?
- Freelance writers who produce SEO content and want to add measurable value for clients
- Content teams that need consistent, research-backed briefs at scale
- Writers who find Surfer SEO overly complex or too expensive
- Anyone writing content in a competitive niche who needs to understand what’s ranking and why
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
Frase is an underrated gem in the SEO writing tool space. The Brief Auto-Generator alone justifies the subscription for any writer producing SEO content regularly. At $15/month for the Solo plan, the barrier to entry is lower than any comparable tool, making it an easy first recommendation for writers just starting to add SEO tools to their workflow.
→ Try Frase free for 5 days for $1 — real access to the full product, not a crippled demo.