Frase

Frase is the budget version of Surfer SEO. The basic workflow is the same: enter a keyword, get a content brief based on what is ranking, then write to spec.

The Question Mining feature pulls actual questions from People Also Ask boxes and Reddit threads, so you get a real list of queries to build outlines around. The briefs feel less like keyword stuffing and more like answering what real users want to know.

The built-in AI Writer drafts paragraphs that fit the brief, so you can move from research to first draft without switching tools. Quality is decent for a starting point, and most teams edit before shipping.

Frase covers the basic content workflow end to end:

• Keyword research and SERP analysis
• Content briefs with term targets and outline suggestions
• AI Writer for first-draft generation
• Competitor analysis comparing your draft to top-ranking pages
• Side-by-side editor with live scoring as you write

Google Docs export and WordPress integration cover most publishing workflows for small teams. The product doesn't try to be a full content operations platform. It's a sharp tool for the brief-and-draft phase.

Common workflows by role:

• Solo marketers handling content as one of several functions
• Small content teams shipping a few SEO posts a month
• Freelance writers using briefs from clients as a working document
• Agencies producing client content where margins matter

A few specifics about the briefs:

• They pull from the current top-ranking pages, not from a stale snapshot
• Term recommendations include frequency targets, not just lists
• Question mining surfaces angles competitors might be missing
• The score is meant as a guide for completeness, not a ranking guarantee

The trade-off versus higher-end tools comes down to depth against price. Surfer or Clearscope give you sharper recommendations and stricter scoring, while Frase keeps the price low with decent coverage. For teams whose content velocity makes premium pricing hard to justify, the math works.

For high-volume operations running 20+ posts a month, or where content is a top-three growth channel, Surfer or Clearscope offer more depth in the recommendations and tighter integrations.

Paid subscription with a free trial only, scaling by AI-optimized articles per month, audit pages, monitored domains, and user seats. Lower tiers cap the number of saved documents.

Best for solo marketers and small content teams publishing a few SEO posts a month with limited budget. Not the right fit for SEO factories running heavy publishing schedules where deeper tools earn back their cost.