Compare
CAQA SEO and Surfer
Surfer focuses on content: an editor that scores drafts against the pages that rank, content audits, AI writing and AI search visibility tracking.
CAQA SEO
Search visibility workspace
Audits, rankings, keyword and competitor research, backlinks, content tools, local SEO, AI answer visibility and branded reports in one place, with practical guidance from the CAQA team.
Often a good fit for: businesses, agencies and training providers who want audits, rankings, content and AI visibility together, with help on hand.
Surfer
Content optimisation
Surfer focuses on content: an editor that scores drafts against the pages that rank, content audits, AI writing and AI search visibility tracking.
Often a good fit for: content teams whose main job is writing and refreshing articles.
By area
Side by side
Capabilities offered in each area, out of the total on our list.
| Area | CAQA SEO | Surfer | On our list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projects and portfolio | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| Site audit and crawler | 16.5 | 1 | 35 |
| Log file analysis | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| On-page and content | 11.5 | 17 | 23 |
| Keyword research | 13 | 2 | 25 |
| Rank tracking | 12.5 | 2 | 22 |
| Competitor and domain research | 7.5 | 0 | 15 |
| Backlinks | 7.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Paid search research | 2.5 | 0 | 10 |
| Traffic and market intelligence | 1.5 | 0 | 12 |
| Local SEO | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| AI search visibility | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| Reporting | 2.5 | 0 | 10 |
| Integrations | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| Enterprise and teams | 1.5 | 0 | 10 |
Where CAQA SEO goes further
On our list, CAQA SEO offers these and Surfer does not describe them.
- Cross-project dashboard summarising health, visibility, traffic and links for every projectProjects and portfolio
- Batch analysis: paste hundreds of domains or URLs and get metrics side by sideProjects and portfolio
- Scheduled cloud crawl of a whole site with health score and issue countsSite audit and crawler
- List mode: audit only an uploaded or pasted list of URLsSite audit and crawler
- Seed crawl from XML sitemaps, and audit sitemaps on their ownSite audit and crawler
- Crawl comparison over time: new, fixed, persisting issues and URL set changesSite audit and crawler
- Internal link score per URL (PageRank-style)Site audit and crawler
- Generate XML and image sitemaps from crawl resultsSite audit and crawler
- robots.txt editor and tester simulating a chosen botSite audit and crawler
- Core Web Vitals per URL: field data (CrUX) and lab data (Lighthouse)Site audit and crawler
- Issue prioritisation, plain-language explanation and how-to-fix guidanceSite audit and crawler
- Index status per URL via URL InspectionSite audit and crawler
- Page-level audit of a single URL on demandSite audit and crawler
- Verify genuine search bots by reverse DNS or published IP ranges; flag spoofed botsLog file analysis
And 45 more in the full comparison.
Where Surfer goes further
Surfer describes these and CAQA SEO does not offer them yet.
- Browser extension overlaying metrics on SERPs and pagesProjects and portfolio
- MCP server so external AI agents can query the platformProjects and portfolio
- AI-text detection and "humaniser" style rewritingOn-page and content
- Internal linking suggestions (source page, anchor, target)On-page and content
- Re-optimisation alerts when a page loses rankings or AI mentionsOn-page and content
- Editor add-ons for Google Docs and WordPressOn-page and content
- Brand voice and content templates saved per workspaceOn-page and content
- Google AI Mode answer trackingRank tracking
- Free AI visibility grader (lead capture)AI search visibility
- Recommendations to lift AI visibility (content, citations, entities)AI search visibility
- Public REST APIIntegrations
- MCP serverIntegrations
- WordPress pluginIntegrations
- Google Docs add-onIntegrations
Partly covered by CAQA SEO
- Project per domain, subdomain, folder or URL with default country, language, device and competitor setProjects and portfolio
- Exports to CSV, Excel and Google Sheets from every tableProjects and portfolio
- Credit or quota metering per plan, user and projectProjects and portfolio
- SERP analyser: compare top results by authority, links, length, speed, term usageOn-page and content
- Topic research and topical maps: subtopics, headlines, questions, intent clustersOn-page and content
- Optimisation guidance for AI answers (answer-first blocks, citations, chunking)On-page and content
- Keyword clustering by shared SERP URLsKeyword research
- Custom prompt sets tracked on a schedule per engine and countryAI search visibility
And 1 more in the full comparison.
Questions
Choosing between them
Is CAQA SEO a replacement for Surfer?
For some teams, yes; for others, no. If what you need is in the lists above under where CAQA SEO goes further or where both cover it, CAQA SEO may do the job. If you rely on the capabilities listed under where Surfer goes further, keep using it or use both.
Can I use CAQA SEO alongside Surfer?
Yes. Many teams use more than one tool. CAQA SEO exports every table to CSV, so its findings sit comfortably beside other tools.
Is CAQA SEO connected with Surfer?
No. CAQA SEO is an independent product built by CAQA. Surfer is a trademark of its owner.
How current is this comparison?
It reflects public information as at 8 November 2026. Products change, so check details with each provider.
How this comparison was made
We listed the capabilities each product describes on its own public website, feature pages and help centre as at 8 November 2026, described them in our own words, and marked which products offer each one. A tick means the provider describes the capability; it says nothing about quality, price or how well it suits you. Moz and Ubersuggest details could not be confirmed against their websites on that date, so treat those columns with extra care.
Products change often. Please check details with each provider before you decide. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners. CAQA SEO is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
See your website the way search engines do
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